This headline of the October 1997 issue in Times magazine highlighted the increase in America’s interest in Buddhism. According to the PewResearch Religion & Public Life Project (2010), of the 488 million Buddhists worldwide, approximately 3.9 million Buddhists practice in North America. Iwamura (2000) describes how oriental monks associated with Buddhism become “ideological caregivers” to the whites by functioning as a “resource, subject to appropriation to salve the insecurities of the master/mistress.” For instance, the Dalai Lama was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and is one of the best known religious icons that embodies Buddhism. Thus, Dalai Lama, as the most prestigious ideological caregivers has helped celebrities such as Steven Seagel, Tina Turner, and Richard Gere adopt Buddhism as their religion. However, America’s current interest in Buddhism is not just a trend among celebrities.
Americans want to practice something that can transform their heart and soul. In other words, Americans may find comfort within Buddhism because “if the Christianized West is unable to care for its children, the noble Buddhist East will” (Iwamura, 2000). This is because “Asian religions are no longer portrayed as spiritual systems incompatible with the West, but rather as transformative and life-enhancing influences” (Iwamura, 2000). Following Buddhism is an alternative way for Americans to fulfill their impulses to find something different, their quest for "otherness." Since Buddhism has been established for hundreds of years Americans know that it is a "reliable" religion. As a result, Buddhism provides comfort (safety) for them, making it easier to embrace Buddhism as a religion.
Research has revealed that Buddhism is prevalent among a certain group of Americans. According to Jan Nattier (1991), most American Buddhist tend to be upper-middle class and well-educated individuals of European descent. In contrast, my family, who are Asian, does not fully practice Buddhism. It is interesting to compare and contrast the number of Asian Americans versus European Americans who actually practice Buddhism. I believe that there will be an increase in the amount of Buddhists devotees among European Americans because Buddhism represents a “new” religion that has not been fully prodded by the West as opposed to the East where Buddhism is as “normal” as Christianity is to the West. For instance, people who are Christians can pray every night within their own homes, similar to Buddhists who light incense to worship the deities every morning. However in America, Buddhism becomes more of a show where people show off their devotion to Buddhism by either taking pictures of themselves with the Dalai Lama or tweeting about their encounter with the Dalai Lama.
Research has revealed that Buddhism is prevalent among a certain group of Americans. According to Jan Nattier (1991), most American Buddhist tend to be upper-middle class and well-educated individuals of European descent. In contrast, my family, who are Asian, does not fully practice Buddhism. It is interesting to compare and contrast the number of Asian Americans versus European Americans who actually practice Buddhism. I believe that there will be an increase in the amount of Buddhists devotees among European Americans because Buddhism represents a “new” religion that has not been fully prodded by the West as opposed to the East where Buddhism is as “normal” as Christianity is to the West. For instance, people who are Christians can pray every night within their own homes, similar to Buddhists who light incense to worship the deities every morning. However in America, Buddhism becomes more of a show where people show off their devotion to Buddhism by either taking pictures of themselves with the Dalai Lama or tweeting about their encounter with the Dalai Lama.
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