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42 EASTERN HORIZON | FEATURES
Ven L.A. Sanathavihari, who studied religion
at the American Military University, was with
the US Air Force prior to becoming a monk in
California, USA.
Rev Konin Melissa Cardenas who’s ordained
in the Soto Zen school in 2007
Sokka Gakkai attracts many Latinos in its
centers throughout the US.
Cardenas’ class is one example of the new ways Buddhist
leaders, temples, and organizations are reaching out to Latinx
practitioners, which the Pew Research Center has reported
account for 12 percent of American Buddhists. While it remains
unclear how much Buddhism is growing in the Latinx community,
many leaders are seeing opportunities to make inroads among
Spanish-speaking audiences.
“The potential is incredible,” said Sanathavihari Bhante Bhikkhu,
a Mexican American monk at the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center
in Los Angeles.
Soka Gakkai International, one of the largest Buddhist institutions
in the U.S., is one of the pioneers of Buddhist outreach to Latinxs.
Since 2001, the group has hosted annual Spanish-language
conferences, which offer an opportunity to learn about Nichiren
Buddhism and for longtime practitioners to build community
with each other.
When I experience the dhamma in Spanish, it strikes me
differently, and sometimes in very beautiful ways.
—Konin Cardenas
“One of the key points in spreading Buddhism for the future
is to be able to express it in one’s own language,” said Harry
Monteagudo, a Cuban American who serves as one of the
coordinators for Soka Gakkai International USA’s Spanish
language group.
Nearly 200 people attended this year’s event, he said, including
many young second-generation Latinx Buddhists who, unlike
their parents, are growing up with the practice.
A growing number of Buddhist groups are making similar efforts.
Cardenas’ class at the San Francisco Zen Center is based on
Shunryu Suzuki’s book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind — which she
said is one of the few books on Buddhism that has been translated
into Spanish — and includes pre-recorded lectures and live
discussions. Fifteen students are enrolled in the class, and about a
third are from Mexico.
Even for Latinxs who are fluent in English, she said it’s important
for them to be able to experience the teachings in their native
tongue.