Teachers gather to discuss the future of Western Buddhism

Next week, New York’s Garrison Institute will be hosting some 230 Buddhist teachers for a conference on a range of topics concerning the future of Buddhist practice in North America, including legacy, succession, lineage, ethics, and “how to preserve and adapt the Dharma in new conditions without losing depth.” The conference, known as the Maha Teacher Council, is by invitation only.

Prior to the Maha Teacher Council, there will be a three-day gathering of teachers who helped blaze the trail for first-generation Buddhism in America, happening concurrently with a meeting of younger teachers (under the age of 45). All the teachers from these earlier gatherings will be staying on to participate in the Maha Teacher Council, which begins on Wednesday, June 8. Buddhadharma editor Tynette Deveaux will be present at the gathering, as will Shambhala Sun Foundation publisher James Gimian, who is on the organizing committee for the event. “After several years of broad discussions and, more recently, regular committee meetings,” he says, “I’m personally very pleased to know that all these teachers, from the three major Buddhist traditions that have come to the West, are coming together. Both the Buddhist communities and the people they serve will benefit.”

We’ll have coverage of the conference in the Fall issue of Buddhadharma.