In his U.S. visit in 1979, Ajahn Chah speaking to a group of young Americans who had just opened up a Buddhist meditation center had this warning for them.

"You will succeed in truly spreading the Buddha-Dhamma here only if you are not afraid to challenge the desires and opinions of your students (literally ‘to stab their hearts’). If you do this, you will succeed; if you do not, if you change the Teachings and the practice to fit the existing habits and opinions of people out of a misguided sense of wanting to please them, you will have failed in your duty to serve in the best way possible."

This is quite prophetic. Since that time, the West, it is fair to say, changed more or less the Buddha's teachings in an effort to please their students. Many of those who have spent time and money to bring Buddhism to the West have failed in their duty because they secularized Buddhism. It is not even the case of putting new wine into old wine skins in which the new teaching bursts the limits of the old. It is more like putting in some diet soft drink which is not wine. Even new wine is still wine.

Buddhism is meant to challenge us, not please us. It is not like a bottle of Advil or a particular kind of therapy to get us back on our feet so we can become better materialists. Buddhism has a definite aim. It is escape from the conditioned world: a world that we are deeply attached to which is painful and limited. This world even includes our psychophysical body which, according to the Buddha, is suffering. Buddhism demands of us that we develop an attitude that is dedicated to seeking the transcendent which is supramundane. To get to this level involves some not so pleasant encounters with our stubbornness, spiritual stupidity, and arrogance. If we think of our spiritual side as a child, we are guilty of child abuse! We have all but despiritualized that side of us.

I hope someday to share with those who read this blog what the payoff is if one sticks, so to speak, with the non-secular prime directive of Buddhism which is to realize the unconditioned (it comes in many different names from nirvana to Buddha-nature, One Mind, and pure Mind). It is not impossible to achieve; and much more happens after that which is right up there with the paranormal and close encounters. By no measure is Buddhism a dead religion. It is always looking for a few good people.