Young Buddhists Unite

I am reading an anthology called “Buddha’s Apprentices.” Apparently, it is the second of its kind, following “Blue Jean Buddha.” It is really good. It is a collection of essays by young Buddhists, teenagers, twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, and masters reflecting on their own youth. It includes writings from first and second generation Asian immigrants to America, children of western Buddhist parents, children of traditional Christian parents, minority American Buddhists, etc. It is really diverse but the one thing that seems universal in almost all the articles is the emphasis on human relationships – whether it is by the kid who started an online teenage Sangha or the woman who wanted to ordain as a Zen priest and have a baby at the same time or the immigrant Vietnamese monk who works with inner city youth. I highly recommend it to all Buddhists, old and young alike.

The similarities I find between myself and the authors are almost as important as the differences.