Lama Surya Das and the American Dharma

Buddhism is gaining popularity and word sensation with the American public. This could be assign to the immigrants to the USA wherein some of them brought with them their culture and religion and influenced the Americans to maintain them. According to genus Lama Surya Das, there ar many factors that influenced the bridal of Buddhism in the western countries and this birthance lead to a unique American Buddhism. His article Ten appear Trends of Western Dharma details the characteristics of the American Buddhism that sets its identity and tells how and why Buddhism was genuine by the American community.According to Das, American Buddhism is unique since it is meditation-based such that understanding of life and soulfulnessalised growth is attained. It is made it more accessible to the masses and gender equating is promoted. Some of the right smarts of the traditional Buddhism ar also omitted to mark it simpler and another(prenominal) meditation practices ar accepted to make it more good-hearted. Spiritual using is also focused to promote good psychological and emotional welfare. Exploring beyond the doctrines of Buddhism is also promoted to allow independence and self development.Spiritual communities are also promote to strengthen the links with each other and to develop a guts of moral and social obligation. These premises can depict the American Buddhism as polar from other diversenesss of Buddhism. This difference could then be attributed to the fact that the Americans dumbfound a different cultural background and environment such that they accepted and did only those components of Buddhism that shots them. However, Das premises contain some vague ideas that are insufficient to arrange that there is a unique American Buddhism.Some forms of Buddhism are also meditation-based, some also observe gender equality, some are also focused on the spiritual development of a person and some are also promoting spiritual communities to inculcate a sense of moral and social obligation. Omission of a component and focusing on other components doesnt always mean that it is already a newfound thing. It is still patterned from the original and the difference was just due to the position of the bulk accepting it.Its like in the revival of a classic song into a different genre, the song could have a slightly different tune or tempo, but that doesnt make the song a new song. It was just revived and remodeled to fit the gustatory modality of the listening public. Nevertheless, Das stressed that those are just trends he sight and the existence of a genuine American Buddhism has a long way to go. merely still, if his trends would be more unambiguous, it is possible that a new form of Buddhism could really take form in America.It is important to note that the acceptance of Buddhism in America is slow. This could be attributed to the fact that America is largely a Christian country, with teachings different from that of Buddhism. H owever, if Das trends are accurate, such that American Buddhism is non-sectarian and is bluff to anyone, it is possible that the American publics reaction could shift and accept it for the meditation and the other benefits. It is most likely to happen nowadays since American life is a very busy and stressful life.If the practices of the American Buddhism could fit in with the lifestyle of the Americans, more people could be influenced to follow its teachings and practices. It depart then be a few steps closer to achieving a genuine American Buddhism. Nonetheless, if the openness of the American Buddhism to other traditions and Das lineage about Buddhism being not a religion would be pointed out, it leave behind appear that American Buddhism would not materialize as a different religion. This means that the American Dharma would just look like a class or routine that will fit in the lifestyle of the Americans.This is because the people who would practice the Dharma would not nee d to convert themselves and retain their former religion. They would follow the Dharma just for the meditation and the enlightenment it brings. This would then make it very appealing to the American Public and make it recruit more followers since it would slow fit in their lives. To sum it all up, I can say that genuine American Buddhism still has a long away to reality. But still, the efforts those people who brought Buddhism to America will not be a waste, and they would be able to harvest the fruit of their labors.