[Buddha-l] Buddhism at the APA

[jkirk]

What at first amazed me the 2 times I visited Thailand (mostly in
the north) was the Mahayana invasion, especially Kwan Yin statues
and devotions in major Theravada temple precincts, and so on. As
you say, Piya, ordinary people began to think hard about how the
"laziness" of the Theravada monastics did little to help their
fortunes.
My guess is that Mahayana suits contemporary industrial
capitalist society better than the older Buddhism of the
Theravada. In the contemporary economy there are only winners and
losers. Rarely is even a local subsistence economy found that
resembles pre-capitalist economies based on fate--one year up,
another year down, according to weather and other cosmic events.
Now, one perforce must gamble that one can be a winner, and
praying for benefactions from a goddess helps people to feel they
have some control. Luck replaces fate. There IS a difference.
Fate, unlike luck, has no presiding deity, it's an aspect of the
universe or the cosmos. (That fate is often wrongly conflated
with karma, by some individuals, doesn't apply.)
This "reading" of the situation you describe has nothing to do
with Mahayana in past ages (in China, for ex.), where people's
cravings were focused on other goals. I refer only to the
invasion, as it were, of the Theravada countries by Mahayana
deities and ideas. 

Best, Joanna
===================

On Behalf Of Piya Tan
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 6:51 PM

Some desperate or arrogant Mahayanists long ago invented the
label HInayana, originally with good intentions to highlight the
"lazy Buddhism" of the established Buddhist coenobites (settled
non-meditating and moneyed monks).
But labels like "jesuit: can become double-edged.

So Hinayana in due course became finger-pointing at what is not
Mahayana. In fact, more Mahayanists today are embarrassed with
the Hinayana label than the intended "inferior" siblings
themselves.

In other words, the Mahayanists are reaping the karma of bad
labelling. The Hinayanists generally do not mind referring
themselves using the term vis-a-vis their grander siblings.

The Mahayanists know ultimately that when two fingers point at
others, three point back at them. And this is not good for
business. And Mahayana means "big business" in many cases.

A local Mahayana monk, Mingyi (Goh Kah Heng), a Gold Card holder,
is facing mutiple criminal charges for mismanagement of funds and
dishonesty (sic) in connection with a hospital he is running.
Most Buddhists here are pathologically silent, some in denial,
some enjoying the moment (the top honchos do not see eye to eye),
and many others simply do not know what to think.

Narrow minded Hinayanists like myself feel as if we are not part
of this surreal episode.

The brighter side is that the younger Buddhists are working hard
for a better future despite our terribly dysfunctional family.

PIya Tan