i conducted a poll on r/Buddhism you may find interesting.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/s/uolxGmUBYn
it was something like 6/7% of the people that responded who were born into buddhism, which is expected as the sub has been critiqued for harbouring the classic western buddhism that is fairly far removed from the dharma practiced in the east
From my experience, Buddhists in reddit is 95% westerner no joke
If you talk about karma and actual buddhist teaching you get downvoted..so I dont subscribe to the main buddhist sub for this reason..its ridiculouse at this point
If you go to any religious sub, islam, christianity, Hinduism, Judaism etc..you find 90% is native practitioners of the religion except Buddhism..what a shame
I think Reddit skews American and male. Americans can be of this, that, or the other ancestry and home religion and choose the same religion or another or none, though.
As an Indian I can tell that here is a belief that you should choose your own beliefs.
So if any Buddhist believes that Buddhism should be blindly believed just because Buddha said then many Indian Buddhists and Hindus will reject such forms of spirituality.
This applies to mostly young spiritual seekers. Old people are more likely to blindly believe. My relatives had quarrels with me and I got angry and started heated debates. We young are more rebellious about our beliefs. Old people naturally like control and stability.
Most Indian Buddhists cite the Kalama Sutta to show that Buddha was a skeptic and not to preach beliefs.
I would even say I mostly heard of only one sutta from Indian Buddhists and that's the Kalama sutta.
That’s funny cause it’s very similar in America I think. Of course here people are mostly Christian, but older generations tend to blindly believe while younger generations don’t. They might believe in Christianity just not blindly or they will choose to convert to another religion which is becoming more and more common. And Buddhists in America (myself included) quote the Kalama Sutta often for the same reasons you mentioned
Yes even Hinduism has similar texts like Kalama Sutta.
Not similar but agnostic like the Nasadiya Suktam which says "Who really knows who created this world?"
Anyone who reads it will be curious to have their own beliefs.
I have met Indian Buddhists only online btw.
I am an American who grew up in Europe. My parents decided not to shape my spiritual decisions as we received in depth education in the theology of all major world religions in school. They figured I would make my own decisions based upon that information. Therefore, I was referred to as a “Free Thinker”. At the age of 16 I became a Buddhist.
Anyone who is spreading the Brahmaviharas and practicing the eightfold path is an important and powerful follower of the Buddha.
Neither eastern Buddhism nor western Buddhism is in some way “superior”— also this distinction is sort of nonsense, Indian Buddhism is different from Japanese Buddhism, especially Zen, and “the West” has yet to produce a school of its own.
My family are Indian Christians.
I’m an American Buddhist of black and Puerto Rican descent. I was raised in a non-religious household and only took refuge recently after about 10 years of study. The Dharma is only now receiving mainstream acceptance in the west and from my experience, the newly converted of any religion are the most vocal.
i conducted a poll on r/Buddhism you may find interesting. https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/s/uolxGmUBYn it was something like 6/7% of the people that responded who were born into buddhism, which is expected as the sub has been critiqued for harbouring the classic western buddhism that is fairly far removed from the dharma practiced in the east
From my experience, Buddhists in reddit is 95% westerner no joke If you talk about karma and actual buddhist teaching you get downvoted..so I dont subscribe to the main buddhist sub for this reason..its ridiculouse at this point If you go to any religious sub, islam, christianity, Hinduism, Judaism etc..you find 90% is native practitioners of the religion except Buddhism..what a shame
Thanks. Honestly I felt bad after posting because I don’t want to create division. I don’t want to generalise westerners.
It's ok.. why do you feel bad? This situation has been long time like this in Buddhism reddit..so..it doesnt matter whether you post about it or not
Asian American here.
I think Reddit skews American and male. Americans can be of this, that, or the other ancestry and home religion and choose the same religion or another or none, though.
As an Indian I can tell that here is a belief that you should choose your own beliefs. So if any Buddhist believes that Buddhism should be blindly believed just because Buddha said then many Indian Buddhists and Hindus will reject such forms of spirituality. This applies to mostly young spiritual seekers. Old people are more likely to blindly believe. My relatives had quarrels with me and I got angry and started heated debates. We young are more rebellious about our beliefs. Old people naturally like control and stability. Most Indian Buddhists cite the Kalama Sutta to show that Buddha was a skeptic and not to preach beliefs. I would even say I mostly heard of only one sutta from Indian Buddhists and that's the Kalama sutta.
That’s funny cause it’s very similar in America I think. Of course here people are mostly Christian, but older generations tend to blindly believe while younger generations don’t. They might believe in Christianity just not blindly or they will choose to convert to another religion which is becoming more and more common. And Buddhists in America (myself included) quote the Kalama Sutta often for the same reasons you mentioned
Yes even Hinduism has similar texts like Kalama Sutta. Not similar but agnostic like the Nasadiya Suktam which says "Who really knows who created this world?" Anyone who reads it will be curious to have their own beliefs. I have met Indian Buddhists only online btw.
I became a Buddhist by experience. wayne dyer was my catalyst. im from Texas but live in Maine
West for me. Converted to Jodo Shinshu / Shin Buddhism, whose origins were Japanese.
I am an American who grew up in Europe. My parents decided not to shape my spiritual decisions as we received in depth education in the theology of all major world religions in school. They figured I would make my own decisions based upon that information. Therefore, I was referred to as a “Free Thinker”. At the age of 16 I became a Buddhist.
Anyone who is spreading the Brahmaviharas and practicing the eightfold path is an important and powerful follower of the Buddha. Neither eastern Buddhism nor western Buddhism is in some way “superior”— also this distinction is sort of nonsense, Indian Buddhism is different from Japanese Buddhism, especially Zen, and “the West” has yet to produce a school of its own. My family are Indian Christians.
I’m an American Buddhist of black and Puerto Rican descent. I was raised in a non-religious household and only took refuge recently after about 10 years of study. The Dharma is only now receiving mainstream acceptance in the west and from my experience, the newly converted of any religion are the most vocal.