NickPetorak

Prof.Blandford
UWRT1103
BuddhisminModernAmerica
YouwouldbehardpressedtolumpAmericanBuddhistsintoasinglecategoryofpeople
asthedemographicisasvariedasanyotherreligiousgroupinAmerica.Therearemanytypesof
peoplewhoidentifywithBuddhistphilosophieswhetheritbestrictfollowersofthereligionor
thosewhosimplytrytoemployitscoreteachingsintotheireverydaylife.Buddhistimmigrants
haveslowlybeenmakingtheirwaytoAmericaforthelast100yearsandasaresultbothcultures
haveborrowedinfluencesfromeachotherovertime.Thereismuchtosayaboutthegrowthof
BuddhisminAmerica,butIwantedtofocusonaspectsofthereligionthatIthinkhavethe
greatestappealtooursociety.
TheoverarchinggoalofBuddhismistoreachenlightenment,aprofoundunderstanding
oftheworld,throughtheteachingsoftheBuddhacalledthedharma.FromaBuddhist
viewpoint,dharmarefersmainlytotheliberatingtruththattheBuddharealized,andthentothe
teachingofferedbytheBuddhaasawaytowardthisrealization(4).TheBuddhataughtthat
enlightenmentcanbeattainedbylearningandunderstandingTheFourNobleTruths(1).The
FirstTruthisthatlifeissuffering,whetheritbephysicalorpsychological.TheSecondTruthis
thatthissufferingcomesfromthewantingorcravingofworldlythingssuchaswealthor
attention(1).TheThirdTruthisthatbyeliminatingthiscravingwecanreachtruehappinessor
Nirvana(1).ThelastoftheNobleTruthsisthepathtoendsufferingandthereforegaintrue
happinesslaidoutbytheBuddha,calledTheEightfoldPath(1).TheEightfoldPathbriefly

involvesbecomingmindfulofhowyouractionsaffecteverythingaroundyou,developing
wisdomofTheFourNobleTruths,andgainingtruecompassionforothers.However,even
thoughtheymakeupamere1%ofthepopulationtheirideologyhasbecomepervasive(1).In
readingBuddhistliteratureyoucanseethatthebackboneofthereligionreallyboilsdownto
tryingtounderstandone'splaceintheworldandhowtheyaffectothers,whichstrikesachord
withalotofpeopleinmodernsociety.Buddhistideologybecameparticularlyappealingto
Americansoncetheywerereallyexposedtothereligion.Youcanseehowinfluentialthis
exposurewasinpopularmovieslikeTheBigLebowski,celebrityconvertslikeSteveJobs,in
borrowedpracticessuchasyoga,orevenintheriseinpopularityofcertainlifestylechoiceslike
vegetarianismthathavebecomesopopularasoflate.
ThepredominantideaIhadofBuddhismatthebeginningthisprojectwasofBuddhist
monksinorange,solemnlychantingintemplesadornedwithasianarchitecture.Ithinkthisrings
trueformostmodernAmericansandisnotentirelyinaccurate,howevertherearemanyvarieties
andlevelsofinvolvementintheBuddhistreligion.Thereareofcoursestrictfollowerssuchas
themonksthatmostpeoplethinkof,butmanyfollowersofthereligionsimplytrytolivebyits
mainprinciples,oreven,sometimesunknowingly,practicesomeofitstraditionssuchasyoga
ormeditation.Buddhismdiffersgreatlyfrommostotherreligions,inthatitisnontheistic.This
meansthatBuddhistsdonotworshipornecessarilybelieveinagodorhigherpower.Other
religionsmostlyfocusappeasingahigherpowerinordertogaingoodgracesintheafterlife.
Buddhism,ontheotherhandfocusesonachievingclarityofmind,andhappinessinthislife.
Buddhismfocusesononesownpathtoenlightenment,andIthinkthatthisfundamentalfocus
onindividualityisreallyappealingandrefreshingtopeopleinwesternsociety.Inmyopinion,

otherreligionssuchasChristianityseemtotakeacookiecutter,nonpersonalapproachtomost
problems.Forexample,ifyouwerestrugglingwithanissueasaChristianyoumightbe
encouragedtosayafewprayersinhopesthatGodwillprovideananswerforyou.Incontrast,a
Buddhistwouldmostlikelyencourageyoutomeditateontheissueinanefforttofindtherootof
theproblemandthereforeawaytosolveit.Thisrealisticapproachtotheworldandhuman
behaviorreallyresonateswithme.
Ithinkinourhighoctanesocietythesimplicityofbuddhistteachingsreallyspeaksto
somemodernAmericansandasaresultiswhyourshasborrowedsomanyofitsphilosophies
recently.Buddhismteachesyoutoslowdownandreallytrytounderstandyouractionsandhow
theyaffecttheworldaroundyou.Notonlythat,butasoursocietycomestothinkaboutsocial
issuesinamoreprogressivemanner,theteachingsofBuddhismseemtocomplimentthese
movements,asBuddhistshavebeenpreachingequalityandkindnessforcenturies.Buddhismis
especiallyprominentinAmericanswhoassociatewiththemoreliberalsideoftheourpolitical
spectrum,especiallysocialactivists.Manyactivistsfirsttookupmeditationasacomplementto
politicalwork,andrealizedonlyinthesthatthedharmacouldbeapowerfulvehicleforsocial
change.(1)Oneparticularissueonwhichbuddhismhasplayedaleadingroleisgender
equality,VirtuallyallcommentatorswithintheBuddhistcommunitynownotethatone
hallmarkofAmericanBuddhismisthewayinwhichthedharmaisbeingtransformedintermsof
genderequity(1).Mostotherreligionsteachthatmaniscreatedequally,butBuddhismdoes
notdifferentiategenders.Itinsteadexplicitlyteachesthateveryonestartsasequalsontheirpath
toenlightenment.ThissentimenthasleadtomanyforwardthinkingAmericanwomenin

particulartoconverttothereligion,especiallyinthe1980swhengenderissuesbegantobe
broughttotheforefront(1).
Literacyplaysacentralroleinalmosteverymajorreligion.Whenthinkingoftheworld's
majorreligions,theirrespectiveholybooksarenotfarbehindinourminds,theBible,Quran,
etc.Buddhismissomewhatdifferentinthisregard,asitsmaintextsarenotaswidelyknown,or
evenascloselyscrutinizedasotherreligionssacredtexts.Thereareafewcollectionsof
literaturethatBuddhistdofollow,howevertheimportanceofeachdependsonwhichsubsetof
Buddhismsomeonefollows.Forexample,TheravadaBuddhistsmainlyfollowtheteachingsof
theTripitaka,theoldestofbuddhistscriptureswhichisespeciallypopularwithChineseand
TaiwaneseBuddhists(5).MahayanaBuddhistsmainlyrefertotheMahayanaSutras,whichare
additionstotheTripitaka,similartohowtheNewTestamentexpandsontheOldTestamentin
theBible(1)(5).Allofthesetextsareveryopentointerpretationandfurtherexemplifyhow
Buddhismismuchmorefocusedontheindividualthanotherreligions.
Myownliteracyalsoplayedarolegoingintothisassignment.Althoughnotreligiousat
thispointintime,IwasraisedinatypicalChristianAmericanhousehold.Thiscertainly
impactedmyperspectiveandpreconceivednotionsaboutreligioningeneral.Ihadneverreally
beenexposedtoanycredibleinformationregardingotherreligionsuntilnow.Especiallyonelike
Buddhism,whichissodifferentfromanythingIhadknown.Mypastexperienceswiththe
literaciessurroundingChristianityalsoinfluencedthewayIapproachedthistopic.Iwas
expectingtofindthatBuddhismwassomewhatcongruentwithotherreligions,asmostcanbe
simplifiedtothesamebasicnutsandboltsinmyopinion.Iwaspleasantlysurprisedtodiscover
justhowdiverseBuddhismisincomparison.

KnowingverylittleaboutBuddhismgoingintothisresearchprojectismostofthereason
whyIdecidedtodelveintoit..ReadingaboutBuddhistteachingshasreallyopenedmyeyestoa
newwayofthinking.Somepeoplemaythinkthatitsphilosophyofrecognizingandtryingto
understandthesufferingofeverydaylifemaybegrimorpessimistic,butbeingaselfproscribed
realistmyselfitreallyhitshome.Buddhismisverydifferentfromotherreligionsinthatitis
focusedonachievinghappinessinthisliferatherthanlivinginacertainwayinordertoimprove
yourchancesafterdeath.