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 lecture  note  
RSOC  86  Buddhism  
Professor  Anil  Sakya  
June  3,  2011  
 
From  our  first  class  on  March  28  we  together  explored  the  path  of  Buddhism.  We  learnt  about  
the   core   refuge   of   Buddhism   i.e.   the   Buddha,   Dharma   and   Sangha.   To   this   I   would   like   to  
summarize   it   as   a   New   ABC   of   life.   We   have   learned   what   it   means   by   the   Buddha   in   essence.   It  
is   nothing   more   than   “A”   for   awakening   or   attention   we   should   give   to   our   inner   selves.  
Dharma  is  nothing  more  than  “B”  for  balancing  of  the  obvious  truths  which  lie  before  us  every  
moment.   In   other   word   it   is   the   knowledge   how   to   balance   our   life   amidst   the   imbalanced  
world   of   desire.   Sangha   is   nothing   more   than   community   and   friendship   whom   we   spend   most  
of   our   life   with.   Therefore,   sangha   as   “C”   for   clear   and   compassionate   community   is   our  
resource  where  we  can  draw  numerous  examples  and  inspirations  for  us  to  follow  the  path  to  
harmonious   and   happy   life.   It   is   therefore   very   important   to   make   choices   in   befriending   a  
noble  friendship  for  our  better  future.  Then  we  have  learned  how  this  simple  message  twisted  
and   turned   along   its   zigzag   path   to   different   cultures   and   countries   and   produced   what   we  
labeled   as   ‘MTV’   Buddhisms.   We   have   also   tried   to   briefly   touched   upon   some   issues   of  
Buddhist  devotion,  ethics  and  meditation  as  our  time  allowed.  Finally,  we  concluded  our  course  
with   our   field   trip   to   different   ‘American’   Buddhist   temples   and   centers   as   a   part   of   our  
empirical  experience  of  2,500  years  old  religion  in  our  own  homeland.          
As   the   story   of   Buddhism   has   unfolded   over   the   course   of   our   lectures,   we   have   seen   that  
Buddhism   is   an   extraordinarily   malleable   and   adaptable   tradition.   In   many   cases,   we   can   say   it  
with  a  certain  assertion  that  Buddhism  has  gone  glocalized  to  every  place  it  arrived.  We  have  
also   learnt   throughout   the   course   that   Buddhism   is   a   vast   subject   and   there   is   a   lot   more   to  
explore.   It   was   an   ancient   teaching   over   2,500   years   old   but   it   amazingly   has   all   answers   to  
almost  every  problem  of  this  21st  century.  I  think  we  can  agree  on  that.    
The   Buddhist   tradition   has   changed   so   much   that   we   would   have   to   say   one   of   its   primary  
characteristics  is  its  flexibility  –  its  downright  changeableness.  It  has  made  it  pretty  elusive  for  
us  –  pretty  challenging,  but  also  pretty  elusive  and  difficult  for  us  to  pin  down  exactly  what  is  
that’s  Buddhist  about  each  one  of  the  movements  that  we  have  seen.        
From  India  and  Nepal,  its  homeland,  Buddhism  spread  into  just  about  every  corner  of  Asia.  It  
transformed   the   civilizations   it   encountered   while   it   too   was   being   transformed   in   ways   that  
would,  I  think,  have  been  unimaginable  to  its  earliest  practitioners.    
It  should  come  as  no  surprise  to  us  to  see  that  Buddhism  today  has  become  an  influential  part  
of  the  culture  throughout  Europe  and  the  Americas.  Moreover,  it  is  also  emerging  to  appear  in  
unusual  places  like  in  Africa.  We  have  witnessed  some  of  the  ways  how  Buddhism  has  entered  
Western  culture  and  how  this  encounter  has  changed  the  Buddhist  tradition  itself.    
In  this  21st  century,  for  the  first  time  in  its  history,  Buddhism  has  established  on  virtually  every  
continent   of   the   world.   Buddhist   histories   in   Asia   demonstrated   that   Buddhism   is   not   a  
homogenous   religious   tradition   and   the   aspect   of   heterogeneity   and   diversity   of   Buddhism   still  
carried  on  with  the  appearance  of  Buddhism  in  the  West.    
The  distinctly  Asian  flavor  that  once  permeated  Western  Buddhism  has  given  way  to  something  
that  feels  very  familiarly  American.  Chanting,  done  in  English  at  many  centers,  might  these  days  
sound  a  little  less  Japanese  or  Tibetan  or  Thai,  and  a  little  more  like  plain-­‐song.  And  what  lands  

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in  the  bowl  at  mealtime  is  as  likely  to  be  pizza  or  a  bean  burrito  as  it  is  to  be  stir-­‐fried  veggies,  
tofu,  and  brown  rice.    
Needless  to  say  that  there  is  already  a  vast  literature  on  American  Buddhism.  This  leads  us  to  a  
question   what   is   the   salient   feature   of   ‘American   Buddhism.’   We   have   seen   the   Mahayana,  
Theravada   and   Vajrayana   (MTV)   traditions   have   been   glocalized   in   North   America.     Not   to  
mention  many  new  forms  of  non-­‐sectarian  or  non-­‐aligned  Buddhist  groups  in  America.  Is  this  
mixed  tradition  of  MTV  is  a  prototype  of  an  ‘American  Buddhism’  or  ‘New  Buddhism’?  
Computer  and  Internet  become  a  powerful  means  not  only  to  bring  all  MTV  followers  and  the  
rest  of  the  world  into  communication  but  a  very  powerful  means  of  propagating  Buddhism  in  
the  modern  world.  If  we  google  the  term  ‘Buddhism’  it  shows  over  33,000,000  appearances  on  
the   net.   This   is   an   example   of   how   Buddhism   is   remaking   itself   technologically   within   the  
matrix  of  the  cyber  community.    
Closer   to   home   there   are   over   200   Buddhist   temples   of   MTV   categories,   nonsectarian   and  
mixed   traditions   in   the   Bay   Area   alone.   There   is   an   old   saying   that   Buddhism   is   not   firmly  
established   unless   there   appear   homegrown   Buddhists.   Considering   this   saying,   we   can  
assertively  say  that  Buddhism  has  firmly  established  in  the  West  and  in  North  America  as  it  is  
so  familiar  to  see  Western  and  American  monastics,  temples,  and  centers  near  home.            
Now,   as   we   bring   out   the   changes   on   all   of   these   different   varieties   of   Buddhism   that   are  
present   in   North   America   and   also   in   comparable   ways   throughout   the   rest   of   the  
contemporary  world,  you  have  to  be  struck  by  the  extraordinary  flexibility  and  variety  of  this  
tradition.  
You  ask  the  question,  I  suppose,  at  the  end  of  our  study:  if  Buddhism  is  so  flexible  –  if  it  is  so  
malleable,  if  it  is  so  diverse  –  what  is  it  the  end  that  has  made  it  so  attractive  to  so  many  people  
for  2,500  years  and  continues  to  make  it  so  attractive  today?  
I’m   convinced   that   there   are   really   two   answers   to   this   question   that   we   can   use   to   conclude  
our  study  of  this  tradition.  
I  think  you  can  say  with  some  confidence  –  I  am  convinced  of  this  –  that  the  appeal  of  Buddhism  
lies   somewhere   in   the   structure   of   the   Four   Noble   Truths   –   that   basic   statement   of   Buddhist  
teaching  –  between  the  conviction  that  everyone  suffers  and  that  there  is  a  way  to  bring  that  
suffering  decisively  to  an  end.  All  Buddhists  struggle  in  one  way  or  another  with  this  question.  
It’s   the   great   question   of   human   life,   and   I   think   people   have   been   fascinated   by   the   way  
Buddhists  challenge  them  to  think  in  new  ways  about  this  basic  issue.  
The  second  thing  –  the  last  thing  that  I  think  is  a  source  of  appeal  in  the  Buddhist  tradition   –  it  
is  simply  these  extraordinary  stories;  all  the  different  ways  people  have  lived  out  the  example  
of  the  Buddha  in  their  own  lives  in  extraordinarily  different  ways.  We  have  encountered  a  few  
of   those   stories;   I   hope   they   have   fascinated   you.   I   hope   they   have   in   some   way   become   part   of  
your  story  –  your  own  emerging  story  as  you  tell  the  story  of  your  own  lives  and  grapple  with  
some  of  the  issues  that  the  Buddha  grappled  with  2,500  years  ago.  I  hope  some  of  the  lessons  
we  have  learnt  in  the  class  like  the  Noble  Eightfold  Path  and  meditation  become  a  part  of  your  
life  shining  throughout  so  that  you  will  never  have  to  give  up  yourself  to  darkness  of  life.  
In   any   case,   I   certainly   have   enjoyed   telling   you   some   of   these   stories.   I   appreciate   all   the  
attention  that  you  have  given  to  me  in  this  course  of  lectures  and  assignments.  
Thank  you  very  much  and  wish  you  all  the  best  with  your  enriching  life  lies  before  you.  
 

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