When I first started studying the Dharma, I rarely gave thought to the idea of an American Buddhism. The thought of it never stood out to me as being something to sweat over. With all the sutras to be studied, all the canon to be contemplated, all the meditation to be done, who had time to argue about the finer points of what American Buddhism was going to be. Now that my path has brought me to the Internet (in regards to Buddhism, I have been on the internet for quite a while now), I have found that there is an odd obsession with arguing over this idea of an American Buddhism. Does American Buddhism have to be so defined? Can we not simply allow it to evolve on it’s own as we all work on our own enlightenment? Are we not diversified enough to recognize American Buddhism as the melting pot of traditions and schools?

Buddhism has been moving to the west through cultural diffusion since the 19th century. As the Chinese and Japanese immigrated they brought with them their own traditions. Vietnamese refugees also brought their particular form of Buddhism. Even the hippies who traveled to India, Nepal and Tibet seeking guidance by various gurus and lamas, did their part in diffusing Buddhism to America. If American Buddhism does exist, it is a beautiful patchwork of traditions and teachings that represent the melting pot culture it finds itself in.

What I feel American Buddhism can’t be is a commodity, a pre-packaged self-help seminar. Americans have a tendency to find a way to turn any and everything into a commodity. We want our enlightenment and we want it right now. Our connection to older traditions and the natural evolution of new, wholly Western traditions should respect the lineages and histories of past teaching. There is a certain point that the traditions (which are also a historical record) are needlessly stripped to appease those who are afraid of old ideas, such as karma and rebirth. I have even seen Buddhist meditation techniques referred to as mental technologies. I ask, is this necessary to help Buddhism grow in America or the West in the 21st century? Perhaps there are those seeking iDharma? Some of these attempts at modernization seem like sterilization. A way to “sell” Buddhism to the non-spiritual crowd. And for that matter is being spiritual a bad idea? The answer is so personal that to spend time arguing about it, day in and day out, is time we could all spend focusing on our own development on the Path.

Please note these are simply my ideas at this moment. I respect all beings who agree and disagree with them.

I leave you with this thought: At the Maha Council in June 2011, Gelek Rimpoche told those attending “there is one teacher – that is Buddha – and there is one sangha.” He continued, “Individual people, individual teachings. All Buddha’s teachings, all are Buddhists to me.” (Source: The Huffington Post) And this is what I hope American Buddhism becomes.