Posted by: Dhammañāṇa
« on: March 17, 2014, 05:36:49 PM »To get some expressions of this force:
"nice" thread to follow...
Or maybe you like this one:
Quote from: David Snyder, Western cultural adaptations
In another thread it was written:
QuoteSpiny Norman wrote:And of course western Buddhism is developing it's own cultural baggage!
Quote(Bhikkhu) appicchato wrote:In spades...
Quotetiltbillings wrote:For example?
And no one responded about that after that. So I thought it might be interesting to examine some of the Western cultural baggage (or not?) We'll see if this is a good idea or not. :tongue:
I'll get it started with some possibilities and you can add any additional or of course disagree.
1. Less interest in rites, rituals, and ceremonies. This attachment is a hindrance to the Path to awakening (sīlabbata-parāmāso), so perhaps a useful cultural item. Many in the west came to Buddhism out of skepticism and wanting something beyond traditional rites and ceremonies, so perhaps a positive development.
2. Mindfulness meditation for stress-relief, self-help. Perhaps a good skillful means, but it could lead to the practice being relegated to a self-help exercise or a fad and then never take root as a religion in the West.
3. Rebirth as irrelevant, not necessary to the practice or for being Buddhist in the West. The suttas are permeated with discussion of rebirth . . . here I was this person, this was my name, my family, etc. Or perhaps a skillful means as well to allow more people access to the Dhamma and out of suffering who otherwise may not have been interested, feeling that rebirth belief is "too religious" or traditional.
4. Left-wing politics, left of center or socialist. During the time of the Buddha there were several rich merchants who gave land and built monasteries to the Sangha and the Buddha never condemned their acquisition of wealth. On the other hand, left of center politics seems compatible with less attachments, compassion, and generosity.
Personally, I see numbers 1 and 4 as mostly positive developments. Even though I am a capitalist, by U.S. standards I am left-wing since I am anti-war and support health care for all and nationalized utilities, including big oil. Numbers 2 and 3 I think could potentially make the Dhamma a fad, possibly a passing fad like Kabbalah and some other movements which lost a lot of steam.
Thoughts? Additional ones? Disagree?
"nice" thread to follow...
Or maybe you like this one:
Quote from: Stratosphere stair climb
Scale the Strat race was yesterday in Las Vegas. Finished in 13:59 for the 1455 steps, 108 floors. 16th place in age division; oh well, looks like I'm much better at the mental "sports" of chess and pistol shooting.