Generation X Buddhist Teachers
by Al
The BuddhistGeeks blog has a good post on Generation X and Buddhist Teachers.
I was amused by the Daniel Ingram quote:
“Daniel Ingram, a Gen X teacher that can often be found lighting up the comment section here on BGeeks, explains that he is part of ‘a generation whose radicals wore spikes and combat boots rather than beads and sandals, listened to the Sex Pistols rather than the Moody Blues, wouldn’t know a beat poet or early ‘60s dharma bum from a hole in the ground, and thought the hippies were pretty friggin’ naïve.’”
Given my general attitude towards hippies and the discussions that I’ve had here and elsewhere about going to Dharma events to be surrounded by Boomers, this is something that I identify with quite a bit. My first companion in the Dharma was a tattooed punk girl whom I knew and who was a Naropa student. She went to the first empowerment (for Green Tara) with me, that I attended before I took refuge vows.
The fact that people are out there talking about what the future is going to be like and, well, the problem of relevancy is something that makes me pleased.
Comments
Hey Al,
Sorry about all those Boomers! We’ll die off as quickly as we can! As far as how to reach Gen Xers, though, it’s worth noting that what Trungpa told the hippies was to get haircuts, dress up and join the Chamber of Commerce. That’s because self-indulgence and mental fuzziness are sort of incompatible with getting anywhere in Buddhism, although Trungpa undercut his own message somewhat by some pretty self-indulgent behavior.
So, maybe you should look for aspects of Gen X culture that _are_ compatible with Buddhism, and work on turning them into doorways into the Dharma. If people are encouraged to self-identify with combat boots and the Sex Pistols, that seems to be saying that Gen X is about being pissed off and edgy, but Buddhism is clear in regarding anger as a negative emotion that needs to be removed, transformed or understood and experienced as empty, so it’s hard to see how one can identify with being both angry and Buddhist in an intellectually consistent way. And edginess might possibly get in the way of expressing compassion for all beings. So maybe skillful means would be finding other aspects of the culture to emphasize, like mental clarity and the desire to avoid self-delusion, in making a bridge for people to Buddhism.
W.B.
Those are good points as always, Bill.
How do we connect with people and transform attitudes towards something that will help with the goal of enlightenment, not hinder it.
With all that, I may not wish for the death of some of your generation quite so quickly. :-)
Hey Al,
I’m glad to hear that! I have to say that, on the Other Side, I’ll sure miss this vintage Burgundy, as Stereotypically Boomer as that might sound. Not to mention missing the company of a number of Gen Xers I really find pretty cool! I guess the answer to your question is to put aside our own personal and cultural orientations in order to do what’s best for those we’re dealing with. Easier said than done. Oddly, when I was working as an attorney, occasionally representing fairly problematic Pagans and S&M folks–I was able to do it better than when I was “doing religion.” It was the perception of “professional obligation,” I think, but maybe that indicates that I should have more of a sense of “spiritual obligation.” You ask, as usual, some good questions!
W.B.
Yes, callow youth has turned into semi-thoughtful adult. :-)
You need to come out to the Bay Area, Bill.
Perhaps we are due a new generation of hippies revolting against the punks who were revolting against the hippies. Look out for 16 year old Ginsbergs at your Zendo, it will mean that the Wheel has turned again and that its time to break out the patchouli..