While on a recent excursion to a thrift shop with my friend, I happened to stumble on a book about meditation, written by a Western author for a Western audience. The back cover made the claim that, among other benefits, correct meditation would bring the user great financial wealth and control over other such aspects of their lives. No mention of mindfulness, inner peace, or any other benefit usually associated with meditation. There wasn’t even a mention of stress relief. Every benefit listed had to do with material gain. Looking over the dust jacket, I felt extremely irritated. This isn’t what the point of meditation is! However, the more I thought, the more I realized that the book was nothing new or special, and was just another way in which Western culture has utterly bastardized Eastern practices.
There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to explore new cultures. Indeed, this is a major way in which we can grow as people and as a human race. However, there is a fine line between exploration and appropriation. Appreciating a culture’s garb is one thing; brainlessly wearing what could be sacred clothing “because it looks cool” is idiotic and offensive. Unfortunately, when it comes to Eastern philosophies and spiritual practices, Western culture has gone one step beyond appropriation into full bore bastardization, never stopping to think about the culture behind their clothes and accessories. How many times have you seen a yuppie wearing a shirt depicting Ganesh simply because “it’s cool”? It’s become a bad stereotype: the wine mom who cheerfully spouts off “Namaste” because they take a yoga class every other week; the scruffy stoner who thinks that the tapestry depicting the ten avatars of Vishnu (the Dashavatara) is super trippy, dude. It’s utterly appalling.
The best way to show how unpleasant this issue actually is is to draw a very uncomfortable parallel. In the United States, the number one religion is Christianity, specifically Evangelical Protestantism. So, imagine that you are in a country where Christianity is not that common and not very well known. You happen to bump into a young man wearing a shirt depicting a rather graphic image of Jesus’ crucifixion. When you ask him what it means, he simply shrugs and says “It just seemed cool”.
Chances are, at least a few readers squirmed at that last paragraph. Good. This is exactly what Western societies do to Buddhism and Hinduism. We treat them as a quick, fast-food spirituality that will bring us nirvana (not the band), or at least will come with some cool jewelry. There is no appreciation for the finer aspects of the many dharmas because we don’t care about the finer aspects; it’s a case of get in and get out. For some individuals, it’s a matter of looking cultured and wise. For others, they dabble with Eastern spirituality with the same casualness that one might use for a good TV show. This is unacceptable.
The many Eastern philosophies and dharmas are more than just a source of amusement or a fitness program. They are part of an ancient culture and part of a very intricate, beautifully detailed group of belief systems. They are not a novelty and deserve the same respect that any other religion deserves. So before you buy that super cute Om purse, I recommend you go out and read about the sacred syllable. It might turn your wardrobe from “trippy” to truly awe-inspiring.
