For sure. Most people would agree that doing something as a fitness regiment is not a religion. But you say that there is “no Buddhism” in the West. Clearly th

For sure. Most people would agree that doing something as a fitness regiment is not a religion. But you say that there is “no Buddhism” in the West. Clearly there are people who practice Buddhism in the West, whether that be “Western Buddhism” or something else. So one can only surmise that your argument is the following: Only Asians can be Buddhist. Well, that’s quite essentialist and othering towards Asians. But what other conclusion could there be? Because if you dialogue with such a person, they will continually raise the bar for being “Buddhist”, starting with pure merit and dedication (like: refrains from killing their parents; is nice to people; follows the N8XP) and then devolving into pseudo-anthropology like how Sri Lankans have different lifestyles compared to a Dutch person, or how Thai people might believe (I don’t know?) in jungle/forest spirits. Eventually you realize that the only way a born-in-the-West person could become a Buddhist, according to this completely wrongheaded interpretation of “lived experience”, is to do the following: 1. Be drafted into the Vietnam War 2. Get amnesia caused by a shrapnel stuck in your skull 3. Get lost in the Vietnamese jungle 4. Eventually find a village and become adopted 5. Learn the local language somehow 6. Become a Buddhist by being immersed in the “way of life and culture”