Everyday Dharma and Perfect Enlightenment: Contemporary Buddhist Hermeneutics

The article begins by describing the rapid rise of Buddhist influence in Western societies, especially in American culture, education, psychology, media, and public discourse. It then contrasts traditional Buddhist worldviews with contemporary Western assumptions, particularly regarding rebirth, sense desire, individualism, ethics, and liberation. Using Melford Spiro’s categories of apotropaic, kammatic, and nibbanic Buddhism as a point of comparison, Tsomo evaluates how these traditional orientations apply—or fail to apply—to non-Asian American Buddhists. She then proposes a new framework for understanding American Buddhism: the therapeutic orientation, the philosophical orientation, and the social justice orientation. The article concludes by reflecting on the opportunities and risks of Buddhism’s Western adaptation, including commercialization, ethical challenges, selective interpretation, and the need for responsible cultural transmission.