The Drunken Agnostic

New Site, Same Site

2011-07-26T13:05:00.003-05:00

My rarely updated blog is moving to a new blogger account connected to the Google account that I actually use on a day to day basis. Hopefully it will prompt me to write more.

Science vs. Tantra

2010-07-11T12:58:00.002-05:00

Back in March of 2008, an Indian atheist challenged a leading Tantrik to prove tantra's power by trying to kill him. Predictably, the result was a failure :

India TV, one of India’s major Hindi channels with national outreach, invited Sanal Edamaruku for a discussion on “Tantrik power versus Science”. Pandit Surinder Sharma, who claims to be the tantrik of top politicians and is well known from his TV shows, represented the other side. During the discussion, the tantrik showed a small human shape of wheat flour dough, laid a thread around it like a noose and tightened it. He claimed that he was able to kill any person he wanted within three minutes by using black magic. Sanal challenged him to try and kill him.

The tantrik tried. He chanted his mantras (magic words): “Om lingalingalinalinga, kilikili….” But his efforts did not show any impact on Sanal – not after three minutes, and not after five. The time was extended and extended again. The original discussion program should have ended here, but the “breaking news” of the ongoing great tantra challenge was overrunning all program schedules.

Now the tantrik changed his technique. He started sprinkling water on Sanal and brandishing a knife in front of him. Sometimes he moved the blade all over his body. Sanal did not flinch. Then he touched Sanal’s head with his hand, rubbing and rumpling up his hair, pressing his forehead, laying his hand over his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples. When he pressed harder and harder, Sanal reminded him that he was supposed to use black magic only, not forceful attacks to bring him down. The tantrik took a new run: water, knife, fingers, mantras. But Sanal kept looking very healthy and even amused.

After nearly two hours, the anchor declared the tantrik’s failure.

After Sharma claimed the magic would only work during night, the experiment was repeated at night and Sanal was once again unharmed.

Although I am an agnostic, I tend to not bother disproving the efficacy of religious rituals or practices. However, the article noted that these tests were conducted in response to growing concerns about politicians hiring tantriks to curse their political opponents. So it's good to see science trump black magic's hold on politics.

Life Updates That Explain a Lack of Updates

2009-09-06T15:08:00.003-05:00

The good news is that I found a job selling clothing and gifts at the University of Wisconsin Book Store. The management is relaxed and accommodating, and the hours make sure that I'm out of work by 6:30 at the latest. Unfortunately, that means that I'm on my feet most of the day, and for a lazy and overweight individual such as myself, constant standing, bending, and running to and fro makes me nigh on catatonic after work.

So, I have not forgotten about the blog, but I have a lot less time to think about what to write, and then actually write it. Hopefully, this will change as I become acclimated to my new active lifestyle.

I'm currently re-reading The Gods Drink Whiskey at a fast pace. When I am done, I hope to write about my thoughts about the book.

Internetless

2009-08-18T12:28:00.001-05:00

I finally moved into what will hopefully be my apartment for the next year. However, I will not have internet access until Saturday, so I doubt I will post until then.

An Amazing Video

2009-08-13T11:04:00.006-05:00

Astronomy is one field that I have a huge interest for, but have never studied. And this video explains why I find it so fascinating.

Self Improvement: Learning Basic Thai

2009-08-11T11:50:00.006-05:00

I'm hoping to start my graduate studies by next fall at the University of Wisconsin's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. But I first need to be put through various embarrassing tests where the sum of my academic career will be poked and prodded. I am not too worried. They don't take GRE scores too seriously, and the main criteria for acceptance are statement of purpose, letters of recommendations, and undergraduate transcripts.

However, there is one unfortunate, but important, black mark on my otherwise healthy undergrad career: languages. I took one semester of Sanskrit at Naropa University, and three terms (one year) of Mandarin at Lawrence University. I both cases I managed to wrangle my way into a C-. Not the sort of accolades you want when applying to a program that requires two years of some foreign language.

To remedy my unfortunate state as a monoglot, thereby improving my chances of acceptance, I decide to pick up a "learn it yourself" language program for Thai. I first looked at Rosetta Stone, but the price (around $200) and the shaky reviews led me to buy Teach Yourself Thai, which was better reviewed and more reasonably priced.

So far, I've only read and listened through the pronunciation section. The pronunciation, coupled with the fact it has an alphabet, makes me feel a little more comfortable. My plan is work through a section each week, spending at least 15 minutes a day on the language. Hopefully, my past mistakes in languages will serve as a template on what not to do.

Definitional Problems: Theravada and Vipassana

2009-08-07T14:27:00.007-05:00

Brooke Schedneck, a contributor for Progressive Buddhism and a PhD candidate in Asian Religions at Arizona State University, wrote an article on the definitional differences between Theravada Buddhism and Vipassana practice. Vipassana, known as insight meditation in English, instructs the practitioner to analyze the arising of mental phenomena from a passive or neutral standpoint. Although it exists in both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, the form that was imported into America during the 1970's from Southeast Asia originates from the Theravadin tradition. Since its importation, Vipassana has become one of the major forms of American Buddhism, and the most prevalent American form of Theravada practice.

During its growth in America, some Vipassana teachers and centers deemphasized the practice's connection to Buddhism. As one commenter to Schedneck's post stated, he only learned of Vipassana meditation's root in Buddhism after a year of practice. Not only do different Vipassana centers and teachers place different emphasizes on the technique's connection to Theravada, the large numbers of Southeast Asian immigrants since the 1970's brought a large number of Theravada monks to American soil, who teach Vipassana mediation as part of Theravada practice.

Schedneck, along with other scholars of American Buddhism, have written about how the current state of Vipassana practice in America raises problems on how to classify different Buddhist (or in this case, Buddhist inspired) schools. In response to two articles she read, one in Bodhidharma Magzine and one in Tricycle, Schedneck writes:

I assume that for both of these classifications, ‘Vipassana’ refers to meditation centers that are mainly composed of lay converts and lay meditation teachers, and that ‘Theravada’ refers to monasteries consisting of lay Asian immigrants and Asian monks.

Schedneck writes how both authors, one of which includes the noted scholar Charles Prebish, fail to indicate if their definition of Vipassana includes schools with only a tenuous connection with its Buddhist origin. As she notes further in the post, the assumption that the main difference between Theravada and Vipassana is one is "Asian" and one is "American" is currently being questioned by a new generation of scholars.

My own experience leads me to agree with Schedneck. Wat Dhammasala, the Theravada temple near my home town, holds meditation classes every Saturday and Sunday, led by Ajahn Khemasanto, a Caucasian bhikku. The few times I attended the mediation classes at Wat Dhammasala, I saw a mixture of Westerners and Southeast Asians practicing together, under the guidance of a Western monk. The traditional Thai festivals held at the wat also saw a mixture of Southeast Asian and Western participants. When I interviewed Ajahn Khemasanto, he told me that he did not see a substantial difference in the practice of Southeast Asians or Westerners.

However, this example does not answer the question about how to properly deal with and define, meditation centers that down play Vipassana's roots in Theravada practice. Should scholars and students differentiate between centers that acknowledge, or even encourage, their Theravadin roots, and the centers that disassociate from Buddhist practice altogether. Like Hatha Yoga, Vipassana practice can, and has, been used as a secular practicum to help the practitioner relieve mental stress and anxiety. Even centers that have established ties to Buddhism, such as Wat Dhammasala, do not require a practitioner to accept any Buddhist tenants to learn Vipassana.

My thoughts are that the in the complicated landscape of American Buddhism, the only way to define Vipassana is to bifurcate the practice into two categories: Religious Vipassana and Secular Vipassana. Religious Vipassana is taught not only in Buddhist temples, but in meditation centers that not only acknowledge Vipassana's Buddhist roots, but use Buddhist terms and associated beliefs in conjunction to meditation practice. Secular Vipassana would cover those centers who either disassociate themselves from Buddhism, or acknowledge that Vipassana's Buddhist roots, but do not use Buddhist terms or associated practices in conjunction with Vipassana practice.

Two potential problems arise with these categories. First, they are not mutually exclusive. However, it seems that no definable categories could engage the complex relationship between Vipassana and Theravada Buddhism and not create overlapping categories. The categories also only cover the practices and teaching methods of institutions, and not the beliefs or religious affiliations of the practitioners. The focus on institutions over practitioners is necessary due to Vipassana's non-dogmatic nature. While a center could teach Vipassana as a Buddhist means for reaching enlightenment, there is no guarantee that every practitioner accepts either the Buddhist doctrines or eventual end goal. Likewise, a meditation center that makes no mention of Buddhism could have practitioners who not only understand Vipassana's roots in Theravada Buddhism, but accepts Theravadin doctrine, and attend a secular meditation center due to a lack of Theravada temples in the area.

Thoughts on Buddhism in America (Part 2)

2009-08-06T12:07:00.002-05:00

I decided to break up my thoughts about the two news programs into two different sections, for length and due to my inherent laziness.

The second video, from KTRK ABC 13, talks about how American Monks may be the future for Buddhism in America. I am not sure if Bante Kassapa is one of the first Anglo-monks (the American monk from the temple near my home town was first ordained in the 70's), though American born monks are a rare occurrence. Most monks in America were born outside the country, and came here to teach Buddhism to westerners and immigrant communities. And while Buddhism has become influential within the United States during the last half century, it has yet to establish an independent sangha comparable with the monastic communities in traditional Buddhist countries.

An argument could be made that an American sangha, independent from oversight by sanghas outside the United States and composed of members drawn mainly from the American populace, will develop in the future. However, I find the idea suspect. Buddhism is not alone in its trouble attracting a significant monastic population. Catholicism, an established and popular religion in America, is also struggling to find Americans to fill offices of monks and priests.

Possibly due to its Protestant roots, American religion emphasizes lay participation within religious communities. Clergy speak with greater authority on matters of faith and doctrine, but that authority does not carry the same weight as in countries that traditionally have a well-defined religious hierarchy. The egalitarianism characterized by American religion leads religious traditions to play down, or outright eradicate, the differences in spiritual merit/insight between lay practitioners and the clergy. The clergy, then, becomes less of a locus for spiritual power and more of an expert in religion; a person who is well versed but not essential more spiritual than his community.

For Buddhism, the egalitarian relationship is translated into offices, such as meditation teachers, who are more advanced in meditation techniques, but lead lives similar to that of the rest of their community. They have homes, pay taxes, get married, have kids, and go to a movie on a Friday night. Therefore, to establish an American sangha with its own independent monastic system has to overcome the challenges of countering the trend within American religion to laicize religious traditions.

I have yet to see anything in American Buddhism to suggest it can meet the challenge.

Thoughts on Buddhism in America (Part 1)

2009-08-04T13:44:00.006-05:00

Due to a hectic move into a new apartment, my first update is later than I would have liked. I'm hope apologizing for never updating does not become a mantra of mine. Also, I've noticed that this post is heavy on the claims and light on the reference. Without access to a well-stocked library, I can't give citations in my posts.

During the last week, I've searched Youtube for videos about Buddhism in America, and have repeatedly run across two news segments documenting the growth of Buddhism in the "heartland" of America. The first broadcast aired on NBC Nightly News in October 2007:

The second video comes from KTRK ABC Houston, and its topic focuses on an American Monk, and the hope that Buddhist Monasticism will take root in America.

Watching the videos, I noticed that, except for Bhante Kassapa, the converts were either young between 18-25 or well into middle age. When I researched American Buddhism last summer for my never completed honor's project, I ran across similar observations from scholars. The two age groups most represented in Buddhist convert communities do not share the same relationship as in other religious communities; that is, the younger members are not the children of the older members.

The lack of familial ties between the older and younger members creates two problems within the convert community: retention and cross-generational growth. While many converts to Buddhism fall within the 14-25 year old age demographic, they also leave Buddhism in high numbers. Without the familial ties found in other religious communities, members who become dissatisfied with the religious practice have an easier time leaving the community, due to a lack of pressure from their family to stay with a longstanding tradition.

Similarly, converts not religiously educating their children hamer Buddhism's growth in America. A surprising number of American converts come from either Jewish or Catholic families; two religions with entrenched traditions of religious education aimed at young children. In the first half of last century, both catechism and Yeshiva schools instilled a sense of religious identity within their pupils, but consequently offered an incomplete picture of the world's religious landscapes, and often warned their pupils against adopting other traditions as part of their religious practice.

When converts from those traditions had children of their own, they were reluctant to raise their children as Buddhists, fearing that a narrowed religious education would stifle their child's spiritual path. I've read essays in publications like Blue Jean Buddha and Tricycle by people my age (18 to 25) who were raised by Buddhist parents. The attitude of the Buddhists parents was that if the child had an interest in Buddhism, then they were welcome to develop their practice with their parents. But if the child was interested in other religions, it was acceptable for them to develop their non-Buddhist practice as well.

Presently, baby-boomers, who were the first generation to have significant numbers convert to Buddhism and now make up a significant portion of Buddhist converts, are growing older. There has been talk in both Buddhist and academic circles that Buddhism could wan in the coming decades. Without structures to retain younger converts and programs to introduce Buddhism to the children of present converts, Buddhism place in American religion remains uncertain.

The Second Coming?

2009-07-22T00:05:00.002-05:00

Now that I have graduated from college, my life has changed in two ways. I now have loads of time on my hands and no outlet for examining religion. With that in mind, I'm trying to solve both problems by resurrecting this blog. Hopefully it will work.

I have a few ideas for the first few posts, and then a five or six part series examining the book The Gods Drink Whiskey by Stephen Asma; a travelogue about an American professor who teaches Buddhism to Cambodian students. From there, I'll branch out into any sort of questions or observations about religion or other cultural topics that I either observe in real life, or see on the web.

Post-Immigration Buddhism

2008-01-08T14:44:00.001-06:00

From the Washington Post:

SEATTLE— They immigrated to America seeking new lives. Instead they re-discovered their old religion.

Grandmothers Junko Nakano and Aiko Fujii were new brides in those early years after World War II. Etsu Shimbo lived with family and studied in Seattle. All were in their early 20s and, for the most part, lived secular lives when they came to this country.

In Japan, where the three women grew up, Buddhism was “entwined in every day life,” explained Shimbo, a retired accountant whose religious training didn’t really begin until after she had children. “We didn’t have structure like we do here.”

Their families were required to belong to a Buddhist temple. For weddings, Nakano said, they would go to the Shinto shrine. For funerals, to the Buddhist temple.

But it was only in America that they discovered Buddhist teachings.

Maybe it was loneliness or searching for a meaning and identity that drove them back to their old religious roots. But immigrating to America somehow sparked in them a need to go deeper into their Buddhist beliefs.

I also wonder if the reason their religious faith expanded is the lack of societal pressure in America for an immigrant to belong to their traditional faith. Whereas in Japan each form of Buddhism would demand certain prescribed believes integrated in culture, America offers them a more personal forum of Buddhism.

Update in Myanmar

2007-10-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

From the Washington Post, an update on Myanmar since the Military Junta started their campagn against the protesting monks.

I find it quite surprising the level of violence the government used against the monks in such a heavily Buddhist country. The most interesting (and disturbing) quote in the article was said by a five year old boy:

I don’t want to become a soldier. If I have to kill a monk, the worst thing will happen to me in my next life.

Panties for Myanmar

2007-10-21T15:36:00.001-05:00

An Interesting Method of Protest:

BANGKOK, Thailand - Women in several countries have begun sending their panties to Myanmar embassies in a culturally insulting gesture of protest against the recent brutal crackdown there, a campaign supporter said Friday.
"It's an extremely strong message in Burmese and in all Southeast Asian culture," said Liz Hilton, who supports an activist group that launched the "Panties for Peace" drive earlier this week.

The group, Lanna Action for Burma, says the country's superstitious generals, especially junta leader Gen. Than Shwe, also believe that contact with women's underwear saps them of power.

To widespread international condemnation, the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, crushed mass anti-regime demonstrations recently and continues to hunt down and imprison those who took part.

Hilton said women in Thailand, Australia, Singapore, England and other European countries have started sending or delivering their underwear to Myanmar missions following informal coordination among activist organizations and individuals.

"You can post, deliver or fling your panties at the closest Burmese Embassy any day from today. Send early, send often!" the Lanna Action for Burma Web site urges.

"So far we have had no response from Burmese officials," Hilton said.

I'm usually against foreigners protesting on the behalf of other people. But this may actually be effective, and it is hilarious. If anyone is interested in taking part, more information here.

The State Department and Saudi Schools

2007-10-19T20:46:00.000-05:00

A Federal Pannel Urges State Department to Shut Down Islamic Saudi Academy in Fairfax County Virgina:

A federal panel yesterday urged the State Department to shut down a Saudi government-supported private
school in Northern Virginia unless it can prove it is not teaching religious
intolerance.
In a report released yesterday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom criticized what it called the promotion of religious extremism in Saudi-run schools around the world, including in the kingdom. It leveled particular criticism at the Islamic Saudi Academy, which operates two campuses in Fairfax County, expressing "significant concerns" that the school is promoting a brand of religious intolerance (emphasis mine) that could prove a danger to the United States.
...
State Department spokesman Karl Duckworth said the department is studying the commission's report. "We continue to engage the government of Saudi Arabia on the need to address the intolerant references toward other religious groups in their textbooks and in other educational materials," he said. "There has been progress . . . but they still have a ways to go."
The commission and other religious-freedom groups have been complaining about Saudi textbooks for years, and congressional hearings have been held on the subject. Last year, the Saudi government agreed to make changes. The commission is following up but said it has not been given access to the revised texts.
Ordinarily, the U.S. government would have little power to close a private religious school, said Kevin Seamus Hasson, president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
But because the school is funded by the Saudi government, the U.S. government could consider the school a Saudi entity and, thus, subject to a U.S. law that gives the government wide discretion in regulating the non-diplomatic activities of foreign governments in the United States, Hasson said.

My question: Is the law allowing the US Government latitude in dealing with the school as a Saudi government agency unconstitutional when it is used to stifle religious speech?

I don’t have any knowledge about prior court cases near the nature of this situation, but it would appear they are trying to subdue speech found to be intolerant, which it clearly is. But I just do not see any legal way the government can justify shutting down the academy. Even if the speech called for killing Jews, Christians, Shias, and just about anyone else who is not a strict Sunni, unless they called for their deaths immediately it cannot be construed to produce “immanent lawless action.”