Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

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Benjamin
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Re: Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

Post by Benjamin »

drifting cloud wrote:Speaking as a youth or at any rate as a "young adult" (20 something), I would have to say....no.

Same boat i'm in. I find that my following of the precepts, particularly regarding drugs and alcohol, is something that my fellow college students find fascinating. "I wish I could do that," is a common response I hear. Some things are just so commonplace that many take them up out of conformity. It's not that younger individuals are too "liberal" for Therevada, it's just that many don't know there is much of an acceptable alternative (again, speaking from the perspective of college life).
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Polar Bear
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Re: Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

Post by Polar Bear »

Not sure what qualifies as youth here but I'm 22 and I chose theravada because it seems to me to be the only tradition that an educated person would choose if they really want to follow the teaching of the historical Buddha. I don't think the tradition needs more Ajahn Brahmavamso's telling jokes, the tradition needs more Ajahn Brahmali's, that guy is probably the most sincere sounding bhikkhu I've ever listened to. Not that anything is wrong with Ven. Brahmavamso I just don't personally have much affinity for his style of presentation. But yeah, if it is the case that the Theravada tradition seems to be less capable of attracting young people it's because there aren't enough bhikkhu's out there who actually know how to inspire people, but being an inspiring orator isn't the job of monastics anyway. It could also be that young people just like all the neat mystical stuff found in mahayana and vajrayana. Maybe the idea of becoming a bodhisatta who's going to save the entire universe is just more appealing than becoming an unknown recluse off in an unimportant part of the world working to realize the end of all this aimless wandering. Maybe those traditions just seem cooler to peoples' imaginations and if that's the case, then so be it.

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retrofuturist
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Re: Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
polarbuddha101 wrote:Not sure what qualifies as youth here but I'm 22 and I chose theravada because it seems to me to be the only tradition that an educated person would choose if they really want to follow the teaching of the historical Buddha. I don't think the tradition needs more Ajahn Brahmavamso's telling jokes...
:clap:

I think Theravada will thrive if it is positioned as the "teaching of the historical Buddha"... and of all the existing traditions, it is best placed to do this, because it did not jettison the suttas once they created their own manuscripts.

However, there is also a lot of Theravada-baggage too ~ many things that the "conservative" factions will hold onto tenaciously, but aren't actually "teaching of the historical Buddha".... e.g. the peddling of Jataka Tales, rejecting bhikkhuni ordination, prioritisation of Abhidhamma and commentaries over the suttas, rites and rituals. These post-Buddha factors serve to compromise modern Theravada's biggest potential selling point.

Metta,
Retro. :)
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Benjamin
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Re: Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

Post by Benjamin »

Not that we're the holy indicator of how Therevada is doing or anything, but hasn't Dhamma Wheel been up on the rise with members and posts and such? Not specifically a comment regarding the youth but maybe a good indicator of overall interest.
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Benjamin
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Re: Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

Post by Benjamin »

Also, seeing as I don't believe we have too many members younger than myself (19), I'd like to comment on the "youth" idea.

Speaking from a western context, I don't know too many individuals who had a great interest in any type of Buddhism before their later teens at the earliest. Maybe a question like this is better focused on countries where lay Buddhists are a majority, but in my experience all the Buddhist schools in the west have little influence on the youth at large. Not their fault, just the nature of the culture.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Is Theravada too conservative for the youth?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
Benjamin wrote:Maybe a question like this is better focused on countries where lay Buddhists are a majority, but in my experience all the Buddhist schools in the west have little influence on the youth at large. Not their fault, just the nature of the culture.
Yeah, that's a good point. I know for myself I would have been interested earlier if Buddhism wasn't a "religion". I used to be under the impression that religions necessarily all involved an unfounded belief in God(s) and discounted them on those grounds alone. As well as finding Christians pretty hypocritical, I think I was also influenced by Karl Marx's comment that "religion is the opium of the people".

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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