Missing you

Sorry, I haven't been able to post here for awhile- a busy school school schedule and an accidental interruption in my internet service have conspired to force me into a hiatus... I'll be back soon!

Click here to check out this great article by Jack Kornfield about enlightenment...

On Becoming Buddhist in America: Part I.

Since being an American Buddhist and the transformation of traditional forms of Buddhism through their introduction to American and changes in the Western spiritual landscape through the introduction of Buddhism, is what I'm most intrigued by these days, I'm going to continue writing about it here. I'll admit this may not make for the most engaging blog reading but it is fun blog writing for me and as that is the really point of engaging in this project. Still, I hope that at the very least I leave you with something to ponder.

I am a "Western Buddhist" who dedicated myself to the Three Jewels or Tiratna at the age of twelve (eleven if you ask my mother, who was fine with my interest in Buddhism but horrified when I declare that my ultimate goal was to grow up and become a monk).  The Circumstance of my early, self-induced conversion to Buddhism are probably unusual, much of the story of my life's journey has been about exceptions to the norm. I don't mention this as a point of bragging, rather it is something I feel is important for me to recognize and be mindful of, as it tends to shade my interpretation of other peoples experiences. One positive way my story has effected me, is that I have an implicit understanding that most of us are in one way or another, an exception to the norms. In its less skillful forms my unusual perspective can lead me to the bully pulpit, where I tend to expound upon other peoples ignorance regarding "my type" or the evils of stereotyping in general although, I myself am not above such human frailties.

So I've been wondering, how do Western Buddhists come to their faith? Please note, that in my use of Western Buddhists, I'm referring to Buddhist practitioners in America (my personal point of reference) whose cultural heritage does not include one of the many Asian countries where practicing Buddhism is a cultural norm. At this point, I'm not as interested in the internal factors that might motivate the decision to adapt Buddhism as a faith, as much as I am in the way a non-Buddhist Americans might form an opinion about what Buddhism is that would lead them to further investigation and eventual personal identification.

"Buddhism" is, to say the least, a very broad arena. Some people believe that the term might be put to its best use if we refer to it in plurality, as in "Buddhist faiths" because there are so many sectarian and cultural variations that lumping all of them together under one title seems slightly ridiculous. Others like to point out that Buddhism isn't actually a religion but more a philosophy and in response it has been noted that, "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck!".   I myself sometimes feel it's a philosophy and sometimes feel its a religion, depending on the experiential context. Either way, I have come to believe that the key component is faith- I have faith in the practicality of the philosophy and faith in the significance of the religion. At age eleven I made a decision to make Buddhism the vessel of my faith and it has remained that to this day, although my journey has led me sometimes closer and sometimes further from these two aspects of my commitment, I have always maintained my faith.

I just love this video- I was reading Rifkin's book on Empathy when this came out and I haven't stopped thinking about either... So, "Click Here" to check it out!

Coming out as a Buddhist

Apropos to the topic of Buddhist identity, I would like to trot out a rather well worn observation; the Buddha was not a Buddhist. 

Of course, that brings up the question, what is a Buddhist? Better yet, how well does it serve us to bother with such identifications? I like all these questions although, as usual, I don't feel qualified to tell you what the answers are to them. However, I won't let this get in the way of my thinking aloud about them here, if for no other reason than that it gives me someone (myself) to disagree with tomorrow. 

I have several friends who I deeply respect and admire that put most people to shame when it comes to their personal meditation practices. Like myself, most of them come from a Vipassana influenced perspective, some of them have a deep knowledge of the Buddhas teachings and yet, they don't seem the least bit interested in identifying as Buddhist. Its not a fear of the precepts or a lack of respect for the path   just a general sense that the identification isn't personally necessary. I  respect their choices when it comes to these matters, after-all, these are issues of faith, a deeply personal investigation if ever there was one. 

There is something about their lack of identification that I even envy, it seems so bold, so free, so... "enlightened". Although I secretly wish to evolve to this higher state of non-dual identification, I fear I haven't made a great deal of progress lately. My enrollment in a Buddhist founded university has thrust me into the position of having to identify my sectarian allegiances on a daily basis. Instructors, monastics, students, they all seem to want to know what sect I identify with and just how much I identify with it.

That I'm Buddhist is a pretty safe assumption (since I'm studying Buddhist Chaplaincy) but never in my life have I felt the burden of labels so keenly. I'm not complaining, I've been offered a lot to think about in terms of the construction of identity and its usefulness since I've immersed myself in the program. I have concluded that this stage of identification (with a capital I) is just that, a stage. One that serves a certain useful function for a particular time and place. As personal as my faith might have once been, I'm officially "out", Its hard to avoid people identifying you according to your religious beliefs when you're moving towards an officially endorsed title of Chaplain!

As for wearing the mantle of Buddhist, I'm very Ok with that and have been for some time. I think there are some basic tenets of the belief system that one is required to accept in order to claim Buddhism as a faith and I do. I question some of the recent Western trends of identifying oneself as "Buddhist and fill in the blank", as if we were discussing a pleasant side dish to be added to a main course. This is strikes me as particularly problematic when we discuss the attempt to wed Buddhism and any of the theistic religions. As a whole, this seems like a rather vulgar display of disrespect to both faiths. 

I have my own opinions about the nature of change and growth that is occurring as the Dhamma flows to the West. Any time a set belief system is confronted with change, there generally seems to be a period of contraction on the part of the establishment concurrently there will be those who feel the need to protect the old modes of identifying. I think Buddhism might be going through just such a period, Im not saying its an original perspective but it is based on personal observations. The history of Buddhism has been marked by numerous inevitable periods of reformation, adaption and modification. Perhaps my non-Buddhist Buddhist friends represent the latest trend in a historic saga that will lead to a shedding of old identities, or maybe they're part of a generational fad that will fade in time; either way, the view from the middle doesn't seem so terrible.  

 " One has to all the time feel others' sufferings as one's very own.
Sympathy has to be the first and foremost thing in one's life, sympathy and the feeling of oneness.
There cannot be anything greater than the feeling of oneness ."

- Sri Chinmoy

"Western" vs "Eastern" Buddhism

What exactly is a Western Buddhist? Or for that matter Western Buddhism?
Lets face it, some pretty heavy-hitters have weighed in on this issue and in a side by side comparison of qualifications for addressing it, I don't think I'd stack up to well. To be honest, I don't really think I  have any qualifications, there are no initials behind my name, nobody has ever transmitted anything to me and as far as I know, nobody has listed me in their "spiritual will".

I decided this was the place to respond to some issues surrounding this topic as they arise.
All I really have to offer here is my own observations, which are based on my limited personal experience. As such, I've noticed they're subject to change. I have found that as I go about my life, getting exposed to new people, ideas and experiences, my perspective on things constantly seems to change, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, sometimes changing in the moment and sometimes shifting slowly over the course of the years. Based on this, I have inferred that since my sense of "reality" is based on subjective experiences, "reality" for me, is subject to change.
As you can imagine, this works out well for somebody who, for the time being, is OK identifying as Buddhist. (If you are the kind of person who is prone to fits of philosophical logic, or is scientifically minded, try not to let what I'm saying worry you too much, its my reality after all, not yours!). I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I might not identify with these thoughts by the time I'm finished typing them! 

Lately I've been thinking about what being Buddhist constitutes for non-Asian Americans. While the topic is a little sticky, its also interesting and informative to delve into. I currently live in Southern California, I've also lived in Northern California, Seattle, Eastern Washington State, Idaho and Alaska, my home State. As might be assumed the general rule is, the farther north you go the "Whiter" and more Caucasian things seem to get. However, what many people fail to realize, is that places like Alaska and Eastern Washington also have large extant indigenous populations (Nope, John Wayne didn't kill em all). Here in Southern we have one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse populations on the planet and it makes for some interesting cross-cultural dynamics. One of them is the opportunity to hear how other people contextualize you according to their experiences and beliefs. I want it to be clear that my experiences and the thoughts they've helped form, are personal- I'm not speaking for anyone else, but I do want to address at least one idea I've heard lately about Western Buddhists from some very lovely acquaintances who happen to be Asian Buddhists.

Myth: "All Western Buddhists are converts from Abrahamic Faiths and are unable to let go of this theistic perspective. "

Truth:  I'm not, so that means we're at least one shy of "all", and I have a hunch that I'm not the only one.

I also have a hunch about this stereotype, Its called "the squeaky Dharma wheels get the grease". People who convert are, by definition, experiencing major shifts in perspective. These shifts are sometimes accompanied by a lot of "compare and contrast" and vociferous identification- I don't think this is a bad thing, its just a thing. There are probably many converts who aren't vocal about the experience... you're just not hearing from them.

 I was not, nor have I ever been Christian, Jewish, Muslim or  Catholic. My parents did do a very brief stint as Baha'i's, but I made a choice for myself at the age of twelve, that I was fine with Buddhism. Many Western Buddhists I've met are from a non-specific spiritual backgrounds and I also know some very fine, upstanding Western Buddhist who inherited their beliefs from their Western Buddhist parents, it happens.

I think some of the confusion here may stem from differences between Eastern and Western cultures in concepts of social identity. I can easily imagine how someone coming from a culture where group identification is a prevailing norm, might have a to assume that there was some similar, coherent, prevailing social structures binding together all of us "individualists" and I'm sure there are but in this case I don't think its a predilection for theism.  As far as I can tell, the best part of two cultures or for that matter, two people coming together, is the space it opens for us to explore our differences, review our assumptions and deepen our understandings. I'm grateful that I live in a place that provides so many ample opportunities to do just this and that I get to participate in a faith that equally challenges me.