Buddhism Under Siege from Within: Updated

Here is a link to an article I consider so timely and provocative, that I wish everyone would give it a read and then join the dialogue -- particularly the OENAB* who frequently forget that while they are the noisiest part of Buddhism, they are also the smallest part of Buddhism.

My hat is off to Bhikkhu K. Tanchangya for having the courage to tell it like he sees it --- and I would like to see more of the same.

One deeply disturbing trend that is sneaking around almost unnoticed is the sudden spate of "Christian Zen" practitioners. Another outrage ripe for investigation is the sudden swarm of Christian missionaries camping all over Tibet Town in Chengdu, looking to profit from any misery they can find or foster.

Salad bowl spirituality ends in disaster. If you're a Buddhist, then be a Buddhist. Don't water it down just because you live in the United States, and perceive yourself adrift alone in a "Christian nation." Despite what it says on the money, this is not now, nor has it ever been, nor was it ever meant to be a "Christian nation."

What the Han did to Tibet, the Christians did to Native America, and it is Native America that represents the true spirituality of this land between the oceans.

UPDATED: I just remembered an incident following the tsunami disaster. Christian "aid workers" came to Thailand, to the areas hardest hit, where numbers of children were orphaned. They set down two boxes, with holes in the tops big enough so that a child could reach inside. One box was labeled "Buddha," and one box was labeled "Jesus." When the child reached in the "Jesus" box, he or she came away with a handful of candy. But, the "Buddha" box was empty. Imagine the subconscious effect that had on a newly-orphaned child. This same trick was applied in Sri Lanka, and elsewhere.


*OENAB: Obnoxiously Ethnocentric North American Buddhists