Friends of the Western Buddhist Order

• Venerable Sangharakshita formed the movement in 1967, aiming to start a movement more suited to Western society, combining elements of Theravada, Tibetan and Zen traditions
• Sangharakshita was a member of the London Buddhist Society and during WW2, was stationed in India and Sri Lanka, following the war he remained in the East and was ordained as a Theravada monk
• Sangharakshita was critical of formalism among Buddhists in traditional Buddhist countries - for example monks who feel free to smoke tobacco because there is no specific vinaya rule against it
• Sangharakshita stressed the essentials and unity of Buddhism
• He felt that the traditional monk was not well suited to Western society
• The term dharmachari, meaning followers of the Dharma, was used to describe FWBO members' status
• FWBO stresses that the essence of Buddhism must be removed from the 'exotic novelty' of oriental trappings
• FWBO is interpreted in a positive way as there is not so much talk of suffering, death and no self, but instead of Buddhism as a way to true happiness

Adaptations to Western culture

• There have been relaxations in the rules for Western monks so that they can wear clothes more suited to a Northern climate, carry pocket money and mix more freely with women
• Buddhism written for Westerners has been fairly 'demythologised' - they are not required to believe literally in the six states of rebirth, but may instead interpret animal life, gods and hell as symbols for different human states of mind
• Buddhist groups have involved themselves in positive social actions such as education and social work, and campaigned for peace movements such as nuclear disarmament - this is known as engaged Buddhism

Transmission of Buddhism to the West

• Cush - "Since the last century, Buddhism has become a noticeable presence in the religious traditions open to Westerners"
• Cush - "It can thus be said to have become a worldwide religion"
• Garfield - "Buddhism has always been from the very beginning a missionary religion"
• Garfield - "Buddhism has been transforming because fundamentally all compounded things are impermanent and Buddhism is a compounded phenomenon"
• Buddhism in the West's diversity and ability to adapt allows it to continue to spread - if it is unadaptable, people may become disinterested and the tradition may die out
• Transmission of Buddhism to the West occurs in the context of globalisation, and as a consequence Western ideas and Western Buddhism was reflected back into Asia - seen in socially engaged Buddhism, eco-Buddhism and feminism in Buddhism
• Buddhism's transmission to the West has involved simultaneous transmissions of various traditions including Theravada, Tian Tai and Zen, unlike the single lineage of traditions within Asia
• As Buddhism moved to the West, it has always been associated with modernism - Buddhism was viewed as a modern religion due to its non-theist nature, emphasis on reason, and study and debate of the tradition

Transmission of Buddhism to China

• Prior to Buddhism's spread to China, the country was a very old civilisation with its own written language, well-organised government and education system
• Confucianism and Daoism, well-established philosophical and religious traditions, already existed in China
• China already had a highly developed literate civilisation
• Most people in China initially saw Buddhism as weird, crazy and dangerous
• The penetration of Buddhism into China was slow - it was first adopted by middle-class people attracted to the unusual language and philosophy - however Buddhism never became dominant in China
• Prior to Buddhism's spread, Classical Chinese was a highly developed philosophical language with extraordinary vocabulary
• Sanskrit texts were translated by many in their own way using the philosophical language of Confucianism and Daoism, creating varied translations and philosophy amongst Chinese Buddhism

Origins of the Dalai Lama

• Tulku - a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students or their predecessor
• The line of teachers started by Tsong kha pa in the 14th century developed into the institution of the Dalai Lama
• Tibetans believe certain holy men or bodhisattvas are chosen to be reborn in human form out of compassion for suffering beings - Tibetans believe these reincarnated holy men can be identified

Evaluating Paul Knitter's dual-belonging

• Chad Thralls argues from a theological perspective, Knitter is a heretic because his project is fundamentally syncretistic
• Thralls suggests Knitter's project is heretical because his meditation does not focus on words and Christ is not central to it - any syncretism is rejected by the Catholic Church
• However Schmidt-Leikel defends syncretism and argues each person's religious identity is a "unique garment woven together' from one's specific life experiences, so people incorporate those beliefs and practices that especially nourish them
• Schmidt-Leikel argues that a multi-religious identity is an 'authentic' option, and that with syncretism, one's primary identity is not lost but given opportunities for deepening and positive transformation
• Thralls also argues a theological critique cannot appreciate the "enrichment and deepening" of faith Knitter has achieved, and that Schmidt-Leikel's arguments demonstrate that syncretism is not a threat to Christian faith, but can actually deepen it
• Arguably Knitter has appropriated upaya to better understand Christian beliefs, rather than its intended purpose which is to understand the Dharma

Buddhism in the West is a betrayal of Buddhist origins

• Many Buddhists may argue Paul Knitter takes Buddhist teachings out of context - his approach is selective and fails to perceive the dharma as a whole
• Stories of the Dalai Lama's reincarnation are fascinating to Westerners but undermine the truth of anatta, presenting Buddhism as a religion that believes in reincarnation, rather than a system of rebirth through dependent origination
• Buddhism in the West is very different from the original tradition which began in India 2500 years ago
• There are many forms of Western Buddhism, which are authentic and do they go against Buddhist origins?
• Some may argue modern interpretations such as Batchelor's secular Buddhism take away from the true essence of Buddhism, belief in karma and rebirth are central and traditional to Buddhism
• Some may argue Knitter's dual-belonging is an attempt to fit Buddhism into Western ideals
• It could be argued the Dalai Lama and celebrity culture has commercialised Buddhism
• The Buddha's message is about 'come and try', it is not about picking and choosing different ideas from various traditions and wielding them together to suit our needs, this distorts the specific teachings

Buddhism in the West is not a betrayal of Buddhist origins

• Garfield argues Buddhism has transformed different cultures and been transformed by them - this is a sign of the tradition's vitality and not of its weakness
• Batchelor argues that Buddhism should go back to its roots of what the Buddha taught - "My interest has really gone to what I call 'early Buddhism', to try to get back to what the Buddha was doing before it became Buddhism"
• Buddhism in the West can be seen as a form of upaya - different teachings are available for different people's levels of understanding
• There were many different schools of Buddhism prior to its spread to the West - Buddhism changed before it came to the West
• The Dharma is like a raft taking you from one shore to another - it should not be clung on to and therefore can be adapted if needed
• Buddhism's popularity has increased as it has adapted to new ideas
• Some Western Buddhist groups have not altered the basic teachings of the Buddha, they have just merged various traditions together to make it more 'Western-friendly' - this is partly in response to the lack of ordained bhikkus and bhikkhunis in the West

Evaluating Secular Buddhism

• Julian Baggini argues due to Buddhism's origins of the Vedic tradition, Buddhist has many supernatural and metaphysical elements which oppose naturalistic thinking, such as karma
• Baggini argues that separating the supernatural elements from Buddhism does not diminish its beliefs and practices of mindfulness and compassion
• Baggini - "Take away karma, rebirth, nirvana, deities, oracles, reincarnated lamas, and you still have a set of beliefs and practices to cultivate detachment from the impermanent material world and teach virtues such as compassion and mindfulness"
• Secular Buddhism appeals to more agnostic people, as well as scientific or modernist thinkers
• However karma, rebirth and other supernatural aspects of Buddhism are all key to the tradition, separating them arguably erases its traditional history and ideas - making secular Buddhism an 'inauthentic' Buddhism