The traditional image of Buddhism comes to life at Wat Dhammaram, a Thai temple in Bridgeview where monks with shaved heads and orange robes meditate, offer guidance and teach Sunday school classes to children of Thai natives.
But more and more often, the faces of Buddhism in the Chicago area belong to the young North Shore couple hoping to relieve stress or the computer analyst from Hyde Park who meditates weekly.
Without proselytizing or actively seeking members, Buddhism is flourishing in Illinois and nearby states. Over the last five years the number of Buddhists has risen 25 percent, said Asayo Horibe, president of the Buddhist Council of the Midwest, and four or five new temples open each year.
The increase, Horibe said, is explained in part by immigration, especially to Chicago, of people from countries that are strongholds of Buddhism, such as Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.
But she also finds more Americans and other Westerners interested in finding deeper spirituality through Buddhism.
“The growth of Buddhism has been really profound in recent years,” she said. “I feel, with the times now, with all the ugliness in the world, people need to find a spiritual path.”
The Buddhist faith is organized around a set of beliefs articulated by the Buddha about 2,600 years ago. According to his teachings, people find their own truth and their own enlightenment by following the path of right thought, right speech, right conduct and right meditation.
Some of the current fascination with the religion, Horibe said, may be linked to celebrity Buddhists like Richard Gere or the fashion for new-age mysticism. Indeed, interest in Buddhism in America has spiked during introspective times, such as the beatnik times of the 1950s and the hippie movement of the 1960s.
But a closer look reveals a sincere commitment on the part of many Chicago-area converts to the teachings, as well as an openhearted welcome from many Buddhist temples.
“We have the same goal; we have the same path,” said the Venerable Chuen Phangcham, president emeritus of the Buddhist Council of the Midwest and a former monk at Wat Dhammaram. “We don’t care about your background. We care for mutual understanding and happiness.”
A few hundred people regularly go to the Bridgeview temple for spiritual needs, which could mean participating in a weekly service or discussing spiritual advancement in one-on-one sessions with lay members of the temple.
Of that number, only about 20 are Westerners, said Venerable Boonshoo Sriburin, a monk. But many more come to the temple to learn about meditation, often through retreats that teach techniques of relaxation and reflection, and some of those people eventually participate more fully in the Buddhist teachings and way of life, Sriburin said.
Steve Jones, a computer analyst from Hyde Park, was raised in a Presbyterian church but now attends meditation services at Wat Dhammaram, known in English as the Thai Buddhist Temple of Chicago. Jones said he believes Buddhism is attractive to many Americans because of its inclusive attitude.
“I think there is an interest in spirituality of all kinds,” Jones said, adding that he “shopped around” before finding his way at the Thai temple. “This particular temple is where I feel comfortable.”
On a recent Saturday, hundreds of Buddhists and interested newcomers converged on the red-carpeted temple, where monks have been living and working since 1983, for the annual celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha.
The morning ritual was a typical Buddhist service, with one of the monks giving a Dharma talk, or a message for the faithful, followed by chanting in the Pali language, the dialect of Buddhism, and a meditation session. The afternoon offered meditation instruction and talks about Buddhism.
While browsing at the booths sponsored by various temples, Amy and Mike Teather of Evanston leafed through brochures about meditation. Raised in Christian religions to which they do not feel particularly attached, the Teathers said meditation appealed to them largely as a way to reduce stress but also as a possible path to more spirituality.
“I think we’re interested in the meditation,” said Amy Teather. “It just seems more down-to-earth.”
While some members of the Buddhist tradition agree to live by strict rules, in particular monks who abstain from eating after noon each day and never touch women, there is no requirement to convert to the teachings before participating in the rituals. In fact, Buddhists embrace adherents to other religions.
“The Buddha said there are 84,000 different paths to the truth,” Horibe said.
Robert Lifson, who practices Judaism but also meditates at a Buddhist temple, said he uses the teachings of Buddhism to find deeper meaning in his life while remaining true to his religious beliefs.
Buddhists do not believe in a supreme being, directly contrary to Judaism and other monotheistic religions. But Lifson, of Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, is intrigued by the Buddhist practice to examine the consequences of one’s actions. That examination, Buddhists believe, leads to a deeper understanding of what is needed to achieve the truth.
“Buddhism would not say, `You have to do this,'” Lifson said. “You always feel welcome. I come as I am.”
Feeling welcome is important for Kay Krasin of Chicago, who has been learning about Buddhism for about a year at another Thai temple, the Dhammakaya Meditation Center of Chicago. A former Protestant turned Catholic, Krasin said she has rejected organized Christian religions and found peace through Buddhism.
“Christ is fine,” said Krasin, a counselor. “But there’s been so much corruption of his intent, with divisions, the judgmental aspect. . . . This past year, I felt total acceptance.”
Patrick Sheard, a Chicago native who works for a private social service agency, attended some meditation instruction during the recent celebration but was not convinced that Buddhism was the answer for him. Nevertheless, he was intrigued.
“I think everyone has their own journey,” Sheard said. “People are questioning their spiritual side. Your grandmother’s church may have had different answers, but her questions were different.”
