The Future of Asian Traditions (Buddhism)

Given the topic 'The Future of Asian Traditions,' I was immediately intrigued. I wondered what lay ahead for religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism in the near or distant future in both the East and the West. However, what I learnt was something entirely off of this thought pattern. Yesterday, I had the great opportunity to listen to a lecture on this very topic by Assoc Prof Rod Bucknell.

Focusing solely on Buddhism, Bucknell asked the big question: where is it all going to end up? This made me ponder... should Buddhism be maintaining the standards of living that existed at the time of the Buddha, or should it be adapting to remain relevant to modern Western society as to not be cut off from the general community? How far should this Asian religion compromise? In other words, is it okay to change the original Buddhist traditions in order to branch out and adapt to a Western context? To these questions, Bucknell proposed that scholars of Buddhism go from one extreme to the other. Some believe Buddhism should fully adapt to modern society, whilst others believe they should not have to adapt at all.

When it comes to Buddhist lay people wanting to become monks or nuns, it may be necessary for the future of Buddhism to adapt. To become a monk or nun, the novice must approach an assembly of ten monks or nuns who are respected for their virtue and learning. However, in remote places, these rules simply can no longer be kept because of the lack of numbers of respected elders. According to Bucknell, this is why some locations do not have any Buddhist nuns. It therefore almost seems necessary for the Buddhist tradition to adapt this rule in order to keep the religion alive and prospering.

In Bucknell's paper titled Conditioned Arising Evolves: Variation and Change in Textual Accounts of the Paticca-samuppada Doctrine, he notes a "process of transformation" (1999). In terms of the Paticca-samuppada Doctrine, or the Law of Dependent Origination, Buddhism demonstrates some adaptability to modern times. He highlights that there are four versions of this doctrine, with two of these showing evidence of being derived from a single earlier form (Bucknell 1999). So, in his paper, Bucknell demonstrates that Buddhism is capable of adaption and change. Maybe this "process of transformation" needs to be considered for the entirety of the religion as to adapt to modern times. Or, maybe simple, almost unnoticed transformations like the one aforementioned is all Buddhism needs to become more relevant to our contemporary world.

At this moment in time, Buddhism is somewhat of an alienated practice to people who are not Buddhist themselves or do not study religion. Thus, misconceptions of this Eastern religion are common. For instance, in senior schooling, Buddhism is contrasted with the Western religions, i.e. Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and is somewhat pictured as not a 'real' religion but rather a philosophy of life. However, in university studies, it becomes blatantly clear that it is indeed a real and existing religion. So, considering the future of Asian traditions, I wonder if Australia will be more understanding of Buddhism in the future? Will Buddhist practices become more common knowledge in the West, like that of Christianity?

Reference

Bucknell R. 1999. Conditioned Arising Evolves: Variation and Change in Textual Accounts of the Paticca-samuppada Doctrine. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 22/2: 311-342.