[Buddha-l] Western Buddhism

[David Webster]

I am under 50! Non-Buddhist. 

It seems as though the generation of scholars that I was taught by at Uni -
or came across at conferences / writing (now, indeed, in their 50s) seemed
to be mostly practicing Buddhist. 

Many of my generation (not quite yet 40...) who study Buddhism [here in the
UK at least] seem to be clearly self-defined as non-Buddhist..

What's that all about then?

d.

---------------------------------------- 
Dr David Webster 
Course Leader: Religion, Philosophy & Ethics 
University of Gloucestershire 

01242 71 4778 
e-mail: dwebster at glos.ac.uk 

Course blog:  HYPERLINK "http://www.r-p-e.blogspot.com"
http://www.r-p-e.blogspot.com   
---------------------------------------- 


-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of Jackhat1 at aol.com
Sent: 15 November 2007 15:46
To: buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] Western Buddhism

 
In a message dated 11/14/2007 8:07:33 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
vasubandhu at earthlink.net writes:

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

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?


Most but not all of the members of my sangha including myself are over 50.
A 
conclusion from this might be that only older adults are now (and have been 
in  the past) attracted to a Buddhist practice or, for that matter any 
spiritual  practice at all. This does not imply that Buddhism is dying out.
 
I think the type of Jesus movement, for one example, that  attracts young 
people now might not attract older adults. Most of the people I  know who 
exuberantly called themselves Jesus freaks when they were young have  now
fallen away 
from Christianity altogether.
 
Jack
 



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