Expert: Alex Wilding - 5/8/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi, im doing a research paper on the Buddhist culture.
Ive read some of the other Q&A's on this website about the culture and took notes but theres still some stuff missing.
Like what the traditional followers wear; What they live in; and things like that. I didnt get very far googling the subject and i dont have time to read 7 years in tibet (haha) sorry anyways i would be very obliged if you could help me, thank you!

ANSWER: Hi Alexandria,
Perhaps you are finding this difficult because you are asking a question that is too big! Buddhism has been followed over a good slice of the globe for up to two and a half thousand years, and in that time it has evolved into some quite different forms.
Buddhists may be monastics (including nuns) or housholders or wandering yogis, some are scholars, some not, some live in dedicated buildings, some in isolated retreats, but the great majority in ordinary homes.
If you can come back to me with a more specific question, perhaps about Tibetan Buddhism which is my specialism, I'd be happy to try to give you a better answer.
All the best
Alex Wilding

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, again, im very sorry i wasnt specific. And i guess thinkin about it, it is a very broad question! So if its okay with you i would like to try a little more specific question!? Can you tell me a little about more the Tibetan Culture? I would truly appreciate it
thanx
-the other alex =]

ANSWER: Hi Alex,
Yes, it is ok with me, but the question is still very, very broad! The reason is in your question itself - the word "culture". If you were to ask about Italian culture, would we start with the founding of Rome? And where would pizza, the Vatican, the mafia, Mussolini, Da Vinci, spaghetti, Giuseppe Verdi, the Uffizi Gallery, Venice and so on fit in?
So you have made a start, but you need to narrow it down a lot further.
It would also help me if you told me a bit more about the paper you are writing - how big is it, what is its topic, how much do you want to write about the Tibetan part?
All the best
Alex W

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay
the paper is on how the buddhist culture is and how it was, what they eat and how they live. It is a research paper for my english class; we were told to pick a culture to write about and i chose buddhism; obviously not realizing what a hard topic it would be! It has to be three pages typed and im working on the first draft now and thats what i have so far....

         Buddhist Culture

One of the largest religions in the world, Buddhism has over 300
million followers. Buddhism is derived from the word “budhi” which means to awaken.
Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or “way of life”
It isn’t just a religion in the Middle East; there are followers all over the world in every country.  

Answer
Hi Alex,
Just a small point to get it out of the way - there are not many Buddhists at all in the Middle East - the main spread was east of that.
I now see, I think, that part of your difficulty is that, by choosing Buddhism, you have picked something that covers many very different nationalities and, I would say, different cultures. That's probably why you have had difficulties with your Googling - there are very few *general* answers. Restricting it to one nationality will make things easier, if you can at this stage.
Obviously I can't do the reasearch for you, but you might find some of these links helpful:
http://www.rokpauk.org/tibcultureheritage.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_food
http://tsampa.org/tibetan/tsampa/theory_and_practice/
http://www.khandro.net/links_Tib_recipes.htm
I hope this helps a bit!
All the best
Alex W