Bourgeois Buddhists: Do Americans Miss the Point of Buddhism?

What does it mean to adopt a religion as your own?

Is it merely the egregore that we tap into, attributing a different name to the nature of reality one would call god or the universe, or are there standardized practices that if not upheld would bar you from actually being a believer?

The example of the Achuar, an un-contacted tribe until the 1970's is a great example. They now, whether it be for political reasons or not, claim to be ..."Catholic".

They interpret dreams, claim to shape shift, partake in entheogenic rituals to catch visions of the future, and in some cases are poly amorous.

Does it make them Catholic to project the name of Jesus onto "..the spirit of the rain forest, arutum.."?

American Buddhism gets the same scrutiny from the author of this article. What some would call 'Wikipedia Buddhism', he would relate to wikipdeianism.

Does meditation, the main staple of Amero-Buddhist who believe they are 'practicing' equate to participating in the psychology, psychiatry, or philosophy of the Buddha?

The author says no, and in fact very little meditation goes on other than as a formative teaching in 'real' Buddhist camps.

Are you an American Buddhist? What do you do that connects you to the core beliefs of the Buddha? Please read the article and share your thoughts with me/us. :)

Owen Flanagan, Ph.D.: Bourgeois Buddhists: Do Americans Miss the Point of Buddhism? http://mys.tc/wa