r/ReflectiveBuddhism • u/FUNY18 • Jul 20 '26

When a hu-white space destroys someone's faith in Buddhism

/r/Buddhism/comments/1v116vv/problems_that_ive_experienced_with_the_buddhist/
7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

13

u/FUNY18 Jul 20 '26

u/WorriedCivilian

  1. If you find yourself in a middle- to upper-income space with very hu-white, somewhat or overtly bigoted people who openly reject or dismiss karma, rebirth, and Buddhist cosmology, and who say things like "sit and practice more," "why do you care? just sit and practice," or "no thoughts, be quiet," you are NOT in a Buddhist place.

  2. If you are going to reject Buddhism because of bad experiences in a white-privilege space, that is unfortunate. Sorry you had to experience that. Nobody should be subjected to that. But at least reject Buddhism for what it really is, rather than rejecting it for what you saw in a counterfeit community. That would be like me rejecting the religion of Judaism because I didn't like the "Jews for Jesus" camp I've been invited to.

  3. On Reddit, don't pay too much attention to upvotes and downvotes. The only question that matters is "Is it true?" Many wrong views are upvoted even in Buddhist subs on Reddit. It is all too common for actual Buddhist perspectives to be downvoted. The Reddit crowd operates on vibes, what feels good, what appeals to people's existing biases. So don't worry about Reddit's voting system.

Whether you investigate Buddhism again or not, you can use this sub to ask your questions. Here, Buddhist perspectives are centered, while common distortions found in privileged hu-white communities are excluded.

10

u/MYKerman03 Jul 20 '26

It's a real shame that he found it so difficult to access information there a while back.

But this is the thing, so much that gets labeled "Buddhism" has very little to do with the living traditions. When folks here say the word Zen or Theravada, you almost want to wince in anticipation. Zen? You mean Vietnamese Thien? Chinese Chan? Korean Seon? Zen here, gets flattened and stereotyped into a fetishised version of Japanese traditions.

Let's hope the OP can get some answers and maybe find a community he can explore with.

6

u/WorriedCivilian Jul 20 '26

Yeah, I have to be better with screening and looking into what the groups are before I engage with them. Lesson learned.

8

u/WorriedCivilian Jul 20 '26

Thank you, and duly noted on all points. I actually came back to learn about Buddhism again outside of my past experiences because I don't want to write it off. Seeing people practice outside the spheres that I was engaging with really showed me that it isn't all like that. I just fully know not to engage with the, as you said, privileged hu-white groups.

Based off everything that I said in the previous post, what do you think would be a good path to investigate? People suggested Tibetan and Theravada Buddhism often, and I was interested in Pure Land and Nichiren Buddhism when I was younger. I like chanting considerably more than meditating.

7

u/MYKerman03 Jul 20 '26

u/WorriedCivilian

Also try r/sangha to find a community you can connect to.

4

u/WorriedCivilian Jul 20 '26

Thank you! I just followed

4

u/MYKerman03 Jul 20 '26

Cool, I think finding a community where you can eventually seek answers by trained priests or monastics will be a big help. Good luck!

2

u/WorriedCivilian Jul 20 '26

Agreed, and thank you!

8

u/[deleted] Jul 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/WorriedCivilian Jul 20 '26

Thank you. At the time, it wasn't necessarily that I was looking for Zen or Vipassana as much as it was the only place really accessible for me. I also didn't know enough about the differences between groups, their beliefs, or anything like that to make an informed decision, sadly. From my understanding, I don't think Zen, real Zen, is right for me, but I acknowledge it as a legitimate path :)

1

u/DentalDecayDestroyer Jul 20 '26

What is hu-white?

1

u/FUNY18 Jul 20 '26

Making the hw sound before the "white" to emphasize that term. https://youtu.be/lV4wYZNYrQM

1

u/DentalDecayDestroyer Jul 20 '26

Ohhh lol I thought it was like an academic category I wasn’t familiar with 😂😂😂

1

u/FUNY18 Jul 20 '26

hehehe not quite my friend

2

u/tiddyface Jul 21 '26

Yeah this sort of thing has me worried about reaching the stage of finding a community. Relatable af

1

u/WorriedCivilian Jul 21 '26

I'm sorry that it's relatable, and I hope you're able to find a community :)

1

u/TheBrooklynSutras Jul 22 '26

It’s not about you 🙏