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Thread: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

  1. #11
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    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Any ideas on how to remedy this? I would be interested in following up with libraries around england and setting up a small petition, if anyone has some pertinent thoughts.

  2. #12

    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Quote Originally Posted by IcySupreme View Post
    Any ideas on how to remedy this? I would be interested in following up with libraries around england and setting up a small petition, if anyone has some pertinent thoughts.
    Namaste Icy Supreme,

    I think it would be wonderful if Hinduism was more accessible throughout the world. It's one of those things that means so much to me, and has made such a profound impact on my life, that I would love for everyone to be able to experience what I have. Even so, there is a fine line between that, and marketing and/or proselytizing. I think to actively make an effort to push others to make this info accessible might be misconstrued as such.

    On the other hand, maybe books could be donated to the libraries. That way no one is being petitioned to do anything, but information is still being shared in a gracious manner.

    Ultimately, I truly believe that those who are meant to tread this path will find it, so there is no need to work to change anything. Perhaps it is even a good thing that things are the way they are. Sure, sometimes I wish I had found this years ago, but perhaps years ago I was not ready.
    Om Namah Shivaya

  3. #13
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    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Vannakkam: Upon further reflection, I think there are also some other factors at play.

    For one, I believe it is more in the nature of Buddhism to study and read, as part of the path. Many Hindus (at least most the immigrant ones I know) really don't read much, but essentially just go to temple, and practice ethics. So there is little need for books. It's the scholars and the western seekers who read.

    We have few retreat centers (if any) compared to Buddhism. Ones like this http://birken.ca/ are common. So being a meditative person, and wishing to practice that aspect, Buddhism provides a great deal more options. On a Hindu retreat, a few years back, we rented a Buddhist center. It was a beautiful place. They have a great eye for peaceful settings.

    Another factor may just be numbers. If there are more Buddhists, they will buy more books. Similarly, there may be more books on the topic, introductory books especially.

    Personally, I certainly don't see Buddhism as competition, but rather as a sister dharmic path.

    Just some more random thoughts.

    Aum Namasivaya

  4. #14
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    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Great points from all the members. In general Buddhists have been more proactive in marketting and also Hindus get more publicity in the negative. The idea of a Buddhist, however, in the western mind is like being ever peaceful, ever meditative, non violent, accepting etc.

    For those who have taken up study of Buddhism/Hinduism in academics - does the subject of why Buddhism dissappeared from India brought up? Does Hinduism pop up as a reason?

  5. #15

    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Quote Originally Posted by jignyAsu View Post
    For those who have taken up study of Buddhism/Hinduism in academics - does the subject of why Buddhism dissappeared from India brought up? Does Hinduism pop up as a reason?
    The main reason is the almost total destruction of Buddhist monasteries, temples, and educational institutions due to the invasions of the medieval period (the same invasions that led to the massive destruction of Hindu and Jain temples across northern India). But it is also noted that Hinduism, particularly in the form of Advaita Vedanta, absorbed a good deal of Buddhist thought and practice (as noted by Shankaracharya's fellow Hindu critics from the bhakti schools of Vedanta–a debate that continues today on HDF). A Hindu renaissance was already underway, starting as early as the Gupta period. The foreign invasions, though, and the destruction of monasteries like Nalanda were the final death blow (though a handful of Buddhists continued to practice in Bengal, and I have met a couple of members of this ancient Indian Buddhist community who live in what is now Bangladesh).
    "One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of life." (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)

  6. #16
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    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Quote Originally Posted by jignyAsu View Post
    For those who have taken up study of Buddhism/Hinduism in academics - does the subject of why Buddhism dissappeared from India brought up? Does Hinduism pop up as a reason?
    Firstly, the schism that exists between Buddhism and Hinduism in academic circles (both now as well as millenia ago) is highly philosophical and has to do within things like the following:

    (1)Does a substance exist or is what we perceive mere qualities?

    (2)Is an aggregate something more than (over and above) the collection of its parts?

    (3)Does a thing have an essence in itself or is essence subjective, a mere conception that is imposed from outside the thing?

    (4)Is the world a dream or is it real?

    (5)Is cognition self-cognizing or is a second order cognition needed to know that a previous cognition has occurred?

    (6)How is truth of a cognition known? Is it internal to cognition or is it external?

    and so on and so forth...

    Now, one can imagine that the average person on the road could not care less about these philosophical points.

    Keep in mind that Hinduism has more culture and tradition going for it since it predates Buddhism. This is apart from intellectual debates that engaged Hindu and Buddhist historically. Buddhism begins and ends with the historical Buddha. Although there may have been enlightened Buddhas prior to the historical Buddha, there is no extant literature about them. So, Buddhism in this sense, is similar to religions like Islam and Christianity, which are more personality based. Contrast that with Hinduism - before Krishna, there was Rama, before whom there was Narasimha, and so on back and back. Hinduism tends to be less driven by a very specific historical personality. Hinduism has more literature and scripture going for it.

    In summary, Hinduism appears to me to be a "complete" package - it has material for the intellectual philosopher, it has material for the average theist on the road whose conceives of a deity that responds to prayers and so on. It spans the complete spectrum. Hinduism simply and eventually captured the hearts and minds of Indians at some point. So, yes, the Mohammedans came in and did what they are good at doing - which is destroying non-Muslim culture - but Buddhism was possibly on the decline even before Nalanda was sacked and destroyed by Bhaktiyar Khilji.

  7. #17
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    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Thank you, Jefferey! Thanks wundermonk and welcome back...agree on Hinduism being a complete package and Buddhism already been in decline. I think Swami Vivekananda who toured the entire India also identified internal corruption as a factor of Buddhism's decline.

    But the reason I raised the question is because a few Jains/Buddhists in India are recently trying to frame Hindu kings for their decline. Except for a few minor incidents here and there, there is no evidence for a mass destruction as seen in the case of mughals.

    I was just afraid that such ideas may have found their ways into the western academia, adding to the unpopularity of Hinduism. But from your responses it looks like that is not the case, thankfully!

  8. #18

    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Pranam-s,

    The best way to address all of this would be through a discourse-like campaign that would raise awareness about such a situation.
    Last edited by Sudas Paijavana; 12 October 2013 at 09:15 PM.

  9. #19

    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Quote Originally Posted by jignyAsu View Post
    I was just afraid that such ideas may have found their ways into the western academia, adding to the unpopularity of Hinduism. But from your responses it looks like that is not the case, thankfully!
    One does occasionally see "Hindu kings" cited as one of the factors in the decline of Indian Buddhism. But as you correctly note, whatever actual, physical persecution might have occurred against Buddhists and Jains in ancient times was an aberration, and on a far smaller scale than what occurred during the foreign invasions. Most debates among Buddhist, Jain, and what are now called Hindu (Vedic) schools of thought were peaceful: more comparable to what goes on in these forums than to the massacres in the name of religion that are such a huge part of the history of the western world. This is pretty well understood by academic scholars of India.
    "One who makes a habit of prayer and meditation will easily overcome all difficulties and remain calm and unruffled in the midst of the trials of life." (Holy Mother Sarada Devi)

  10. #20
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    Re: Why is Buddhism More Accessible in the US

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeffery D. Long View Post
    One does occasionally see "Hindu kings" cited as one of the factors in the decline of Indian Buddhism.
    You mean in western academics? That's bad. We also have documented histories of how Jainas and Bouddhas collaborated with kings and actively plotting against the Hindus. This is seen in both Vaishnava/Shaiva history throughout the India. Also, we have Buddhist/Jain version of Ramayana, mahabharata etc displaying our worshiped ones as lusty and violent. Right from Adi Shankara times we hear how the Buddhists used to spend lifetimes denouncing and bad mouthing Vedas - not just philosophically refuting them. However, the impression of Buddhists in the west is that all of them have always been like Gautama Buddha - ever peaceful, meditative, doing good to even evil.... :-)

    Not that I want them to be portrayed in bad light but how come negatives about only Hinduism manage to reach western academics? I guess all this comes back to links to Hollywood etc, sited by members above.

    And by saying "academic scholars of India" have well understood it - do you mean Indian scholars or western academic scholars who study Indian history? Do students in west get to read this version?

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