American Buddhism Now and Zen
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Back in the 1970s when I was a young woman, one of the most-read books of that era was Robert Pirsig's best-selling novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The book chronicles the cross country journey of a philosophical, hippy dippy kind of American guy and his struggle to understand and constantly repair an old motorcycle. In the course of having to face this two-wheeled beast along with his own intolerance for delay and inconvenience, Pirsig learns valuable lessons about life. The motorcycle becomes a metaphor for himself, and Zen becomes the real vehicle for understanding who is he and how he ticks.
Back then, Eastern religion was experiencing a new popularity in the United States. Humanist psychotherapist Alan Watts was writing about the Hindu pantheon and about Buddhist epistomology. The Beatles were involved in Transcendental Meditation and devotees of the Mahirishi Mahesh Yogi, and they began to incorporate Ravi Shankar's sitar music into their own. Tibetan Buddhist monk Chogyam Trunga, injured in a terrible auto accident in London, made the momentous decision to give up his monastic vows and teach Buddhist practice and Buddhist principles in America, where he eventually created the first American Buddhist university, Naropa, and recruited famous Beat poets like Alan Ginsberg and William Burroughs to teach there.
For the most part, the American Buddhists who followed Trungpa were hippies, Beats, and misfits; young people who were disillusioned with the traditional Christian sects in which they were raised. I don't think most of them had a clear idea of what Buddhism even was, much less Tibetan Buddhism, but they knew what they didn't like, and they didn't like the religion of their fathers.Trungpa wrote frequently about the American tendency to "shop" for religion as if picking a religion was akin to picking out a purse or a poncho. Trungpa (and Buddhists in general) believe that picking a religious practice and sticking with it no matter what happens yields the best spiritual result. The Dalai Lama has phrased this general principal as "stay in your own boat," because that way you learn the most about what boat you happen to be in and who you happen to be yourself; but Buddhists also freely offer whatever knowledge and teaching they do have to whomever wants it.
In fact, Buddhism is one of the few religions I have ever encountered that does not proselytize. If it works for you fine. If it doesn't, that's fine too.
Trungpa developed what came to be known as his "crazy wisdom school" of Buddhism by deliberately behaving in ways that cut through American stereotypes of the 'evolved Buddhist master' who is always calm, always wise, ethereal, and serene to the point of caricature. Chogyam Trungpa hardly fit that stereotype. He drank, he swore, he was chronically late and chronically rude, he slept with his students: Basically he did everything you'd expect a Buddhist master not to do and his counterculture misfit fans loved him for it.
The method to Trungpa's madness was his ability to impart the importance of practice over dogma, even to the scruffiest of the scruffy. Although Buddhism is a complex religion with thousands of ancient texts detailing all kinds of theories and teachings, Trungpa focused on teaching Americans meditation and simple Buddhist lessons imparted during short talks.
Over thirty years later, American Buddhism has become the newest unique flavor of this ancient Eastern faith. I think it is widely misunderstood, often deliberately so, by both Christians and American Buddhists alike.
What follows are my own personal observations and thoughts about it.
A Critique of Western Individualism
Buddhism takes a unique view of the self, one that runs contrary to pretty much everything Americans tend to believe about that entity.
While Americans value individualism and self-direction above almost everything else, Buddhism sees the self as a kind of petty bully that distorts the nature of reality on a daily basis and wreaks havoc in the world, creating an endless cycle of human suffering. During Buddhist meditation practice, the practitioner learns to stop identifying with the self and begins to identify with pure awareness.
Putting the self in the service of awareness instead of awareness in the service of the self gradually puts a human being on track to live a more compassionate, sane life. Living in nonstop thought and the constant scheming and machinations of the individual ego means being dominated by the endless internal dialogue that the ego spews forth. This state is sometimes referred to as "monkey mind," because the mind of the ego jumps all over the place and is never still, much like a monkey. Like a monkey, the ego-mind is also capable of enormous destruction.
All Buddhists vow to release all sentient beings from this kind of endless suffering. While Christianity sees human suffering as a consequence of original sin, Buddhism sees human suffering as a consequence of mistaking the ego or 'self' and its view of the world for reality. In the Christian conception, human beings are inherently evil and can only be saved by accepting Christ. In the Buddhist conception, human beings are not so much evil as they are ignorant: Suffering is seen as the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of reality, a misunderstanding that can in fact be corrected.
Because of this difference in focus and dogma, Buddhism is an incredibly practical religion and is often referred to as "the most psychological religion". Americans often claim that Buddhists don't believe in God and some Christians insist that because of that, Buddhism is evil. A more accurate way to understand the differences between Buddhism and Christianity is to acknowlelge that Buddhism as a religion focuses on practice (meditation, adherence to Buddhist principals) and simply does not take up the issue of deity at all--or at least, not in a way familiar to most Westerners.
At the contemplative level, Buddhism and Christianity are much more alike than they are different. Buddhist mystical descriptions of nirvana are indistinguishable from Christian mystical descriptions of God. In other words, it is not so much that Buddhists don't believe in God as that, within the Buddhism, God is beside the point. God isn't the question or the answer. Belief in God is not the solution to the problem of human misunderstanding: practice is. While to Christians it may seem like splitting hairs to point that out, in actual fact, saying that there is no God and saying that God isn't at issue here are two radically different statements.
This shift away from the personification and worship of God in American Buddhism is crucial however. When we see God as a person or a person-like entity, we can easily deify the ego--and Buddhism sees the ego as the problem. God made us in His image right? Well, the ego is going to think that means ME! ME! ME! Because Buddhism sees the preeminence of the ego as the cause of all human suffering, American Buddhism has in many ways developed as a critique of American individualism and all its toxic byproducts--unfettered ambition, greed, hate, emotionalism, environmental destruction, and selfishness.
American Buddhism ironically has a developed a distinctive intellectual flavor as a result. Talking with an American Buddhist you might get the impression that Buddhism is a kind of Eastern philosophy or a form of Eastern psychology and is not really a religion at all. But if you go to Asia and visit a few Buddhists you quickly discover that over there, Buddhism looks as much like a religion as Catholicism, Judaism, Mormonism... any 'ism' you like. Asian Buddhists set up altars, worship various deities, and participate in elaborate and colorful rituals complete with incense and fine costumes: Buddhism in Asia looks like religion. Buddhism in America looks like something you kick around over a latte, and if you like it, you eat a lot more brown rice and buy a pillow to sit on.
Like Christianity, Buddhism has the uncanny facility of adapting itself to whatever culture picks it up. Buddhism is able to take on many of the characteristics of a host culture without losing its essential core message: that suffering is caused by living in the ego and all sentient beings can be released from suffering. So American Buddhism, which very much started out as a critique of American individualism and of the American tendency to overthink and overdo, has evolved into an entity that has a very intellectual and activist flavor when compared to the Buddhism of the east.
Why Americans Need Buddhism
This hub is getting longer than I planned, so I guess I'll have to write a series on this topic, since I still have a bunch of stuff to say but really, it's about time to wrap it up here.
I was attracted to Buddhism during a difficult period of my life during which I was completely and utterly miserable. In many ways, I found Buddhist practice to be much more helpful than psychotherapy, modern medicine, prayer, or just about anything else I had ever tried. Because Buddhism gave me the tools to deal with my own personal suffering, it seemed clear to me that it could help others too, that there was (is) something Buddhism has that America lacks. That was Chogyam Trungpa's opinion, and I think it is as true today as it was when he first came here and got drunk with a bunch of beatniks.
Psychotherapy is a bit like motorcycle repair for the ego. You take your battered ego to a therapist, the therapist makes some adjustments, maybe replaces your carburetor, and sends your ego on its way humming along better than when it came in. Buddhism says, your ego is the problem, doesn't matter what shape it is in. Let's get it out of the driver's seat so you can see clearly and quit running over yourself and others. It's not that you don't need an ego, it's just that 1) it shouldn't be the boss, and 2) it's not who you really are. Let's maintain it, but create a different healthier relationship with it.
I think Americans could really benefit from an understanding of those last two points. I know I personally have benefited from a better understanding of them, although I'm hardly some kind of evolved enlightened being!
I'm as much of an egomaniac as the next guy.
So, I'll be back. Talking it up a bit. Feel free to post your own thoughts on the subject, or questions. (Not that I can answer them, but maybe someone can.)
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Comments
Good hub Pgrundy. Since Buddhism is a daughter religion of Hinduism which dominates the eastern region, it is treated more seriously over there. I am not a religious person, but Ibelieve in the belief, rather than pre-determined norms.
Prayer is always personal. Keeping it simple and adaptable makes it easier for people to follow. That could account for the flexibility of the Buddhism in America. In this fast moving world, may be people prefer little more flexibility to interweave religion and worship in their daily course.
This is worth reading twice - then reading again. I had a lot of contact with Tibetans in Birmingham UK in the early '80s - mainly refugees to whom I taught English. I found them completely open-minded and they never talked about their religion - even though it became evident that, for most of them, it permeated their lives and each sentient thought.
I started to learn the Tibetan language and meditation and began to enjoy going to some of the teachings. Over the years I met many great teachers - including Kalu Rinpoche head of the Kaygu sect and the Dalai Lama head of the Galupa sect. There are 4 sects in Tibetan Buddhism and therefore 4 leaders of equal spiritual significance. The Dalai Lama is the most well known as he is also a secular leader.
I do not attach myself to any religion - but I do have a spiritual life which has been influenced by the teachings that I received from the Tibetans. Coming to terms with the destructive nature of the ego was a powerful thing and, as you say, something that could right a few more wrongs in the ME, ME, ME culture.
I enjoyed this, PG. Back when I was studying religions, just for curiosity and for the sake of understanding, I came to the conclusion that Buddhism and Wicca would be the only religions I would ever consider joining - if I ever were to become a join-a-religion type.
Great hub!
great explanation and exploration of American Buddhism, which really has developed a whole ethos of its own here -- love what you said about the toxic byproducts of the American lifestyle. The key for me has been the very open-mindedness you mention, and that Iphigenia reiterates in her comments. I was taught by a Jain nun for a while, but know just as much about Jainism now than I did when I started (i.e. nothing). The focus was on mitigating the destructive forces of the ego. While I can't say I am a practicing Buddhist, really, I can say that life is so much better since I stopped trying to steer the damn boat.
Great hub!
Hi carminenyc--thank you for taking the time to comment and good luck on your journey!
Webosfusion--You are so right. Buddhism is to Hinduism what Christianity is to Judaism--there are many parallels, as both evolved from the larger parent religion, and really, both Buddhism and Christianity have more in common in other ways than most people think. That would make a good hub in itself.
Iphigenia--I know what you mean. I started my own meditation practice when I saw the Dalai Lama on a TV show saying, "If a teaching is helpful, use it, if it isn't, just set it aside. It might help later, it might not." That blew my mind--I was used to "Believe this or burn in hell!" and here's this major spiritual figure saying, well, try it and if it doesn't work don't use it. Not long after that I discovered Pema Chodron's "The Wisdom of No Escape" and since then it has all been so helpful.Thank you for your insightful commentary.
CW--Odd you should say that. I've always said the same thing--that if I was going to pick a religion it would be one of those or both. Interestingly they both share an emphasis on practice over theory, and an acknowledgement and respect for the interconnectedness of all life.
Teresa-- thanks for stopping by. I had a similar experience my first year at college. I attended a commuter extension college and my first professor was an Indian woman who taught English Literature 101. She wore traditional dress but was anything but traditional--she was an ardent feminist and very political, but also a Hindu and proud of her culture in spite of some of the darker parts of it. She had us read the Bhagavad Gita and part of the Upanishads, as well as the Mahabarata. I was completely smitten--not just with the culture but with her personally and her strength and compassion. She had a lasting positive effect on me and on how I viewed Eastern religion in general. Later I had the privilege of studying Hindu philosophy with an Indian man who also had a profound effect on how I saw the world and the the west's part in the world.
I think sometimes we don't meet enough people from other countries here in the U.S., so we get this weird distorted idea that we are the only ones who know anything worthwhile, but it's just not true. India goes back thousands of years before Christ. I mean, they know a few things, seriously. Things we don't much think about here.
Great minds, eh? Also, check your email. Sent you an important message!
Excellent hub! You cleared up some important misconceptions about Buddhism and American Buddhism in particular.
I am not Buddhist, but finding out that Buddhist and Hindu people were perfectly happy with their religions was a vast relief to me as I was both abused and isolated in a community overwhelmingly Christian and about half Catholic with a few holdout Jewish people like a babysitter, who mostly seemed to be privileged to eat meat on Fridays.
Eastern religions fascinated me in part because they didn't evangelize. If Americans go shopping for religion the way they'd buy a poncho, it may in part be in response to clergy selling religion as if it was a poncho. There's a whole lot of that and it's actually part of the dogma in some sects. Results include annoying salespeople who stop by at random or pester in emails and messages. I got more of it in person when I was in school than afterward, people in workplaces tend to have to tone that down in order to keep their jobs.
One of the things I liked about it was one monk's explanation of vows -- that a Buddhist's vows are not something the entire monastery imposes or the whole religion decides but taken individually for personal growth, things like celibacy or vegetarianism are optional though common. I think this approach is a lot better for those around the vowed because you're going to have less pressure to condemn other people's lives for that.
It's cool that he broke the stereotype of serene, ascetic Eastern master. It relates strongly to that view of what vows are and what they're for -- just living an ascetic life isn't going to do anything toward advancement.
You described the view of the ego and problems with it distorting reality perfectly. It's not even the religious. I ran into that kind of denial from materialist-atheists who were doctors and scientists refusing to look at or acknowledge my physical disabilities as physical throughout my childhood and rationalizing to great lengths on how it had to be psychological so they could keep it within their specialty and please the parents who were paying the bills.
Most of all, what I like about American Buddhism is that Buddhists by and large are more accepting of other people and less blindly bigoted. They are more likely to listen and accept statements about reality like my explaining my limp and the reasons for it than to bull ahead and tell me that I'm imagining it all and should live without medication and get out and take long walks for my health. Buddhists are far less obnoxious by the nature of Buddhism and its practices, and that is something I greatly appreciate.
I'm Norse pagan, with some elements of Buddhist philosophy somewhere in the general mix -- a bit more than the Christian at any rate. Like anyone living with world communication easily available, I don't have a pure cultural view of life or religion.
PGrundy, great hub! You describe American Buddhism pretty well.
To me, Christianity, Buddhism and Judaism are sort of old world religions that evolved away from a real belief in the stories surrounding the more literal deities that preceded them. Just as Buddhism springs from Hinduism, only now we don't focus so much on the various gods -- Vishnu, Shiva, Kali -- Christianity/Judaism springs from Canaanite paganism, only all the old gods got subsumed under one name.
Old cultures do this sort of thing, as society becomes more complex and the importance of the individual is reduced, while accepting social reality becomes more important. Buddhism is not a religion for people who want to change the world. It is a religion for people who want to suffer a little less in the world as we currently know it. Christianity also invests a lot of energy into taming our urge to act and it praises meekness and acceptance.
I am more drawn to the religions of a younger world, where each deity has a name and a story with a plot. The Native Americans, the early Canaanites, the Norsemen, and the Greeks all had such gods. It's a shame that so few people are able to take that kind of religion seriously any more.
However, I have visited Buddhist Temples in Taiwan, where the literal gods were worshiped, too. I loved the inclusiveness of that.
Great Hub - thanks. I also am attracted to Buddhism not as religion but as practice. Though I know that can bring its own problems also.
I also love the Pirsig book which I have read a few times, though I have to admit to sometimes getting a kind of impatient feeling when reading it - not sjure where that feeling comes from but its just there?
Thanks again
Love and peace
Tony
Excellent Hub! I am a student of religions and enjoyed reading this very much. I have studied religions for many years each one is interesting in its own right. I do believe you have pretty much summed up American Buddhim. Excellent, I really enjoyed this you are very knowledgable.
Hi robert, Aya, tony & TP Gamarro,
Thanks for all your excellent comments.
Tony, I have that same feeling when I read Pirsig--I've noticed that feeling is not an unusual one when reading some of these books! lol!
Robert, I love your line about "If Americans go shopping for religion the way they'd buy a poncho, it may in part be in response to clergy selling religion as if it was a poncho." So true! I always think, anything that requires such a hard sell can't be good. :)
Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintainance , if I have read it once I have read it a dozen times , it's just one of those books. Similar to The Catcher in the Rye' where you can't get them out of your head no matter how you try
I think they are very profound and do in some way influence your life,. much the same as your hub has now done for me.
Thanks Hawkesdream :)
I was introduced to Buddhism in my school days. What I learnt back then was that Buddhism became more popular in India as people felt oppressed and suffocated by the rules set by Hindu fanatics. Countless people adopted Buddhism for the sake of its simplicity and for the reason that it had no place for caste system and elaborate and expensive rituals. Teachings of Lord Buddha, especially, the eight fold path to salvation, influenced my thoughts so much that I had almost started finding infirmities in Hinduism (the oldest and most popular religion in India). Whatever said & done, the magical mantra "Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo" has changed the lives of millions across the globe. I should thank for writing on this subject and I look forward to reading more from you.
This is a very interesting topic. I am glad you wrote this hub and am looking forward to the next. I do not claim to be able to keep my ego under control but do believe there is much to learn from this information. Please do write more about it soon.
My niece in law is Thai, and a Buddhist, but boy does she have an explosive temper, very soft and model- beautiful on the outside, and a volcano at home. LOL! As Tony mentioned, I am attracted to this path not as a religion, but do borrow a part of its philosophy, such as the Four Noble Truths, and have read the Dali Lama's books. I don't remember reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", but probably did- I have read them all.
Very well written hub on the subject, and one of my favorite topics!
What a great hub - I've been fascinated by Buddhism but never really thought of how adaptable it is. Yes, American Buddhism sounds a far cry from the way it is practised in the Far East but there too, it has adapted itself to the rituals of each land. What is sad as far as I am concerned is that while it has spread and evolved in various countries, it is still a marginalised religion here, where it was born. In all probability, it is our ingrained caste system that has prevented it from spreading the way it should have!
Hi everyone.
Anjali & Shalini--It's marginalized here in the U.S. too. I learned meditation when from a Tibetan teacher in Chicago while I lived in Indiana. He moved to the Indiana city where I lived to practice acupuncture, and I asked him why there were so few centers in the midwestern U.S. He said it was because they were the targets of so much Christian violence and harrassment that they made a conscious decision not to build any because they have limited resources and have to use them where they will do the most good. The Bible Belt was just too much constant drama and trouble.
Anjali, I love Hinduism too. I am very much American in this way--taking this and that from here and there like a big shopper! I feel a special attraction to Shiva and keep a statue of him on my desk. I am a big fan of your chakra hubs. Such a service to us--really, it's hard to find good information in the U.S. on that.
CS Alexis--thank you!
Violetsun, I think in general Americans tend to romanticize the Far East. Everyone is that guy from the TV show Kung Fu! lol! Serioulsy, when I worked in call centers I quickly discovered that some of the most aggressive, relentless customers I had to talk to were Asian women. They may be demure before marriage, but afterwards, watch out! (Now I will be blasted for promoting cultural stereotypes---I apologize in advance! I don't mean anything mean by it, it's just an observation from when I worked the phones. It could be all wrong.) ;)
My own practices are derived from Buddhism and Hinduism mainly. Full awareness, particularly of our psychological traits, characters, and transformation. In addition to meditation - stillness and centredness, awakening and being present in the world. Phew! Can be hard work at times.
Great hub!!
Yes we all need a little bit of Buddhism in our lives. Our society give really difficult and material tasks that only a few get. So What happen with the rest? We are wrong, we haven't go to look for happiness outside us, we already have it inside any of us. We just need to to have a look and enjoy.
Thank u for this hub
Thank you, eye. :)
Your hubs are magnetic pgrundy, with good reason.
The more I hear about Buddhism the more intrigued I become. I need to stop procrastinating about it and start learning more.
Thanks for nudging.
Great hub!
I see a huge a difference in my family too when we decided to go to church. The older folks still do a few buddism rituals such as preparing the sacrife of chickens, pigs, whatever. But I believe in the real deal of worshiping our God lord and savior.
Thanks CWB :)
Mayhmong, I'm glad you found something that works for you. Thanks for your comment.
Pam - did you ever get around to reading Lila (Pirsig's follow-up twenty years later)?To me, he'd completely lost the plot by then. Enjoyed this hub and your take on why American Buddhism is so altered.
Hi Paraglider--You know, I didn't. I confess I didn't much care for Pirsig's original book. lol! I mean, it was ok. Kind of dry. My taste in 70s alternative literary trends were more in the Hunter Thompson arena. I was kind of a wild child. :)
It wasn't until I got a bit older that I started to really care about this stuff on a more personal level. I did read and like a lot of the humanistic psychologists though. I liked Alan Watts. Don't remember much about him either.
You know what they say: If you remember the 70s you weren't there.
Like ColdWarBaby, I feel nudged by your hub, PG. To begin, I'll read Pirsig's book. I remember well when it was huge but I was too busy reading Erica Jong's "Fear of Flying" at the time. (Tells you where *my* mind was!)
For years and years now I've wondered why we have made so little progress in becoming more enlightened. Why we still have wars when even the most obtuse realize that killing each other only serves to enflame and perpetuate hatred. Why it's taken this long to work out that we are fouling our own nest to the point of extinction of ourselves along with all else. Why education withers while greed and stupidity and mendacity and cruelty flourish. You have set me on a new path that I had not seen before - that the ego we worship may be at the very heart of what needs fixing. I am experiencing (cautious) exhilaration for which you deserve the credit.
Hi Mindfield--Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments on this! I read Eric Jong too! (I loved her books. I know they aren't great literature. I don't care! lol!)
What impressed me about Buddhism (and continues to impress me) is the lack of pushiness. You're interested or you're not--they don't try to shove it down anyone's throat. I also do personally think that we are at a point where the cult of individualism has become incredibly toxic in America. On a personal note, I just feel nourished by silence. I didn't when I was younger, but the older I get, the better it feels. :)
Hello Pam -- I'm not into Buddhism but I'm into your writing. And, I hope the intro doesn't" kill the mood for the rest of my comment! :)
I didn't know about the "un-pushiness" factor, that to begin with makes it slightly more attractive than any other organization that I've heard about. Aside from that, your insights into Buddhism and the ego are really excellent, and even if --like you-- I'm just as egomaniac as the next pal here, I do feel a bit enlightened with new knowledge. Your hubs do that to me! Thanks!
Thanks Elena! That is so kindly put. I try! lol! :)
really great hub...amazing...thanx for sharing it...
You sure can write em pgrundy! You have shown us the essence of Buddhism very succinctly. I like the way you can nail things so clearly. Heck, I like all your hubs!
Thank you britney and earnest!
carminenyc says:
8 months ago
Your piece is brilliant and profoundly insightful. Really hits on so much of my own experience as an American in search of religion. (Actually, at 43, the search has yet to begin.) Notably, the origins of my own experience with Buddhism is also found in Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Thank you!