Forms of Buddhism in Different Countries
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Buddhism takes on a slightly different form in the different countries of the world where it is practiced, combining its religious culture with the social culture of each country. Buddhism is a major religious force in the countries of Southeast Asia, and it is defined in these regions first by the particular tenets of the religion which separate it from other religions and second by the manner in which it is integrated into the different societies of Southeast Asia. Buddhism has similarly been adapted to the U.S. experience, and there are particular difficulties involved in being a Buddhist in America. Buddhism continues to develop everywhere, and in the United States it has become a particularly important religion even if minor in terms of the number of adherents. Buddhist practice in America, however, at least for a portion of the American Buddhist population, differs markedly from prevailing Buddhist practice elsewhere. Buddhism wears many different faces in the world today because the religion has been so adaptable to different contexts. This has created some problem with the image of Buddhism: One reason why the modern world's image of Buddhism is so muddled is that there are so many different schools of Buddhist thought and practice. Since Buddhism emphasizes the individual, as a religion it tends not to be centralized. And since the Buddha left so many sutras, or teachings as many as 84,000, all of them originally transmitted orally the question of translation
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its own way an inner confidence and joy corresponding to the inner peace of older meditative varieties (Ellwood 236).
Two other modern Nichiren movements that have made headway in America are Rissho Kosei Kai and Reiyukai, and both emphasize Buddhism for the laity along with group counseling activities; both are also predominantly Asian American in membership (Ellwood 235-236).
Buddhism is stronger in some parts of the country, notably in Hawaii where it has a long history. Culture in Hawaii is essentially American culture, but it stands beside traditional Hawaiian culture and the customs of the ethnically diverse population. The different cultures merge in Hawaii. The population is religiously diverse. Along with the predominant Christian denominations, there are some 100 Buddhist temples, scores of Shinto shrines, and two dozen Hindu temples on the islands. There are also Taoist, Tenrikyo, Jewish, and Muslim denominations. The language is English, but it is peppered with Hawaiian phrases (Bendure and Friary 40). Hawaii is very much an American state, but it also offers spectacular scenery, volcanic activity, a diverse population, and a traditional culture that is evident everywhere.
Asian religions have also made progr
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Approximate Word count = 2441
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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