Then the Salon faithful will flock to it. Anything other than that they feel is bogus. It's like the old Hollywood adage "The most important thing is sincerity, if you can fake that you got it made!"

"...On a Tuesday night meeting last fall, Korda sported a trucker's cap, long plaid shorts, a bowling shirt and massive Buddhist tattoos. After a 20-minute guided meditation, many in the audience -- arty hipster types in their 20s, 30s and early 40s -- sprawled casually across the cushions while Korda and his co-teacher, Craig Swogger, gave a classic Buddhist teaching on the origin of suffering. ..."

I have difficulty reconciling Whitney Joiner's and her co-travelers' desire for "coolness" with the fact that Siddhārtha Gautama rather made a point of being the least "cool" person in the world, if not the universe.

These people seem to believe that Buddhism must come to them, that any obligation for journey or change rests entirely upon Buddhism.

Their spiritual imaginations seem oddly limited.

In the Exodus Narrative in the Hebrew Bible, in the Prophet Muhammad's hijra and Night Journey, in Siddhārtha Gautama's own Wanderjahre, we get a definite sense that enlightenment requires personal displacement.

If Joiner & Co. enjoy hanging out in dive bars, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that insofar as they don't use Buddhism as a pretext for being there.

I would suggest only that the path to enlightenment leads to detours and destinations not so easily anticipated. Its destination, by definition, is entirely unforeseen. Which is why we associate it with freedom.

There is no "buddhism" and there are no "buddhists." There is only the dharma, your karma and, if you wish to share the path, the sangha. While the life/praxis of a bhikhu does have its cultural roots in the east, the more general philosophy of the Buddha (Mahayana, Theravada or whatever) is truly universal and transcends the temporal trappings of its preachers.

Please: buddhism is NOT about 'nihilism and dread,' as one poster wrote; nor is it 'double-talk hooey,' as did another. Please learn something about buddhism (which resembles behavioral psychology) before spouting negative stereotypes about it.

BTW, 'dukkha' is stress or suffering, its literal translation means 'off kilter,' referring to a cart wheel going in a different direction than the other wheels on the cart (think a bum shopping cart) -- you can still use it, but there's always a feeling of discontent.

oops, i meant to say that dukkha is NOT 'stress' or 'suffering' -- it's discontent.

That explains Reagan and the current Bush.

The "new" philosophy of putting Buddhist practices into your daily life is very refreshing, and probably far closer to Buddhism's original intent than cloistered meditation. It's far easier to achieve oneness with the universe if your universe consists of some rocks, twigs and insects in a faraway cave. It's only when you have to deal with other people that things get tricky, and it's good to see that the new teachers are teaching real solutions.

In the Lotus Sutra there is a story known as "The Parable of the Burning House" which embodies the Buddhist concept of skillful means.

A father comes home to find his house on fire and inside his children playing with their toys seemingly oblivious to the fire. He calls out to the children telling them the house is on fire and that they need to get out immediately, but the children refuse to leave telling their father that they're having too much fun playing with their toys. The father tells his children that he has brought with him some wonderful toys, carts of all shapes and sizes and colors, goat carts and deer carts and oxcarts. He tells them that he brought these gifts for them, these magnificent carts, but in order to enjoy them they need to leave the house right now. The children comply with their father's wishes and abandon the burning house.

The question arises as to whether the father has lied to his children. The answer, of course, is no. The father used expedient, or skillful means, to save his children. He acted out of wisdom, compassion and love. Had the father not acted as he did he would have consigned his children to death.

So too the Buddha uses skillful means in order to liberate all sentient beings from dukkha, or suffering. Buddhism is definitely not a one size fits all solution to pain and suffering. Rather there are many forms of Buddhism, some growing out of the needs of various cultures, and some out of the needs of varied human beings.

HH Dalai Lama often advises Westerners that they should not abandon their own religions simply because they find happiness or solace in this or that aspect of Buddhist practice. He tells his audiences that they can take whatever they want from Buddhism, anything that helps them become happier and more compassionate without the need to become apostates to the religion in which they were raised. HH Dalai Lama has spoken of his concern for Western converts as many in times of great stress, or pain, or despair will return to the more familiar and comforting practices of their youth. He urges people to use as little or as much Dharma as they choose.

As for the Dharma Punx and other youth-oriented Buddhist communities, it strikes me that they are simply utilizing skillful means of their own devising. If they bring the Dharma to those who would otherwise not have received it, then they are performing a useful service. My only caveat would be that, inasmuch as impermanence is an aspect of all compounded phenomenon, the hip nature of their Dharma presentation must change over time, or it will cease to be expedient, or skillful.

I was born a Christian, but I gave up organized religion at the age of 17. I never really bought into the soteriological aspects of Christianity, but I did, and still do, embrace the teachings of Jesus. About ten years ago, I found myself drawn to the teachings of the Buddha after reading a book written by the late Lama Yeshe. I studied on my own for many years, and then, about five years ago, started to attend dharma centers. I have since taken Refuge in the Three Jewels. I practice in the Tibetan tradition according to the Gelupa school. My practice has brought me a measure of peace and has allowed me to feel good about organized religion again.

I guess I'd like to end by noting that one's spiritual teacher in Buddhism is very important. This may seem odd to non-Buddhists. Some may feel this veneration of the spiritual teacher, or lama, is a sign of a cult of personality, but it is not. We venerate the spiritual teacher because he makes possible the transmission of the Dharma, and so much more, and steers us in the right direction, towards liberation. The spiritual teacher is one who understands the use of skillful means.