Faith: Buddhist Traditions
“American Buddhism’s Racial Divide”
Read a Jan. 19, 2000, story from Beliefnet.com exploring whether there’s a divide in American Buddhism between “Asian Buddhists” and “New Buddhists” – converts from other ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
“Boomer Buddhism”
Read a Feb. 26, 2001, story from Salon.com about baby boomer Buddhists who favor a more secularized style of practice (“no chanting, no incense, no monks and certainly no bowing”).
“Tensions in American Buddhism”
Read the transcript of a July 6, 2001, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly story on PBS about tensions in American Buddhism, in part between the religion as it’s practiced by Asian immigrants and by converts in the West.
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dharma”
Read a story from the June 26, 2001, Village Voice about the involvement of black women in Buddhism.
“Vacation Buddhist School Draws Kids”
Read an Aug. 8, 2002, article on Beliefnet.com (reprinted from The Dallas Morning News) about a Buddhist summer program for children, a kind of Buddhist version of Vacation Bible School.
“The Jewish-Buddhist Encounter”
Read a commentary from MyJewishLearning.com by Ira Rifkin, about Jews who are attracted to Buddhism (some call them JuBus).
“Brother Thay: A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh”
Listen to a March 17, 2005, program from Minnesota Public Radio’s Speaking of Faith in which Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn speaks of “engaged Buddhism,” peace and mindfulness.
“Finding my Religion: Buddhist pastor Heng Sure talks about his 2½-year pilgrimage up the California coast”
Read an interview from the May 2, 2005, San Francisco Chronicle with a Methodist-turned-Buddhist who took a six-year vow of silence.