Buddhism's Future in America
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This paper is an examination of Buddhism's future in America. An ancient religion founded in India and very popular throughout Asia, Buddhism has travelled outside Asia as its practitioners have immigrated to other parts of the world. In some places, it has expanded beyond ethnic bounds, and it has found especially fertile grounds for growth in the United States among followers of widely different ethnicities, races, and cultural backgrounds. As a number of American celebrities have embraced Buddhism's meditative approach to life, the religion has achieved a higher profile. China's aggressive attempts to take over Tibet, home of the Dalai Lama, the religion's most prominent spiritual leader, have also raised awareness of Buddhism and encouraged more Americans to study it and consider following its precepts. Buddhism has already established a strong foothold in America, and its influence is likely to continue to grow and mature over the next two decades. Siddhartha Gautama was a prince, born to the king and queen of what is now a region in Nepal in about 563 B.C. His quest for spiritual fulfillment ultimately led him to meditate under a fig tree, "often referred to as the Bo tree, or Tree of Enlightenment" (Introduction 3), where he was able to attain nirvana, the ultimate state of enlightenment. He spent the rest of his life teaching to others what he had learned: the way to nirvana is the Middle Way, a course which avoids extremes.
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across the country, as well as the District of Columbia. Several large-budget Hollywood movies, most notably Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad Pitt, and Martin Scorsese's Kundun, have brought the Buddhist way of life, if not its philosophies, to the general public. The vocabulary of Buddhism has penetrated the mainstream, providing a general understanding of terms such as karma, nirvana, and enlightenment. Buddhism has not yet become central to American society, but, as David Van Biema observes, "American Buddhism may be strong enough not only to withstand the distortions of celebrity but also to attract and hold a significant number of serious searchers" (75).
American Buddhism's cause has been helped by the addition of a number of high-profile converts. Celebrities who are open about their conversions and commitment to the faith include singers Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, and Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys and actors Richard Gere and Steven Seagal.
Many other celebrities, while not converts, have raised public awareness of the plight of Dalai Lama, the religion's spiritual leader. Awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama has been forced from his Buddhist center in Tibet by the aggressive efforts of China to
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Approximate Word count = 1568
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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