[MD] Asma Preface

[John Carl]

>From the Preface to, Gods Drink Whiskey, by Stephen Asma

"Consequently, Eastern ideas in the West float about like little self-esteem
life-preservers-- clung to by desperately disintegrating personalities.
 American Buddhists frequently go no further than, "This is what Buddhism
means to *me*."  Never detecting the narcissism in this approach and never
bothering to try and understand Buddhism on its own terms.
The result is that mainstream sensible Americans have a skewed perception of
Buddhism because the local ambassadors of these ideas are notoriously
spooky.  Buddhism has become just one more self-improvement gimmick among
the designer-water-drinking set.  Perhaps this was inevitable when the form
of Buddhism that entered America during the counter-culture years was Zen.
 Zen, which I also love, is the hyper-puritan descendant of Buddhism--the
neurotic cousin that's always disinfecting the furniture and showering off
the impurities.  It's so vigilant about eliminating dogma and anything
outside of pristine meditation practice that it no longer bears any
resemblance to Buddhism (except for its connection to the "mindfulness
discussion in the Buddha's Mahasatipatthana Sutta).

This is not really a criticism of Zen.  But my humble observation is that
American dharma has evolved into its rather narcissistic form because Zen
introduced Buddhism as a simple concentration practice and nothing more.
 Americans adopted the meditation idea, but left behind the austere
discipline of Zen and the cultural context.  This neutered Zen.  Buddhism
has no baggage whatsoever, so Americans felt that they could drape it over
whatever beliefs they already enjoyed.  That seems like a virtue at first
("Look, I'm a Christina AND a Buddhist") but it lulled Americans into
thinking that Buddhism is the Silly Putty of Religions -- infinitely
malleable and conveniently fashionable.  Buddhism becomes another accessory.
 Living in Southeast Asia, however, rids you of this confusion very quickly.