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From: Joe <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, 19 August 2012 4:45 AM
Subject: [Zen] "Greying of the Sangha..."
Howdy, All,
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MEL: Hello Joe
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The sanghas were looking more and more like groups of old people.
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MEL: Yeah, I noticed that too...and the same reason I left the church, not to
mention the psychological problems of some
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Perhaps there was a "wave" of people in the 1960s and 1970s Stateside who were
influenced to become interested in formal Zen practice, and the "greying"
perceived of late is essentially the "Zen-baby-boom" of practitioners which is
now naturally aging, moving through the sangha(s).
Perhaps conditions are not as favorable now for young people entering practice.
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MEL: Those days must have been different times with equally different
conditions, with the Vietnam War going on, and all that personal awakening from
the restrictions of the '40s and '50s. Also, an interest in all things Asian or
Oriental had caught on. Weren't the members of the BEATLES band obsessed for a
while with all things Indian? Also, and despite WW2, it's surprising that an
interest in all things Japanese also came out
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On the other hand, we all know that it takes a certain maturity to sit Zen, and
to keep at it.
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MEL: Yes, it does. It is so plain and down-to-earth that some eventually move
onto Tibetan Buddhism (or some other belief system) where there's more colour
and what-have-you to tease, or titillate the senses
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But the perceived "greying" is the perception of a REAL phenomenon: the
predominant hair color in the 20 or so affiliate sanghas has become grey or
white. It was not so earlier! The age of the average sangha member is still
steadily increasing.
I'm not involved in the said sangha any longer, so I am not actively looking
for ways to change the greying phenomenon.
I wonder if this "greying" is noted in other sanghas, elsewhere.
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MEL: I suppose there's nothing wrong with the greying as such of the sanghas,
but it does make it harder to relate to someone many years older than oneself.
Without that connection, there's practically zero room for any sort of
discussion face-to-face because of the generation gap....which makes it much
easier for someone like me to go online where everyone is equal and with none
of that I'M OLDER THAN YOU AND THEREFORE I KNOW BETTER bull. On the other hand,
dealing with the young can be trying, depending on the age gap
Buddha be praised
Mel
