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**AnimeThat** · 06-08-2012, 06:34 AM

This article was in the Guardian UK newspaper yesterday, and I wondered if anyone had any comments.

How western Buddhism has changed in 50 years

by Vishvapani Blomfield
[I]A western Buddhist shares 10 insights into how the religion and its followers have moved on since its arrival in the west

" It's 50 years since Buddhist teachers started arriving in the west in the early 60s..."

50 years? Oh my. I hope that's a typo, and that by "60s" they mean the "1860s", because Buddhism has been practiced in the West for a lot longer than just 50 years.

The first Buddhist temple in the United States, for instance, was built by Chinese immigrants in San Francisco in the year 1853. The Buddhist Churches of America were present since around 1900, and if we count the Kingdom of Hawai'i as part of the US, then they go back to the 1880s.

The term "Western Buddhism" unfortunately tends to ignore the long history and contributions of Asian immigrants, and implies that Westerners of Asian heritage aren't really part of "the West", even if they have roots that go back over a century.

06-08-2012, 06:34 AM	#17
AnimeThat Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 468 Senior Member	This article was in the Guardian UK newspaper yesterday, and I wondered if anyone had any comments. How western Buddhism has changed in 50 years by Vishvapani Blomfield [I]A western Buddhist shares 10 insights into how the religion and its followers have moved on since its arrival in the west " It's 50 years since Buddhist teachers started arriving in the west in the early 60s..." 50 years? Oh my. I hope that's a typo, and that by "60s" they mean the "1860s", because Buddhism has been practiced in the West for a lot longer than just 50 years. The first Buddhist temple in the United States, for instance, was built by Chinese immigrants in San Francisco in the year 1853. The Buddhist Churches of America were present since around 1900, and if we count the Kingdom of Hawai'i as part of the US, then they go back to the 1880s. The term "Western Buddhism" unfortunately tends to ignore the long history and contributions of Asian immigrants, and implies that Westerners of Asian heritage aren't really part of "the West", even if they have roots that go back over a century.
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