American Buddhism

Stop Using the Pew Study

| arun

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey (Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life) came up today amid Danny Fisher’s thoughts on the American media’s reaction to Tiger Woods’ Buddhist identity. I’ve discussed my objections to this study before, but here’s a shorter version of why I find it resolutely objectionable when Buddhists take it at face value.

I borrowed a couple numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, namely the 2007 estimates for the total U.S. population (298.8 million) and the number of Asian Americans (14.5 million). Then I took two percentages that Danny Fisher pulled from the Religious Landscape Survey. With some back-of-the-envelope arithmetic, I arrived at the following figures.

If 0.7% of Americans are Buddhist, then there are about 2.1 million Buddhists in America. 

If 9% of Asian Americans are Buddhist, then there are about 1.3 million Asian American Buddhists in America. 

Now let’s do some basic division: 1.3 million Asian American Buddhists out of 2.1 million American Buddhists means that 62% of American Buddhists identify as Asian.

But wait a second! According to the Pew Forum, only 32% of American Buddhists identify as Asian. Why don’t these numbers add up?

Well, Pew takes a lower estimate of how many Americans identify as Asian. Their survey responses are skewed toward white middle-class Americans—even after they try to correct for bias. Their estimate leaves out about 40% of the Asian Americans that the U.S. Census Bureau includes. All else being equal, if we continue to sincerely describe our community by citing a study which ignores 40% of Asian American Buddhists—that’s 500,000 Americans—we are then likewise complicit in the racial marginalization of the largest part of the American Buddhist community.

Buddhist America in the Press

| arun

Here’s a summary of what the press has been noticing about Buddhist America during the “week” from April 6–12.

You can check out previous summaries here, here and here. More updates to come.

Buddhist America in the Press

| arun

My news feed was particularly clogged by Tiger Woods and The Amazing Race. Missed those? See below…

Previous lists here and here. I’m inclined to feel the Long Beach Buddhists were misquoted in the press, but even so, stay tuned for a post on meditation and Buddhism in Long Beach! (Sometime in the distant future.)

Hanamatsuri in Downtown LA

| arun

Here’s some Downtown Los Angeles Buddhist community news straight from the Rafu Shimpo via Little Tokyo UnBlogged.

Already, Hanamatsuri, the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday is right around the corner. This year’s Los Angeles Buddhist Church Federation’s Hanamatsuri will be held on Sunday, April 11 from 1 p.m. at the Jodoshu North America Buddhist Missions at 442 East Third Street in Little Tokyo. The theme of this year’s celebration is Buddhism and Compassion.

The celebration will begin at 1 p.m. with a special performance of by Kinnara Gagaku of Senshin Buddhist Temple. The visually stunning Bugaku, the classical dance that accompanies Gagaku music will be the featured part of this year’s performance.

The Hanamatsuri Service conducted by over ten priests of the federation temples will begin at 1:20 p.m. The traditional chanting of the priests will be enhanced by the music of Gagaku. An awards presentation for the winners of this year’s Children’s Art and Photography contests will take place immediately after the service.

This year’s highlight will be the commemorative lecture on Buddhism and Compassion delivered by Dr. Glenn Webb, Professor Emeritus of Pepperdine University and one of our country’s leading Buddhist scholars.

In addition to the celebration on April 11, the annual Hanamatsuri Golf Tournament was held on Friday, March 26 at California Country Club. The funds raised at this event will go towards maintaining the annual LABCC Buddhist Summer Camp program.

The Hanamatsuri Children’s Art and Photo exhibition will be on display at the Jodoshu North America Buddhist Missions from April 11 through April 19.

For more information, please contact (213) 626-4200 or info@hhbt-la.org.

Buddhist America in the Press

| arun

Who knew there’d be so much going on in Buddhist America? Below are some news pieces from the past three days.

  • Socho Koshin Ogui heads to Gardena Buddhist Church on April 10–11 to participate in services and lead a “Meditation in Jodo Shinshu” seminar. [Gardena Buddhist Church]
  • Vanderbilt University celebrates Magha Puja along with Passover and Easter. [Vanderbilt Hustler]
  • The Dalai Lama will be in Atlanta at Emory University in October talking about interfaith dialogue, science, meditation and spirituality. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
  • More discussion of Tiger Wood’s moral journey with a brief mention of his Buddhist faith. [New York Times]
  • The Korean Jogye Order advertises a Templestay program for overseas tourists to “relax, reflect and revitalize” at Korean Buddhist temples. [Toronto Sun]
  • What’s the story behind Bodhi Hawn Hudson’s name? [Us Magazine]
  • I would never have guessed that recently deceased Robert Mander was (spiritually?) Buddhist. [CBC News]
  • A profile of Kevin Trainor, professor and chair of religion at the University of Vermont, spotlights his research which “might discomfit some 21st century American converts.” [UVM University Communications]
  • Sir Edmund Hillary’s remaining ashes are to be taken from a Buddhist monastery in Nepal to the summit of Mount Everest. [AFP]
  • San Francisco’s Franklin Square Park might soon get an Ikeda Peace Gate, donated by Soka Gakkai International. [San Francisco Examiner]
  • Vajrapani Buddhist Center in Orlando, Florida hosts a special Buddha’s Enlightenment Day class on April 15. [Orlando Sentinel]
  • I can’t think of a single Buddhist blogger who hasn’t heard about the upcoming PBS program, “The Buddha.” [The Oklahoman]
  • Hanamatsuri and Easter are being celebrated all throughout Southern California this coming weekend. [Rafu Shimpo]
  • Gelek Rinpoche is in Seattle April 2 and 3 teaching the “Fearless Compassion” workshop. [Examiner.com]
  • Wat Buddharangsi in Miami-Dade will be hosting both a Jade Buddha exhibition and also its yearly Songkran festival. [Sun Sentinel]

Check out the previous list here.

Update: I just realized that a few of these pieces have nothing to do with “Buddhist America”—or at least the “America” part. I’ll try better next time.

No More Race Talk

| arun

I’ve lost sleep recently, overwhelmed with doubt and confusion. When I started this blog nearly a year ago, I had an unshakeable sense of mission. Someone needed to speak up for Asian Americans in the Buddhist community. Since those heady early days, my conviction has faded, although my blogging has continued. Then my attitudes slowly began changing. Today I read similar sentiments on another blog, which helped me realize that there’s a deeper truth out there.

We really are just one race. I mean the human race. I know I’ve been blathering on about racial diversity for months now—but it’s all pointless. Because we can’t build a modern and supportive community if we continue to recognize and reinstantiate antiquated and socially constructed divisions like race. Every word I’ve typed on so-called “race issues” has ended up dividing our communities and vilifying innocent organizations who aren’t doing anything other than creating open spaces for true enlightenment. Only when we can let go of racial distinctions will we finally be able to let go of racism.

We need to stop talking about “white privilege” and making white people feel guilty for so-called “racial inequity.” Being white comes with absolutely no privilege at all—there are tens of millions of poor white people in America, and I’m sure they don’t feel privileged. Historical issues of slavery, Chinese exclusion acts, Japanese internment are the fault of no one alive today. No one benefits from these long-ago injustices other than dead people! And it’s not the responsibility of white people to know about what they didn’t do. All this race talk amounts to nothing more than a thinly veiled perpetuation of racism towards white people.

More than anything, I must apologize to all Buddhists of Color who’ve been reading this blog. We need to accept that enlightenment knows no color. We need to stop perpetuating a mentality of victimhood. So what if our ancestors were oppressed? So what if there aren’t many “Asian Americans” in Buddhist magazines? Let me share a Buddhist secret with you: the First Noble Truth is, “Life sucks!” We were born where we were by virtue of our karma from a past life, and it’s our job to not cling to that and focus on the real goal of enlightenment. Just shut up and deal with it. If it means you have to try harder than someone else, then try harder. Your enlightenment is your own responsibility.

So from now on, no more talk about race. If you feel people in the magazines don’t look like you—well, that’s your ego talking. If you get upset when someone calls you Chinese when you’re really Japanese—well, that’s your ego talking again. Talking about race will only create more suffering, divide the community and ultimately hasten the downfall of Buddhism. We live in an age where a black man can become president of the United States of America, I think it’s high time that we can finally stop talking about race in American Buddhism, and move onto important things.

Many thanks to Mixed Race America for these incredible insights.

Buddhist America in the Press

| arun

I decided to sift more finely through my “Buddhist” news feed and pick out articles on Buddhism in North America—some more tangentially than others. Here are some stories from March 26–29 (in no particular order).

  • Arjia Rinpoche discusses his book about experiences under Chinese rule at the Morris Book shop in Lexington Kentucky. [Lexington Herald-Leader]
  • The Frederick News-Post covers Zen master Gosung Shin at the American Zen College in Germantown, Maryland. [Frederick News-Post]
  • Buddhist nun Jun Yasuda leads a 700-mile trek through New York for environmental responsibility. [The Citizen]
  • Rabbi Vanessa Boettiger connects tonglen practice with a meditation on Passover. [The Bennington Banner]
  • Geshe Thupten Phelgye speaks about economics and human rights at Gonzaga University. [Gonzaga Bulletin]
  • Buddhist monks from Los Angeles join in a ceremony at the Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat race. [Oregon Live]
  • Chua Phuoc Hau in Louisville suffers vandalism, but also receives community support. [The Courier-Journal] (Also see Danny Fisher’s blog.)
  • Brandeis students incorporate Buddhist meditation into a weeklong celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. [The Brandeis Hoot]
  • The Missourian covers the state’s only Cambodian Buddhist monk. [Columbia Missourian]
  • Watsonville Buddhist Temple holds a pancake fundraiser to support a Buddhist youth conference. [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
  • The Argus Observer reflects on Shin Buddhism and Hana Matsuri at the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple. [Argus Observer]
  • Here’s a snapshot of the diverse Buddhist scene in Austin, Texas. [Austin American-Statesman]

It’s a great task for a sick day when you don’t want to do anything mentally intensive. I also feel so much more connected to Buddhist America! Maybe I’ll do it again next week.

Your Call: Buddhism in America

| arun

Right now I’m listening to an episode of Your Call with Sandip Roy interviewing Anchalee Kurutach of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Mushim Ikeda-Nash of the East Bay Meditation Center and Rev. Harry Gyokyo Bridge of the Buddhist Church of Oakland.

[W]e meditate on just what it means to be a Buddhist living and practicing in the United States. Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the country. The Dalai Lama is a revered household name and Tiger Woods has publicly linked his infidelity to “losing track” of his Buddhist upbringing. What is the appeal of Buddhism to so many Americans? And what does it have to teach us?

The coolest thing about this interview (for me) is that all the participants—interviewer included—are Asian American! How awesome is that! And they come from such diverse backgrounds, traditions and perspectives. There’s a lot of wonderful material here for me to ruminate over and post about later on. I hope you get a chance to listen!

What a wonderful morning—many thanks to Working Dharma for the link.

Buddhist Church of Florin

| arun

My apologies for broadcasting this announcement so late. The Buddhist Church of Florin celebrates!

The Buddhist Church of Florin celebrated its 90th anniversary on Oct. 25 with the theme “Remembering the Past and Embracing the Future.”

Over 200 people attended the event. Through old photographs, maps and newspaper clippings, attendees reflected on the people and efforts that made the temple what it is today.

You can check out the photos on the church website. (You can also check out Florin!)

American Buddhism is Here

| arun

Karen Maezen Miller contributes to Killing the Buddha, writing about American Buddhism (via China):

Recently I ran across a new Buddhist blog that says it is for people who “are interested in meditation but don’t want to pretend they live in ancient Asia.” I try not to get too worked up about how people characterize Buddhism, but that line about pretense got my attention.

[…]

A similar question seems to be on the minds of quite a few Buddhist pundits these days: the question of what an authentic version of American Buddhism should look like. The presumption is that it is bound to look different from its antecedents. It must be more relevant to contemporary culture, more comprehensible to the Western intellect, and more technological so it can be transmitted to the comfort of your own home before it dies out altogether.

Miller is one of those people who is fond of talking about American Buddhism. She delves into the tough issues: authenticity, tradition, immigration, change… I have to give her credit that although I would never write about American Buddhism the same way she does, she consistently avoids words and phrases that align American Buddhism with cultural factions that marginalize her Asian American brothers and sisters. If you are Buddhist in America, you are part of American Buddhism—whatever it is.