Buddhism 101

Lesson 4: Buddhism Around the World

The West

 Let us begin our last section with a story – a story not from the Buddhist tradition, but from within the Christian tradition. This is the story of Barlaam and Josaphat, as recorded in the Christian hagiography The Golden Legend. The apostle Thomas had been very successful at finding converts to Christianity in India, but eventually a king rose to power who persecuted this foreign religion. He was horrified to be told by his mystic advisors that one day his son, Josaphat, would be converted to Christianity. The king desperately tried to prevent his son’s conversion by keeping him locked in the palace and oblivious to the outside world. Though this strategy worked for a limited time, eventually Josaphat met the monk Barlaam and soon after adopted Christianity as his faith. Both Barlaam and Josaphat are celebrated as saints. Does this story sound familiar?

It is in fact a retelling of the story of the Buddha, but with a conversion replacing the insight of enlightenment. Etymological research also indicates that the name “Josaphat” is an early Western rendering of the word bodhisattva. This is one of the earliest examples, alongside the Questions of King Milinda, of the encounter between Buddhism and the West and its religions.

Buddhism is no longer foreign to the West, but is instead becoming integrated with it. It has reached Europe and the Americas through the Asian nations, especially Japan, China and Tibet. Buddhist communities have sprung up all over the Western continents, sometimes imported from abroad, and sometimes locally grown.

The second most famous religious leader in the world is likely the Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama. Buddhist ideas are slowly creeping into films, especially those of the martial arts genre. Words like karma, zen and nirvana no longer draw strange looks from Westerners, but have become part of our everyday vocabulary. The New Age movement, though not a legitimate branch of the Buddhist tradition, draws heavily from the Buddhist lexicon and its vast collection of doctrines.

Many people have seen fat, smiling statues and are able to immediately identify them as Buddhist. Most Buddhist texts are now available in translation in English, French, German and other languages. The tension between the Chinese government and exiled Tibetans is recognized around the world, and Tibetan Buddhist culture plays a large role. Some feel that Buddhism is ultimately an Eastern worldview that cannot be appreciated completely by the majority of Westerners. This may be true. Buddhism makes assumptions about the nature of existence that have more currency in Asian cultures. It often has a sense of mysticism that is nearly impenetrable for a non-Buddhist. This does not mean an exploration of Buddhism is not worthwhile or impossible.

As the world becomes more integrated electronically and politically, we will find ourselves meeting Buddhists and Buddhism with growing frequency. It is critical that we are aware of the nuances of this ancient, vibrant and very relevant tradition, and learn to be respectful of the myriad of believers within it - and perhaps understanding Buddhism is not as impossible a goal as some believe.

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