Friday’s Opinion Journal carried a column by Clark Strand, contributing editor to Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, on the declining numbers of American Buddhists.
A colleague recently took me to task for consulting Jews and Christians on how to keep American Buddhism alive. He didn’t agree with either premise–that Jews and Christians could offer advice to Buddhists, or that Buddhism was in any danger of decline. But he was wrong on both counts. American Buddhism, which swelled its ranks to accommodate the spiritual enthusiasms of baby boomers in the late 20th century, is now aging. One estimate puts the average age of Buddhist converts (about a third of the American Buddhist population) at upwards of 50. This means that the religion is almost certain to see its numbers reduced over the next generation as boomer Buddhists begin to die off without having passed their faith along to their children. And Jewish and Christian models offer the most logical solution for reversing that decline.
The basic problem is that non-Asian converts tend not to regard what they practice as a religion. From the beginning, Buddhism has been seen in its American incarnation not as an alternative religion, but as an alternative to religion. American converts have long held Buddhism apart from what they see as the inherent messiness of Western religious discourse on such issues as faith and belief, and from the violence that has so often accompanied it….
In the contemporary discourse on religion, it is striking how often Buddhism is privileged over Judaism, Christianity or Islam as a scientifically based or inherently peaceful version of religion. Note that the Dalai Lama (rather than the pope) was asked to provide the inaugural address at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in 2005, even though, like Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism includes beliefs (think reincarnation) that are anathema to medical science. Likewise, though Japanese Buddhists melted their temple bells to make bombs during World War II, the idea of Buddhism as a peace-loving religion persists as an enduring fantasy in Western people’s minds. And yet, such fantasies are instructive nonetheless.
Though some of my more devout Buddhist associates may balk at the idea, these days I have increasingly come to see Buddhism in America as an elaborate thought experiment being conducted by society at large–from the serious practitioner who meditates twice daily to the person who remarks in passing, “Well, if I had to be something, I guess I’d be a Buddhist.” The object of that experiment is not to import some “authentic” version of Buddhism from Asia, as some believe, but to imagine a new model for religion altogether–one that is nondogmatic, practice-based and peaceful.
This certainly rings true with me. I flirted with Japanese Buddhism after abandoning the Christianity of my youth, but never became a serious practitioner as did some of my friends, including other missionary kids.
Far Outliers 
I liked that article too. It was a nice little wake-up call to a generation of Buddhists who are mostly just interested in self-help. ;)
The only problem I had with Strand’s article was his limited view of family-oriented Buddhist sects. He only mentioned SGI, which is a lousy example because of its somewhat authoritarian nature.
He completely neglected to mention the Jodo Shinshu sects, and the Buddhist Churches of America (Jodo Shinshu also). They have Sunday schools, and generations of Buddhists that go there. I should know. :p
Jodo Shinshu doesn’t garner much respect in the West, but the sects that do seem to be the self-help, non-family-friendly ones, so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Who knows?
Yes, Strand focuses entirely on converts from outside family traditions of Buddhism, ignoring the multigenerational Buddhist temples founded by Asian immigrants that host Sunday services very similar to those of Christian churches in many parts of the country. There are many such in Hawai‘i, for instance.
Strand has published another article for Tricycle on Nichiren Shoshu of America, which may have rather different social dynamics, but that article is behind a subscription wall.
It appears this guy fails to mention too is the number of American (maybe even European as well) converts who are traveling to Asia in increasing numbers – both boomers and Xers – and are trying to learn “authentic” forms of Buddhism as opposed to the “hippie” forms that appeared during the 1960s.
Yes, Strand focuses entirely on converts from outside family traditions of Buddhism, ignoring the multigenerational Buddhist temples founded by Asian immigrants that host Sunday services very similar to those of Christian churches in many parts of the country. There are many such in Hawai‘i, for instance.
An excellent point. I think he even uses the term “meditation-based” sects of Buddhism, which is kind of a loaded-term in my opinion, and misleading. It seems to carry the implication that any other sects are not worth concern. :(
Espresso: Also a very good point. Having had made pilgrimages to Japan, I know that Buddhism there is quite different than what we see here, but in a pleasantly surprising sort of way. Not all of it is beautiful, but there is something there, missing here. :)
Pingback: Buddhist boomers - American Buddhism in decline « Khanya
I assume that the baby boomer Buddhist boom was due to a desire to find something other, or even better than Christianity. It appears that very few boomers actually took the time to study Buddhism, it’s history, etc. This new generation tends to look at religion more critically and thoroughly…and that is a good thing.
Many young people today simply don’t find as many uses for identification with religion. The ideas and practices of Buddhism are not in decline, but the label of “I’m a Buddhist and nothing else!” may be. Even the Dalai Lama is encouraging religions to talk to each other and build on each other.
Loving Awareness
You always thought it was about you…the false impression that Buddhism was some kind of Baby Boomer trend…totally by passes Kerouacs’ studies in Buddhism in the 50’s…and there are many traditions of Buddist’s along the pacific rim…an Indian Buddhist a Chinese Buddhist…a Japaneze Buddhist…
In the effort to instill the “values” of a societal culturalism with in the community for the individuation of it’s members…
This is just my personal observation;
I’m a 26 year old white convert to Islam. When I was younger I studied Buddhism and saw many genuine points of value but something was missing to me; but to a large extent, too, I simply couldn’t relate to most Buddhists I met. I’ve found that American Buddhism in general seems to be very closely tied with a culture specific to middle aged white boomers, and to have a new age tinge in even the most serious of environs. This makes it seem irrelevant and even silly to most people who aren’t white, middle-class psuedo-hippies; I attended Buddhist gatherings where people sing cute little songs about keeping anger away or talk about projecting love outward over the room, and this makes a lot of people cringe (this is also true, incidentally, with Sufism much of the time). I’ve been to China and observed the practice of Buddhism there and it seems like it’s a different ball game, for better or for worse. I have no stake in Buddhism’s survival in America but also have no animus towards it; but I personally think that its long term propagation would involve a harder, for lack of a better word, more orthodox approach to it; serious answers to hard questions, as opposed to now, when it seems to be (forgive the presumption) often just a feel-good philosophy. Buddhism contains some very difficult and challenging ideas and practices, and these would attract serious people. As it stands now, I think a lot of people who get involved with Buddhism are often the flaky types who just want something “without rules” that won’t make them change, and correctly or not they perceive Buddhism this way. I have met younger converts to Buddhism, including some very serious people (one of my friends, two years younger than me, is 6 months away from taking precepts and becoming a monk) but here in Northern Arizona, where I live, Buddhism is almost synonymous with crystals, expensive organic goods, and shallow syncretism.
Parallelsidewalk judges Buddhism on the basis of a sliver of experience in one location. His view bears no relationship to the Buddhism I have known since 1969. The Buddhism that inspires people to stay in isolated retreat in a hostile environment for 12 years (Cave in the Snow –Bloomsbury). The Buddhism that westerners embrace as renunciate monks and nuns for their entire lives. The Buddhism that has a canon of scriptures that are so deep and so meaningful that some of the best intellects the human race has ever spawned spend their entire lives studying with dedicated fascination. The Buddhism that is the state religion of several Asian societies. The Buddhism of HH the Dalai Lama who is the most authentic moral authority on planet earth today. Sure, Buddhism was an exotic add-on to the hippie adventure. But it was the hippies who brought it to the west — and gave us access to the majestic teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha — and set up the institutions that enabled us to practise them.
Wow, isn’t it great when someone just doesn’t really pay attention to what you’re saying and then responds to it? I made it clear that these were my own experiences and that Buddhism seems to be different in Asia and that some facets of American Buddhism seem to be very different than concepts they’ve been tied to. But when I read;
“HH the Dalai Lama who is the most authentic moral authority on planet earth today”
I realized you’re just another person who’s drunk the Kool Aid, so I don’t have to really worry about anything you’re saying.
This is a beautiful title. As a Swiss German I can only sit and marvel at the ease Americans have to turn a philosophical issue into a smiley.
Not Buddhism, but those terminologies that these people find necessary to put some depth into their discourse …. And I remember that day, some years ago, when an American blogger had trouble with his computer and angrily bitched in terms of ying and yang.
I don’t believe people can pick up a religious concept, but not the language where it was born and brought to life.
I wonder how many Buddhist immigrants and second-generation Buddhist converts there are in Switzerland.
to Joel:
I live in Spain, and most of what I read is American. There is a little “Buddhism” everywhere. If you are there, in the US, you would probably not have noticed how that country floats on immense waves of changing trends. Maybe it is their extreme politeness that makes everyone do the same as everyone else. — However, online I have only seen 1 (one!) real Buddhist writing with any kind of depth. It was about the problem of personal identity in Buddhism. That was about 6 years ago. I remember how startling that was.
Cantueso,
Your impressions of Americans don’t ring true to me at all. Everybody thinks the same (at bumper-sticker levels of depth, according to your earlier post) and everyone is too polite to disagree? Not the country I’m familiar with. How then would you characterize Japan? How much time have you actually spent talking to a wide variety of Americans, especially American Buddhists, including immigrant families from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and elsewhere? Have you read any of the huge literature on Buddhism published by American academics of my generation who are often intellectually fascinated by Buddhism?
My impression is that you have formed shallow impressions from shallow experience.
Joel,
No, you cannot call that a superficial view of Buddhism, since I do not know anything about it. I have never met any Buddhist of any kind. Lots of people online say they are Zen Buddhists. This is where you’ll find strange words used to define mental concepts served in a context that does not otherwise show much intellectual training of any kind.
However, it is simply impossible for me to believe that you can understand a concept of a language that you don’t speak really well. A Spaniard does not understand what “cool” means. An American cannot imagine “pardo” as a colour.
And, though this is minor, I can’t accept the obligation to spell certain foreign words in a way that is not English and only distorts the foreign word as in “Quran” and “Buddhism”. It looks like a cheapie make-belief of the kiosko folk type.
I take quite a few ideas from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/ where on the left there is a link for “online texts” and there are three chapters on Buddhism that would surely be a great read. The writer is qualified as evidenced by his texts on the Greeks.
Cantueso,
That was your last silly contribution to this thread. You don’t know anything about Buddhism, baby boomers, or the society described in the article cited, but that didn’t stop you from sneering at what you imagine to be the shallowness of others, thus demonstrating your own shallow understanding of the world. I would conclude, if I thought as you, that a Swiss German resident in Spain cannot imagine anything but ignorance in the world outside his swollen head. But, in truth, I don’t think you represent anybody but one arrogant fool.
Buddhist texts have been more intensively translated over longer periods than the texts of any other universalist religion. The spread of Buddhism throughout Asia led to the spread of literacy, the development of vernacular orthographies, and huge investments in translation from the languages of the texts to the languages of the new or prospective converts. And the spread of Buddhism to the rest of the world has incited many others to invest much time and effort in mastering Asian languages in order to understand the texts of translations and commentary on translations and commentary.