Buddhist traditions in the West Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Buddhist Traditions in the West It was only from the 19th century, as European powers began to colonize Buddhist regions of Southern and Eastern Asia, that any detailed knowledge about Buddhist thinking and culture became readily available in the West. Nevertheless, in some intellectual circles, there had been an interest in Buddhism from the 18th century, and Schopenhauer is generally credited with introducing the conception of Buddhism as a major, living faith to Europe. Towards the end of the 19th century, Sir Edward Arnold, in a long poem entitled ‘The Light of Asia’ attracted many new and inquiring minds to researches in Buddhism (Ross, 1966, p. 134). It has been in the postwar period, a time of enormous cultural exchange between traditionally Buddhist regions and the West, that Buddhism has become properly established in many Western countries. For example, in 1959, the famous Japanese teacher Suzuki Roshi arrived in San Francisco, and was a key proponent of Buddh ist values in the United States and beyond, writing a series of essays on Zen Buddhism. Mass migration from some predominantly Buddhist countries to the West has, of course, also helped in the dissemination of Buddhist religious culture, but it is questionable whether or not it then spread beyond the immigrant communities in their adopted countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Buddhist traditions in the West or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Later, Buddhism became associated with what might be called ‘New-Age’ spirituality, and became something of a fashionable religion, especially among those involved in the entertainment industry. In the West, Buddhism is often thought of as an exotic and progressive, even modern religion, whereas in the East, where it has been developing for centuries, it is more likely to be thought of as traditional and familiar, and part of the basic fabric of society in many countries. Buddhist messages and motifs have become commonplace in Western culture in the past half century, and especially those associated with Tibetan Buddhism. Lopez (1998) found many examples of aspects of Buddhist culture being casually used in the West, and concluded that ‘Tibetan Buddhism has been in for some time’ (p. 2). For example, at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games, Micky Hart’s musical piece ‘Call to Nature’ was performed, and this work begins with the chant of a Tibetan monk from Gyuoto monastery. On a more popular level, the 1995 film ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ opens with the title character spending some time in a Tibetan monastery, while the 1992 Christmas edition of Paris Vogue magazine invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama as guest editor.