The American Counter With Buddhism Summary

In this paper it will discuss the influence of the Buddha and how Buddhism came to America and the impact it had upon its arrival. How the American culture westernized Buddhism in their own way and how it looks today. It will also cover the difference of ethnic Buddhism and convert Buddhism in America. More specifically the objective of this paper is to explain descriptively and analytically and go over the historical time line of

For this experience, I decided to explore Buddhism in order to enhance my involvement with the religion and build a strong understanding. What intrigued me about Buddhism was the social aspect and diversity that it had to offer. In order to explore this religion from a critical and analytical viewpoint, I decided to attend a weekend service offered at San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin. The San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin main temple is located in the Japantown section of Central San Jose. What made this temple stand out amongst the others was its historical standing in the community. It is one of the oldest temples established in the United States. In order to learn more about the history, environment, and community as a whole, I decided to contact the temple’s staffs. After a brief phone call, I was able to schedule a tour. In preparation, I decided to do a brief research on Buddhism to familiarize myself with the religion beforehand. With all preparations and research necessary, I was ready to visit San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin.

After I came across David Knitter, a former ordained Christian priest and the author of “Without Buddha I could not be a Christian”, I began to realize that I had taken a western approach to Buddhism and had misconstrued some of Buddhism’s core teachings in my mind according to what I thought it should be. Knitter argued that the meaning behind religious teachings can become distorted upon translation and interpretation (92). This is why he had personal issues with his own religion before he turned to Buddhism to look for answers. He stated that, “the bond between language and the truth is so tight, when we change the language, the truth can and feel very, very different” (94). He also argued that how we use language to interpret the teachings of religious texts changes over time because we become culturally conditioned (93).

Chinese immigration to America began as early as 1838 and continues on to this date. The time period of Chinese immigration is broken up into three periods, 1849-1882, 1882-1965, and 1965- present. 1848 was when the first mass immigration of Chinese citizens to the Unites States came about . Immigrants flooding to Northern California for the same reason why thousands of other American born citizens were flooding to California, the thought of striking it rich in gold. However, because of the large number of laborers entering the country the U.S. government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 which prohibited the entrance of Chinese laborer into the country for ten years. Due the second world war and the bombing

The tendency, of sacrificing, or changing parts of one’s culture in order to adapt to a new culture, is experienced by almost everyone who has any culture other than the predominant one. Nguyen was just an individual who had to let go of some aspect of her culture in an attempt to blend in, but there have been whole religions and followers who go through this process. One example of a religion that had been Americanized is Buddhism. Although there have been proper and preserved denomination of Buddhism in America, there have also have been groups such as Buddhist Churches of America that have changed their method and practice to fit in America (Seager 3). To assimilate into American society Buddhist Churches of America has tried to resemble

A. Overview: Asian immigrants attained in the United States with numerous religions, which includes Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. The categories of informative structures offered by religion, as a vital foundation of ethnic factors, developed especially significant when societies are surviving with the fluctuating surroundings. It is by the structured religion and household demonstrating that standards and philosophies are instructed in the newer generation. Though there are diverse dissimilarities amongst the Asian ethnic groups, certain of the harmonies in worldview contain: group positioning; domestic consistency and obligation; self-control and individual control; prominence on learning accomplishment; regard for power; admiration for the senior; the usage of disgrace for social control; and interdependence of families and personas.

Around this period it was also witnessed the arrival of small numbers of chinese men to the American west.Native born americans reacted extremely and negatively to their arrival,leading to the passage of the only piece of the U.S. immigration legislation that specifically named a group as the focus of restrictive policy,the chinese exclusion act of 1882.The opinion of of the government of the united states was that the coming of chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the

As animosity towards Asian’s escalated in the early 1900’s so did the attempts to keep them from entering the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act had already

To introduce this subject consideration will first be given to the history of Buddhism and how this impacted on

Despite the difference in status between Christianity and Buddhism in their respective regions, the two religions share a similar pattern in their development. Through the presence of religious authority in mortal affairs, the rhetoric used in appealing to the people, and the fusion between local and religious ideals, both Eusebius’s On the Conversion of Constantine and Mou Tzu’s The Disposition of Error demonstrate the importance of syncretism for a religion maturing in a new culture. As a result, we can understand the development of patterns in newer religious doctrines due to cultural influences and observe that effect in popular religions today.

The western depiction of Buddhism is not accurate to the information and practices presented true ancient Buddhist texts, however it is not completely fallacious. A new form of Buddhism has budded due to modernization, and it has been widely accepted around the world for over a century. (Introduction: Buddhism and Modernity David L. McMahan) This film however, focuses on —. This form of Buddhism is beautifully portrayed throughout the film in a series of interviews with a myriad of practitioners.

Alex Estrada, a graduate of San Francisco State University’s Journalism Department who has a passion and interest in studying world religions, expresses in great detail my topic of Buddhist Mysticism. Her writing allows outsiders of the Buddhist religion, to easily comprehend since she frequently compares each point made to that of Christian beliefs. Her contrasts are clear and thought provoking, such as her research of scholar D.T. Suzuki’s book, who she quotes, “crucifixion that most Christians are fixated on, is more than just a bodily sacrifice and crucifixion, but also the crucifixion of egos. Buddhist philosophy rids the ego…”. As well, she enlightens readers through her strong vocabulary and creative writing, such as when comparing Buddhist to the Christian Mysticism experience, “Buddhist philosophy… allows the mystical experience to be more pleasant, joyful and allow those experiencing to be more at the moment, rather than contemplate their soul’s future”.

Dismayed by how the world he was living in had took several turns for the worst, Buddha, once a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, decided to travel away from his home and become monk. Legends say that Gautama was praying under a sacred tree on a journey to find Enlightenment, he then quickly found this enlightenment away from the outwardly world and, additionally, away from the world of the monks. After this, he became Buddha. Moreover, Buddha then began to start teaching about his newfound path to Enlightenment, and that is where this primary source reading originated from (Andrea and Overfield). Even though it has been reconditioned, it is very clear in “The Buddha’s First Sermon” that Buddha's main idea about Buddhism is that, in order for someone to be a Buddhist and find enlightenment, they have to completely deny the world.

Buddhism has an impact on everything from self-care to respect for any living creature. There have been countless tests and studies done by scientists to see if the techniques and methods that Buddhist monks use, such as meditation, will actually change the inner process of the brain. Due to the popularity of Buddhism, any partakes in the religion, for instance, everyday people like college students. In addition, with Buddhism becoming westernized it has been accommodated for the American tradition and lifestyle. This can be seen with the previously mentioned contributions Buddhists have brought to popular media and culture. Currently, Buddhism will prevail as the American truth and actuality, instead of being referred to as only

In his article Gerald Cooke examines the decline of Buddhism in modern Japan and the reasons behind its decreasing appeal to newer generations. He discusses multiple perspectives on the decline of Buddhism that argue that Buddhism is declining in popularity among young Japanese people due to various historical and socio-cultural reasons such as increasingly prevalent atheism, increasing sectarianism, loss of official state support, and its continued basis in agrarian society despite increasing urbanisation.