Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama
Brad Warner:
Modern American celebrities are made famous not just for their talent but also for their nonconformity, which ranges from wearing meat dresses (Lady Gaga) to following non-mainstream religions (Tom Cruise and Sciencetology). America is hailed as the global melting pot that is increasingly becoming more influenced by Eastern Culture. Despite this shift, Buddhism is still scene as foreign or reserved for the elite who can afford to find Nirvana. Buddhism along with many other religions like Kabbalah is seen as a hobby for the wealthy Americans especially famous ones. If you were to ask to the average American to name a fellow America who practiced Buddhism, Richard Gere pops into mind. Richard Gere is publicized as the icon of American Buddhism. He often makes headlines for meeting with his teacher, the Dalia Lama or for heading activist campaigns or even for creating international gossip when he kissed Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty that got him charged with indecency. I was amazed by the number of pictures of him and the Dalai Lama I found on google from just searching “Richard Gere”. The average American would not answer Brad Warner, who isn't publicized as widely and if in the rare case he is, he isn't casually featured with the Dalai Lama. I fit that stereotype. Before I read Zen Wrapped In Karma Dipped In Chocolate, I would not have imagined a punk rocker like Wagner to be a Buddhist. Wagner himself declares, “for way too long Buddhism has been the exclusive province” (Wagner 115). Wagner goes on to describe this as the stereotype for whiny intellectuals but I believe this also applies to celebrities. Celebrities can be seen as wanting to further themselves from the average American. I think a reason why celebrities or the wealthy are seen as Buddhists is because Buddhism takes a lot of intensive time devotion and they are the only ones who are seen to have the time and the resources to train as a Buddhist. Americans led the most hectic, rushed lifestyles on the planet. Thus, we require cultures that pinpoint only few religious annual celebrations but still feel like we belong to a religion.
