Comments on: Of Asian Buddhists and “Wonderbread Dharma” (Updated)

By: gary gach

gary gach — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:44:46 +0000

generations are the lever of change

- ortega y gasset

om amito!

By: An Asian American Misunderstood « Dharma Folk

An Asian American Misunderstood « Dharma Folk — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:44:42 +0000

[...] Furthermore, to set this in context, Lew’s comments also sparked an online s___ storm (to quote Rod Sperry) 15 years ago, so I’m not sure if we can say the Buddhist community is any more harmonious [...]

By: arunlikhati

arunlikhati — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:36:31 +0000

I am glad that this conversation has started. Although it is over a century too late for my grandparents and also their grandparents, it is better late than never.

By: Philip Ryan

Philip Ryan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:02:17 +0000

This conversation between "Asian Buddhists" and "convert Buddhists" is a very important one, and in its Winter 2008 issue Tricycle published an article on this very topic, "Faith in Revolution," an interview with Daisaku Ikeda, the President of SGI. This group, while largely ignored by the meditation-centered Buddhist communities, is the largest convert community in the West, and also the most ethnically and economically diverse. Surely SGI and Nichiren Buddhism as a whole must be part of the conversation between and about Asian Buddhists and convert Buddhists. This conversation is starting to take place in fits and starts, and this article is an indicator of that. More needs to be done and more will be done to bridge the gap, but much of the pessimism some have expressed on this topic is, perhaps, unfounded.

By: Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 10:01:23 +0000

For what it’s worth, I do plan to buy a copy of Buddhadharma the next time I am back in the US (no such magazines here in Ireland), since I think the writers really are well-meaning folks.

Same with Shambhala who posted the editor’s response on their blog. Again, lots of good well-meaning people.

By: Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:59:35 +0000

Wonderful post here, and excellent comments all. Thank you!

By: theworsthorse

theworsthorse — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:24:49 +0000

You bet, Arunlikhati. I think any time this kind of dialogue can happen, it’s a good thing: it’s an airing of grievances that can allow others to show where they stand.

Thanks so much; I’m adding you (and A Monk Amok) to the Horse’s “Graze” section right now.

By: arunlikhati

arunlikhati — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:13:42 +0000

Thanks for linking to my post, Rod! So it happens that at the time of writing I didn’t realize that the conversation was truncated nor did I know that there had been a previous editorial decision to focus the matter on the non-heritage Buddhist community, including the exclusion of Asian American participants. (Somehow, knowing this makes me more okay with it.) And aside from the bellicose racial language on my blog, I really appreciated the Buddhadharma forum and learned a lot from it. I love your blog too!

By: Shambhala Sun Space » The Incredible Whiteness of Buddha

Shambhala Sun Space » The Incredible Whiteness of Buddha — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:40:14 +0000

[...] Quarterly (Winter 2008) has stirred up some controversy, as pointed out in a recent blog entry from Rod Sperry’s Worst Horse site. Rod was a participant in our discussion of the Next Generation of Buddhists in America. We all [...]

By: The Angry Asian Buddhist » Awake in This Life

The Angry Asian Buddhist » Awake in This Life — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:38:32 +0000

[...] also enjoyed the post over at The Worst Horse: The controversy is best boiled down to and centered around Dharma Folk’s contention that we [...]