[Buddha-l] Re: Filtered Buddhism

[Richard Hayes]

On Wednesday 27 June 2007 08:32, Jackhat1 at aol.com wrote:

> My sangha doesn't even have a Buddha
> statue around. Many  members of these sanghas regularly attend national
> retreats, for example, those  held at Spirit Rock or IMS. Buddhist centers
> run by ethnic monks have a problem  attracting regular members partly
> because of a language problem and partly  because many monks are poor
> teachers not knowledgeable in the suttas.

In Albuquerque there is a meditation group that meets twice a week. It is 
called Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha (AVS). On most nights there are 40-50 
people meditating together. Most people sit on chairs. All instruction is 
given by lay teachers, most of whom have been trained at Spirit Rock or IMS. 
Talks are always followed by lively Q&A sessions. There is no chanting before 
or after the meditation. There is no recitation of going for refuge or 
precepts. There are no prostrations, no bowing. People say "Howdy" and shake 
hands. (Some people even hug each other, for heaven's sake. They are probably 
not originally from New Mexico.) People routinely meet for dinner beforehand 
and socialize again afterward meditation and talks. The talks are full of 
references to the teachings of the Buddha, references to suttas abound, and 
there are plenty of discussions of precepts. The content is unmistakably and 
unambiguously Buddhist. There is a strong bias toward Theravada; I have seen 
teachers challenged for offering teachings that seemed contaminated by 
Mahayana principles. (Such challenges make me grumpy, but while I am huffing 
and puffing and saying things like "Oh for God's sake! Don't be so 
narrow-minded,", the teachers seem to handle them with admirable patience and 
diplomacy.) 

What is interesting is that AVS meets in a Thai temple, which is full of 
Buddha images. The AVS gang completely ignores them, as if they were office 
furniture without much utility. The Thai temple has several monks, very nice 
fellows with pleasant giggles and an apparently insatiable appetite for 
American TV. On the five nights a week when AVS is not meeting in the temple, 
the monks offer chanting and meditation. On those nights one or two people 
show up, if that.

The Albuquerque Vipassana Sangha may be an example of what some people (that 
is, everyone but Curt Steinmetz) call Protestant Buddhism. Like Jack 
Hatfield, I have a feeling this is the future of American Buddhism. But maybe 
it's just wishful thinking on my part. 

-- 
Richard