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Buddhism Peoples of the Buddhist World =y Paul Hattaway Piquant =ditions,Carlisle,2004. Reviewed by Allen Carr " These and the numerous other successes are not just because the missionaries have been so unscrupulous and persistent but because =uddhists have been so indifferent, so slow to see the danger and even more slow =o respond to it in any effective manner. In Thailand millions are spent on =glittering cerermonies, huge Buddha statues and gold leaf for covering stupas but almost nothing on Buddhist literature, religious =ducation and social services for the hill tribes. Another God-given opportunity =or the missionaries is the general lackadaisical attitude within the much of =he Sangha............" Some Western drug companies spend =illions of dollars developing and marketing a new drug only to have the health =uthorities later discover that it has dangerous side-effects and then ban it. =eeding to recover their investment and unable to sell their drug in the West =ome of these companies try to market their dangerous products in the Third =orld where public awareness of health issues is low and indifferent governments can =e brought off. Some might say that Christianity is a bit like this. Having =ost much of their following in the West churches are now beginning to look =or opportunities elswhere. Of course the Islamic world is out of the =uestion. Even the most optimistic evangelist knows that the chance of spreading the =ospel among Muslims is nil. The obvious targets are Africa, India and the =uddhist countries of Asia.There are now several evangelical organizations =edicated just too evangelizing Buddhist.The Asia Pacific Institute of Buddhist Studies =n the Philippines offers missionaries in-depth courses in Buddhist doctrine, =he languages of Buddhist countries and the sociology of various Buddhist communities the better to know the enemy. The Central Asia Fellowship is =eared specifically to spread the Gospel among Tibetans. The Overseas Missionary Fellowship is an acknowledged =uthority on Buddhism and is available to conduct training sessions and seminars, =ive presentations and speak on how Christians can work effectively in the =uddhist world. The Sonrise Centre for Buddhist Studies and the South Asia =etwork are both on-line communities providing missionaries with detailed, =ccurate and up-to-date information useful for evangelizing Buddhists. Make no =istake ! These are not small adhock groups.They are large,well financed, superbly =run organizations staffed by highly motivated and totally dedicated =eople and they are in it for the long haul. A book called Peoples =f the Buddhist World has recently been piblished by one of the leaders of this =ew evangelical assault on Buddhism. The books 453 pages offer missionaries =nd interested Christians a complete profile of 316 Buddhist ethnic and =ingustic groups in Asia, from the Nyenpa of central Bhutan to the Kui of northern =Cambodia, from the Buriats of the Russian Far East to the Sinhalese of =ri Lanka.There is a detailed breakdown of the size of each =roup, how many call themselves Buddhists and how many actually know and =ractice it, which languages they speak, their strengths and how to overcome them, =heir weaknesses and how to take advantage of them, an overview of thir =istory, their culture and the best ways to evangelize them. The book is =illed with facinating and beautiful color photos of all of these peoples, many of =hem little-known. It makes one very sad to think that these gentle,smiling =innocent folk are in now in the sights of worldly-wise missionaries determined to =undermine their faith and destroy their ancient cultures. However, Hattaway book is also interesting for the lurid glimpse it =ives into the bizarre mentality and the equally bizarre theology of the =vangelical Christians. In the Preface Hattaway asks, Does it break Gods heart =oday that hundreds of millions of Buddhists are marching to hell with little =r no gospel witness ? Does it break the Saviors heart that millions worship =ifeless idols instead of the true, glorious Heavenly Father ? No wonder the =vangelicals are always so angry and defensive, so self-conscious and full of nervous =nergy ! Every day they live with the contradictory belief that their God is =ull of love and yet throws people into eternal hell-fire, even people who =ave never heard of him. That must be a real strain. Like a man who has to continually pump air into a leaking ballon to keep it inflated, they =ave to keep insisting that Buddhism is just an empty worthless idolatry when =hey know very well that this is not true. That must be a real strain too. =hroughout his book Hattaway repeats all the old lies,slanders and half-truths that missionaries peddled in the 19th century but which mainline Christians =ave up on a hundred years ago. Hattaway claims that Buddhists,like other non-Christians,are =eading empty meaningless lives and are actually just waiting to hear the Gospel of =esus Christ. Not surprisingly, the statistics he presents to his readers do =ot always bare this out.He shows that some Buddhist groups have been =ubjected to quite intense evangelization for years and yet have chosen to keep their =aith. For example 32% of Kyerung of Nepal have heard the Gospel but few have understood the heart of the message. Hattaway tells us that the American =Baptists worked in the Tovyan area (of Burma) for many decades,but most =f the converts they made were among the Karen people.They found the Tovyan =eople slow to respond to the gospel a pattern that continues to this day.Dedicated =nd self-sacrificing missionaries have labored inThailand for over 140 years =ut have made only miniscule numbers of converts.According to Hattaway there =re 2000 foreign missionaries operating in Chiangmai, more that the actual =umber of Christians in the city! It is hearting to know that amongst evangelicals =Thailand has been dubbed the graveyard of missionaries. Twenty one =ercent of Lao Ga people have been evagelized but Christinity has yet to make any =mpact on this people group.Forty two percent of the Lemo have been told about =esus but their strong belief in Buddhism and their isolated cultural mindset have =prevented them from accepting the Gospel. Of course Hattaway isolated =ultural mindset prevents him from even considering that these people might =ave decided not to become Christians because Buddhism gives them the emotional,intelectual and spiritual sustenance they need. So he has to =xplain why so many Buddhists remain what he calls resistant people some other =ay. To him it is because of fear (p.217), intellectual laziness (p.149) greed =nd blindness (p.172) and or course demonic opposition (p.190). Another =ause is delusion,as for example amongst the Palaung of northern Burma, who are =o completely deluded that they believe they have the truth in Buddhism =p.217). Of course Hattaway is also crafty enough to know that the stability and =ultural integrity of traditional Biddhist societies is a major hindrance to =heir evangelization. Civil wars such as in Sri Lanka and Cambodia are =iterally a god-send for the missionaries.Hattaway calls the disruption and =isplacement of the Loba people of Nepal by several huge floods a God-given oppertunity =p.168). Like blowflies to a dying animal evangelical missionaries swarm around communities in need so they can win converts while disguising their =fforts as aid work and humanitarian relief.Unfortunately, many genuine and decent Christians in the West,unaware of this hidden agenda, give money to =orld Vision and similar organizations that use aid as a conversion =echnique. But while many Buddhists have rejected the missionaries message =thers have succumbed to it.Thirty one percent of the Tamangs of Nepal have now =ecome Christians. The first missionaries arrived in Mongoliain 1990 and with a =ew years they had made thousands of converts,mainly among the young. This phenomenal growth has now slowed considerably but the number of =vangelical agencies operating within the country has grown enormously and there are =till almost no books on Buddhism in Mongolian.In China today Christianity is =rowing so fast that they can hardly build the churches quick enough =o hold all the new converts. The gentle hill tribes people of Thailand and Laos =re falling prey to the missionaries one by one. These and the numerous other successes are not just because the missionaries have been so unscrupulous and persistent but because =uddhists have been so indifferent,so slow to see the danger and even more slow to =espond to it in any effective manner.In Thailand millions are spent on =littering cerermonies,huge Buddha statues and gold leaf for covering =tupas but almost nothing on Buddhist literature, religious education and social =ervices for the hill tribes.Another God-given opportunity for the =issionaries is the general lackadaisical attitude within the much of the =angha. In one of the most revealing (about the mentality of both missionaries and the =hikkhus) and troubling parts of this book is Bryan Lurrys account of the four =onths he stayed in a monastery in the Shan states in north-eastern Burma.He was there to assess the prospects of converting Buddhist Bhikkhus =nd he went away full of optimism. I fear that his optimism was not =ntirely misplaced. The abbot where Lurry stayed allowed him to teach the =hikkhus English (using the Bible as a text of course), shows a film on the =ife of Christ and later even conduct regular Bible classes for the bhikkhus. =ninformed Western Buddhists might laud this as yet another example of Buddhist =olerence, albeit misplaced tolerence.I suspect that it was actually due to =gnorance and to that indifference to everthing that does not rock the boat or =ontravene traditional patterns of behaviour that is so prevalent in much of the =angha. As a part of his strategy to understand their thinking, Lurry asked his =reinds a series of questions. To the question What is the most difficult Buddhist =teaching to follow ? some bhikkhus answered not eating after noon,not =eing able to drink alcohol and not one said to attain nirvana. To the question If =ou could change one thing about yourself what would it be ? the replies =ncluded to be stronger,taller, to change the shape of the nose and to have more =ale skin. When asked why they had joined the monastery not one of the bhikkhus =entioned an interest in the Dhamma, in meditation or in the religious life in =eneral. As is usual in much of the Buddhist world they had probably ordained simply =ecause it is the tradition to do so. When Lurry asked the bhikkhus if they =ould ever disrobe for any reason many students expressed their desire to leave the =emple in order to be a soldiers in the Shan Independence army.They did not see = contradiction in the fact that,as monks, they are literally not supposed =o kill a mosquito, much less another human being. Lurry admits that he was =eally surprised that so few of the replies he got suggested any deep =nowledged of Buddhism or an apparent genuine religiosity. Having lived in Thai =onasteries for eight years I am sad to say that none of the bhikkhus replies =urprised me in the least. All too often today the Buddhist monastic life consists of =ittle more than rote learning, unthinking acceptance of traditional beliefs, =n endless round of mind-numbing rituals, going to danas and having long =aps. Fortunately, many Buddhists communities are holding out against =issionary efforts but poor religious education and little leadership from a sedate =angha how long will they continue to be able to continue to do so ? Something =as to be done and it has to be done soon ! Another old missionary calumny repeated throughout Hattaways book =s that Buddhists live in constant terror of devils and demons. This accusation =s rather amusing coming from the evagelical Christians who see almost =verything they dont like as the machinations of Satan and his minions. Lurry says =f his experience, I must admit that the temples intimidated me. I saw many =tems that discouraged me from entering.At some temples,fierce-looking statues of =reatures with long fangs and sharp claws guard the entrance.Guarding the main =all of many temples are two large statues of dragons with multiple heads on =ither side of the staircase . If such images were on the outside of the temple,what =ould I find on the inside ? I half imagined that these creatures would somehow =ome to life and attempt to harm me (p.234) I can understand how simple, often illiterate hill tribesmen in the backblocks of Burma could be frightened =f malevolent spirits. But Mr Lurry is a graduate of the University of =orth Texas and he is frightened of bits of painted cement and plaster used to =decorate Buddhist temples. How easy it is to scare evangelical =hristians ! Nine pages in Peoples of the Buddhist World are devoted to =he Sinhalese, the native people of Sri Lanka, long a target of =issionary endeavors. Despite nearly 500 years of close contact with Christianity =nly 4% of Sinhalese are Christians and this is despite periods when their =eligion was severely disadvantaged and even actively persecuted. It both =erplexes and infuriates the evangelists that they have had so little success in this staunchly Buddhist island. Since the late 1950s the Catholic =hurch in Sri Lanka has tacitly accepted its minority status and for the most =art adapted a live and let live attitude towards Buddhism. It has continued =ts conversion efforts but in a low-key and respectful way.But starting in =he 1990s evangelical organizations have literally swamped Sri Lanka and they have = no quarter asked for,none given attitude. So far most of their converts =ave been amongst Catholics, to the consternation of the Catholic Church, but of =ourse the real target is the Buddhists. Buddhist bhikkhus are calling on the government to enact laws against conversion. But is this really the best =solution ? It is quite understandable that the Sinhalese do not like their =eligion being reffered to as Satanic devil worship especially by =oreigners,which is what most of the missionaries in the country are.Some years ago a deeply =respected Sinhalese bhikkhu died and there was a veritable outpouring of =rief among the Buddhist public. At the very time of this bhikkhus funeral the =eader of a house church in an outer suburb of Colombo, let off fireworks, the =sual way people express delight or celebration in Sri Lanka. Naturally, the =uddhists around this church were deeply offended and although no violence occured =ome very angry words were exchanged. I happened to witness the locals =onfrontation with this church leader. He insisted that his crackers had nothing to do =ith the bhikkhus funeral but was unable to give a convincing reason why he =ad ignited them. Throuhghout his encounter with his neighbors he was =razen, unapologetic about his actions and dismissive of the peoples hurt =eelings. I can only say that he gave me the distinct impression that he would have =elcomed being manhandled or beaten so that he could claim for himself the title =hat evangelicals so long to have that of martyr for their Lord. Hattaways book highlights incidents of violence against Christians =n Sri Lanka and elsewhere which have unfortunately started to become all too =ommon. Of course, he fails to mention is that it is only the evangelicals, not Catholics or mainly Christians, who attract such negative reactions. And =f course he fails to mention why people sometimes get so angry at the evangelicals. The fact is that it is their bad-mannered pushiness and =heir complete insensitivity to the religious feelings of others that is the =ause of such violence. This is not to excuse the violence but only to explain =hy it happens. It is also true that some of the more extreme evangelists even sometimes deliberately provoke confrontation. I have two evangelical tracts from Sri Lanka one insists that villages must become a =attlefield for souls and the other says that Christians must confronts the unsaved, =et even forcibly confront them, and compel them to make a decision. And it =s not just Buddhists who are offended by the evangelicals rude aggressive behaviour. A Chinese Thai born-again Christian once =nformed me that the Pope is actually the prostitute of the Anti-Christ and showed =e the Bible passage that proved it. I could only laugh at his half-baked =ermeneutics. But how would a devote Catholic have felt being told such a thing = The section on Sri Lanka in Hattaways book is written by Tilak =upasinghe and Vijaya Karunaratna, two well-known evangelical preachers. They =leefully highlight Sri Lankas many woes civil war,high suicide rate, corruption, insurrection and of course present this as just more evidence that =uddhism is false.Then they make the bold claim, In Christ there can be healing from =he wounds of injustice,oppression and ethnic hatred. In Christ there can be =ope for the redemption of the nation, its land, its language, its culture =nd its people. This is a seductive promise and one that some people might be =illing to listen to. But of course it is the same old spurious and empty promise missionaries have always made in the lands they try to evangelize. What = mess your country is in ! Your gods have failed. Accept Jesus Christ and =verthing will be wonderful. But does Christianity really do a better job of =olving social problems ? The evidence that it does is very thin. Christianity =ailed miserably to bring peace to northern Ireland, in fact, it was the main =ause of the problem. South African Dutch Reformed Church was an ardent supporter =f apartheid and all its oppression and cruelty. The prevalence of =vangelical Christianity in the southern United States,the so-called Bible Belt, has =ot prevented it being the poorest and most raciest part of the country. And =he racial segregation in the south is never more obvious than on Sunday =orning when black and white people still go to separate churches. Hallelujha =nd praise the Lord but worship him in your own church! Hattaway book is or at least should be a wake-up call for we =uddhists. Unless we reform the Sangha, better organize ourselves and make =ore of an efforts to both know and apply our religion the Light of Asia may be =nuffed out. Courtesy: Buddhist Times, Dec =006 |