I’ve got another post at the Guardian Comment Is Free site. So far the usual chorus of nay-sayers hasn’t found it; no comments yet.
The Mahablog
Politics. Society. Group Therapy.
I’ve got another post at the Guardian Comment Is Free site. So far the usual chorus of nay-sayers hasn’t found it; no comments yet.
Interesting article about Buddhism, Barbara. Here in Taiwan where I live, Buddhism gets mixed up with Taoism regularly. Most Taiwanese are Buddhists/Taoists and couldn’t tell you the difference between the two religions. Confucianism gets thrown into the mix too, though most people don’t consider that a religion.
Christianity has a small following here too. Foreign missionaries are not an unusual sight – everything from Mormons to Baptists and Jehovah Witnesses.
As compared to Buddhism, Taoism comes much closer to most Westerner’s ideas of superstition. It’s big on ghosts, exorcisms, fortune telling and fengshui. But like I said, the two get mixed together here to an amazing extent.
And more recently, we’ve got Falungong, to make it more interesting.
At its heart, I think most religions exist to provide comfort to people. Be it a church or a temple, it’s a social organization. Practitioners enjoy the social networking, while seeking to improve their fortune in this life, and hoping to cope with their fear of death.
But as you say, “to encounter authentic Buddhism in any culture, first empty your cup of assumptions and expectations.” So I hope that nobody takes my observations as the “gospel.” Keep seeking truth, and realize that it takes a lifetime (and a little bit more) to find it.
As an ex-PR flak/copywriter I say you should be writing for the Guardian, not posting on its comments pages. Apply.
hidflect — I am writing for the Guardian. An editor contacted me and commissioned the piece.
The issue is whether we can accept Buddhism on its terms and not ours.
I think that was my favorite line.