At Religion Dispatches, Danny Fisher asks why there are no Buddhists on President Obama's 25-member Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Yeah, Brother Danny. I want to know, too.
If you don't mind some personal kvetching -- I associate frequently, especially on Google groups, with people of many religions who are also progressive political activists. And when the Obama Administration announced the appointees to the Advisory Council, there was much criticism from my associates of these appointees, because the panel's membership tilts more conservatively than they'd like.
But my observation that there were no Buddhists at all on the Advisory Council was met with silence. Not an issue worth being concerned about, apparently.
As Danny says, "of the five major world religions, Buddhism has the third largest following in the United States, with more adherents than Islam and Hinduism." I certainly don't begrudge the fact that there are Hindu and Muslim members of the Council. But I think Buddhism offers some unique and wholesome perspectives on many trying issues. We're a resource that is not being tapped.
I's not that we're really invisible. We seem to be making a little splash in popular culture, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama is, like, everyone's favorite uncle. But I get a sense that Buddhism is not being taken seriously as a religion.
(And yes, Buddhism is a religion.)
I think it is OK that we are above the fray right now. It seems amazing to me that we are attacked as little as we are. Hitchens, Dawkins, launch feeble darts occasionally. I’d rather see this atheist intellectual uprising burn off a little energy and I think Obama really needs to be concerned with the Christians right now. He’s a very good man and when he meets with HHDL it will be a momentous occurrence.
Well, ONE Buddhist would be good, but who?
Amen, sister!
(And kudos on the “favorite uncle” line, which put a really cute visual in my head).
(And double kudos on subtly pushing the Buddhism is a religion angle, once again. I recently cancelled my RSS subscription to One City, because I was getting so tired of the “Buddhism isn’t a religion, because religions are, like, bad and stuff, and religious people all want to exterminate everyone who doesn’t believe the same way thay do” nonsense).
If Buddhists truly want to be more represented in government councils and so forth, they will need to organize on a national level. Power pays attention to power, and that means forming voting blocks, lobbying organizations and so forth. Right now, so far as a I can see, American Buddhists are mainly organized locally or according to their various traditions, or in many cases are unafilliated individuals who self-identity as Buddhists. After all, Buddhism does not have the formal conversion requirements that most other American faiths tend to have. By contrast, Jews and Christians have long been organized into national bodies, and Muslims are working on it (or such groups as Arab-Americans that are mainly Muslim). Hindus are a curious case–I suspect that the fact that Hinduism is firmly associated with one sizable, ethnic block, the Indian-Americans, has much to do with why they are represented on Obama’s council. Yes, it is very annoying that Obama overlooked the Buddhists, but for such things to change Buddhists will need to get in powerful peoples’ faces, which I guess doesn’t feel very Buddhist.
Is it really that Buddhism isn’t taken seriously? Generally, Buddhism doesn’t stir up fear. It doesn’t make people of other creeds feel threatened or uncomfortable. There’s not a political kind of Buddhism that wants to ban abortion, block gay marriage, or — on the other end of the spectrum — strike manger scenes and the word “Christmas” from publicly owned properties. Buddhism isn’t politically controversial in this country, so it is overlooked.
FWIW, SGI does hire lobbyists, and has staff members who work in government relations. They spend a lot of money and effort courting government leaders, usually at the local level. Long ago, when Tom Bradley was mayor of Los Angeles, there was a mini-scandal involving the mayor’s ties to SGI, then called NSA. In many municipalities throughout the U.S., SGI has worked with to city officials to declare local “SGI Day” or to name parks, streets, monuments, etc. after Daisaku Ikeda.
Even though I am a Nichiren Buddhist, I would be very uncomfortable with someone from SGI serving as the nation’s advisor on Buddhism. I would feel far more comfortable with pretty much anyone from any other group.
Brooke: Members of the Advisory Council don’t advise the nation about their religions. They advise the President on issues like abortion, health care, and poverty, and might have some influence on policy — within the confines of the First Amendment establishment clause, of course.
And I am sorry, but I find your examples of “government relations” absolutely ghastly. This is light-years away from what I had in mind.
David, organize on a national level?
Who decides what positions to advocate? Can you imagine the fights? C’mon, let’s just say we lay low and let the kids fight it out.
I’m so stressed about my so called liberal brethren these days that I am not interested in anyone advocating anything on my behalf.
Besides, t’aint dharma, Mcgee (anyone care to date themselves and admit they get that reference?).
We should be outraged this council exists at all. It’s in clear violation of the First Amendment. We certainly should not participate in it, even if asked.
“David, organize on a national level?
Who decides what positions to advocate? Can you imagine the fights?”
Yes, I can imagine the fights, TFitz, and for that reason my feelings on the subject are similar to yours. I am not at all anxious for Buddhists to form the equivalent of the Jewish “Federation”. Speaking of which, the Jewish community is my religious community of origin, and its major organizations consistently take positions in my name that have nothing to do with how I feel–left wing Jewish people such as I are always bemoaning the poisonous influence, for example, of AIPAC (America Israel PAC) and its ultra-right wing Zionist positions. So I for one am not eager to see a national BuddhaPAC, or for that matter a ZenPAC or a TibetPAC or a TheravadaPAC or whatever. As Brooke usefully points out, SGI does engage in such lobbying activities–my thanks for that information. Yuck, not a pleasant thought. I do wish that Obama had a Buddhist on the council, but I am not losing sleep over it either.
Oh gosh, I can just imagine the meetings…
“Should the federal government sponsor neighborhood centers?”
“The neighborhood has no center, only mind is local”.
Is Buddhism a faith? Or is it a doubt?
Is Buddhism a faith? Or is it a doubt?
It’s a practice, and one that encourages us to engage in practical work in the real world to help other people. Buddhist organizations have established free medical clinics, hospices, jobs and housing programs, and even neighborhood centers.
Maybe Obama is worried about offending chaina.
First of all I liked the comment of Stan….good one
Buddhists do not believe in God…may be due to that, it is a mismatch with the American constitution…..check it out
Rajeev — There is no mention of God in the American constitution. Zero, none, nada. Further, the constitution expressly forbids the government from showing favoritism for one religion over another. And Americans have been arguing about this for the past 222 or so years. Christians continue to insist that the Constitution favors Christianity, even though there is absolutely nothing in it that would justify that belief.
Stan, Obama knows we’re cool with it, that’s all.
He’ll be meeting with HHDL soon. You guys maybe wanted him to unfurl a ‘free tibet’ banner on the great wall?
Dave, AIPAC is the first thing I thought of.
R Hayes, in a way Buddhism IS a doubt, no doubt! Funny post too.
Yeah Rajeev, all that one nation under God stuff was added to stuff much later and not to the Constitution. Our founding fathers were very much a product of Rouseau and the so called ‘age of enlightenment’.
Oh and Vanya, we don’t do outrage. Pissy is as good as we can muster!
C’mon, everyone . . . let’s stop questioning everyones’ delusions with those of our own.
And take some responsibility for whatever lack of “recognition” (oy) exists. Act responsibly in your own home and community, be mindful of dependent arising and treat others accordingly, BE a BUDDHIST (i.e., awake) with whatever or whoever is coming toward you, and before you know it, it will register in the minds (and what-is and what-isn’t) lists of the general public.
Let’s earn some recognition instead of complaining we don’t have any.