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by Ananda W. P. Guruge

Select extracts from a paper read at an international conference held in Westminster, London in September 2003

Buddhism is here to stay and grow. In every country in the West, including Australia and New Zealand, Buddhism is statistically the fastest growing religion.

It is not entirely due to the continuing intensity of the Buddhist diaspora from Buddhist countries in turmoil to industrialized countries of the West. It is true that, in spite of efforts to check immigration into some countries, the overall influx of Buddhist immigrants to the West shows signs of growing.

But a steady increase of Westerners choosing Buddhism as their personal religion has also subscribed substantially to the numerical growth. At the same time, the numbers of people who resort to Buddhist practices for their self-improvement especially Buddhist meditation and chanting have risen appreciably.

Admirers and friends of Buddhism are another category where significantly visible increases have taken place. Is Buddhism an Escape for a Few or a System of Values affecting Society?

If Buddhism was once viewed as an escape for those who were either disenchanted with the societal values and spiritual objectives of the West or who are interested in the discovery of alternative ways of living, the current trend is that the influence of Buddhism is more widely felt.

The academic interest in Buddhist Studies has more or less quadrupled over the last decade in the West. The increases are in every aspect: the number of institutions, depth and variety of courses, the number, variety and ramifications of specializations, professors in service and students enrolled.

Even more poignantly, progress is indicated by the volume and the quality of textbooks and manuals, research publications and information on Internet. In USA, where the International Association of Buddhist Studies has its headquarters, well over five hundred professors of Buddhist Studies conduct courses in Colleges and Universities.

Ample opportunity to study Buddhism exists in every State. The trend in Europe and Oceania is equally encouraging.

If the Academia at first concentrated on critical editions and translations of texts and linguistic tools to facilitate the study of related languages, a significant departure is now in evidence.

It may be that these needs are already met. But the more important reason is to lay stress on the doctrinal and philosophical aspects of Buddhist traditions, on the one hand, and on the practice of Buddhist ethics, meditation, rites and ritual, on the other.

Buddhism will continue to be studied but the scope of such studies will be wider and all-embracing. The plethora of publications during the last decade clearly indicates the widening horizons of Buddhist Studies and the resulting intellectual challenges.

The Buddhists as well as friends of Buddhism of the West are no longer content with "sharing the common space" with other spiritual fraternities. Instead, they explore ways and means to ensure that Buddhism extends its beneficial influence on public opinion.

The Buddhist Society of London is in the process of evaluating its services to Britain in the sphere of developing "a climate for public opinion". UNESCO is engaged in a project to elicit from all world religions a system of Universal Ethics and the Buddhist contribution is expected to be substantial.

Reference to Buddhism for a point of view on current issues is also evident in ever-increasing tendency in the Western press both printed and electronic to obtain representative views of Buddhists on abortion to road rage.

It has been the general appraisal of journalists that the Buddhist opinions on these matters are unusually refreshing, as it is not restricted by dogma or the dictates of a church. There is no doubt that an increasing weight would be assigned to Buddhist opinion in regard to Universal Ethics.

4.Buddhism has a contribution to make to Universal Ethics. When we approach the problem of universal ethics from a global point of view at this crucial moment of beginning a new millennium, the limitations of our overall religious experience become very clear.

In a less complex society both the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" and the self-imposed discipline "I take upon myself the discipline of not depriving any sentient being of its life" has a straight-forward connotation.

In today's society the implications of the act of killing involves significant ethical considerations when applied to genocide, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, germ and chemical warfare, hate crimes, euthanasia or mercy killing, suicide and animal rights.

If stealing was once conceived as manifested by theft, burglary and robbery, the concern today extends from white-collar fraud, industrial spying, violation of intellectual property rights to stealing one's identity and even one's sperms, ova, genes and organs.

As regards sexual misconduct and family values, the emerging mores have complicated the moral issues to such an extent that "Anything goes" has become a confusing attitude and its deleterious effect on the stability of society and the future of the humankind is frightening. As regards falsehood, "What is the truth?" has become an expression of cynicism.

In "truth in advertisement," libel and character assassination through subtle and clever insinuation by mass media, and double standards in public affairs, the truth is more often than not the victim. Other forms of verbal harm have similarly proliferated.

Equally complicated are the ethical issues pertaining to intoxicants and drugs. From a problem, which was once approached from the angle of the harm that addiction did to the victim and his family, the ramifications of impact have extended to the very fabric of the health and well-being of humanity.

On still another plane, moral issues connected with biotechnological operations such as cloning, organ growing, genetic engineering call for satisfactory solutions.

The list can be prolonged to show how in each sphere the complexity of ethical issues had proliferated exponentially. Bioethics and medical ethics in the West have called for inputs from Buddhism and the discussion will gain in momentum in the new century.

It is this complexity that demands urgent action. What is desirable is collective action by all those who hold religion as an efficacious solver of ethical questions. But should action be postponed until then? That would be like blaming the darkness without lighting the match in ones' hand.

This is the reason for the decision made by the European Buddhist Union to concentrate on these issues from the Buddhist point of view in the Symposium held in November 2000 in UNESCO to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of its foundation.

Buddhism has an enormous contribution to make in the development of a system of universal ethics. It is a religion, which has had the longest experience in adjusting itself to the needs of different peoples at different times in history.

Unity in Diversity. As Henry Steel Olcott's Fourteen Points in 1891 and Christmas Humphrey's Twelve Principles in 1945 showed, the Western Buddhist has demonstrated a keenness to establish the unity of doctrine and value system, which belies the diversity of practices and beliefs of different traditions of Buddhism.

That this task is yet to be accomplished to the fullest satisfaction has been shown by the recent efforts of the American Buddhist Congress and the Southern California Sangha Council.

After nearly a decade of consultations, these organizations have issued in 1997 a Ten-point Convention on Buddhism across Cultures, drafted by Havanpola Ratanasara Thera, Ananda W. P. Guruge, Karuna Dharma, Henry Shinn and Jack Bath. ( See Appendix for these three declarations)

Support for this Convention is being canvassed worldwide and the indications are that this would further strengthen the ecumenical trend in present-day Buddhism. An intensified search for a common core of teachings and values underlying different traditions of Buddhism will be a primary preoccupation of the international Buddhist community in the twenty-first century.

Convergence in Objectives: Another noticeable tendency, which would grow in intensity in the new millennium, is the effort in Buddhist circles to ensure the convergence in objectives.

Can all Buddhists in the world unite in identifying and pursuing a set of aims, goals and objectives, which override traditional differences? The concept of Humanistic Buddhism as enunciated and interpreted by Venerable Grand Master Hsing Yun of Fo Guang Shan Monastic Order of Taiwan seeks to achieve such a convergence of objectives.

He has established a number of magnificent Buddhist Temples and viable organizations in USA, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Paraguay, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.

His lay Buddhist organization, BLIA (Buddha Light International Association), has, over ten years, expanded to a membership of over a million all over the world. Just as the temples, the branches of BLIA are predominantly in the Western Hemisphere and their collective impact is exceedingly beneficial to the enhancement of the promotion of Buddhism.

Hsi Lai University in Los Angeles County, California, USA has already distinguished itself as a forward-looking centre of higher learning, which provides the richest and the most comprehensive course offerings in Buddhism from a Bachelor's degree to a Doctorate in Buddhist Studies and a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religious Studies.

Its International Academy of Buddhism utilizes the mechanics of an annual international conference and an annual journal, called the Hsi Lai Journal of Humanistic Buddhism, to provide the academic underpinnings to a worldwide movement based on Grand Master Hsing Yun's vision.

Approached from diverse angles, Humanistic Buddhism caters for most of the needs that Buddhists in the West would face in the current century, especially on account of its convergence with the objectives of "Socially Engaged Buddhism."

Leadership with Charisma and Innovative Approach. Judging from recent experience in the West, the Buddhists have relied heavily on the charismatic and innovative leadership which has come from outside. Venerable Grand Master Hsing Yun with his extensive infrastructural facilities, and dedicated human resources has been particularly effective.

His organizational strengths ensure that his leadership will continue to be exercised for many decades to come through his institutions and organizations. On the other hand, the Nobel Prize Laureate, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, has, through his personal charm and spiritual qualities, attracted multitudes of disciples, admirers and friends.

His leadership is exemplified by not only the success of his own Geluk school but also that of other schools of Tibetan Buddhism in the Western world.

A very different kind of leadership is exercised by Dr. S. N. Goenka, the devoted disciple and spiritual successor of the Burmese lay devotee U Ba King, the promulgator of the movement to popularize Vipassana Bhavana among the laity.

Dr. Goenka's vast organization of Vipassana Meditation Centres with the cohesive network of Assistant Teachers has provided a rallying point for the serious practitioner of Meditation as set out in Early Buddhism.

These forms of leadership will continue to be needed in the West to supplement what has been developed with Western ingenuity such as in the Zen Movement, and Friends of Western Buddhism of Venerable Sangharakshita.

Proliferation of Buddhist Publications: The number of publishing houses in the West has increased rapidly over the last few years and their viability is no longer in doubt. The variety of books, too, has been impressive.

The little known Tibetan Buddhist works mainly those whose Sanskrit originals are no longer extant have been translated by competent scholars and interpreted by learned monastics including His Holiness Dalai Lama.

Publications in English are produced specially in Japan and Taiwan for worldwide consumption. The Japanese organization Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai has commenced translating the major scriptures of the Taisho edition of the Chinese Tripitaka and the works so far published evince the highest quality.

All these publishing activities are scheduled for decades to come and the momentum created by them is bound to last and expand. There will be no dearth of books to read.

Buddhism in Virtual Sphere or Cyberspace: A similar proliferation of electronically available information on Buddhism is another phenomenon, which would grow exponentially in the coming millennium.

The Internet is an ever-expanding source of a wide variety of data as well as an effective means of discussion of views and exchange of ideas and experiences. Websites in Western languages are generated not only in Europe, North America, and Australia but also in traditionally Buddhist countries in Asia.

To a very great extent, these fill the gap in broadcast media. Although signs of improvement are observable in some countries like Britain and France, the public television and radio are yet to be mobilized adequately for the diffusion of Buddhism in the West.

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