Essay on Buddhism Gains Popularity in the West: 3 Groups, No Conversion Needed

Buddhism religion originally came from the East, and it is now gaining popularity in the West, including America, due to immigration and missionary work. In America, Buddhism is classified into three groups, including Theravada, Vajrayana, and Mahayana, given the different traditional practices and the individual purpose of joining the religion. Naturally, a Buddhist does not require to conduct any formal conversion a significant reason for a large group of people from different ethnicities, nations, and religious incorporating into the dharma practice. The dharma practice is a method identified and used by Buddhists. The practice mainly gives guidance so that individuals are held from any suffering and its causes. Therefore, questions of continued modernization in Buddhism, as well as the limits of control that has seen Buddhism grow increasingly in America.

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The period World War II took place proved to be the most challenging time for the Japanese Americans who were Buddhists. It was hard to be an American and a Buddhist because of war, hardships, and racism directed to them. Fortunately, other than giving up and running away from their identity, their faith grew something that helped them assert and define their rights as Americans and, at the same time, as Buddhists. It was during this period that most of these people were arrested and other detained. However, even with such inhumane treatment, they still found ways to practice their religion. Buddhist teachings were responsible for keeping the people through the hardships and, at the same time, harnessed their understanding of Dharma.as a result of this suffering, they innovated new ways of practicing their religion in an Americanized manner and later defining themselves as Americans and Buddhists.

Increased mindfulness during the 20th century has let religious ideas diffuse into the American culture so that there is a marketplace for different religions. Buddhism was highly accepted in the United States because the people in this society were hungry for realization. Due to fear of secularization, American religious culture was made fruitful in light of the leader's liberalization that diminished their necessities. Therefore, they moved to engage in more church activities, which helped them achieve liberalization. Through these processes, the Buddhist had meditation practices using modern teachers as a technique for spiritual science which forms the basis for Buddhist teachings in the country. Most Americans are moving to Buddhism because they need some space and time to meditate and contemplate to experience quality life. They want to become more mindful of what they do based on the experiences of personal transformation one gets and the love that emerges from the religion Purser. Besides, the teaching of mindfulness entails kindness and compassion.

Therefore, choosing mindfulness for a corporation based on the fact that suffering is paramount to all individuals in all ranks. Thus, changing and influencing in some way the mindset of leaders and managers in the business world will impact the country positively. Buddhists in the United States economy have moved to promote the practice of mindfulness in a corporate for its ability to increase productivity. Living in a commercialized society, this religion holds some unique characteristics that facilitate the achievement of objectives set by different groups present. With such a complimenting factor, Buddhism has increasingly grown in America since it helps to meet the basic goals set in American societies.

Nonetheless, according to Gleig, American Buddhism is "filled with contradictions and growing awareness of its internal problems." The American approach to Buddhism contradicts the initial set up of privacy, individualism, volunteering, and introspective affairs. However, this has led to its simplification by removing critical facts. The modernized Buddhism is an insight community that grew from secular mindfulness, which reduces the Buddhist signifiers in totality. However, this kind of practice is harmful to the traditional method of Buddhist because a group is willing to acknowledge the secular mindfulness. The shift from modernism to postmodernism has resulted in advantages and disadvantages in society. Luckily, this saw patriarchy and racism of the Buddhists challenged, and now what is seen as perfect in harnessing world peace.

On the other hand, Buddhism in America has caused an increased awareness of internal problems that could otherwise never be seen as a cause of alarm. For instance, America is a wealthy nation, given that it is already developed. But unattained inner peace, compassion, and joy make the country suffer. Therefore, other than looking at the services provided, Buddhism brings about issues that make the society mindful of others. In today's world, people are concerned with living a life that fully satisfies their needs causing them to scrutinize the internal factors that hinder their fulfillment. Fortunately, Buddhism is calling for enhanced mental health, starting from an individual perspective.

Gender/Sexuality

American Buddhism has been relatively liberal on matter sexuality and gender. However, the traditional practice by the Buddhists uses a conservative approach when it comes to prohibiting, homosexuality, oral or anal sex, as well as individuals engaging in sex during the day. Religious leaders challenge members to critically examine the sexuality issues based on the stated ethics of sex according to the Buddhist text. It is essential to understand that the existing relationship between sexuality and Buddhism in America indicated an intense variation between what was traditionally accepted and what is currently being taught. Historically, Buddhism did not emphasize homosexual concerns, but this is no longer the same, especially in America. The religion is highly associated with social equality among individuals based on the nature of free thought and secular humanism. Matters sexuality in the United States, Buddhism talks of the great importance of tolerating one another in compassion so that to seek answers from an individual. Therefore, religion could be said to be partial to accept homosexuality in men.

Buddhism from history has been identified as a religion that is highly dominated by males. According to the traditions of Buddhists, only men in exclusion are allowed to participate in the meditation, explorations, and philosophical practices. However, in parallel practice, women were provided with monastic institutions that allowed for their reflection, but this was never strongly supported. Also, religion has seen most female renouncers exist in the United States, but this has not been received with little or no prestige like when it comes to males. Currently, American Buddhism has moved beyond gender inequality to form and support both men and women leaders through the required teachings of Buddhism. For this reason, more women teachers have been present in the country to provide the knowledge and wisdom required by students.

Bibliography

Javanaud, Katie. "Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017. By Stephen Batchelor." Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies 12 (2017).

http://jocbs.org/index.php/jocbs/article/viewFile/161/186Higgins, Winton. "The coming of secular Buddhism: A synoptic view." Journal of Global Buddhism 13 (2012): 109-126. http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/128/143Cabezon, Jose Ignacio, "Revisiting the Traditional Buddhist Views on Sex and Sexuality." Lion's Roar - Buddhist Wisdom for Our Time, (2017).

https://www.lionsroar.com/rethinking-buddhism-and-sex-2/Nakamura, Yoshimi. "Consideration on American Individualism III: Buddhist Diagnosis of American Individualism." Bulletin of Keiwa College 23 (2014): 45-53. https://www.keiwa-c.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/kiyo23-4.pdf