Buddhism Theme 3b - Western Buddhism

Question 1

What Buddhist groups are there in Britain?

Answer 1

Thai Forest Tradition, Triratna Community, Sokka Gakkhi

Question 2

Who were the first Westerners to take interest in Buddhism?

Answer 2

Christian missionaries who wanted to replace buddhism in Sri Lanka in with Christianity

Question 3

Who and when was the Buddhist Society founded by?

Answer 3

Christmas Humphreys in 1925

Question 4

Who and when was the Pali Text Society started?

Answer 4

1881 by Rhys Davids

Question 5

What did the Pali Text Society focus on?

Answer 5

Translating the Therevadan Scriptures in English

Question 6

What was the colonialist view in regards to Buddhism?

Answer 6

Buddhism was studied from the point of view that it was interesting yet inferior to Western Philosophy

Question 7

How did British culture change after WWII?

Answer 7

Began to question ‘old ways’ much more

Hippie ‘flower power’ of the 60s made experimenting with Eastern culture cool

Question 8

What did the English Sangha Trust want to Establish?

Answer 8

A proper English Sangha that was interested in both the practice side and intellectual side of Buddhism

Question 9

Was the English Sangha Trust Mahayanan or Therevadan?

Answer 9

Therevadan

Question 10

What is the largest group in British Buddhist?

Answer 10

Sokka Gakki

Question 11

What is Sokka Gakki a form of?

Answer 11

Nicheran Buddhism

Question 12

The New Kadampa Tradition is a breakaway group from what?

Answer 12

FPMT- Which is a Western branch of the Dalai Lama’s gelug sect

Question 13

What does the New Kadampa Tradition believe about the Dalai Lama?

Answer 13

That he has corrupted Tibetan Buddhism to the extent that the Kadampa Buddhism can be only be preserved in the West

Question 14

What is the Triratna Community?

Answer 14

a ‘Western’ form of Buddhism for Westerners

Question 15

What did the founder believe about Traditional Buddhism?

Answer 15

Sangharakshita believes that traditional buddhism in the East has become too corrupted with cultural accretions

Question 16

What else does Sangharakshita believe about Bodhisattva and arhat paths?

Answer 16

They are examples of developments that the Buddha never intended.

Question 17

What is Sangharakshita’s real name?

Answer 17

Dennis Lingwood

Question 18

How many non-asian converts identified themselves as Buddhists but are not affiliated with an particular groupp?

Answer 18

20%

Question 19

Non-affiliated Buddhists are the ____ ___ ____

Answer 19

Largest single group

Question 20

For many british Buddhists, what sort of beliefs can be too hard to believe in?

Answer 20

Metaphysical beliefs such as Karma or Reincarnation

Question 21

For British Buddhists, what can the Six Reals of Samsara be interpreted as?

Answer 21

Each ‘realm’ really refers to types of human existence with relative happiness or unhappiness

Question 22

What did Stephen Bachelor live as?

Answer 22

A Tibetan Monk and then as a Korean Zen Monk

Question 23

What did Bachelor believe about the historical Buddha?

Answer 23

He did not intend to teach a system of Metaphysics but was only interested in a system of mediative therapy