Western Emergent Buddhism ― When used in reference to a MetaPhysical Orientation as to Tradition, Culture or Preferred Flavour, is primarily defined, usually selfdefined by its members and/or adherents as such, and holding the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, and/or interpolations thereon, usually by Western and/or Western oriented Teachers and an emphasis on meditative practice as primary or critical parameters of their Spiritual Paradigm. It is useful to define this Tradition of Buddhism since it is quite distinct from the Buddist Traditions which arose in Asia, around and close to the places where Siddhartha Gautama Buddha lived and Taught. Of course it is not itself a monolithic Tradition, but consists of a variety of lineages which emanate from various Teachers and groups of Teachers who have turned their attentions toward Western Civilization and/or individuals who have interpreted the Teachings for themselves but still from a Western perspective. (also see: the complete entry on Buddhism.) What may be termed Western Emergent Buddhism is well represented by an essay found at http://home.att.net/~meditation/Buddhism.html (assuming it's still there, but we paraphrase it here in the complete listing) entitled: 'Call For a New Buddhism', and specifically references Jiddu Krishnamurti such as in the quotation: "Intelligence is the ability to ascertain the essential."
Who and what is a Buddhist?
Historians tell us that Siddhartha Gautama (563? to 483? BC) was the founder of the organized religion we call Buddhism. The fundamental meaning of the word 'Buddha' is 'Enlightened One.' We know that there were many enlightened ones, many Buddhas, before Siddhartha Gautama's birth and there have been many Buddhas after Siddhartha's death. The historic Buddha was born a Hindu and the evidence suggests Siddhartha wished to reform Hinduism rather than reject it completely. Siddhartha Gautama died a Hindu, not a Buddhist, just as Jesus died a Jew, not a Christian. What we call Buddhism today is an amalgamation of the true teachings of Siddhartha combined with invented myths and large amounts of culture derived from the country in which the Buddhism is practiced. Tibetan Buddhism, for example, is as much Tibetanism as it is Buddhism. Buddha's words were handed down for several centuries through oral tradition before a committee was formed to commit the communal heritage, not memory, of Buddha's teaching to written scripture. No human being who actually met the Buddha wrote any of the famous Buddhist scriptures that present day followers take so literally and seriously. Can we separate the essential teachings of the many enlightened ones, the many Buddhas, from mere tradition? Can we bring Buddhism up to date by keeping the essential tools of enlightenment while discarding the cultural biases that burden the path with unnecessary obstacles? I believe we can create a new Buddhism if we use our consciousness to analyze our situation as present day seekers of enlightenment. With this most fundamental definition of the word 'Buddhism,' anyone who seeks enlightenment can be called a Buddhist.
The cosmic consciousness we seek is the ultimate blank page. Nothing can be written on it and there is no dogma inside it. No individual can claim ownership of it and no country can pollute it with its customs and prejudices. Cosmic consciousness remains an eternally wild and pure phenomena because it is beyond all of our minds. Our methods may be organized but the thing itself is anarchic and beyond the realm of society and culture. Some Buddhist teachers give the false impression that superconsciousness is a mapped out empire that has been conquered and controlled by the great masters. This is simply not the case and is an absolute impossibility.
Do Buddhists have souls? Many Buddhists believe that Siddhartha Gautama denied the existence of the human soul. Others claim that he only meant to dispel the belief that soul is a magical entity existing beyond any dependence on natural cosmic forces. Another explanation is that Buddha was playing with words in order to keep his disciples from becoming attached and selfish. A denial of soul may be of less value in the industrialized, computerized 21st century than it was in ancient India. The background and lifestyle of humans living today differs greatly from Siddhartha Gautama's original Hindu disciples. It is my belief that Siddhartha knew that souls exist just as trees in the forest exist, but he also knew that the cosmic void is our most fundamental being, not our physical body and not our soul body (subtle body). If Buddha denied soul he was fighting attachment but he was not telling an exact truth. Many enlightened men have played with words in order to push their disciples in one direction or another. George Gurdjieff said soul was something you had to earn through the meditation of self-observation. Ramana Maharshi said flatly that all human beings have souls. So which Buddha (Enlightened One) do we believe? Many Buddhists, including the Dalai Lama, substitute the word 'mind' for the word 'soul' and claim that "the most subtle part of the mind survives death." They suggest that the mind is transferred from one birth to the next through reincarnation. 'Mind' is a word normally associated with the function of the brain and thinking, but the brain and the thought process do not survive our physical death. Others call soul a "bundle of desires" but that is not accurate either because the soul also contains positive human traits, not just desires and clinging. Our souls contains the music, poetry, and personality of the individual and it is through this unique personal character that Tibetan lamas recognize the reincarnations of monks from one lifetime to the next. The subtle body also contains the kundalini passage and thus any progress one makes on the path of kundalini goes with you from one lifetime to the next. Kundalini has nothing to do with the brain or thought process so the use of the term 'mind' in place of the term 'soul' is highly misleading.
Note For simplicity sake I include the second, third, fourth, and fifth bodies in my larger definition of the word 'soul' (see The Seven Bodies). I dislike dividing people into parts, even philosophically, and I would prefer to call the entire subtle body the soul. It is possible that soul is a naturally evolved energy form on a subtle level of existence that science has not yet quantified. There is no need to believe in God to believe in soul. The most basic dictionary definition of the word soul is "the non-material aspect of a person." If Buddhists say we must deny the existence of our soul because soul is impermanent, then why not also deny the existence of our physical bodies which are also impermanent? Why should you love your wife if she has no soul? Denial of soul is dehumanizing and disrespectful of man's true nature. Buddhists have played word games avoiding the fact of soul for centuries, confusing students and adding little, I believe, to the fundamental understanding of man's multidimensional nature. If you say you do not believe in the dog but you believe in the qualities of the dog, such as the snout, the tail, the legs, the ears, the belly, and the bark, then you are playing a word game. I see nothing wrong in calling a soul a soul as long as students are advised that soul is not our essential being and that one must ultimately transcend the soul just as we must transcend attachment to our purely physical bodies. One could honestly ask that if the soul does not exist then what is it that becomes enlightened? The soul is the lens through which the universe becomes aware of itself on the grand and cosmic scale. To deny the lens of enlightenment is to be both ungrateful and inaccurate.
Buddha's Four Noble Truths
(1) Life is suffering. Is human life essentially painful from the moment of birth to the moment of death? Even ordinary life can be full of fun, adventure, friends, romance, good food, music and art. Buddhism has been in many ways an anti-life religion that appeals to those who always see the glass half empty rather than half full. Why should we deny the fact that life can be an enjoyable adventure and not just a pitiful veil of tears?
(2) All suffering is caused by ignorance. Much suffering is caused by poverty, accidents, disease, and countless other factors that can be addressed by the positive application of science. Even the fully enlightened suffer physically if they fall down and break a leg. We have modern pain killers for physical pain and psychological suffering can be burned up by meditation. Traditional Buddhist meditation techniques alone have proven inadequate for the Western mind. More relevant and powerful methods are available today. "When the locks (man) change the keys (meditation techniques) must also change." See Meditation Handbook.
(3) Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. A positive spirit is also needed to overcome suffering and dwelling on the potential misery of life only amplifies that misery. Friendship, jokes, and high spirits alleviate suffering more quickly. Love, an experience rarely mentioned in Buddhist scriptures, is such a powerful force that suffering retreats in its presence. The loveless negativism of the extreme forms of Buddhism may lead to a sickly and unloving soul just as easily as an enlightened Anatman (no-soul).
(4) To suppress suffering Buddha recommended the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. What are right views? Is a theocracy of Buddhist priests going to dictate to the sangha (monastic community) how to think and what to say? Intense meditation is needed by all but the difficulties of determining what is "right action" and "right speech" is fraught with dangers. Was it "right action" for Tibet to fail to develop an effective military with which to fight off an obvious Chinese threat? What brilliant monk dictated that "right action" to the sheep like sangha?
I am not saying that Siddhartha's Four Noble Truths are wrong, but rather that religious outlook is highly subjective and personal. A more positive path to enlightenment is possible that is every bit as valid as traditional Buddhism and perhaps more suited to the modern Western mind. I see this new Buddhism as an offshoot of traditional Buddhist and Hindu practice with both the old and new schools coexisting without conflict. This new path has been gradually evolving for decades in the West and this essay is simply meant to help codify and clarify that which is already being born.
Buddhism started in India but the countries to which it spread modified Buddhist teachings to fit their own temperament and culture. Tibetans now practice Tibetan Buddhism and the Japanese practice Japanese Buddhism. The original form of Indian Buddhism has become extinct. The West is far removed from Asian culture. It therefore seems obvious that a new Western Buddhism be quite different in philosophy and methodology, while retaining the ultimate goal of enlightenment.
Siddhartha left his life as a recluse in the forest to create an esoteric philosophy for the masses. The problem is there is no such thing as an esoteric philosophy because esoteric people do no need any philosophy. All doctrine is a product of the mind and the esoteric leap beyond the mind leaves all philosophies far behind. Therefore if you create a new religion it should be with the common man in mind. Religion should be life affirming, value honesty, family, democracy, and reasonable nonviolent behavior. Organized religion is useful to elevate the masses to the point where real religion begins. That point is beyond the mind and beyond any organization, scriptures, rules, or teaching.
Is traditional Buddhism pro-freedom?
The East has always had an imperial model for the teacher-student relationship. At worst it has degraded into an imperial and authoritarian charade of spirituality. Tibetans still enthrone their high lamas in elaborate royal ceremonies. Are we in the West going to enthrone those Westerners among us who attain enlightenment in future years? The very idea is ridiculous and counter to our finest principles of equality and democracy. I have never met any human being who was so enlightened they did not occasionally come up with some truly bad ideas. Likewise, it is rare to find an individual so low that on occasion they don't have a positive suggestion. The West must develop its own Jeffersonian Buddhism based on the West's most noble principles of dignity and respect for all.
A new path is possible
Buddha said that life exists as constant change, but many Buddhist leaders want Buddhism to remain fixed and dead like a rock. A new, more direct path to self-realization is possible that avoids trying to make Westerners look and act more like people from the East. If Westerners are to find their own self, they will have to look inside their own self and not merely imitate the persona of others. Americans and Europeans are not the same as Tibetans and Indians. Trying to think and act like a Tibetan will only make you a false Tibetan, never a real Tibetan, and never a real enlightened Western human being.
I love and respect many Buddhist teachers who are alive today. I just hope a newer breed of teacher will one day appear that will actively encourage students of meditation to become total human beings. We need a new living Buddhism that changes with the times and the condition of the seekers traveling the path. Westerners can afford the luxury of being lovers, parents, meditators, and creators of wealth all in the same lifetime. Buddha gave up his wealth because he thought that was the only way to achieve enlightenment. I am saying you can keep your wealth, your spouse, your home, and still make spiritual progress. Science can give us the added energy we need to have it all. It all is important and nothing of importance should be discarded in the name of spirituality. * Definition: kundalini (kʊn'de-l'ênê) noun of Hindu origin. Physical and sexual energy that lies dormant at the base of the spine is activated through esoteric kundalini practice. This energy is directed through the kundalini channel in the etheric body upward to the top of the head.

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Definitions, Premisses, and Info Index by Letter

Capital A with ring aboveÅ   Capital A with macronĀ   Capital A with breveĂ   Capital A with diaeresisÄ   Capital A with circumflex   Capital A with dot aboveȦ   Capital A with inverted breveȂ   Capital A with tildeà   Capital A with ogonekĄ   Capital AE ligatureÆ   Capital AE ligature with tildeÆ̃   Capital Glottal Stop⦾   Capital Palatoalveolar Click⊛   Regular English AA   Script Capital Lℒ   Capital L with macron aboveL̅   Capital L with dot belowḶ   Capital L with stroke, Dark L Ł   Regular English LL   Capital WHω   Capital W with macron aboveW̅   Capital W with dot belowẈ   Regular English WW   Capital Slide H with reverse solidusℋ⃥   Capital H with macron aboveH̅   Capital H with dot belowḤ   Aspirate^○   Slight Pause⚫   Very Slight Pause⚬   Regular English HH   Capital S with macron aboveS̅   Capital S with dot aboveṠ   Capital SH sign∫   Capital SKΣ   Regular English SS   Hard and Deep Capital DД   High and Light Capital D∇   Regular English DD   Capital O with ring aboveO̊   Capital O with macronŌ   Capital O with breveŎ   Capital O with diaeresisÖ   Capital O with solidusØ   Capital OE ligatureŒ   Capital O with Cyrillic Round OmegaѺ   Capital OIꙔ   Capital O with ogonekǪ   Capital O with double oo topტ   Regular English OO   Capital EZJHʑ   Capital Z with macron belowẔ   Capital Z with dot aboveŻ   Regular English ZZ   Capital K with macron aboveК̅   Capital K with dot below К̣   Capital Hard KHχ   Capital KHƙ   Regular English KK   Capital V with macron aboveV̅   Capital V with dot belowṾ   Regular English VV   Capital G with macronḠ   Capital G with dot aboveĠ   Capital GNΓ   Capital GRЖ   Capital GW   Capital Uvular Voiced ImplosiveϘ   Regular English GG   Capital rolled R with macronЯ̅   Capital rolled R with dot aboveЯ̇   Capital R with macron aboveR̅   Capital R with dot above Ṙ   Capital R with ogonek R̨   Regular English RR   Capital C with cedillaÇ   Capital CHЧ   Regular English CC   Capital N with macron aboveN̅   Capital N with dot belowṆ   Capital N with tildeÑ   Capital NGŋ   Capital NG with macron aboveŋ̅   Regular English NN   Capital Y with macron above Ȳ   Capital Y with dot aboveẎ   Capital Y with yaw aboveЎ   Regular English YY   Capital J with macron aboveЈ̅   Capital J with dot belowЈ̣   Regular English JJ   Capital U with a ring aboveŮ   Capital U with macronŪ   Capital U with breveŬ   Capital U with circumflex aboveÛ   Capital U with diaeresisÜ   Regular English UU   Capital F with macron aboveF̅   Capital F with dot aboveḞ   Regular English FF   Capital Q with macron aboveQ̅   Capital Q with dot aboveQ̇   Regular English QQ   Capital B with macronB̅   Capital B with dot belowḄ   Trilled B   Regular English BB   Capital M with macronM̅   Capital M with dot belowṂ   Capital M with tilde M̃   Capital MB   Capital MGⱮ   Regular English MM   Capital X with macron aboveX̅   Capital X with dot aboveẊ   Regular English XX   Capital I with macronĪ   Capital I with breveĬ   Regular English II   Capital T with macron aboveT̅   Capital T with dot belowṬ   Capital TH voicedΘ   Capital TH voicelessÞ   Capital TSЦ   Capital TSCHЩ   Regular English TT   Capital E with macronĒ   Capital E with breveĔ   Capital E with circumflexÊ   Capital schwa Ə   Regular English EE   Capital P with macron aboveP̅   Capital P with dot aboveṖ   Capital pT   Regular English PP

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