[Buddha-l] Re: How to help the Dharma grow in the USA

[Richard Hayes]

On Wednesday 03 January 2007 11:14, Benito Carral wrote:

>    As  far  as  I'm  concerned,  Buddhism doesn't offer
> anything   valuable   that   can't   be  found  in  the
> Judeo-Christian  tradition

I disagree. Buddhism offers a disciplined program of practice for people who 
do not believe in God. One need not be an atheist to be a Buddhist, of 
course, but the point is that Buddhism provides something of value for people 
who are atheists, humanists and secularists. It is a true alternative to 
everything else that is available.

>    There  are  still  a  lot  of  people  looking for a
> downgraded  spirituality 

Why be so judgemental? There is no need to characterize the preferences of 
those who requireless than you as "downgraded". Why say that those who have 
learned to make do with fewer trappings are settling for something 
downgraded? That would be like characterizing renunciation, which is usually 
seen as the essence of Buddhist practice, as downgraded materialism.

>    I  predict  some  raise  of Orthodox Buddhism in the
> following years.

The very idea of orthodoxy is pretty foreign to Asian Buddhism, but I suppose 
as westerners who cannot free themselves from a slavery to creeds and 
required practices find Buddhism, a distinctly Western orthodox Buddhism may 
well emerge. And those who need such a thing are welcome to it.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico