As of now, Bernie Glassman is a world-renowned pioneer in the American Zen Movement. He is a spiritual leader, published author, with one of his first books being, Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That Matters. He is also an adept academic and successful business man with a PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of California. He is mostly known for being the founder of Zen Peacemakers, which is virtual organization that Bernie Glassman uses to support the vision and inspiration for Socially Engaged Buddhism throughout the world.
Bernard Glassman was born Jewish in Brighton Beach Brooklyn, New York in 1939. He was the son of first-generation Jewish immigrants, his mother was Pauline Finkelstein from Poland and his father was Otto Isaac Glassman from Russia. He was raised in a materialistic environment, and he attended the Polytechnic Institute of New York. From there he was able to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in 1960. From there he went out to go and work as an engineer for McDonnell-Douglas in Los Angeles, California two years later. While he was there, he attended the University of California, where he had earned his M. A. in 1968 and his Ph. D. in 1970. His interests of Zen Buddhism began while he was at the university, it was an introduction to Buddhism. Philip Kapleau’s Three Pillars of Zen from 1966 had impacted Bernie Glassman tremendously. In 1968, Glassman had discovered the Zen Center of Los Angeles and began to learn from Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi. From this, he later was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1970.
Bernie Glassman in 1967, chosen to devote his full time to the development of the Zen Center of Los Angeles instead of his work in the space industry. He had founded...
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...ernie Glassman was able to gain his status as a Buddha. Glassman began to use the title roshi himself.
It was thought that he would become the head of the White Plum Asanga and become abbot of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. As of now, he is listed as the nonresident abbot of Zen Center of Los Angeles. Most of his time, he spends it focused on the Zen community of New York. Glassman had gave inka to another Dharma heir of Maezumi, Dennis Genpo Merzel, he is now president of the White Plum Asanga.
Works Cited
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Melton, J. Gordon. "White Plum Asanga." World Religions: Belief, Culture, and Controversy. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
http://zenpeacemakers.org/about-zen-peacemakers/
http://zenpeacemakers.org/zen-peacemakers/who-we-are/greyston-mandala/
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Robert Laurence Moore has written a delightful, enlightening, and provocative survey of American church history centered around the theme of "mixing" the "sacred" with the "secular" and vice versa. The major points of conversation covered include the polarization caused by the public display of religious symbols, the important contribution that women and Africans have made to the American religious mosaic, the harmony and friction that has existed between science and religion, the impact of immigration on religious pluralism, and the twin push toward the union and separation of religion and politics.
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24 Amore, Roy C. and Julia Ching. The Buddhist Tradition. In Willard G. Oxtoby, Ed. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. P. 221
Buddhism is a religion from the East that has spread to many different countries all over the world. It has spread to the West, and has had a great influence and impact, especially in America. However, the Buddhism that is practiced in the United States is not exactly the same as the one that is practiced in Asian countries. If Buddhism differs between the different traditions of the Asian countries themselves, it is obvious that it will differ greatly in America as well. However, even though there are obvious differences, it is important to maintain the core values and fundamental principles the same. This research explores how the three different types of Buddhist practitioners have adopted Buddhism in America, and it describes some differences
People need religion because it gives there lives purpose. A religion gives its followers meaning for their lives, something that the lost souls of our modern world are otherwise lacking. Buddhism allows people to be completely independent of any laws other than the ones they create for themselves. Thus taking away from the mundane and constricting aspects that many religions relate too. Religion can provide many great things that are beneficial to society. One great thing Buddhism provides to its followers is a sense of fulfillment within ones self. Offering many great techniques that involve meditation that have been proven to release immense amounts of stress. On famous Buddhism center in the UK says that “The reason the mind needs to be this strong and this focused is so that the meditator can fully develop a number of social skills and intellectual understandings that will propel her along the path to enlightenment .” - Jaymang Buddhist Center. Even though Buddhism is a less popular religion, Buddhism is the future of American society because Buddhism offers a less constricting option and a major stress relief to its followers.
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The Everything Buddhism Book: Learn the Ancient Traditions and Apply Them to Modern Life. Avon, MA: Adams Media Corporation, 2003. Print. The.
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