[Buddha-l] FW: "The Demise of Buddhism in Asia"

[jkirk]

A few responses to parts of Carr's review....amplification not
criticism.

Carr:
According to Hattaway there are 2000 foreign missionaries
operating in Chiangmai - more than the actual number of
Christians in the city.
JK: Hmmmm--probably having such a high ol' time in "sin city"
that they don't want to leave even if they outnumber the locals.

Carr:
The gentle hill tribes people of Thailand and Laos are falling
prey to the missionaries one by one. These and the numerous other
successes are not just because the missionaries have been so
unscrupulous and persistent but because Buddhists have been so
indifferent, so slow to see the danger and even more slow to
respond to it in any effective manner.
JK:  The tribes people of Thailand basically are not Buddhists,
the sangha has little to do with them. They are animists of
various kinds and shamanism is prominent among them for curing
illness, etc. They've been generally neglected by the Thai
government, like the thousands of ethnic Thai farmers, in favor
of urban development and corruption--  so it's not surprising
that if missionaries turn up in their areas and offer money,
rice, jobs, etc they'll go for it. 

Carr:
...Bryan Lurry's account of the four months he stayed in a
monastery in the Shan states in north-eastern Burma. He was there
to assess the prospects of converting Buddhist bhikkhus and he
went away full of optimism. I fear that his optimism was not
entirely misplaced. The abbot where Lurry stayed allowed him to
teach the bhikkhus English (using the Bible as a text of course),
show a film on the life of Christ and later even conduct regular
Bible classes for the bhikkhus. Uninformed Western Buddhists
might laud this as yet another example of Buddhist tolerance,
albeit misplaced tolerance. I suspect that it was actually due to
ignorance and to that indifference to everything that does not
rock the boat or contravene traditional patterns of behavior that
is so prevalent in much of the Sangha.
JK: The Shans being a non-Burman ethnic group in Burma have been
insurgents in the past, against being incorporated into official
Burma. The Burman government wiped out the formal status of their
royal family, as well.  Thus, I doubt if they get much from the
government (especially today) except trouble. No wonder, then,
that if offered the chance to become "rice Christians," backed by
whitefaces who seem to represent powerful foreign states that
might help their low-down political status (a common dream in
Burma even today), they might go for it.  However, I wonder when
Lurry was there--it doesn't sound like he was there under the
current dictatorship, who settled some kind of agreement with the
Shans, and who are so paranoid I wonder if they allow any kind of
foreign missionaries into Burma today.

Carr:
When asked why they had joined the monastery not one of the
bhikkhus mentioned an interest in the Dhamma, in meditation or in
the religious life in general. As is usual in much of the
Buddhist world they had probably ordained simply because it is
the tradition to do so. When Lurry asked the bhikkhus if they
would ever disrobe for any reason 'my students expressed their
desire to leave the temple in order to be soldiers in the Shan
Independence army..... Lurry admits that he was really surprised
that so few of the replies he got suggested any deep knowledge of
Buddhism or an apparent genuine religiosity.
JK: This is a fact about many SE Asian Buddhist monastics that
has been well-known for a long time. Most ordinary folk join up
to get some kind of education, not to become permanent monks.
Orphans are taken in, fed and looked after, but few of them
decide to take permanent refuge, either. The general lethargic
state of Buddhism in SE Asia of course has been discussed for a
few decades already. Carr is right, IMO, to assume that if
something is not done to turn around the situation, the
evangelical will win. Most of them are superbly funded!

Carr:
Having lived in Thai monasteries for eight years I am sad to say
that none of the bhikkhus' replies surprised me in the least. All
too often today the Buddhist monastic life consists of little
more than rote learning, unthinking acceptance of traditional
beliefs, an endless round of mind-numbing rituals, going to danas
and having long naps. 
JK: Q.E.D.

Carr:
But starting in the 1990's evangelical organizations have
literally swamped Sri Lanka and they have a 'no quarter asked
for, none given' attitude. So far most of their converts have
been amongst Catholics, to the consternation of the Catholic
Church, but of course the real target is the Buddhists. Buddhist
bhikkhus are calling on the government to enact laws against
conversion. But is this really the best solution? 
JK: At one time, I think it was under Pandit Nehru but not sure,
India banned foreign-origin missionaries, but totally. Eventually
they were persuaded to change their laws, and now they are
reaping the results. Long-time Indian Christian outfits (of local
history not foreign-origin) are bnenefitting from big infusions
of overseas evangelical dollars, as well.

Carr:
[About an evangelical he spoke with].. I can only say that he
gave me the distinct impression that he would have welcomed being
manhandled or beaten so that he could claim for himself the title
that evangelicals so long to have - that of martyr for their
Lord.
JK: The worst atrocities against Xtian missionaries have been
taking place in Orissa, India--recently an orphanage was burned
down, a missionary settlement set on fire and dispersed, and one
orphanage worker flung into the fire to burn. Few years ago a
missionary and his son were surrounded in their jeep and set on
fire, burned to death. 

Ironically, the Orissans doing all this do not realize that
martyrdom is the highest post-mortem state to which an
evangelical may aspire. It might even constitute their equivalent
to nirvana.

Joanna

==============================
On Behalf Of Curt Steinmetz
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 12:13 PM
To: Buddhist discussion forum
Subject: [Buddha-l] "The Demise of Buddhism in Asia"

Below is the first portion (half or so) of a fascinating book
review - the whole thing can be found at:
http://www.bswa.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=42506&top
ic_id=3919&forum=9

The Demise of Buddhism in Asia - An informative book review
Reviewed by Allen Carr June 2008 LankaWeb

Peoples of the Buddhist World by Paul Hattaway, Piquant Editions,
Carlisle, 2004.
Reviewed by Allen Carr