The Zen of Quakerism (2016)

Quakerism Today: Diversity and Scale

• Commenters stress that Quakerism is tiny globally (hundreds of thousands at most) and highly diverse for its size.
• A major split is between “unprogrammed” meetings (mostly silent worship) and “programmed” meetings (pastor, hymns, sermons, short silence).
• In the US, commenters claim roughly half of meetings are unprogrammed; globally, programmed/evangelical forms—especially in Africa and parts of South America—appear to dominate.
• Several participants raised Quaker, but many only ever encountered silent, liberal meetings and were surprised at the extent of evangelical-style Quakerism.

Silent Worship, Meditation, and Zen

• Multiple posters see strong parallels between Quaker silent worship and meditation, including body awareness and “centering down,” though many Quakers don’t label it “meditation.”
• Key contrast noted: Quaker worship is communal and inward-facing, oriented toward listening for the “Inner Light” or Spirit; Zen is often framed as individual mindfulness, sometimes literally facing a wall.
• Some note that contemporary American Quaker writing can be quite secular, downplaying explicit God-language.

Buddhism, “Zen,” and Cultural Appropriation

• One thread criticizes “American-style Buddhist meditation” and the article’s framing as cherry‑picking and cultural appropriation, ignoring violent or nationalist forms of Buddhism.
• Others push back, arguing the author is just describing one Zen lineage and personal experience, not defining Buddhism as a whole.
• Sub‑discussion contrasts judging philosophies by their core teachings vs by real‑world abuses and opportunistic political uses.

Quaker Values: Authority, Honesty, and Pacifism

• Commenters highlight:
  • Skepticism toward unearned authority, but not authority itself.
  • Strong traditions of honesty (e.g., refusal to swear oaths, Biblical basis cited).
  • Historic and contested pacifism: some refuse all killing, even in self‑defense; others note Quakers who fought slavery or fascism.
• This sparks an extended debate on self‑defense, edge‑case ethics (e.g., protecting a child), and whether nonlethal defense methods are realistic.

Community Health and “Branding”

• Some describe aging, shrinking liberal meetings with few young adults; others (e.g., in Berkeley) report vibrant younger cohorts.
• Several see Quakerism as under‑recognized Christian mysticism, potentially bridging to other contemplative traditions.
• “Branding problems”: people confuse Quakers with Amish or Quaker Oats; commercial uses of the name/image obscure the religious movement.