One of the Buddhist denominations possibly most familiar to the readers of this issue of Sangha Notes is Jodo Shinshu (“True Pure Land”). This distinctly Japanese denomination was brought to flower by Shinran Shonin (1173-1263), a disciple of Honen. Furthermore, the beginning of the thirteenth century in Japan was a time when at least two other “major” denominations also began to take root; denominations which today still have many adherents. One is Nichiren (not to be confused with the Soka Gakkai—known in the US as NSA). The other is Japanese Zen.

From the time of Buddhism's introduction in Japan to the time of Shinran Shonin required 700 years of evolution. Then, you must add another 800 years of refinement to arrive at the Jodo Shin Shu of today, as practiced on the eve of the twenty-first century.

Over the past 100 years, Buddhism in this country has evolved and changed, influenced by the potpourri of cultures and sub-cultures which can be found coexisting only in the US. As we approach the twenty-first century, Buddhism has even become an important way of life for many American people with no Asian heritage whatsoever. So, maybe it's fair to analogize and say that Buddhism in America is in a similar embryonic state as it might have been in Japan in the year 642.

I wonder if the practitioners of Buddhism in 7th century Japan concerned themselves with whether or not they were practicing “Japanese Buddhism.” My guess is that they just practiced, and were less concerned with the name, or label, they applied to their practice.

But in doing so, let us not fall into the trap of forgetting that this label is merely a label, and not the actual reality of our practice, or philosophy, or our way of life. As Alan Watts stated in The Way of Zen, “To serve their purpose, names and terms must of necessity be fixed and definite like all other units of measurement. But their use is—up to a point—so satisfactory that man is always in danger of confusing his measures with the world so measured... to the degree that he identifies himself and his life with these rigid and hollow frames of definition, he condemns himself to perpetual frustration... ... 'name-and-form' is the mind's attempt to grasp the fluid forms of nature in its mesh of fixed classes.“

What could be more fluid than the evolution of Buddhism in America today?

Our practice is changing. We are changing it. It is changing us. No one can predict the direction it will take.

Perhaps, in the year 2397, there will be the widely-accepted denomination of (American) Buddhism known as Bright Dawn. Or, conversely, as speculated in the 11/96 issue of the BTC Bulletin, perhaps our American Buddhist leaders, for whom many of us have the utmost in respect, may simply turn out to be “...transient player(s)in the ‘venerable master’ role.” Only our distant heirs will know the answers.

One thing we do know, however, is that how it turns out is up to us. All of us.

You can have an influence in creating the future. The Heartland Sangha is a vigorous and lively participant in whatever tiny role we may possibly be playing in shaping the future of American Buddhism. Our meetings have passion, energy, humor, arguments, love, and great food. Buddhism, with whatever label or denomination you might care to apply, is alive and kicking within our group.

We encourage anyone and everyone who's interested to become involved. Who knows, what you do may just go down in history.

Editor's Note, this article is reprinted from the
Sangha Notes newsletter.

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You can also influence the future by joining or starting a sangha in your area. We have some sample Buddhist services on our site to give you an idea of what we do. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions on "sangha building."

We also have an article on A Brief History of Buddhist Sects. This article explores the events that mark the time of the Buddha Sangha's split into two groups--Mahayana and Hinayana (known as Theravada).