July–September 2011, Volume 38
Features
Buddhism in North America
The number of Buddhists has steadily increased in the United States in recent years to an estimated three million. According to Amerika Bukkyo, a book in Japanese by Professor Kenneth Tanaka (2010), despite the fact that only 1 percent of the US population is Buddhist, about 12 percent, or 25 million people, said in a survey (Wuthnow and Cage, 2004) that their own religious faith and spirituality had been greatly influenced by Buddhism. In this special issue, we would like to examine what it is in Buddhism that is having such a great influence on North American society.
Such characteristics of Buddhism in the United States as the insistence on equality and non-hierarchical relationships, emphasis on meditation and practice, social engagement, weaker sectarian consciousness, and the tendency toward privatized religion, seem to show a direction that Buddhism can take not only in the North America, but also, at least in part, in Asian countries like Japan in the future. How does Buddhism change through its adaptation to American society, and what can Buddhists in other countries learn from these phenomena?
Sharing the Dharma in America
by Shoko Mizutani
The purpose of sharing the Dharma is not to make all people become Buddhist. . . . Christians can become buddhas as Christians, and Jews can become buddhas as Jews.
Dramatic Growth of American Buddhism: An Overview
by Kenneth K. Tanaka
If we add up all three groups (Buddhists, nightstand Buddhists, and those strongly influenced by Buddhism), they amount to about thirty million people in America
American Buddhist Practice
by Charles S. Prebish
In North American Buddhist practice we are now beginning to see a fruitful cross-fertilization between Buddhist communities of different sects.
Innovative Trends in Euro-American Buddhism
by Richard Hughes Seager
Since the 1970s there have been major developments promoting interreligious dialogue, gender equality, and social engagement.
Some African-Americans Are Buddhists, Too!
by Jan Willis
Because of the Buddha’s teachings and his own life example, many African-American children of the civil rights movement have been finding their way to Buddhism.
Leadership Issues in American Buddhism
by Paul David Numrich
Three important issues emerged: (1) the tension between the monastic and householder leadership models, (2) the content of leadership training, and (3) new gender expectations.
Zen and Tibetan Buddhism in North America: East Meets East
by Akemi Iwamoto
This kind of mutual enrichment of two Buddhist traditions was undoubtedly one of the greatest fruits produced by the encounter between the two in North America.
Lessons from the Internment of Japanese-Americans
by Duncan Ryuken Williams
Stories of Japanese-American Buddhist reveal the complex relationship that existed between ethnic, national, and religious identities at the same time as a new form of Buddhism, which simultaneously drew on and transcended Japanese and American traditions, was forged in the crucible of war.
The Popularity of Selected Elements of Buddhism in North America
by Jeff Wilson
The popularity of selected elements of Buddhism in America, Canada, and Mexico may actually hinder Buddhism’s ability to liberate people fully from samsara if they never go further to discover the deeper nature of Buddhism.
Rissho Kosei-kai’s Progress in America
by Masako Watanabe
In the communities where Rissho Kosei-kai’s dissemination among Americans is advancing, it has adopted an approach that suits American traits and is exploring methods that are appropriate to the locality.
