There’s the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings, and there’s the Asian cultural form in which we learn about them. It’s not always easy to see which is which. But if we’re to evolve a Western Buddhism, we’ll have to take a closer look.
Backpacking East to West
How important is it to get free of the Asian baggage we may have picked up along with our meditation practice? How can we tell if we’re clinging to the familiar for its own sake, or if we’re revering the truth? How do we evolve a Buddhism that works for Westerners without creating new obstacles for ourselves?