Re: Secular Tendai?
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:24 am
How many of them have you visited or looked at in detail?
I mean really, if you do not know what their normal, public practice is like, you can't really say how "traditional" they are on your scale?
It's my impression that the vast majority of western Dharma centers period have public teachings that are accessible by nearly anyone, I know all the ones i've seen or visited have this. There are exceptions i'm certain, but i'd go as far as to say it's almost a "Buddhist value" (if there is such a thing) that meditation teachings be available to non-Buddhists. I have yet to see Dharma center that demands some kind of declaration of faith or similar to go learn basic practice or study basic concepts, nor any place where refuge is a requirement for walking through the door..which leads me to believe that people's issues with "religious Buddhism" spring more from their own baggage and entrenched ideology than the people at the centers.
Far as Batchelor, I don't think he, or people like him are some embattled minority by any means.
I mean really, if you do not know what their normal, public practice is like, you can't really say how "traditional" they are on your scale?
It's my impression that the vast majority of western Dharma centers period have public teachings that are accessible by nearly anyone, I know all the ones i've seen or visited have this. There are exceptions i'm certain, but i'd go as far as to say it's almost a "Buddhist value" (if there is such a thing) that meditation teachings be available to non-Buddhists. I have yet to see Dharma center that demands some kind of declaration of faith or similar to go learn basic practice or study basic concepts, nor any place where refuge is a requirement for walking through the door..which leads me to believe that people's issues with "religious Buddhism" spring more from their own baggage and entrenched ideology than the people at the centers.
Far as Batchelor, I don't think he, or people like him are some embattled minority by any means.