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I believe that the image posted above shows a common stereotype of Buddhist monks. The stereotype that I am referring to is that of Buddhist monks being middle aged, dressed in orange or red and meditating in a group. Although many Americans see Buddhists in this way, it is not the reality of many practicing Buddhists.
Yes, some Buddhists dress in this manner and meditate in a similar setting, but that is not the norm. There are millions of practicing Buddhists around the world and they do not all take on this stereotype. Buddhists come in all shapes and sizes, colors and ages. It is common to see a Buddhist monk in his 80’s meditating next to one that is years his junior. In addition, not all Buddhists dress in orange and red robes. Although Buddhists are often depicted in this way, only a small portion of the Buddhist population dress like this. From my experience, Americans also see Buddhists as people who sit around and meditate all day. This is clearly not realistic. They are active members of the community and they live fairly “normal” lives.
Brad Warner explores Buddhism in his book, Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. In his book be talks about his experience with Buddhism. Warner went through a though time in his life and he turned to Buddhism to help him find his way. He took the teachings of Buddha and applied them to his life and in the process of doing so he proved many Buddhist stereotypes wrong. It is interesting that Warner takes the opposite view that most people do on Buddhism. He does not view it as the greatest thing in the world and at the same time does not see every teaching to be true. In fact, he often takes some of the teachings and blatantly says that they are not realistic and do not apply in the manner in which they were meant to be taken. The way that Warner does this is neat in that he uses his own experience when he talks about his relationship with Buddhism.
