Religion Watch Archives

Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archives
    • By Issue
    • By Article
    • By PDF (2008-14)
    • By PDF (1985-97)
    • All Articles
  • Sections
    • Current Research
    • Findings & Footnotes
    • On/File
  • Google Search
You are here: Home / Archive / High cost Buddhism preventing growth?

High cost Buddhism preventing growth?

April 1, 2000 by Richard Cimino

Print-friendly

One of the reasons Buddhism may have difficulty spreading beyond upper- and middle class white Americans is the high economic cost of Buddhist spiritual practice, writes Joe Parker in Turning Wheel (Spring), the magazine of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.

In Asian countries, most Buddhist practices, such as meditation retreats, are offered free to practitioners. In the U.S. retreats and other intensive practice periods are relatively expensive, not to mention the paraphernalia that goes along with Buddhist practice, such as meditation cushions, robes and altars. Parker conducted an informal survey of recent American Buddhist center publications and web sites, and found a “clear difference in the fee structures and other costs of practice between centers that serve a predominantly Asian population and those that serve mostly non-Asians.”

For instance, a North American Buddhist center catering to a largely white population charges an average of $50 for a one-day retreat. For membership at a center, it could be $10-$120 per month or $100-$2500 per year. In contrast, U.S. Buddhist centers serving Asian immigrants “showed a consistent pattern of offering retreats for free or, more commonly, for a voluntary donation.” This pattern may have been brought over from Buddhists in Asian countries who “have a long history of meeting the religious needs of individuals from a broad spectrum of economic means.”

Parker adds that the lack of Bi-lingual material at centers and the way regular spiritual  practice may not yield to the demands of a household with children and working parents are also factors in the class gap in American Buddhism.

(Turning Wheel, PO Box 4650, Berkeley, CA 94704)

Print-friendly

Filed Under: Archive

Also in this issue

  • On/File: April 2000
  • Findings & Footnotes: April 2000
  • Catholic-Evangelical accord in Britain
  • Current Research: April 2000
  • Sikhs finding political muscle
  • Storefronts not welcome in new urban south
  • Religious giving shows influence of women, decentralization
  • Situation improving on AIDS and the priesthood
  • Eastern themes used in beauty products to lure young
  • New research questions post-denominational future
  • The religious right re-energized for campaign 2000?

Search the Site

Download the first issue of RELIGION WATCH (1980)

Download the first issue of RELIGION WATCH (1980)

Click on the image for downloading

© 2016-2023 Richard Cimino / Religioscope
·News Pro Theme · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress