Much discussion is now going on in Buddhist circles about how Buddhism will develop in America, so here is my two cents worth.
Historically, Buddhism has taken on the culture to which it has migrated, and I believe that American Buddhism will be no exception. I further think that American values will reflect deeply in the Buddhisms that eventually become “American Buddhisms.”
Buddhism
But what are present American values?
Are they are Mom, God and Apple Pie? Or is America going another way, a strange way that comes closer and closer to historical Buddhist values?
The family in America is being fractured with nearly a 50% divorce rate. Many people are not marrying and simply living together with single momism trending toward almost a norm. This is unfortunately the present reality regardless of what we would like that reality to be. Mom (family), for better or worse, has lost some of its traditional values.
How about God? In Germany, only 15% say that God is important in their lives. Is this the trend in America as well? According to Pew Reports, it is.
And Apple pie? When’s the last time you baked one?
Are Americans naturally endowed with love, compassion, and good will? Not so much. Freedom and liberty trumps everything. If we are realistic and read between the lines of all the news stories and politics, the predominant American trait is fierce independence. They don’t call the Fourth of July Independence Day for nothing.
The interesting thing is, the Buddha felt the same way. He walked away from the conventions of his time, which in his case was the very wealthy lifestyle of a prince, and lived as a beggar in the forest for six years, almost starving to death trying to find real answers for himself about how he could escape the ravages of old age, disease and death.
As the story goes, when the Buddha was born, a sage predicted that he would either become a great, world ruling monarch, or become a holy man that would save the world. (The birth stories of the Buddha and Christ are uncannily similar).
Since the Buddha’s father, a king in his own right, wanted nothing to do with holy men, he sheltered the lad from any chance of his seeing the shady side of life that might bring up spiritual tendencies. So he arranged three castles for the prince who remained under ‘house arrest’ living a decadent lifestyle. No pleasure was unknown to the prince.
One day, he talked his charioteer into sneaking out of the castle together to look around. When the Buddha saw an old man, he didn’t even know what it was! His charioteer assured the Buddha that even he, the great prince, could not escape this fate.
Then he saw a sick man and then a corpse. His charioteer again assured him that this is what the Buddha himself was destined for. Shortly thereafter, the Buddha left his young wife and day old son and entered the forest alone to either find the answer to the deathless, or die trying.
Americans are do-it-yourselfers, aren’t we? We don’t want anyone telling us what to do or how to do it. We hate conformity. Passively following along like sheep is disgusting to most of us.
The Buddha was the same way; he turned his back on his Hindu religion, which didn’t give him the answers he sought, and instead searched for truth within himself. He found it, and later taught for one reason and one reason only, as he said – to free people. He became free himself when he was 35 years old, and taught for 45 years thereafter.
Americans are headed this way as well, aren’t we? Toward freedom? Participation in traditional church services where we are told what to believe and how to act is declining, isn’t it? Yes?
Americans increasingly want a “hands on” approach to their spiritual life, not spoon-fed pablum. Isn’t this true?
We inherently are beginning to understand from experience that freedom can only be found within, and are starting to question the old myths that “friends, family, church, career and wealth” make us happy. Aren’t we?
In real life experiences, acquiring these things and holding on to them can many times produce severe stress, isn’t this true? Where does your stress come from? The opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish, which is total freedom, is replaced by total angst.
The constant struggle to cultivate, and then keep – husbands, wives, friends, family, church, career and wealth – is stressful, and hoping that these will result in total freedom is an obvious fallacy regardless of what we are led to believe. Is this not true?
These things, things which are outside of us, cause only stress when we try to accumulate and then hold onto them. They are quite innocent in themselves; but it’s the desire to accumulate and then claim these people and things as our own that cause high stress levels laced with jealousy, insecurity, and fear. But we don’t see this, do we? Because we have bought into these things as being virtuous.
Let’s be real. Buddhism in its purest form is counter-cultural. It goes against the grain of conventional wisdom, or the idea that we should be productive citizens and dedicate ourselves to the material betterment of society.
What a shocker! Right? One will argue that if we all sat around contemplating our navels, society would fail. I will only respond that Steve Jobs contemplated his naval!
Some Americans are beginning to question the present model of society that is increasingly becoming dog eat dog. Isn’t it true? Inequality of income, homelessness, and all of that. This questioning is being reflected in changes of attitudes toward religion, politics, finance, and even family values – the basic pivot points where cultures are forged.
Americans, being independent and not keen about being told what to do or what to think, are increasingly questioning the conventional wisdom that sacrifices one’s inner growth for the good of a materialistic society. It comes down to ‘get rich quick’ regardless what it takes or who gets hurt, verses getting wealthy inwardly. One method strengthens its adversary, and the other destroys its adversary. Strict bottom line capitalism with no regard to social values kills the pursuit of inner virtue, while the pursuit of inner virtue strengthens society – all of society.
Buddhist Monks, who in some American eyes just sit around and meditate and are a drag on society, are conversely revered by Asians who understand that the deeper virtues are to be cultivated and admired because these are what insure a just and contented society. Asians invest in their monks as well as their 401ks.
Globalization of course economically dictates that societies increasingly must pay a lot of attention to making money. Little time, energy or interest is left for spiritual pursuits. In a zombie-like daze, we go to school, get a job, make money, raise kids, grow old and die – if we are lucky. If we are unlucky, we get left behind and die paupers – no money, no spiritual awakening.
We might go to church and believe what they tell us, but seldom do we look inside for our own truth; we merely believe somebody’s story and take it as our own. We believe wholeheartedly that we will go to heaven or wherever our particular religion tells us that we are going. We never question that. At least we never did.
A combination of increased intelligence, increased access to information, and an increased awareness that material pleasure – the tour de force of societal success – leaves us lacking in true freedom, has all combined to question that which at one time was considered consecrated truth – that success means a big bank account.
Maybe because a big bank account is increasingly becoming out of reach for the common worker, or maybe because our deep values are changing, something is making the old concrete ideals crumble.
In my opinion, American Buddhism will not develop along the lines that traditional Buddhism has developed in other countries or along lines that traditional Christianity has developed here. This will be different; it will be radical and a reflection of a maturing of the spiritual life.
An explosion of interest in yoga and meditation, once laughed at by all but die-hard hippies in the 60s, is an indication where Buddhism is heading. These are personal pursuits not connected to any congregation and contrary to most Eastern religions where the societal focus is on living an upright life and generously giving to the religious organization, Americans instead go for the throat of personal, religious and spiritual experience.
We are not particularly interested in being upright or good, or working hard in society and then giving money to an organization; we are more interested in developing ourselves internally until we change from stress balls to contented and self-assured people. Interestingly enough, the Buddha valued these kinds of seemingly self-centered people above ones who thought about others before they thought about themselves.
The Buddha knew that until a person became free themselves, they could not really help others become free. (We’re talking enlightenment here). He said that there are four kinds of people: Those who do not help themselves nor help others. Those who help others but not themselves. Those who help themselves but not others. And those who help themselves and others.
The fourth category is the highest – those who help themselves and others. The next highest is those who help themselves but not others. Notice this is higher than those who help others and not themselves. And the lowest person of course is one who helps neither him nor herself nor others. Americans fall in the third category – for now; helping themselves and not helping others. However this third category naturally morphs into the fourth as the person becomes spiritually advanced.
So in a way, the Buddha was counter-societal, suggesting that we all take time away from our material pursuits to study ourselves inwardly. We all have to make a living, but perhaps not a killing.
Why did he say this? He said this because, according to the Buddha, this was the only road to complete freedom, and interestingly enough, a road (freedom) that All Americans intuitively desire. This is why Buddhism, especially the Theravada original teachings of the Buddha, will grow in America.
It’s just logical.
American Buddhism
