Seeking Nirvana: Celebrity Buddhism

It's hard to imagine, but Buddhism was an entirely foreign religion to the Western world until recently. With increasing globalization and the expanding knowledge base of the internet, it has become a widely practiced religion far from its roots. Revivals have appeared across nearly every continent, and the private nature of the belief system is highly appealing to people constantly in the public eye. Even though it is currently surpassed by Scientology in the press, Buddhism was once the celebrity religion du jour.

Modern Buddhism consists of many different schools of thought, but they all spring from the basics taught by Siddhartha Gautama. He lived in the north-eastern region of the Indian subcontinent over two-thousand years ago. His teachings taught others to end the cycle of suffering and rebirth by recognizing the true nature of the world. Different methods are employed by various schools in order to reach this state.

The two major branches of Buddhism are Theravada, which is the most ancient, and Mahayana. From these two branches spring many paths, each with its roots in the traditional teachings to varying extents. From Theravada comes the religion observed in most of Southeast Asia, including Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. Minority groups also practice this school of discipline in Southwest China, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Mahayana is more common in China, Japan and Tibet.

In the late 20^th century, Hollywood had a Buddhist revival. Many of its stars turned to the teachings for spiritual guidance and the peace the discipline provides. The more famous practitioners in the film industry are Richard Gere, Steven Seagal and Naomi Watts. Gere has been a long time supported of Tibet as part of his campaign to raise awareness of atrocities committed against Buddhists. He founded the Tibet House in New York City to preserve the teachings and culture of Tibetan monks.

The music world is no stranger to the practice, either. Popular performers who are devout Buddhists are Sting, Leonard Cohen and Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys fame. Cohen spent five years in relative isolation at the Mount Baldy Zen Center in Los Angeles. Yauch has been an outspoken advocate of the Free Tibet movement, and organized the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1996. This concert featured many popular musical acts of the time, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Smashing Pumpkins. Yauch raised over $800,000 for the cause in the first year and continued the tradition until 2001. These shows helped the Students for a Free Tibet movement gain momentum.

Other famous Buddhists include Apple CEO Steve Jobs and basketball coaching legend Phil Jackson, who raised much awareness of Zen Buddhism. Many of these celebrities follow a different path in the Buddhist tradition, some more prominently than others. Scientology may have Hollywood's interest at the moment, but the ancient practices and teaching of the Buddha still prominent in the entertainment industry. Hopefully awareness will continue being raised by famous practitioners for the plight and traditions of Buddhists around the world.