Thoughts on Buddhism in America (Part 1)

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.