Buddhism is a religion that broke off from the Hindu tradition over 2,500 years ago in Northeastern India, and is still very much evolving. Besides some basic tenets that many or most Buddhists would accept – the idea of a person called the Buddha attaining enlightenment, the idea of samsara, and the idea of karma – due to a lack of agreed upon scriptures, there are vast differences of opinion in the practice of Buddhism, and in short, it is an enormously diverse entity. Since it lends itself to various interpretations, and resists strict labeling, it is no surprise that Buddhism has adapted well to various local cultures. What I find particularly interesting is Buddhism’s place in contemporary American society, why it has found such success in the United States, and perhaps whether or how much it is subtly influencing mainstream culture.
The transition of Buddhism from a more cohesive whole into an entity that has been transformed by many cultures was remarked on by the Soviet Buddhologist, Theodore Stcherbatsky: “the history of religions has scarcely witnessed such a break between new and old within the pale of what nevertheless continued to claim common descent from the same religious founder” (Hallisey and Reynolds, 1089). Certainly Buddhism has changed its form depending on different cultural sites, with different local values. This is exemplified by the “All Soul’s” festival in China where offerings to one’s ancestors signify the Confucian virtue of filial piety, even though it is a Buddhist celebration, and in Tibet, where Buddhist rituals often have shamanistic components (Hallisey and Reynolds, 1097-1098).
In the same way, some forms of Buddhism in the United States have in some ways been molded to certain American values. In very general terms, these forms of Buddhism that sync well with certain American values can be broken down into two large groups: one with the label of “Elite Buddhism” which has been given to a certain brand of imported Buddhism that was founded by and is adhered to by a mostly White, financially secure, well-educated demographic and which is focused overwhelmingly on meditation and self-reflection; and one sect of Buddhism that was exported from Japan called the Soka Gakkai which focuses on the recitation of the mantra “namu myoho renge kyo, “ which not only improves one’s spiritual state but also one’s material situation. The philosophy of the Soka Gakkai falls in line well with America’s fixation with upward mobility, and its members tend to be more diverse (Nattier).
In the United States, Buddhism is the third-largest religion, in 2007 it came in at 0.7% of the population (40% of whom live in Southern California) and was preceded only by Christianity (at 78.4%) and Judaism (at 1.7%) (PewResearch). In addition there are many people who are interested in Buddhism or are strongly influenced by Buddhism, but may not identify as Buddhist for various reasons (Tanaka). What would be interesting to see, and what I was not able to find out for certain, is how many people convert to Buddhism as compared to other religions in the U.S. Given such numbers, has Buddhism perhaps influenced American culture (or at least Californian culture), or has Buddhism been conformed to American culture?
Hallisey, Charles, and Frank Reynolds. “Buddhism: An Overview.” Encyclopedia of Religion. 1987.
Nattier, Jan. “Buddhism Comes to Main Street.”UrbanDharma.org. Wilson Quarterly, n.d. Web. 15 Feb 2015.
“Religious Landscape Survey.” PewResearch Religion and Public Life Project. Pew Research, n.d. Web. 15 Feb 2015. .
Tanaka, Kenneth. “Dramatic Growth of American Buddhism: An Overview.” Dharma World. Dharma World Magazine, n.d. Web. 15 Feb 2015.
“Buddhism Beta.” Stack Exchange. N.p., 07 04 2008. Web. 15 Feb 2015. .
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“Since it lends itself to various interpretations, and resists strict labeling, it is no surprise that Buddhism has adapted well to various local cultures.” When you mention this, about Buddhism, “lending” itself to various interpretations claiming that this ensures that it has “adapted well to various cultures”, I wonder what the constant “it” or Buddhism” is that you are saying lends itself or is being interpreted. I feel like its less that buddhism becomes interpreted by a culture but is actually formed by a culture. The Buddhism itself develops from the part of the Buddhism, that makes it different. Its not that the influence makes Buddhism different. Would you agree with this?
I also was surprised to discover Buddhism is the third most popular religion in the United States; I might have placed Islam as third before reading this post. It is interesting the concentration is mainly in California; it occurred to me that this is perhaps due to immigrants from Asia likely finding their new home on the west coast. I wonder if Buddhism will continue to spread across the United States and if it will become more concentrated in places like New York City, where there is a melting pot of different cultures or if it will remain on the west coast where the majority of Buddhist immigrants are located.
I was surprised to find out how many Buddhists there are in the United States. Though I think it’s especially interesting how Buddhism is influenced by culture here, but I’d be curious to find out how this differs in other western countries. How is Buddhism influenced by culture in other places? Does this differ from the United States or is it similar? Does the idea of “Elite Buddhism” exist elsewhere too?