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58 EASTERN HORIZON | BOOK REVIEW

Book Review

By Benny Liow Woon Khin

Chenxing Han, Be the Refuge. North Atlantic:
Berkeley, 2021.pp 325. US$17.95
www.northatlanticbooks.com

The popular idea is that “American Buddhism” is categories: Trailblazers, Bridge Builders, Integrators,
predominantly practiced by white or Caucasian and Refuge Makers.
Americans. This is probably due to several factors.
The editors and writers of popular American Buddhist The Trailblazers are mainly the Japanese who have
journals such as Tricycle, Buddhadharma, or Lion’s Roar been practicing Jōdō Shinshū Buddhism in the United
are all white Americans. Famous Americans who are States for over four generations. Likewise, included
Buddhists or are associated with Buddhism such as Dr in this category are the Chinese, many of whom are
Jon Kabat Zinn, Dr Daniel Goleman, Dr Robert Wright Buddhists, who came to the US during the Gold Rush
th
(“Why Buddhism is True”), Steve Jobs, and Richard Gere in California during the 19 century and stayed on as
are all whites. And the followers of the two best-known American citizens. Their families were the first people
Asian Buddhists, HH the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat who brought Buddhism to America.
Hanh, are also all predominantly White Caucasians.
Among the 89 interviewees, 36 of them are second-
But the 2013 Pew Research Center survey shows that generation Asian Americans where English is their main
more than two-thirds of Americans who claim they language of communication. They are familiar with the
are Buddhists are Asian Americans. And not White Buddhism practiced by their parents, and have been
Caucasians. Hence, this has led to what Chenxing calls exposed to Buddhism written by Western Buddhists,
the dichotomy of Two Buddhisms in her book: “White and of Buddhist lineages different from that practiced by
American Buddhists” are those who practice meditation, their families. Chenxing calls them the Bridge-Builders.
are tertiary educated, and have a modern and rational
perspective of the religion, while “Asian American The Integrators, a third category mentioned in this
Buddhists” are those who are less educated, primarily book, comprises those like Chenxing herself. Many of
engaged in chanting, ceremony and rituals, and do not them are second or third generation Asian Americans
meditate. So the perception, or rather misconception, is whose parents are not Buddhists or may even be
that the real Buddhists are the White Americans! atheists (as the author describes her parents). Some (13
of them interviewed by Chenxing) are of mixed heritage.
Chenxing Han’s book, Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices A notable Integrator is Aaron Lee a.k.a. arunlikhati,
of Asian American Buddhists challenges this incorrect and known throughout the book as the “Angry Asian
perception of American Buddhism. The result of her Buddhist”, and also the main inspiration to the author
interviews with 89 young Asian American Buddhists for this book. Many of the Integrators discovered
reveal that they do not fall into either of the Two Buddhism on their own but do not necessarily consider
Buddhisms typology – they are young, educated, and themselves converts as many do not feel the need
practice meditation, but are not White or Caucasian. to renounce the tradition in which they were raised
The author divides her 89 interviewees into four main and their affiliation with Buddhism was not a sudden