A couple of years ago some people in the Episcopal Church - and the Christian community in general - were shocked to learn that Episcopal bishop-elect practised Buddhism. Consider this: There are numerous Buddhist centers in and around Cincinnati, such as the Diamond Way Buddhist Group of Greater Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Zen Center, the Buddhist Dharma Center, the Ohio Buddhist Vihara - Sri Lanka just to mention a few. Bear in mind too that Buddhism is no longer "an Eastern religion" confined to India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China and Korea, but is a worldwide philosophy of more than 350 million followers in more than 100 countries.
There are many people in Cincinnati and around the country practicing some aspect of Buddhism even though they do not ascribe to any formal Buddhist tradition.
Meditation, for example, is a key element of any Buddhist group. Western religious traditions too emphasize and encourage meditation especially during this season of Lent. Similarly, compassion towards others - a key precept in Christian and Jewish scriptures - and in Islam too - is espoused in this quote by the Buddha: "If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path".
April 8 is the birthday of Gautama Buddha, an ordinary human being and the founder of Buddhism which is a philosophy with no fixed creed regarding any deity or worship yet espousing some aspects of various religious traditions as exemplified above.
The benefits of cross-cultural diversity include mutual learning experiences and edification. Healthy lifestyles and community, for example, are emphasized in Buddhism and in western religious traditions from different motivations but with the same benefits.
On this birthday of Buddhism let us all be willing to learn from our diversity. As Buddhism teaches: "It is never too late to start practicing ...The less ignorance one has, the less suffering"
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