So, what you write here is related to what I mention in another thread I started: that Buddhism in Asia is part of a cultural fabric that is foreign to many Western convert Buddhists: http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=10259" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I'm reading a book about Japanese Buddhism that relates to your third point. It says that Japanese society largely sees the world as a positive place, and yet Buddhism is a religion that denies the physical world and seeks to escape it. When Buddhism arrived in Japan, it therefore had to take various adjustments. This is obviously why Nichiren Buddhism is so different from many other forms of Buddhism.
Your third point also highlights something interesting. It seems that many Western Buddhists who get up-in-arms about mixing the material with the spiritual/religious, are people who are quite comfortable already. To be honest, I get a bit of a sense of hostility in just bringing up this topic.
PadmaVonSamba wrote: 1.There is a common belief that one should reject the material world in favor of spiritual pursuits.
This might be an attitude that came from from the 1960' counter-culture.
I would make a very random guess that quite often,
those who feel this way have had a materially abundant life yet found it not fulfilling,
as characterized by the saying, "money can't buy happiness".
2. Western buddhists are often reluctant to financially support the dharma centers that they are affiliate with,
and often feel resentment when asked to pay to attend teachings and so forth.
As a result, Buddhist organizations are often lacking in financial resources.
This is in stark contrast to Buddhists groups whose memberships are largely Asian to begin with,
and it is also at odds with Western Christian church organizations
which are able to get considerable financial support from their members.
3. "Spiritual pursuits" including the study and practice of dharma often manifest as ways of escaping the drudgery of having to make money, so whenever money issues enter the buddhist conversation, this threatens that escape mechanism, and people complain.
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