DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - How western Buddhism has changed in 50 years

**smokeberly** · 05-09-2012, 05:17 AM

Hi Aloka-D

The article was interesting to me for a different reason, the authour is from the FWBO or whatever else they call themselves these days, this is significant because the ten comments are the FWBO's philosophy, it seems quite reasonable on the face of it, however what it expounds for me is justification for the kind of spiritual tourism the FWBO seem to enjoy.

If you take away the traditions and the checks and balances that the traditions offer, you end up with a few charismatic people who cut and pace bits from various traditions and sell that to susceptible people as the 'Western Way' worked out by an elite few who are able to guide them by dint of an ordination and pali / sanskrit name given exclusively after they have have been accepted into the club by the other elite members.

By peddling the seemingly reasonable 10 commandments they free themselves from any criteria the traditions use for seeing if a person has actually understood Buddha dhamma and is able to manifest the fruits of the path and guide others, this is I believe reinforced by ensuring they keep all teaching exclusively to their own ordained members, not anyone from any of the other traditions

I personally hope that this article does not represent the next fifty years of Buddhism in the west, I think there is a healthy growth of understanding of Buddhism in the west lead by people who understand the Dhamma from a western point of view, who are embedded in the traditions such as the Thai Forest Tradition and the Mahasi Sayadaw Burmese traditions who are able to teach Buddhism to the west from a solid base rooted in the Pali Cannon

Not another Charasmatic westerner inventing another sect on a pick and mix basis, creating another Pure Land type of Buddhism, still on reflection perhaps you get what you ask for?

05-09-2012, 05:17 AM	#15
smokeberly Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 392 Senior Member	Hi Aloka-D The article was interesting to me for a different reason, the authour is from the FWBO or whatever else they call themselves these days, this is significant because the ten comments are the FWBO's philosophy, it seems quite reasonable on the face of it, however what it expounds for me is justification for the kind of spiritual tourism the FWBO seem to enjoy. If you take away the traditions and the checks and balances that the traditions offer, you end up with a few charismatic people who cut and pace bits from various traditions and sell that to susceptible people as the 'Western Way' worked out by an elite few who are able to guide them by dint of an ordination and pali / sanskrit name given exclusively after they have have been accepted into the club by the other elite members. By peddling the seemingly reasonable 10 commandments they free themselves from any criteria the traditions use for seeing if a person has actually understood Buddha dhamma and is able to manifest the fruits of the path and guide others, this is I believe reinforced by ensuring they keep all teaching exclusively to their own ordained members, not anyone from any of the other traditions I personally hope that this article does not represent the next fifty years of Buddhism in the west, I think there is a healthy growth of understanding of Buddhism in the west lead by people who understand the Dhamma from a western point of view, who are embedded in the traditions such as the Thai Forest Tradition and the Mahasi Sayadaw Burmese traditions who are able to teach Buddhism to the west from a solid base rooted in the Pali Cannon Not another Charasmatic westerner inventing another sect on a pick and mix basis, creating another Pure Land type of Buddhism, still on reflection perhaps you get what you ask for?
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