Post #4500856

Replies (1)

• @tinker@infosec.exchange 2026-08-10 15:17

  @underzen@mastodon.social - Yeah, I get that. A lot of the "algorithmically optimized" Buddhist podcasts that I've encountered are either from a monastic perspective (so no kids) or from a secular-buddhist perspective which strips so much of Buddhism away that it starts entering into the "McMindfulness Industry" of commodifying Buddhism to serve a corporate mission. They often focus on "self help" as a way of coping with struggles and systemic issues. You clarified that you weren't really interested in Buddhism resources for children specifically, but for those who are parents and have families, correct? Lion's Roar is a solid resource. Here are several articles on parenting from a Buddhist perspective: https://www.lionsroar.com/?s=parent as an example. I've found looking for keywords such as "lay practitioner" in general and even "householder" in specific tends to bring resources for folks living "normal" or nonmonastic lives, often with children and families. Lion's Roar has a series of podcasts as well: https://www.lionsroar.com/podcast/ Tricyle is another good resource, both as magazine and podcast. One of their podcasts is called "Life as it is" and tends to focus on applied Buddhism on every day life. They have a lot of articles discussing families and parenting as well. Example search: https://tricycle.org/searchpage/?q=parent The BCA has a lot of publications relating to the daily life of their members, many with families. BCA Newsletters: https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/wheel-of-dharma BCA National and Temple Podcasts: https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/podcasts My own temple, Ekoji Buddhist Temple, has two podcasts. One called Echo Ekoji that is about temple members and family. And another called Dharma Breeze which is more formal instruction on Buddhism but specifically tailored towards lay folks and folks with families: https://www.youtube.com/@ekojibuddhisttemple/podcasts So far as your theories about American Buddhists coming from beatniks and hippies, you are correct in that specific sphere. And much of the Buddhism that came from that area is now made popular. But family Buddhism and Buddhist sanghas that cater to families have been here long before the beatnik era. The BCA has roots from the late 1800's for example (both in Hawaii and on the West Coast of the US). There are similar sanghas in Canada as well, etc. But! While those sanghas and traditions are old and fairly widespread, they have not been picked up in the corporate culture of many mainstream media forms. Heck, many Buddhist centric publications have really only focused on Zen, Tibetan, and Theravadan traditions and haven't really focused on Pure Land or Mahayana traditions until fairly recently. Pure Land teachings and approaches often are preferred by many family and householder practitioners as they often are more approachable to those who are living life outside of monastic or individual-practice practices. (Edit to state clearly: many families in areas of the world that focus on Theravadan traditions absolutely live fully within those traditions. They have solid monk-to-householder relationships. We don't get that a lot in the US, so what comes over from the Theravadan traditions are generally the teachings that apply to the monks, not always how a family can implement or live within those teachings - again! Gross oversimplification but I wanted to touch upon it in a quick reply) Dr. Gleig's book "American Dharma" dives into the why. She also sites other works in that book which do similar studies and inquiries into the current state of Buddhism in the US. Anyhoo! All of that to say, that your expressed need of Buddhism as it relates to families and resources for that *do* exist. They just don't pop to the top of lists often for whatever reason. #Buddhism

  Open ##4500855