HISTORY AND PURPOSES OF

THE BUDDHIST COUNCIL OF THE MIDWEST

 

 

by Dr. Paul David Numrich,

University of Illinois at Chicago
August 1998

 

Midwesterners have shown interest in Buddhism as far back as the
World's Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, and
significant numbers of practicing Buddhists have lived in the
Midwest since World War II. As Buddhists became more numerous in
the Chicago area between the 1950s and the 1970s, informal inter-
Buddhist cooperative activities increased.

By the mid-1980s a group of Buddhist leaders saw a need for an
organization to facilitate more formal relations among local
temples and meditation centers. Discussions began in the summer
of 1984, leading to sponsorship of the first International
Visakha celebration in 1985. In October 1987 the group
incorporated as a not-for-profit organization under the
provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, taking the name Buddhist
Council of the Midwest. The charter membership of the Council
formed a diverse body: Chicago Zen Center, Buddhist Temple of
Chicago (a non-sectarian Japanese temple), Midwest Buddhist
Temple (a Japanese Buddhist Churches of America or BCA temple),
Dharmadhatu Buddhist Meditation Center (now known as Chicago
Shambhala Meditation Center), Vietnamese Buddhist Association,
Zen Buddhist Temple of Chicago, Buddhadharma Meditation Center (a
Thai temple), Wat Dhammaram (a Thai temple), and American
Buddhist Association (a non-sectarian center stressing outreach
to the general American public). Such diversity of both ethnic
identity and Buddhist practice continues to characterize the
membership of the Buddhist Council of the Midwest today.

The Council's primary purpose is to foster interaction and
cooperation among local Buddhist groups. Monthly meetings rotate
among temples/centers in order to familiarize individuals with
Buddhist traditions other than their own. Meetings provide
opportunities for personal fellowship and sharing of information
of interest to the larger Buddhist community. The Council also
serves an advocacy function for Buddhism, promoting the spread of
the Dharma (Teaching) and confronting misunderstandings or
misrepresentations of the Dharma in the public realm. The annual
International Visakha celebration of the Buddha's birth,
enlightenment, and final passing away continues to be the
Council's primary vehicle for both Buddhist cooperation and
advocacy. The Council also engages in inter-religious activities,
for instance with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, the
1993 Parliament of the World's Religions and its continuing
interfaith initiatives, and the National Conference (formerly
known as the National Conference of Christians and Jews). Social
service projects, like refugee assistance and prison ministries,
are also mounted by the Council from time to time.

The Buddhist Council of the Midwest is one of several inter-
Buddhist associations that have emerged in the United States
since around 1980. Like most of the other associations, the
Buddhist Council of the Midwest adopts a pluralist approach
toward inter-Buddhist relations, fostering appreciation for the
diversity of Buddhist expressions in an American context. As a
Council statement puts it, "The Buddhist Council of the Midwest
constitutes a kaleidoscope of Buddhist traditions. . . . We
appreciate the rich culture of each center and organization."