Download Mission to Western Buddhists

Towards a missional strategy for Western Buddhists:
a sort of Case Study
(or “what I’ve learned so far by talking to Western Buddhists”)
Hugh P. Kemp
August 2nd, 2004
Hugh is Dean of Studies at Manawatu Centre of Bible College of New Zealand, and
can be contacted at [email protected]. Also PhD candidate with Victoria Universtiy of
Wellington, reasearching Buddhism in New Zealand.
Preamble
Various strategies are emerging in response to recent reflections on mission to NRMs,
New Age, and eastern religions which have now bedded down in the West. Buddhism
in New Zealand is framed within the emerging Western Buddhism, something I have
made some initial reflections on in another discussion paper posted on the Group 16
site. Similarities abound between Western Buddhism and Western NRMs; I am
comfortable with framing mission to Western Buddhists in a general sense within the
principles outlined in Clifford and Johnson’s Jesus and the Gods of the New Age (see
the bibliography).
My own field research with respect to Buddhists in New Zealand leads me to some
further reflection as outlined below. These reflections arise from actual contact with
Western Buddhists (that is New Zealand Buddhists), rather than from anything in
particular I have read about mission to Western Buddhists – not that there is much
published in this area! My aim in offering these is to stimulate some thinking about
the “doing” of mission.
Some initial pitfalls
I have discovered that Western Buddhists do not appreciate what I call the “Cerebral
Download” method of evangelism. They are often in rebellion to some degree from
cerebral style religion, whether it was church, or other strong family tradition (like
boarding school). For me (or anyone) to then proclaim theological truth to them, or
challenge them to some sort of commitment usually causes an adverse (and
sometimes hostile) response.
Modernistic apologetics, with its appeal to logic, proofs, and even common sense,
therefore has proven unfruitful. It often simply draws a complete blank – the
language of apologetics is so utterly alien to a Western Buddhist they simply have no
idea what you’re talking about (or alternatively, they know only too well what you’re
talking about, having rebelled from that intellectual paradigm, and rejected it).
It follows then that any notion of individualism, in its Judeo-Christian /
Englightenment sense, in terms of the individual’s hallowed centre in consumer
society, or in notions of Christian salvation is anathema. I qualify what I’m saying as
Buddhism per se is highly individualistic, but Western Buddhists don’t necessarily
frame themselves as such in the first instance.
Some fruitful praxis
Questions
I’m discovering that simple questioning is very fruitful. And this is a learned skill!
The questions are best left open ended (“Tell me about your attraction to Buddhism”)
rather than closed (“Do you believe in Buddha?”), and they are more fruitful if they
probe for affective responses(“How do you feel after you’ve chanted 10,000
mantras?”), rather than cognitive responses (“What do you think chanting these
mantras has achieved”?).
When training to be missionaries in Mongolia, we attended a course offered by the
Summer Institute of Linguistics called Language Learning and Culture. One of the
skills we learned was questioning techniques. We were taught skills to be able to
extract the language from a native speaker (without textbooks or language school),
and the first language we were to extract was the question system. We found this to be
the most helpful tool when we arrived in Mongolia: our SIL teacher had said “if you
can keep a conversation going, then you’ll quickly acquire the rest of the language,
and you can only do this if you know how to ask questions”. I’ve found exactly the
same to be true when talking with Western Buddhists. Even though I understand the
linguistic system (English), the cultural language is completely different to my
evangelical Christianity. “Keep the conversation going...” then has become
motivation for learning (and experimenting with) question techniques.
Questions need to be directive. If we are to share the Gospel with a Western Buddhist,
then it is pointless staying only with questions. If time is limited – you know you’ll
have contact only for a short time – then the Gospel needs to be introduced at some
point, but again, through a questioning technique. How about: “Do you think it might
be possible to frame my own religious experience in terms of Jesus being my root
guru?”. This question does several things: it discloses that I’m a disciple of Jesus
(hopefully without all the perceived baggage of institutionalized Church), it honours
their opinion, and it uses a Buddhist concept – “root guru” – as a bridge.
The risk of solely embracing a questioning technique is that of seeming interrogation.
Personal disclosure is appropriate of course, but picking your timing, and the structure
of your disclosure is crucial. The huge advantage of a questioning strategy is that it is
all about relationship – even if it is a short relationship over a latte in a cafe.
Events
Much thinking and at least a decade of practice has gone into booth ministries at New
Age festivals to date, using incarnational methodologies. This use of “event” to share
the Gospel is proving fruitful. Within the Western Buddhist scene, there seems little
promotion at New Age festivals (that I know of). Rather, “event” is framed differently.
The events that I’ve identified include:
1. a renown speaker visiting a city: Dalai Lama, or some high Master giving
public talks in a public venue.
2. “teachings”: these are in-house seminars offered by itinerant teachers or gurus.
3. retreats: these vary from one day to three months, both in community and or in
silence, and/or in seclusion.
The most accessible events to get involved with are the public events. For example
Christians in Toronto in May/June 2004 organised a “Tibetan Tea House” close to the
venue where the Dalai Lama was speaking, and attracted many people in to enjoy
refreshments. Literature, lectures, art work and the likes all proclaimed the Gospel
within a low key, yet effective paradigm. Some conversions occured.
My own experience from attending some of the in-house teachings is that there is
genuinely an open acceptance of questioning – a wise Christian can get along side
enquiring Buddhists or can simply ask questions from the floor when question time
comes. Conversations then continue well into the evening over tea.
My experience to date is that conversations for the Gospel are much more fruitful on
“their patch” – that is, when I go to their centre/temple, and drink their tea, or attend
their lecture series. Alternatively, many of my conversations occur on “neutral
territory” that is, a local cafe. The Tibetan Tea House in Toronto (mentioned above)
was decorated in Tibetan motifs, so as to both minimise the cultural jump people in
the know would have to make, and also to increase the curiosity factor for those who
were seeking. The Tea House not only provided a restful stop, but was also a venue
for “friendship evangelism” and several formal lectures on Christianity vis a vis the
Dalai Lama’s visit to Toronto.
One strategy that I’ve experienced as not profitable is the distribution of literature
outside a public Buddhist event, or the attempt to engage people as they exit these
events. This doesn’t work simply because the dispersion rate of thousands of exiting
people is too fast. The dispersal of 4,500 people from the Dalai Lama’s public lecture
in the Exhibition Centre in downtown Wellington in June 2002 was all over within 10
minutes. However, I observed many people head off to cafes and pubs, and in
hindsight, it would have been more strategic to locate ourselves there (there were 14
of us), rather than at the exit points of the Exhibition Centre.
The internet: “wanting to hear more”
I have launched a website which attempts to incarnate the Gospel (or at least throws
up a lot of questions for Western-Buddhist seekers to respond to), using the paradigm
of “wisdom”: www.qoheleth.org.nz However, this has only drawn some limited
success as it relies on too much initiative from the seeker’s side to find the site in the
first place, and then to respond to it. Alternatively, I think it would be more fruitful
for me (and other Christians) to visit other Buddhist websites and chat groups, and
jump into conversations which are already underway. I would envisage hopefully that
some respectful diaglogue could ensue, and then even getting some cross referencing
going, much like Sacred Tribes website is cross-referenced from the Australian witch
Fiona Horne’s website: www.fionahorne.com.
However, as part of an evangelistic strategy related to events, one could simply hand
out flyers inviting people to visit an appropriate website. This means printed flyers
would be brief, easy to comprehend, and could be quickly distributed due to their
small size. The key thing I believe, is to get a Western Buddhist “hooked” (to return
to the biblical fishing metaphor) into a conversation. In reflecting on the outcomes of
Paul’s conversation at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17), some rejected the message,
some believed, and some wanted to hear more.
Retreats and strategic locations
I have yet to muster up the courage, and find the time, to go on a retreat sponsored by
a Buddhist centre (although a week in silent retreat, eating only one meal a day is
rather attractive!). However, having visited several Buddhist centres in New Zealand,
it has reminded me of the fact that within the Christian traditions, “retreat” is a well
accepted tool to regain spiritual perspective and to reflect on God and God’s role in
one’s life.
I’m wondering then if we can create Retreat experiences for seekers, using either
neutral venues, or Christian centres. Alternatively, why not hold a Christian retreat at
a Buddhist centre? This would of course raise some eyebrows amongst our Christian
brothers and sisters. However, I don’t think we should exclude it. I have visited the
Wangapeka Centre near Nelson (http://wangapeka.nelson.co.nz), which offers a
meditation hall which can be “converted” into either a hall with Buddhist motifs or a
hall with Christian motifs. If a group of mission-minded Christians, who were called
to mission amongst Buddhists came and lived amongst this community for a week or
two, availing themselves of this wonderful venue, think of all the possible
conversations that could occur for the Gospel late into the night over hot chocolate,
and surrounded by God’s wonderful creation! And the irony of this is that the
leadership of the Wangapeka Centre, Buddhist though it is, told me they actually want
Christian groups to come!
One other idea is the development of strategically located “Bed and Breakfast” type
accomodation. This is an old tried and true form of evangelism: for example the
Polhill-Turners, missionaries to the Tibetans last century, deliberately set up the
“Gospel Inn” in Xining, China to offer hospitality to pilgrims visiting the near by
Khunbum temple complex (Refer to my book in the bibliography for this and other
examples). Several models may be worth exploring: “B&Bs” on well frequented
tourist routes; deliberately marketing a retreat centre or B&B to Buddhists (or NRM
adherents); setting up Christian hostel accomodation in key “Buddhist” towns, like
Dharmsala, which have a lot of Western Buddhists passing through.
Bridges
I have mentioned in my previous reflections posted on the Group 16 site of possible
bridges for the Gospel. Feedback has been great. Thanks!
As mentioned above, I’m playing with the potential bridge of “wisdom”. And one part
of the Wisdom tradition is the book Song of Solomon. It occurred to one colleague
that there is no reason not to embrace the teaching of this book, particularly in the
light of Tantric Buddhism, and indeed for us Christians to talk about sex may well
open many doors to sharing the Gospel with Western Tantric Buddhists. Here there is
some explicit overlap with NRMs as there is a whole lot of stuff out there using the
label “Tantra”. In Western cultures which have been so sexualized, presenting what
good biblical sex is may well be a key issue to talk about. This relates to issues of
relationship, psychology, power, and abuse, and the Bible has strong things to say
about all of these. Here there may be a ministry for a married couple with skills in
sexual healing, to woo back the sexually perverse and those genuinely damaged from
the clutches of Tantra, and to minister in a counselling and healing ministry.
At the Melbourne Mind Body Spirit festival of 2002, which I attended, working with
The Community of Hope, there was, amongst the 197 booths, a booth simply labeled
“Tantra”. How could an evangelical like myself even open a conversation with the
woman in the booth, without blushing, at best, let alone getting into a significant
conversation for the Gospel? My own squeemishness prevented me from even
“loitering with intent” to share the Gospel!
Related to this is the sexualisation of Jesus. This is not so much an issue to Buddhists
per se, but I have come across this from talking to New Age people. Jesus was very
much a man, possibly had a relationship with Mary Magdalene, and may have been
gay, apparently. Notions of “the feminine side” of Jesus (e.g. his “nurturing” qualities)
come up periodically in conversations as well.
It would seem imperative then that we Christians must know about good biblical sex,
understand God’s intended purposes for it, and we must practice good biblical sex as
role model married couples. Or abstain, if single. Considering the Gospel flourished
in the first centuries in a Graeco-Roman environment just as sexually perverse as ours,
suggests that the purity, wholeness and commitment expected within Christian
marriage continues to be a powerful lifestyle evangelistic tool? Evangelism amongst
Tantra adherents implies discretion, strength, purity and accountability for those
called to this role.
Summary
These reflections are very much a “work in progress”. I’ve purposefully offered some
practical examples of things I’ve tried and reflections on conversations I’m having.
None of this is “precious” to me, so I am very much open to some constructive
criticism. I would be keen to compare notes with anyone else who has had
conversations with Western Buddhists in light of significant and strategic ways to
share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
Bibliography
Clifford, Ross, and Philip Johnson. Jesus and the Gods of the New Age:
Communicating Christ in Today's Spiritual Supermarket. Oxford, England:
Lion Publishing, 2001.
Kemp, Hugh P. Steppe by Step: Mongolia's Christians from Ancient Roots to Vibrant
Young Church. London: Monarch, 2000.