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AR 23:14 - "Is The Last Jedi really a Buddhist epic?"
In this issue:
BUDDHISM - "more of a philosophy in America, than a religion"
+ the Beats and their "Buddhist Universe as Messiah"
+ how "meditation is oversold, based in part on shaky research"
+ "the first-ever review of the scientific literature on mediation and pro-social behavior"
+ "I assumed Buddhism was innately tolerant - I was wrong"
Apologia Report 23:14 (1,380)
April 18, 2018
BUDDHISM
"Why so many Americans think Buddhism is just a philosophy" by Pamela Winfield, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Elon University <www.goo.gl/Vqyvj1> -- "Buddhism entered into the American cultural consciousness in the late 19th century. It was a time when romantic notions of exotic Oriental mysticism fueled the imaginations of American philosopher-poets, art connoisseurs, and early scholars of world religions.
"Transcendental poets like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson read Hindu and Buddhist philosophy deeply, as did Henry Steel Olcott, who traveled to Sri Lanka in 1880, converted to Buddhism and founded the popular strain of mystical philosophy called Theosophy. ...
"Western-influenced Buddhists presented their tradition to their modern Western audience as a 'non-theistic' and 'rational' tradition that had no competing gods, irrational beliefs or supposedly meaningless rituals to speak of.
"Traditional Buddhism does in fact have many deities, doctrines and rituals, as well as sacred texts, ordained priests, ethics, sectarian developments and other elements that one would typically associate with any organized religion. But at the 1893 World Parliament, the Buddhist masters favorably presented their meditative tradition to modern America only as a practical philosophy, not a religion. This perception of Buddhism persists in America to this day."
The early Buddhist masters in America "only transplanted but a few branches of Buddhism's much larger tree into American soil. Only a few cuttings of Buddhist philosophy, art and meditation came into America, while many other traditional elements of the Buddhist religion remained behind in Asia." After that, "Americans became particularly fascinated with the mystical appeal of Buddhist meditation. ...
"Environmental and social justice initiatives have embraced a movement known as 'Engaged Buddhism' ever since Martin Luther King Jr. nominated its founder, the Vietnamese monk and anti-war activist Thich Nhat Hanh, for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. His Buddhist Order of Interbeing <orderofinterbeing.org> continues to propose mindful, nonviolent solutions to the world's most pressing moral concerns.
"America's educational system has also been enriched by its first Buddhist-affiliated university at Naropa <naropa.edu> in Colorado, which paved the way for other Buddhist institutions of higher learning such as Soka University <soka.edu> and University of the West <uwest.edu> in California, as well as Maitripa College <maitripa.org> in Oregon. ...
"American secular Buddhism has also produced some unintended consequences. Suzuki's writings greatly influenced Jack Kerouac, the popular Beat Generation author of 'On the Road' and 'The Dharma Bums.' But Suzuki regarded Kerouac as a 'monstrous imposter' because he sought only the freedom of Buddhist awakening without the discipline of practice.
"Other Beat poets, hippies and, later, New Age DIY self-helpers have also paradoxically mistaken Buddhism for a kind of self-indulgent narcissism, despite its teachings of selflessness and compassion. Still others have commercially exploited its exotic appeal to sell everything from 'Zen tea' to 'Lucky Buddha Beer,' which is particularly ironic given Buddhism's traditional proscription against alcohol and other intoxicants.
"As a result, the popular construction of nonreligious Buddhism has contributed much to the contemporary 'spiritual but not religious' phenomenon, as well as to the secularized and commodified mindfulness movement in America.
"We may have only transplanted a fraction of the larger bodhi tree of religious Buddhism in America, but our cutting has adapted and taken root in our secular, scientific and highly commercialized age. For better and for worse, it's Buddhism, American-style." The Conversation, Jan 22 '18 <www.goo.gl/UYeEE9>
Who would have thought? Buddhism is mentioned 358 times in the back issues of AR: <www.goo.gl/V9XTJN>
Hard to Be a Saint in the City: The Spiritual Vision of the Beats, by Robert Inchausti, professor of English at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo <www.goo.gl/cjVotR> and "a Thomas Merton authority" [1] -- from the publisher: "an exploration of Beat spirituality - seen through excerpts from the writings of the seminal writers of Beat Generation themselves. ... It goes deeper than the Buddhism with which many of the key figures became identified. It's about their shared perception of an existence in which the Divine reveals itself in the ordinary. Theirs is a spirituality where real life triumphs over airy ideals and personal authenticity becomes both the content and the vehicle for a kind of refurbished American Transcendentalism."
One Amazon promo reads: "As a whole, [the Beats'] depth and innovation speak to the strength and tear of American life and, even more, to the enduring proposition, held in the chapter title, that 'The Universe is the Messiah.' This book offers a one-of-a-kind recording from the basement of America where spiritual riffs awakened our sudden connection to a timeless consciousness that gave rise to the sixties. More relevant than ever!" - Mark Nepo <marknepo.com>
Writing for the GetReligion blog (Jan 31 '18), Julia Duin examines "how CNN’s Dan Burke dissected The Last Jedi in terms of its religious content, or lack thereof. ...
"Burke sees this new movie as a symbol of a higher indifference to traditional forms of religion found among today’s Millennials and suggests that this attitude got picked up by the filmmakers. ...
"It sounds like an interesting idea, but I’m willing to wager the folks from the dark side aren’t so sloppy in learning the ways of the Force. No matter what the religious tradition, years of training are always needed to acquire any wisdom, whether ancient or new.
"The article then switches to a discussion of how Buddhist-oriented the movie franchise is. ...
"Is The Last Jedi really a Buddhist epic? My knowledge of Buddhism isn’t the best; still, I don’t think it is. It’s more about Sartre than Siddhartha. It’s not so much religious as it’s about religion not working." <www.goo.gl/YxNgKC>
"Meditation May Not Make You a Better Person After All: A critical look at the research suggests its benefits are less than advertised" by Tom Jacobs -- "There are plenty of good reasons to meditate. Studies have linked the ancient practice to improved mental and physical health, and even found it promotes rational thinking.
"But can it make you a better person, as many have claimed? Rigorous new research concludes: Not so much.
"A meta-study that examines research on the purported link between meditation practice and selfless behavior finds most of it is deeply flawed. ...
"'Meditation interventions had an effect on the categories of compassion and empathy,' they found, 'but not on aggression, connectedness, or prejudice.'
"Worse, 'a significant increase in compassion only occurred if the intervention teacher was a co-author of the published study,' they write.
"'This reveals that the researchers might have unintentionally biased their results,' Farias [Miguel Farias <www.goo.gl/HUoMDz> of Coventry University UK] said in announcing the findings. ...
"All in all, the methodological quality of 61 percent of the studies was rated 'weak.' ...
"'[L]eading academics of South Asian religions' argue that, 'for most forms of Buddhism, it is not meditation, but the study of sacred scriptures that is the most valued means to achieve deep personal transformation.' Meditation, in other words, is being oversold, based in part on shaky research." Pacific Standard, Feb 5 '18 <www.goo.gl/MU8DCp>
"How Will I Explain Extremist Buddhism to My Children?" by Khin Mai Aung (freelance writer and former lawyer for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund) -- the author "once worried her children would pick up dogmatic views from her husband’s Catholic faith. Now, she struggles to explain to them the terrible violence in her country of birth — incited by members of her own faith. ...
"I worried they would become Catholic by default, due to the prevalence of Christian traditions and holidays in American culture. Christianity is the religious background of over two-thirds of Americans. By contrast, less than 1% of our population is Buddhist, and many fewer still are Theravada Buddhists.
"When we married, I assumed Catholicism was rigid and inflexible. I feared it was less tolerant of other religions, as compared to my faith. After all, a Catholic must accept God as one’s savior and creator and renounce all other religions. By contrast, I thought of Buddhism as inherently open and accepting. Due to the flexibility of Buddhism’s core tenets, I believed our religion to be innately tolerant.
"Recent events in Myanmar, my country of birth, have dramatically proven me wrong. A radical strain of Buddhism has reared its ugly head in the country, preaching intolerance and hate and even justifying the killing of non-Buddhists. An epic humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Myanmar, with over 600,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority group fleeing persecution by the country’s repressive military. ...
"Through my horror and shame at radical Buddhist currents in Myanmar, Burmese Buddhism is the bedrock of my religious and moral upbringing.
"Previously, I didn’t fully appreciate how Burmese Buddhism – like other organized religions – is more than a spiritual institution; it is also a political one. Myanmar is almost 90% Theravada Buddhist, and the sangha is a powerful player in the Burmese state. Monks are human beings with the ability to either challenge the prevailing social order (as they did in the 2007 Saffron Revolution) or to reinforce it (as hardline monks in nationalist Buddhist organization Ma Ba Tha are doing now)."
Aung is resolute: "Despite this, I remain committed to Theravada Buddhism." Lion's Roar, Jan 24 '18 <www.goo.gl/TPCbpz>
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MILLER, ELLIOT
Last week we learned that the long-time Christian Research Journal editor has died following a battle with cancer. When Walter Martin moved Christian Research Institute from New Jersey to California in the mid-1970s, Elliot (along with Gretchen Passantino, Kurt Van Gorden, Howard Pepper, Cal Beisner, and Todd Ehrenborg) was a contributing editor for the very first issue of the CRI Newsletter (which eventually became the CRJ) in 1977. (Jack Beisner was the main editor for just that first edition.) Later, with the Fall 1980 issue, Elliot was named the publication's main editor with new employee Paul Carden slotted as managing editor and designer. (See <www.goo.gl/3Vtpjh> for the early publication history of the CRJ.)
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Hard to Be a Saint in the City: The Spiritual Vision of the Beats, by Robert Inchausti (Shambhala, 2018, paperback, 208 pages) <www.goo.gl/WRKYYe>
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