What's an American Buddhist?

[plwk]

Why is a faith founded under a Bodhi tree in India 2,500 years ago enjoying a newfound popularity in America today?

Read all about it here

[Buckwheat]

I think it's is both unavoidable and enriching that America (and the west in general) will develop a style of Buddhism that is distinct from older traditions. Will it boil down to one or two main threads of tradition, or be a rich tapestry of traditions? My hunch is the latter, as we can already see western-Thai, wester-Burmese, western-Zen, wester-Vajrayana, etc.

But this raises a concern for me. It seems that Buddhism in America is easily perverted by our society. I met somebody who seemed to have the idea that Buddhism is cushions, bells, and $700 retreats. Other's think it's simply a rational explanation for consciousness.

Can Buddhism walk the tightrope between overly centralized dogma and overly diluted pollution by the masses? I am optimistic, as Buddhism has previously had rough times in other cultures (Thailand pre-Forest traditions) there is always the ability for a group to sit down and touch the Buddha-dhamma directly and then share it with everybody else. As long as we keep the suttas circulating, it seems there will be the possibility for individuals to get to the heart of the matter and get things back on track.

I do not claim to have any idea what American or western Buddhism will look like in 200 years, but it is a fascinating idea that distracts me from the breath.

[dharmagoat]

I am confident that there will always be practitioners that are able to authentically experience buddha nature, and so keep the spirit of the Buddhadhamma alive, no matter how degenerate mainstream Buddhism becomes. I expect that future forms of Buddhism will rely less and less on the suttas, as is already evident in the later developments of Buddhism.

[kirk5a]

Whatever it is, get it while it's still hot! I'm reminded of what Ajahn Amaro says in Small Boat, Great Mountain:

We are extremely lucky that Buddhism is so new in the West.
Many people have reflected on the notion that “these are the
good ol’ days.” In 100 years, we will have a Buddhist president,
there will be big grants from philanthropists, and Buddhism will
have become institutionalized. People will become Buddhist to
climb the social ladder, and the glory days will all be over. So we
are lucky to be practicing before Buddhism becomes part of the
social norm.

http://www.abhayagiri.org/main/book/138/

[Wesley1982]

An American who has imported Buddhism from some strange exotic land?....

[danieLion]

I suppose I'm one--on account of being American and Buddhist.

I just don't like American Buddhism being equated with the popular mindfulness movement.

Bleck!

Regards,
Daniel