Page 147 - Islam and Buddhism

ne reason why Buddhism has come to the world's at-
tention is not because of its existence in the Far East—
its traditional home—but thanks to propaganda
spread in the West. The beginning of this propaganda
goes back as far as the 19th century and attracted more
interest in the second half of the 20th century when it
became a fad for those looking to be more "original."

The beginning of this fad dates from the pop-cul-
ture of the 1960's when a large number of western youth and some
western intellectuals turned away from traditional Christianity look-
ing for something else and found what they were seeking in far-east-
ern religions. The main impetus for this search was the desire to
attract interest by going against the established order. When
the late George Harrison of the Beatles, who helped define
the pop culture of the '60s, stated that he had become a
Hindu (a pagan religion that preceded Buddhism)

and later recorded his own composition, "My
Sweet Lord," a song to Krishna, many
Beatles' fans followed suit. John Lennon
used Buddhist mantras in his song
entitled "Across the Universe."

145