Buddhism Still a Stranger in America

TAHLEQUAH — Although more Americans are becoming interested in Buddhism, one of the world’s major religions remains foreign – in many ways – to most people in this country.

Many do not realize that Prince Siddhartra Gautama, who became known as the Buddha, lived in the fifth century BCE. They may picture a Buddhist as an impoverished citizen of India or a Tibetan monk, but not realize the vast amount of people and territories where Buddhism is a way of life.

And they may find it difficult to imagine a religion not centered in the concept of an all-powerful, monotheistic god who created the universe.

Those who would like to learn more about Buddhism have the opportunity to do so during a 12-week series “Great Courses: Buddhism,” at 7 p.m., Wednesdays, at St. Basil’s Episcopal Church, 814 N. Vinita Ave. Although the first session was held last Wednesday, the Rev. Debora Jennings said the majority of the study will begin this week, and it’s not too late for people to get involved.

Several people turned out for the first overview session.

“What brought you here tonight in the rain?” Jennings asked them.

“My wife,” one man replied frankly.

“I like meditation and I’ve always done that. For me, meditation works better than prayer, sometimes,” Elizabeth Wood said. She finds it a good way to turn inward, and frequently meditates while knitting or performing such tasks as chopping vegetables.

“If I go out and work in my garden, that’s a form of meditation,” she said.

Randolph Friend said he also participates in meditation groups.

Another woman said she was interested because Buddhism is a part of so many people’s lives.

“There are many forms of Buddhism,” Jennings said. “Buddhism frequently gets linked to a country, possibly the most is to Tibet and the Dalai Lama. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama.”

He did not try to convert his listeners to Buddhism, but told his listeners to follow their religion, but practice loving kindness.

Jennings said her daughter-in-law is Buddhist, and their family is multicultural.

Professor Malcolm David Eckel of Boston University provided the information on the video. He said Buddhism began in India, where the Buddha lived in the years around 566 BCE. The religion spread through southeast Asia to China and Japan, and in the past century has become more apparent in the western world.

Eckel said Jesus and Mohammed brought messages, communications from the divine. The Buddha, on the other hand, served as an example humans should follow rather than a divine prophet.

Buddhists make pilgrimages to holy sites and share rituals and patterns of worship, he said. Buddhism teaches how to deal with the deep issues of life, and how people can live to be peaceful, happy, compassionate and free from suffering.

While gods are a part of Buddhist life, Buddhists deny the existence of a single, all-powerful god who created the world, Eckel said. Buddhism challenges many people’s understanding of religion and what is the ultimate reality. They believe the immortal soul is an illusion, that there is a process of constant change.

The principal of Triple Refuge is, “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma [teachings of Buddha], I take refuge in the Sangha [community of Buddhists],” according to Eckel.

The classic image of the Buddha, in the lotus position, is that of serene contemplation. However, he didn’t spend his life in that position, Eckel said. The prince became awakened when he realized the role of suffering in life, and what people could do to end their suffering.

Buddhism has had an impact on various areas of American society, from philosophy, to arts, to sports.

“We study religious traditions such as Buddhism to encounter the other and interrogate the familiar,” Eckel said. “It will give you a new way of looking at your own traditions. Buddhism really is to look at the world in a different way.”

“There are those who would argue that Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy,” Jennings said.

She said it derives from the Hindu religion, which has approximately 4.9 million gods.

“I always thought of Buddhism as Hinduism without a caste system,” Wood said.

She brought a book she had checked out from the Tahlequah Public Library, written by an American Buddhist who described himself as a red-meat eater, as opposed to the vegetarian image some have of Buddhists.

Thomas Merton, a 20th century Catholic monk, linked Buddhism and Christianity in a contemplative tradition. The philosophy encouraged use of right action, right thinking, right speech. Merton practiced such Buddhist traditions as Zen meditation and walking meditation.

“As you get into the different countries, Buddhism becomes very political,” Jennings said.

The group discussed the Buddha as a man who lived in a time when much was going on in the world. He was a contemporary of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, and the Jewish exile in Babylon. They speculated about possible influences of Buddhism on Jesus.

“Some people say there’s a cosmic consciousness that just happens, that people come up with similar ideas at the same time,” Friend said.

“Jesus did not grow up in a vacuum,” Jennings said. “If you look a the book of Matthew, there are many places where the teachings of Jesus are almost identical to the teachings of Buddhism.”

Group members thought it’s possible that Jesus may have spent some of the “lost years,” between his appearance in the temple at age 12 and the time he began teaching at about age 30, in India or other places where he was exposed to a wide range of philosophies. Israel was in the midst of major trade routes and he would have met people from many places.

“We really don’t know, but there are a number of scholars who think Jesus must have known something of the Eastern traditions,” Jennings said.

Future sessions of the Buddhism series will discuss the life of the Buddha, his teachings, the growth of the movement and Buddhism in the world today.

Learn more

A 12-week session, “Great Courses: Buddhism” is ongoing at 7 p.m., Wednesdays, at St. Basil’s Episcopal Church, 814 N. Vinita Ave. The courses consist of a video followed by discussion. The first program, last Wednesday, was an overview and the major study will begin this Wednesday with a look at the life of the Buddha. The sessions are free to the public.