DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Is modern "Buddhism" moving away from the teachings of the Buddha ?

**kavaTeexy** · 08-09-2010, 05:55 AM

One huge stumbling block for traditional Buddhism is its monastic focus. It's worth noting that the institution of monasticism in countries where Buddhism survives has typically cut off from the Dhamma from laypersons. Buddhism for the majority of the people in these countries amounts only to devotional practices and paranormal beliefs, with very little knowledge or application of the psychological and social insights of the Buddha of the Pali canon. Most people in the West cannot become and are not interested in becoming monks or nuns. How, then, do we reevaluate Buddhism for our modern-day lay lives? This is one of the questions Batchelor and his wife Martine are actually asking in their work. (For the record, I think Batchelor's newest book, Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist does a better job of pointing at an answer than Buddhism Without Beliefs.)

I disagree that the monastic focus is a stumbling block for Buddhism -its not here in the UK, at any rate. I've just spent the day at a Theravada Forest tradition monastery and listened to a 2hr talk given by the Abbot Ajahn Sumedho to the ordained and lay community. Devotional practices and paranormal beliefs weren't even mentioned. There were a number of references to suttas in the Pali Canon, the Four Noble truths were mentioned, Dependent Origination, and lots of advice for meditation, mindfulness and day to day living.

I think its a mistake to mistrust all things that are connected with tradition and to want to just throw them out. For me it would be a great tragedy if the only Buddhist 'teachers' available were people like Stephen Batchelor.

I've also encountered several westerners interested in ordaining in both the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions in this country both of which have active monastic communities.

08-09-2010, 05:55 AM	#30
kavaTeexy Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 420 Senior Member	One huge stumbling block for traditional Buddhism is its monastic focus. It's worth noting that the institution of monasticism in countries where Buddhism survives has typically cut off from the Dhamma from laypersons. Buddhism for the majority of the people in these countries amounts only to devotional practices and paranormal beliefs, with very little knowledge or application of the psychological and social insights of the Buddha of the Pali canon. Most people in the West cannot become and are not interested in becoming monks or nuns. How, then, do we reevaluate Buddhism for our modern-day lay lives? This is one of the questions Batchelor and his wife Martine are actually asking in their work. (For the record, I think Batchelor's newest book, Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist does a better job of pointing at an answer than Buddhism Without Beliefs.) I disagree that the monastic focus is a stumbling block for Buddhism -its not here in the UK, at any rate. I've just spent the day at a Theravada Forest tradition monastery and listened to a 2hr talk given by the Abbot Ajahn Sumedho to the ordained and lay community. Devotional practices and paranormal beliefs weren't even mentioned. There were a number of references to suttas in the Pali Canon, the Four Noble truths were mentioned, Dependent Origination, and lots of advice for meditation, mindfulness and day to day living. I think its a mistake to mistrust all things that are connected with tradition and to want to just throw them out. For me it would be a great tragedy if the only Buddhist 'teachers' available were people like Stephen Batchelor. I've also encountered several westerners interested in ordaining in both the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions in this country both of which have active monastic communities.
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