I was probably going to Elevision tonight, and seeing Reggie Ray quoted in this article just made my mind up. The show is put on by Elephant Magazine, a mindful living magazine out of Boulder, that looks at Buddhism, yoga, organics, and meditation.

It really is the magazine of this new generation of the Buddhists. Check it out at www.iamelephant.com or pick up a copy at places nationally like Whole Foods.

I am an old man. Curious; an old man like me looks at Buddhism as a fountain of Sorrowful Joy; the youngsters look at it as a palliative; as a Joyless therapy. What a shame. We don’t need less stress; we need a sorrowful joy; when we have done our work to purge ourselves, our longing sweetens our suffering and renders our strange duplicity—we are both essentially mortal and essentially unborn and undying-into immortal mortality.

I feel deeply glad that my forthcoming Zen Words book has, time and time again, insisted on Zen Master Ikkyu’s demand:

Every day, priests minutely examine the Law

And endlessly chant profound sutras.

Before this, though, they should first

Read the love letters sent by the wind and rain,

the snow and moon.

No love-letters, no delight in being alive; only endless searching for ways to feel better.

My advice? Kids: Lighten up and purge yourselves; then this bloody mudball of a world is full of love letters.

Richard Carter (Eppou, Koji)

clay.collier was pretty much dead on in describing the dynamic of the early Buddhism communities in the West. And I think he is also very correct that an updated but similarly narrowly-focused group is very likely to run into the same problems.

However, I think the ID project (of which I'm a member) is distinguished by several features which the article didn't entirely explore. One, the focus is on exploring the many points of confluence of Buddhism and the arts and social activism. This focus does much to dispel insularity and highlight all that Buddhism has to offer to a wide range of receptive people. Second, going out to dinner or for a drink with friends you've made or people you've just met--interacting in a purely social setting--is not particularly an indulgence. It's a vital component of building community and connecting with other people. It's true that cross-generational social structures will eventually be necessary. But there are relatively few young Buddhists these days, so we have to take it one step at a time.

The question of whether or not these communities reflect a deep and thorough understanding of the tradition is important. However, it must be remembered that historically a very large pool of people with a superficial understanding of Buddhism supported the small percentage with a deep understanding. Wallace is right that we need people with years of retreat experience. But we also need people who are willing to sponsor those individuals, who see the value in that. And if the broader community dries up, there won't be any support for anything. And right now that's a real danger.

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.