Buddhism: Off the Mountain and Over the Ocean
Interest in Buddhism around the world has never been higher, and it grows at an astonishing rate. This phenomenon is spurred by world attention on Tibet and its peaceful quest for rightful autonomy, if not independence from China, and the success of the Dalai Lama in stirring world opinion. Tibetan Buddhism, and along with it other traditions of Buddhist practice, have come off the distant mountaintops to flood our media and our cities.
The best way I know to get a handle on this is to visit Bill Wilson's Buddhist Reading Room at: Buddhist Reading Room.
Besides a vast wealth of links to writings which range from traditional texts to modern interpretations, this is the homepage for Bill's Dharma Ring, a linked association of (on 10/16/98) 217 Buddhist websites. You can enter the ring from Bill's pages or from my Dharma Bulletin Board at: Dharma Bulletin Board.
Lest you think this might be dull, here is a minute sampling of site names: "Zen and Zen Some"; "Teruko's Universe: 3d Mandala VRML World (This Site Very Humorous)"; "How To Sew a Zafu"[meditation cushion]; "Empty Flute Zen". It's all out there: the texts, the personal observations, the spectacular web design, the coming events, people's cats.
Essential links for keeping up with the political situation are: International Campaign to Save Tibet and Rangzen. The latter offers a subscription electronic newsletter.
I asked Bill how many countries are presently represented on the Dharma Ring. He estimates at least: USA, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, England, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. From a few minutes' surfing the ring this morning, I would add Belgium, Japan, and Wales to the list.
There are 217 organizations currently represented with 14 waiting to join. Bill estimates 15-20 sites a month apply for membership.
Of course you can follow links from most of these sites and find innumerable that are not in the Ring, but that are equally rich in content.
The Tibetan situation has accelerated this burst of attraction to things Buddhist. Quoting an article in Tibet Press Watch/ August 1998, " In a clamorous display of concern over President Clinton's state visit to China, upwards of 10,000 supporters gathered at the West Steps of the US Capitol Building ...on June 15 for the largest-ever rally for Tibet."
Those 10,000 supporters included Richard Gere, Sean Lennon, David Crosby, Sogyal Rinpoche among the big names.
They were not disappointed. In what the Press Watch called "A Breakthrough for Tibet" President Clinton on his historic visit to China from June 24 to July 3 "catapulted the Tibet issue to the center stage of US-China relations."
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