[Buddha-l] Making a living

[David Webster]

Interesting. Here in the UK, you rarely (but not never) meet that many
working class Buddhists - but you see a lot of Buddhist ephemera in the
homes of the middle class. Whether it has public INFLUENCE is quite another
matter.....
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Dr David Webster 
Course Leader: Religion, Philosophy & Ethics 
University of Gloucestershire 

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


University Site: http://www.glos.ac.uk

 

Course blog: http://www.r-p-e.blogspot.com  
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-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of Curt Steinmetz
Sent: 13 February 2008 19:21
To: Buddhist discussion forum
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] Making a living

This has never been a problem for Buddhism in the past. Buddhism in Asia 
has always flourished among the "middle classes" on up to the very 
wealthy and the very powerful. I believe the oldest extant text of the 
Record of Lin Chi has a forward written by someone who was basically a 
warlord.

If anything there is a "glass ceiling" for the Buddhist upper crust in 
the West. We have actors and college professors and musicians - but no 
one who has the ear of the President - that's left for the likes of 
Billy Graham. And there is very very little in the way of financial 
support for Buddhism in the West - at least in terms of the kind of 
financial support that has helped Buddhism to spread in Asia.

Curt Steinmetz


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