[Forex Trading Software]

I saw an article 'Dharma is Culture' by Larry Yang in the Huffington Post and wondered if anyone had any comments. Here's an excerpt of the last section:


"From the perspective of culture, the development of different Buddhist lineages of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, is not only about scriptural developments and interpretations, but also about the Dharma's transformation through the cultures with which it came into contact. In a real sense, it is the aspect of culture that produced the lineages of the Dharma.

What is fascinating about the malleability of the Dharma is that when the early European colonists arrived at their places of dominion in Asia, it took European cultures years, if not decades, to realize that they were not encountering different religions (for example, the differences between the spiritual practices in Sri Lanka and in Japan). They were seeing the same spiritual tradition across different cultures.

It is historically documented that the Buddha's Teachings create profound influence and transformation on every culture it meets, and also has incredible resilience to adapt to local cultures and forms. This is also supported by contemporary analysis from experts in the ancient languages of the time after the Buddha's passing, that there was probably never a singular "Dharma" that was without the influence of multiple cultural contexts. The Dharma changes culture and is changed by that culture.

The Dharma has always been about Culture.

This phrase is not just about the artifact of historical facts. It is about how we can learn from how the Dharma has been lived, so that we can embody it even more fully for the multitude of cultures within our lifetime and into our future human condition. How will the Dharma change our cultures, and our relationship to them? How will our cultures transform the Dharma into the beautiful expressions of their creative humanity?

The Dharma continues to be about Culture -- whether we are aware of that or not is a factor which will either lead us to create more freedom or less freedom for all of us."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-...p_ref=buddhism .

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[Sanremogirl]

I am not totally agree with that text.

I would say that it is the Dhamma that change the culture not that it is culture in it self.
When people listen to and follow the dhamma they will change the culture around them because of better moral and better livelihood.

The thinker

[DrCeshing]

I agree with the article. I have always found it interesting that buddhism rarely seems to refute the existance of local deities like christianity does. Padmasambhava "wrestled" wrathful spirits in tibet then made them dharma protectors when he won. Likewise did the buddha not speak with the gods of his time?

I have never heard of religious figures that came to my birthplace (north america) to wrestle with the spirits of local religions. They just thought the locals got it wrong and had to get on the holy trinity tram.

[SappyAppy]

In general terms, I agree with the article. The development of the traditions are -mostly- due to a process of adoption and adaptation of a teaching from the culture of the country or ethnic group where the teaching arrived and in both directions.

It is nothing new in the history of mankind and it is a common human process. Humans are humans because of culture. Culture is the way humans adapt to an environment that threatens them.

All religions are about this. For example, Chinese 'buddhism' is about the ways and manners with which Chinese people has adapted and adopted teachings. The bigger the distance a teaching has had from its origin, the greater the clarity of the cultural features that distinguish it.

[softy54534]

Interesting.
I often find it interesting (even in my own family) how different cultures/ethnicities seem to view the same things through a slightly different lens.
My mother is white European (southern Irish) and therefore my mothers family are also, my fathers family are mixed race Indian subcontinent and Oriental. I often find myself beginning to almost slightly change my perception of the world in accordance with which part of the family I am staying with. Although saying this when I visited my Grandmothers sisters family in Hong Kong I felt like a westerner but in England or Europe I don't!