[Buddha-l] Re: Western Buddhism

[Mr Michael A. La Torra]

Dan Lusthaus" vasubandhu at earthlink.net wrote:

>One question might be -- what percentage of the subscribers to 
>his list are under 50?

LaTorra response: I am Buddhist and 4 years past 50. What percentage 
past 50 that 4 years represents, I leave to the readers and their 
calculators. Since the question was framed in terms of being under 50, 
however, I think the answer would be 
-108% (i.e., I am 108% on the wrong side of 50). But surely the 
absolute value of that magical number 108 must be auspicious!


>Another question: How many who identify themselves, in whole 
>or in part, as Buddhists, have raised their children "Buddhist," 
>and of those children, how many are enthusiastic practitioners 
>of Buddhism today?

LaTorra response: I am 100% Buddhist but my children are being raised 
Christian according to the wishes of my wife. I am a Zen priest, so 
it's sort of difficult for me to be otherwise. And believe me, I tired. 
My wife is a devout Christian, who is very active in the local (very 
conservative) Episcopal Church (still part of the Anglican Communion as 
of this writing, but that could change any day now). I used to belong 
to this church, too. But when the pastor found out I had been ordained 
a Zen priest, he refused me Communion. He announced this in a very 
off-putting telephone call, for which he later apologized. My shadow no 
longer darkens the nave of his church, except on special occasions…

…such as the annual Christmas pageant, which all 3 of my children have 
participated in over the years. The younger two who still live at home 
go to church services twice per week with their mother. And they are in 
no wise Buddhist.

At home, I rarely talk about the dharma or meditation or any other 
Buddhist topics. But perhaps my actions speak louder than any words 
ever could. A few weeks ago, as I was preparing for bed, I noticed on 
my pillow a slip of paper with writing in a child's hand on it. I asked 
my wife what it was. She said that Asia, our 9-year-old daughter, had 
left it there for me. This is what it said:

"Daddy your body is not big, but your spirit is bigger."



---------------------------
Regards,
Michael LaTorra
mlatorra at nmsu.edu
College Associate Professor
Department of English
New Mexico State University