JournalStar.com

Western Buddhism spreading via two paths…

Since the arrival of Buddhist ideals in the United States in the early 20th century, the religion has spread through these two very distinct means.
The first — East Asian immigrants looking to continue their cultural practices and traditions with fellow immigrants in a new land —begot centers like Linh Quang. The movement wasn’t unlike the establishment of ethnic churches by European immigrants in the late 1800s.

But the religion also spread through interested Americans, most notably those of the beatnik generation. Suddenly, people of traditional Judeo-Christian backgrounds were taking interest in Eastern philosophies, such as Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. When those groups of people took serious interest in joining the religion, groups like Jewel Heart were born.

And though the two Buddhist traditions essentially practice the same religion, they rarely cross paths. The religious goals and ideals are similar, but their cultures and reasons for existence are a bit different.

More: journalstar.com
Aug 25, 2006