The previous century was one of the most consequential periods in the history of our society. One of the highlights of that era was that Eastern spiritual traditions, such as Buddhism, made huge inroads into Western culture. At the same time, Western values, science, democracy, engineering, and pop culture transformed the East in every respect and at all levels, from personal to societal. It was, perhaps, an unprecedented example of such rapid cultural exchange. This whole historical development is something that should be celebrated. It was able to happen because of technological advancements that enabled people to travel and exchange ideas with each other, whereas in the old days, cultural and geographic barriers were like a powerful wall that separated people from forming close connections. 

When we consider the distant past, there were only a few people who were burning with wanderlust and had the courage to travel into unknown cultures. Some who come to mind are the seventh-century Chinese monk Xuanzang and the 13th-century Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo. They had very different goals but were some of the very few bridge-builders between utterly opposite cultures. The former brought a wealth of ancient Buddhist scriptures from India to China, whereas the latter supposedly introduced noodles to Italy. So, humorously, one could say that Xuanzang transformed Chinese culture, whereas Marco Polo changed Italian cuisine forever.

As early as the end of the 19th century, Eastern spirituality was already receiving attention from intellectuals of the West—so much so that it became the inspiration for non-Judeo-Christian spiritual movements, such as Theosophy and Transcendentalism. After the Second World War, the counterculture movement began in the US and spread all over the world. It was a vibrant time when many young Westerners were disillusioned and dissatisfied with the politics, culture, and religion of the day. A fair number of them looked to alternative spirituality, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. When you see historical photos of spiritual communities and sanghas from that period, they are often filled with young people. Many Buddhist teachers—Tibetan lamas, Zen roshis, Theravada teachers—attracted young people and built retreat centers, academic institutions, and practice communities. If you were around at that time, you would probably have thought, “This is going to grow even stronger.”

Fast forward to 2025 and many of the Buddhist sanghas in the West are no longer attracting younger people as they used to. This is also true in some Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea. There are a variety of factors for this change, not just one single thing. Today, if you visit a sangha in the West, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that most of the people are not that young. Not only that, the size of the sanghas is shrinking all the time. One of my friends, a Tibetan lama, jokingly calls the not-too-young Western Buddhist practitioners the “Last of the Mohicans,” a reference to the classic book and movie. 

As a Buddhist teacher, these developments cause me concern every now and then. Not because I play a role as a teacher, but because I have an unflinching love of the Buddhist tradition. I feel that Buddhism is a profound and powerful path that can help us find a wiser way to work with our minds, as well as find the higher purpose of our existence. Not just myself, but many of my friends who are Buddhist teachers and practitioners raise this issue in informal conversation. This must be an obvious trend, otherwise it would not come up so often in our conversations. 

Of course, no one ultimately knows what the future holds for Buddhism in the West. Yet, at the same time, we should not give up our aspiration for the longevity and flourishing of the Buddhist tradition. This invites us to understand the challenges, psychology, and spiritual needs of today’s younger generation. 

Very recently, I was in Berlin and taught at a Buddhist center whose main objective is to attract younger people to the Dharma. One of the main organizers told me that the younger generation are no longer interested in anything that seems to be too religious or dogmatic. It seems the younger generation may be more secular than their parents’ generation. Yet this does not mean that they don’t have the spiritual impulse for universal values such as compassion, love, and even transcendence. 

There should be an honest dialogue among Buddhist sanghas as well as Buddhist teachers to address these pressing issues, and to talk about how to present the Buddhist teachings and practices to the younger generation, who often are well-educated and at the same time disenchanted. The younger generation is the same as anyone else: they are dealing with their own internal conflicts, and they are also very conscientious about social, ecological, and political issues. This is a generalization, of course, of today’s young people, so let’s keep that in mind.

So the question becomes: how are we going to present Buddhism in a way that they can understand and recognize as a useful and practical path that will help them find inner peace and give more meaning to their lives? Let’s think about the bodhisattva model as an example. I could be wrong, but I believe that there are many young people who have a burning desire to be a bodhisattva. Is it possible to present the idea of the bodhisattva to the larger society to inspire the younger generation to even undertake the path? 

I feel that this world needs many bodhisattvas right now to combat the overwhelming challenges we all face. Let’s hold the hope that we are able to bring more peace, kindness, and equality into this world—not out of division, hatred, and aggression, but out of understanding, universal compassion, and unbiased love. 

This is what the bodhisattva model offers.

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