Buddhism in America, Research Paper Example

A major force in many eastern countries including Japan and Thailand, Buddhism has a relatively modest presence in the west including America. Some argue that Buddhism is not a religion but rather a life philosophy, thus, it should be viewed in a different context as compared to other religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Nevertheless, Buddhism is exerting a greater influence on the American society than what the number of its adherents may suggest. Some of it has also been due to the charismatic personality of Buddhist leaders such as Dalai Lama who hold considerable appeal in the west due to their pacifist views.

One of the most obvious influences of Buddhism in America has been on media and popular culture. Two movies in late 1990’s, Brad Pitt’s Seven Years in Tibet and Martin Scorsese’s Kundun painted a positive picture of Buddhism to the American public. Buddhism concepts such as Zen, Karma, and Nirvana are in common usage despite the fact that few really understand the meanings behind the terms. American celebrities including Richard Gere, Tina Turner, and Herbie Hancock are known to practice Buddhism in some form (Van Biema and McDowell). Similarly, meditation which is an important component of Buddhism, has been gaining popularity in the mainstream culture as an effective way of dealing with every day stress.

Meditation, in fact, has emerged as one of the most attractive aspects of Buddhism. When Terry Muck, associate professor of comparative religion at Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, TX interviewed American converts to Buddhism, many of the converts claimed that meditation helps them deal with the busy and stressful lives in ways Christianity could not. Buddhism has also been growing in popularity because it is flexible. Buddhism doesn’t require individuals to leave their religions, thus, a Christian can maintain his Christian identity yet still can practice Buddhism. This lack of demands from Buddhism as compared to other religions also increases its appeal to Americans (Guthrie).

Global warming has becoming one of the major global issues, with almost unanimous consensus among scientists that it is real and being caused by human activity. Many corporations now promote their green credentials and environmentally-friendly business practices because they know consumers now care about the environment. This also increases Buddhism appeal to Americans because Buddhist philosophy has usually promoted ecologically-friendly practices such as harmonious co-existence with the nature. The growing concern for the environment has also been contributing positively to the image of Buddhism in America.

Buddhism is also becoming popular due to growing number of global conflicts that are perceived to have originated from differences in religious philosophies. This allows Buddhism to gain popularity because of its positive image in America. A survey found that 56 percent respondents associated the word ‘tolerant’ and 63 percent respondents associated the word ‘pace loving’ with Buddhism. In contrast, only 12 percent claimed Buddhism was violent while 23 percent associated the word ‘fanatical’ with Buddhism. While 32 percent of the Americans said they would not welcome a stronger Buddhist presence in America, 59 percent said they would (Wuthnow and Cadge).

Studies indicate that individuals with lack of religious affiliations are more likely to adopt new religious movements. From early 1970s to early 2000s, the numbers of Americans with no religious affiliation approximately doubled to 14 percent (Wuthnow and Cadge). As noted above, Buddhism doesn’t have strict demands unlike many other religions and it also doesn’t require exclusive loyalty or affiliation. Thus, it becomes more attractive to Americans with no religious affiliation because they can adopt Buddhism principles they like and choose to ignore others.

Buddhism is also taking advantage of the frustration being experienced by American men in different forms. It is estimated that some 48 percent of men in America have experienced depression, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, or alcohol at some point in their lives. A series of social and cultural changes have also changed the definition of what it means to be a man and loss of job only adds to the injury. At the same time, there is a pressure to earn more and spend more and materialism is on the rise. Many men are working longer to sustain their lifestyles but their work life often fails to provide them meaning or sense of purpose. All of these factors have created ideal breeding ground for Buddhism which tries to inject spirituality back into modern world. Buddhist meditation practices have now been scientifically proven to increase happiness and help recover quickly from emotional setbacks as Richard Davidson of the University of Wisconsin found through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans on a Buddhist monk (Barker).

Buddhism is also promoting Tibetan medicine in the U.S. There are now a significant number of physicians in the U.S. who prescribe Tibetan medicines. Tibetan medicines are becoming popular due to growing interest in Eastern spirituality and holistic healing. The main appeal of Tibetan medicines is that they are utilized to treat psychosocial aspects of healthcare where biomedicine fails. Tibetan medicines also appeal to those who are simply not looking for a cure but also some meaningful order to the consequences of a disease (Janes).

Buddhism is even influencing the hospice culture in America. The first Buddhist hospices were found in the U.S. in the 1980s to care for AIDS patients. The original hospice, The Zen Hospice Project, has also founded the Institute for Dying and desires to play a greater role in the national debate on care for the dying. The Rigpa Institute in Santa Cruz, CA offers Spiritual Care Education and Training Program to people from all kinds of religious backgrounds who want to learn about Buddhist “compassion practices”. Rigpa trained 1,600 caregivers in 1999 alone. Many Buddhist writers on death and dying are now popular consultant for hospices (Garces-Foley).

It is not possible to address the popularity of Buddhism in America without mentioning Dalai Lama who leads the Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet cause has become popular in the U.S. and Dalai Lama is particularly popular due to his non-violence approach towards the China-Tibet issue. Dalai Lama’s conduct also helps improve Buddhism’s image as a pacifist religion among the general public and promotes general support for non-military solutions to other geopolitical conflicts.

It is also possible that Buddhism is becoming popular because Americans are more willing to trust Buddhist preachers who are not looking to convert them as compared to preachers from other religions. The globalization forces have made time even scarcer commodity which leaves little time for formal religious obligations. It is possible that Buddhism may be changing the very definition of religion in America by increasing emphasis on spirituality in place of formal belief systems. The popularity of meditation as stress-relieving mechanism is also giving greater credibility to Buddhism.

Buddhism may be compared to religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism for scholastic purposes but it is often seen as a life philosophy than a formal religion. Buddhism is also more inclusive than most religions because it doesn’t demand exclusive allegiance. This increases its appeal to Americans because they can retain their religious identity while adopting certain Buddhism practices. Buddhism is also increasing in popularity due to charismatic leaders like Dalai Lama who have helped promote Buddhism as a pacifist ideology. The popularity of meditation technique has also increased Buddhism appeal to a significant number of Americans. Buddhism is also influencing the healthcare culture in America through the popularity of eastern medicines including Tibetan medicines. Similarly, scientific studies have also confirmed the psychological benefits of meditation which has given credibility to Buddhism. Buddhist organizations are also trying to influence the debate on care for dying individuals through their work in the hospice sector.

References

Barker, Chris. “Men, Buddhism and the Discontents of Western Modernity.” Journal of Men, Masculinities and Spirituality January 2008: 29-46.

Garces-Foley, Kathleen. “Buddhism, Hospice, and the American Way of Dying.” Review of Religious Research 2003: 341-353.

Guthrie, Stan. “America Becoming Fertile Mission Field for Buddhism.” Christianity Today 14 November 1994: 72-73.

Janes, Craig R. “Buddhism, science, and market: the globalisation of Tibetan medicine.” Anthropology & Medicine 15 October 2002: 267-289.

Van Biema, David and Jeanne McDowell. “Buddhism in America.” TIME 13 October 1997: 72-79.

Wuthnow, Robert and Wendy Cadge. “Buddhists and Buddhism in the United States: The Scope of Influence.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 2004: 363-380.