Buddhism Takes Different Forms in Term Paper

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S. There were 2,794,130 Americans of East Asian decent in the United States in 1990. Not all of these people practice a traditional East Asian religion, and reliable figures for the religious affiliations of East Asians are impossible to obtain because the United States Census does not ask questions about religion. In addition, the religious groups are very disparate and keep different kinds of records, and many East Asians observe traditional religious practices only in a family and not in an institutional context. Still, it is clear that the number is sizeable. In addition, many Americans of occidental background have also become involved in East Asian religions, sometimes through a spiritual quest, sometimes through marriage, and sometimes as a by-product of an interest in meditation or the martial arts. Commitment may range from entering a Zen monastery to taking class or doing practices on a lower level. Figures for this population are also elusive (Ellwood, 1994, pp. 223-224).

This religion also tends to be nonmoralistic, a fact which makes it more appealing in a world characterized by a great diversity of peoples, cultures, and lifestyles, and again, this is also in keeping with American values. Buddhism does not tell its adherents how to live: "People in the West tend to think of a religion as being a code. But Buddhism is defined by practice rather than a rigid set of beliefs" (Hochswender, 1993, p. 169).

Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA) is the American branch of the worldwide Nichiren Buddhist movement. The sect follows a unique path toward Americanization, deeply influenced by tensions between the highly traditional Nichiren priesthood and the innovative spirit of the laity.

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Priests and laypeople together form the organization called Nichiren Shoshu of America (NSA), though long-standing conflicts of interest between the two parties produced a formal schism in 1991, leaving two organizations in place, the smaller Nichiren Shoshu Temple (NST) led by the priesthood, and Soka Gakkai International-USA, a much larger, wholly lay movement:

The lay nature of SGI-USA, the energy its members displayed in the wake of the schism, and liberal elements it inherited from its prewar Japanese origins have helped to transform it into one of the most innovative forms of Buddhism on the current American landscape (Seager, 1999, p. 70).

Soka Gakkai traces its teachings to those of Siddhartha Gautama, a far younger set of beliefs and practices than some as created by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda before World War II. This was the sect brought to America first by the Japanese wives of American servicemen, though today Japanese-Americans constitute a distinct minority in the organization (Hammon and Machacek, 1999, p. 100).

The American version of Nichiren Buddhism continues to evolve and to adapt to the American context, and the success of Buddhism worldwide is attributed to its ability to adapt to different cultures and different requirements without losing its central moral system. The goal remains enlightenment, though how this is defined may differ and how it is achieved is a matter for argument. The movement survives in spite of the division into two different organizations and in spite of battles between the priesthood and the laity, and in some parts of the country the movement not only survives but thrives......

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