1. The origins and rise of buddhism. The Great Courses Daily. (2020, May 4).
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/the-origins-and-rise-of-buddhism/
2. History.com Editors. (2017, October 12). Buddhism. History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism#section_2
3. Norman Fischer. (2021, June 8). What is zen buddhism and how do you practice it?
Lion's Roar. https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-zen-buddhism-and-how-do-you-
practice-it/.
SPREAD OF BUDDHISM IN THE WEST
Buddhism is often associated with so-called Eastern religions and philosophies, but
nowadays this philosophy seems to be well spread in the West. One can ask the following
question: How did Buddhists beliefs reached the Western world? First, I will look at Buddhism,
its history and philosophy, and then I will look at its spread in the West.
Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, lived around the fifth century B.C. Gautama was
born into a wealthy family in modern-day Nepal as a prince. Gautama, despite his affluent life,
was affected by misery in the world. He emerged from the palace one day and strolled around
the streets of his dynasty. He has seen three things that he has never seen or heard of before,
and which are hidden beyond the castle walls. The first is a sick person, the second is an elderly
man who lacks power in his body, and the third is a corpse being carried to the burial site. After
he returned to the palace, he observed a person wearing a robe and strolling calmly through the
streets, which convinced him that there is peace in living a simple life. He chose to forgo his
opulent lifestyle and live in poverty. When this did not enough, he promoted the idea of the
"Middle Way," which involves finding a balance between two extremes. As a consequence, he
wanted a life devoid of social joys as well as deprivation. Buddhists believe Gautama achieved
enlightenment after six years of searching while meditating under a Bodhi tree. He then spent
the rest of his years teaching others on how to achieve this spiritual state. This occurred at Bodh
Gaya, which was then a part of the Magadha empire in northern India and is now a part of the
Indian province of Bihar.1 When Gautama died in 483 B.C., his followers immediately started
organizing a religious institution in his honor. The Buddha's teachings provided the foundation
for Buddhism. In the third century B.C., the Mauryan Indian king Ashoka the Great proclaimed
Buddhism to be India's national religion. Buddhism started to spread outside of India in the
centuries that followed. Buddhist ideas and philosophies became more diverse, with some
followers grasping concepts differently than others.
1. The origins and rise of buddhism. The Great Courses Daily. (2020, May 4).
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/the-origins-and-rise-of-buddhism/
2. History.com Editors. (2017, October 12). Buddhism. History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism#section_2
3. Norman Fischer. (2021, June 8). What is zen buddhism and how do you practice it?
Lion's Roar. https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-zen-buddhism-and-how-do-you-
practice-it/.
Buddhism first came in North America in the 1840s via Chinese immigrants who settled
in the western regions of the nation, as well as by North Americans and Europeans who traveled
to Asia and returned with Buddhist texts. In the late 1800s, the influence of Buddhist thought
became apparent in the literary works. The World Parliament of Religions, held in 1893 in
connection with the Chicago World's Fair, played a critical role in the introduction of Buddhism
to the West. Shaku Soen, a Japanese Zen teacher, was one of the attendees; he subsequently
came to the United States to give Buddhist lectures and tour the nation. Another delegate to
the 1893 World Parliament of Religions was Sri Lankan Buddhist teacher Anagarika
Dharmapala, who would subsequently travel extensively across the United States in the early
twentieth century to speak on Buddhism. In 1898, adherents of Japanese Buddhism's Pure Land
School (often referred to as Shin Buddhism) founded the Buddhist Mission of the United States.
Around 100,000 Japanese Americans were interned during World War II, but subsequently
established the Buddhist Churches of America, posing a major impediment to their
advancement. Surprisingly, for a religion that advocates for inner and outward peace, conflict
and armed struggle have aided in the spread of different branches of Buddhism to the West.
Following World War II and the Korean War, American soldiers stationed in Asia developed
an interest in Asian culture and Buddhism.2 Following communist China's conquest of Tibet in
1959, the Dalai Lama reestablished himself in Dharamsala, India, and Tibetan refugees started
arriving in America, bringing with them Vajrayana Buddhism. The Vietnamese government
refused to let Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh to return home in 1973 after he spoke out
against the Vietnam War. He continues to live in exile in that location, but he often goes to the
United States and Europe to conduct mindfulness retreats.
1. The origins and rise of buddhism. The Great Courses Daily. (2020, May 4).
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/the-origins-and-rise-of-buddhism/
2. History.com Editors. (2017, October 12). Buddhism. History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism#section_2
3. Norman Fischer. (2021, June 8). What is zen buddhism and how do you practice it?
Lion's Roar. https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-zen-buddhism-and-how-do-you-
practice-it/.
Numerous varieties of Buddhism are currently practiced across the globe (Buddhism
2017). The following are the three main types that represent different geographical locations:
In Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, Theravada Buddhism is extensively
practiced. In China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam, Mahayana Buddhism is
extensively practiced. Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Bhutan, as well as parts of Russia and northern
India, practice Tibetan Buddhism. Each of these sects reveres certain texts and has somewhat
different interpretations of Buddha's teachings. Additionally, Buddhism has many subsects,
including Zen Buddhism and Nirvana Buddhism.3 Zen Buddhism is a stripped-down, austere,
cuts-down kind of meditation that is uninterested in doctrinal refinement. Zen is not based on
Scripture, theology, or ritual; it is verified by personal experience and transmitted from master
to student via rigorous intimate teaching.
As I previously mentioned, Zen Buddhism is mostly monastic in nature and is predicated
on intensive sitting meditation practice. However, the majority of Zen practitioners in the West
are not monastics. While this may seem strange, it makes sense when we consider "monastic"
as more than a style of life; it is an attitude and a degree of seriousness. Unlike Zen practitioners
in Asia, who often support the monastic institution as their primary practice, Western Zen
practitioners want to follow this practice regardless of their personal circumstances. In that
sense, all Western Zen students, regardless of their personal circumstances, are monastic. They
accept vows from lay people or priests and even undergo a term of monastic training in one or
more Zen institutions. Western Buddhism is renowned for upending traditional gender norms
(which are usually subservient in many Asian Buddhist monastic organizations) and increasing
the number of female Dharma teachers. Finally, Buddhism gained greater prominence in the
Western world during the latter half of the twentieth century, as celebrities and artists openly
discussed the influence of Buddhism on their lives and work.
The expansion of Buddhism in the West demonstrates many things: first and foremost,
it demonstrates the impact of globalisation on religion. Second, there is a syncretism effect
between ideas from two opposite poles of the globe that combine to adapt to a new cultural
context and even generate new behaviors (New Age etc). Buddhism has always had this element
of "traveling" from nation to country, continent to continent, according to its history. One could
reasonably inquire, though, if such a thing might occur with other religious ideas. It does not
seem to be an evidence.
1. The origins and rise of buddhism. The Great Courses Daily. (2020, May 4).
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/the-origins-and-rise-of-buddhism/
2. History.com Editors. (2017, October 12). Buddhism. History.com.
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/buddhism#section_2
3. Norman Fischer. (2021, June 8). What is zen buddhism and how do you practice it?
Lion's Roar. https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-zen-buddhism-and-how-do-you-
practice-it/.
SEOANE GABRIEL
For St Xavier’s College, Mumbai
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