Word: buddhisme
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Modern interest in the practice of Buddhism still incorporates that scientific mindset. Many Harvard students who practice Buddhist meditation reiterate their fondness for what they perceive as Buddhism’s compatibility with science. These student practitioners often bring up the Dalai Lama’s stance on Buddhism and science, that “if Buddhism and science don’t agree, we have to follow science.” This institutional willingness to be corrected is refreshing to many, including Myhrum, who spent the summer after her first year of college studying and meditating at a monastery...
Indeed, the central difference between Buddhism in America and in Asia is meditation. Though most Americans may perceive Buddhism as primarily practiced through meditation, that is certainly not the historical case. Janet Gyatso, Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies, says that traditionally, “meditation is usually done only by specialized people,” such as monks, nuns and yogis. These specialists typically spend much more time on meditation than most modern lay people. Myhrum recalls a funny conversation from her stay at a monastery in Taiwan, when a bemused nun asked...
What Americans also find attractive in the meditation most commonly practiced here and in the ideals of Buddhism is the sense that one can affect one’s own destiny. Enlightenment is ultimately something one must achieve for oneself. These basic assumptions of self-reliance and self-empowerment are also intrinsic in modern Western culture and are exemplified by the popularity of self-help books. In fact, these self-improvement books inspired Piyush Tiwari ’05 to begin meditating again. He had practiced Hindu meditation with a music teacher in high school, but it was the self...
...appeal of Buddhism, however, is not just about life-changing meditation practice. It’s also an increasingly popular field of academic study. The Buddhist studies program at Harvard is “expanding rapidly,” Visiting Professor of East Asian Studies and Religious Studies Robert M. Gimello says, pointing out that “there are more professors and graduate students studying Buddhism at Harvard than any other institution in the country.” This interest in studying Buddhism is not a 21st century development. In fact, it goes back to the late 19th century...
Myhrum, whose parents were Catholic and Episcopalian, often contrasts Buddhism with her original Catholic upbringing. Though she did complete her Confirmation classes, she turned away from a practice she found dissatisfying and overly rigid. “I just found it completely spiritually void and doctrinally bizarre,” the western Massachusetts native says...