The Future of American Buddhism

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Virgo
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Virgo »

I will be going strictly for educational purposes, of course. Particularly for practicing my pronunciation:



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narhwal90
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by narhwal90 »

Virgo wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 9:11 pm
narhwal90 wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 6:20 pm I found Berlin way more comfortable than London or NYC.
Have you been to Munich? Curious how you would compare it to Berlin. I'd really like to go to Oktoberfest one year and see the rest of Munich too, if I can get the time off in the fall.
Nah, just Berlin and Frankfurt which was as far south as I've been, London a few other times. I wouldn't mind seeing southern Germany sometime- but if/when I visit Europe again I suppose it'd be Belgium first, maybe some more time in France. I was in Berlin long enough to pick up basic vocabulary, enough to get around at least.. I seem to pick up German faster than French though I am entirely defeated by accents lol.

I am informed it is pronounced approximately "luuvenbroo"- it makes Germans laugh when you say "Low-en-brow"
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Virgo »

narhwal90 wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 11:02 pm

Nah, just Berlin and Frankfurt which was as far south as I've been, London a few other times. I wouldn't mind seeing southern Germany sometime- but if/when I visit Europe again I suppose it'd be Belgium first, maybe some more time in France. I was in Berlin long enough to pick up basic vocabulary, enough to get around at least.. I seem to pick up German faster than French though I am entirely defeated by accents lol.

I am informed it is pronounced approximately "luuvenbroo"- it makes Germans laugh when you say "Low-en-brow"
Ah, that makes sense. Bavaria would be a whole experience of it's own. The truth is I would simply like to visit Munich, but doing it in the fall would be fine, and it would allow me to drop by Oktoberfest once or twice as it goes on for over three weeks. That would provide a nice experience of Bavarian culture.

And yes I think the accents get everybody! :thumbsup:

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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by narhwal90 »

Southern France down towards Spain is wonderful, spent time in Toulouse and environs which was great. I've never been east of there eg Marseille, I wouldn't mind seeing more of the Atlantic coast. I found driving in France to be way easier than the UK which is moderately horrifying- complicated traffic circles in the UK are quite an experience when one is used to driving on the right :twothumbsup:
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Virgo »

narhwal90 wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 11:48 pm I found driving in France to be way easier than the UK which is moderately horrifying- complicated traffic circles in the UK are quite an experience when one is used to driving on the right :twothumbsup:
That's another reason why I am interested in Munich. They have a great system of public transport! :lol: :smile:

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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Virgo »

narhwal90 wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 11:02 pm I am informed it is pronounced approximately "luuvenbroo"- it makes Germans laugh when you say "Low-en-brow"


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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by KristenM »

Queequeg wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 2:19 pm
Malcolm wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 1:48 pm
Queequeg wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 12:54 pm

What are these places you speak of?
Far away from NYC, which I loath.
You fundamentally don't get this place. ITs not about loving or loathing. Its walking a tightrope with no net. No safe spaces. Everyone has to deal with each other. I like New England, especially Vermont, but the pursed lip judginess of New Englanders repels me.
I’m going back to NYC in July, we should meet up! Funny that I have a bigger social life in NY than here in Cali. That’s not saying much. I have an old friend from Texas who now is the director of the AfroCaribbean and Latin American department at NYU. And others doing some pretty neat stuff there. I couldn’t hack living there in the winters when it got dark before 4pm. But honestly, I still love it. 3am jackhammer serenades and all that jazz.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by KristenM »

Malcolm wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:28 pm
Queequeg wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 2:19 pm You fundamentally don't get this place.
What's there to get? I've lived in cities, been to NYC many times.

I don't like the constant traffic, the noise, and the crowds. At least LA has beaches, and SF, wine country.

The benefits of NYC do not outweigh the negatives, YMMV.
And dare I say you would love the part of California where I live, too. It’s predominantly Latino/Mexican, we have wide open spaces, mountains, and people here are genuinely friendly. My county is Democrat run and horse country. The wave of el futuro en Estados Unidos.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Archie2009 »

Queequeg wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 12:54 pm
Malcolm wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 1:20 am
Johnny Dangerous wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 1:03 am

I will probably move back to New Mexico once I approach retirement age. It has some real downsides when you are younger, but if you are financially stable land is cheap, and the mix of cultures and people is one of the coolest things. Lots of the US just seems super uptight if you grow up in New Mexico, in my experience. The West Coast especially has some things that really clash in terms of communication, social expectations, etc. Everyone is very concerned with propriety in a way that New Mexicans just don't give a shit about.
Vermont is chill.
What are these places you speak of?

Image
NYC arrogance. No surprise there.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Queequeg »

Archie2009 wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 10:33 am
Queequeg wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 12:54 pm What are these places you speak of?

Image
NYC arrogance. No surprise there.
In case its not obvious...

Image

Still...

Image

New York is an intense love/hate kind of place... though love>hate. We're here because we love it, with all of its bad. With the whiff of urine in August, the sun never hitting the ground between the tall buildings, the crime, the broken subways, the trash on the streets, the gruff demeanor. The graft, corruption, bald greed in the open. It just makes the love shine more brightly.

I can understand not wanting to live here, but to actually loathe it? Well. Haters gonna hate.

That's not arrogance. That's just honesty with swagger.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by justsit »

Didn't Archie live in Queens?
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Queequeg »

justsit wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 2:03 pm Didn't Archie live in Queens?
Those were the days...
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Malcolm »

Queequeg wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 12:57 pm
I can understand not wanting to live here, but to actually loathe it? Well. Haters gonna hate.
It was a different town when my Van Dyke ancestors settled it and the Hudson Valley.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by KristenM »

Malcolm wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:20 pm
Queequeg wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 12:57 pm
I can understand not wanting to live here, but to actually loathe it? Well. Haters gonna hate.
It was a different town when my Van Dyke ancestors settled it and the Hudson Valley.
So do you know Dick? :)
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Daniel Arraes »

Crazywisdom wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 8:01 pm Let's talk about it.
Hello there. :thumbsup:
Daniel you really understand English sayings. That's because you are educated.
My karma has manifested in a very nice way this time around. :shrug:
You are an elite Brazilian, your hot wife is just the good life you have. Americans will envy you. I'm sure of it. Why? Sexual life in the USA is hell. It's not racial. It's monetary and cultural. I don't know anyone from the US or Europe that doesn't think Brazil is a refuge from the dogshit of there own place.
Perhaps. But that doesn't change the fact that there dozens and dozens more Tulkus, Rinpoches, Khenpos, Geshes, Roshis, Shedras, Temples and retreat centers in the U.S. and Western Europe than in Brazil (or perhaps even than in all of South America put together). Plus, there's a great number of universities with Tibetan Studies and/or Buddhist Studies programs, as well as the vast number of buddhist translations from canonical languages (several hundreds actually) into English, French and German.

The vast majority of Dharma stuff translated into Portuguese comes from the English translations done in the U.S.. I can count on the fingers of my two hands the translations done directly from Tibetan (or other canonical languages) directly into Portuguese; and most of it is from the Pali Canon/Theravada school.

Considering all of the above, it stands to reason that Buddhadharma has better chances of taking off for real in the U.S. and other developed countries than in Brazil (or Latin America in general), due to several historical, political, legal, and economic reasons (the point Malcolm was trying to make previously).
But I've only been here three years. I've only lived in three states. We will see. Have you lived in or even been to a favela? Because I lived in more than one favela for more than a year.
Yes, I have been to different favelas before here in my hometown, though I've never lived in one. I also live a couple blocks from one. However my physical complexion is pretty different from the people who live in those neighborhoods (white privilege also exists in Brazil), so when I walk in those places I tend stand out like a sore thumb. And that's the last thing anyone would want in a potentially dangerous neighborhood.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Malcolm »

KristenM wrote: Sat Apr 23, 2022 1:52 am
Malcolm wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:20 pm
Queequeg wrote: Fri Apr 22, 2022 12:57 pm
I can understand not wanting to live here, but to actually loathe it? Well. Haters gonna hate.
It was a different town when my Van Dyke ancestors settled it and the Hudson Valley.
So do you know Dick? :)
He’s from the Arizona Van Dykes, the son of my great grandfather’s brother.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Natan »

Daniel Arraes wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 1:00 am
Crazywisdom wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 8:01 pm Let's talk about it.
Hello there. :thumbsup:
Daniel you really understand English sayings. That's because you are educated.
My karma has manifested in a very nice way this time around. :shrug:
You are an elite Brazilian, your hot wife is just the good life you have. Americans will envy you. I'm sure of it. Why? Sexual life in the USA is hell. It's not racial. It's monetary and cultural. I don't know anyone from the US or Europe that doesn't think Brazil is a refuge from the dogshit of there own place.
Perhaps. But that doesn't change the fact that there dozens and dozens more Tulkus, Rinpoches, Khenpos, Geshes, Roshis, Shedras, Temples and retreat centers in the U.S. and Western Europe than in Brazil (or perhaps even than in all of South America put together). Plus, there's a great number of universities with Tibetan Studies and/or Buddhist Studies programs, as well as the vast number of buddhist translations from canonical languages (several hundreds actually) into English, French and German.

The vast majority of Dharma stuff translated into Portuguese comes from the English translations done in the U.S.. I can count on the fingers of my two hands the translations done directly from Tibetan (or other canonical languages) directly into Portuguese; and most of it is from the Pali Canon/Theravada school.

Considering all of the above, it stands to reason that Buddhadharma has better chances of taking off for real in the U.S. and other developed countries than in Brazil (or Latin America in general), due to several historical, political, legal, and economic reasons (the point Malcolm was trying to make previously).
But I've only been here three years. I've only lived in three states. We will see. Have you lived in or even been to a favela? Because I lived in more than one favela for more than a year.
Yes, I have been to different favelas before here in my hometown, though I've never lived in one. I also live a couple blocks from one. However my physical complexion is pretty different from the people who live in those neighborhoods (white privilege also exists in Brazil), so when I walk in those places I tend stand out like a sore thumb. And that's the last thing anyone would want in a potentially dangerous neighborhood.
I have a strong inclination Vajrayana is at its global peak. It's not growing. It's shrinking because there are few new generation of good teachers. There are very few really good lamas.
Malcolm
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Malcolm »

Crazywisdom wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:59 pm I have a strong inclination Vajrayana is at its global peak.
Dzogchen will survive until the average lifespan of human beings is 10 years. It is the first Dharma to appear in this eon, when lifespans were limitless, and will be the last Dharma left. So it is written.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by Svalaksana »

Lived in the UK, visited the USA, have family in Brazil and Africa, been to Mexico, and roughly other 30 countries. Don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't trade my tiny, discrete, mostly unknown strip of land with a mere 10 million inhabitants called Portugal, for anything else.

Not perfect by any means, but the fact that it is one of the safest countries in the world, has a national health service, plenty of sunlight and warmth, no terrorism, amazing food and wine, well... that just works for me.
Looking but not seeing - that's my eye.
Thinking but not minding - that's my mind.
Speaking but not expressing - that's my tongue.
Traveling but not going - that's my path.
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Re: The Future of American Buddhism

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Crazywisdom wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:59 pm I have a strong inclination Vajrayana is at its global peak. It's not growing. It's shrinking because there are few new generation of good teachers. There are very few really good lamas.
What is becoming scarce are lamas trained in Tibet prior to the Chinese invasion. There is something unique that will at some point be lost forever.
However, what is more important than there being many excellent teachers is for there to be many excellent students. One teacher can teach a thousand pupils. Out of that thousand will be a few hundred who are dedicated to the practice. Out if that few hundred will be many who actually grasp the essence of what is being conveyed, and not just memorizing rituals and Tibetan words. Out of those will be the students who go on three year retreats and become lamas themselves. From that few will emerge ones who are not total asses. And from what’s left will be found really precious teachers to carry on the traditions and teachings.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
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