Professor of Religious Studies Richard Seager was interviewed by Religion News Service about the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, released Feb. 25 by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The survey found that Buddhists struggle hardest to pass the faith from one generation to the next.
Seager was quoted as saying that many Buddhist converts "didn't really attempt to bring their children into Buddhism." He added that immigrant Buddhists, who may have "stronger institutional commitments" than converts, were probably under-represented in the survey data. The article continued, "He theorized, however, that retention may also be low among children born to waves of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees who came to the United States a generation ago.
"With the Boomer population (of Buddhists) aging," Seager said, "I do worry about Buddhism in America evaporating with time."
Seager is the author of Buddhism in America (Columbia, 1999), an examination of prominent communities and leading figures in a range of Buddhist traditions currently setting down roots in this country. Seager published his latest book, Encountering the Dharma (University of California Press) in March, 2006. It offers a rare insider's look at Soka Gakkai Buddhism, one of Japan's most influential and controversial religious movements, and one that is experiencing explosive growth around the world.
Seager was quoted as saying that many Buddhist converts "didn't really attempt to bring their children into Buddhism." He added that immigrant Buddhists, who may have "stronger institutional commitments" than converts, were probably under-represented in the survey data. The article continued, "He theorized, however, that retention may also be low among children born to waves of Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees who came to the United States a generation ago.
"With the Boomer population (of Buddhists) aging," Seager said, "I do worry about Buddhism in America evaporating with time."
Seager is the author of Buddhism in America (Columbia, 1999), an examination of prominent communities and leading figures in a range of Buddhist traditions currently setting down roots in this country. Seager published his latest book, Encountering the Dharma (University of California Press) in March, 2006. It offers a rare insider's look at Soka Gakkai Buddhism, one of Japan's most influential and controversial religious movements, and one that is experiencing explosive growth around the world.
