Zen and the art of law enforcement

Figures are hard to pin down, according to Richard Seager, author of "Buddhism in America." Estimates put the number of self-described Buddhists in the US between 1 and 6 million. The majority of these are immigrant or "ethnic" Buddhists from Asia.

The number of Buddhist converts ranges anywhere from 100,000 to 800,000. Harvard University's Pluralism Project currently lists 1,856 Buddhist centers around the country, compared with 1,791 mosques.

In fact, most of the people who have come to this Wisconsin retreat are middle-aged professionals. There isn't a rope sandal in sight. And many attendees say the Buddhist teaching is useful for their own faiths.

"To me, the practice of Buddhism is helping me understand my Christianity," says Cindi Vian, who was trained as a Lutheran minister and works for a Catholic agency in Milwaukee.

This blending of traditions may well be part of the reason figures on Buddhist adherents are hard to track.

Cesar Jump, who came to America in the 1980s from El Salvador, goes to the Deer Park Tibetan Monastery south of Madison on Sunday mornings and then to Catholic mass on Sunday evenings. "I see the connection between the teachings of Buddha and the teaching of Jesus," he says.

This mingling of ideas and religious traditions is everywhere at the Green Lake Conference Center. The center itself is owned by the American Baptist Assembly, though the retreat was billed as non-sectarian and nonreligious.

Which is not to say the retreat has seamlessly woven into the American fabric. Despite Maples' efforts to strip out religious overtones, a visit by the world's second most famous Buddhist monk (after the Dalai Lama) has raised hackles. Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued a statement saying that the city's promotion of Buddhism was "problematic."

"I remain completely unconvinced of two things," says the group's executive director, Barry Lynn. "First, that there is no official promotion of this event; and second, that this is not a religious retreat."

On the other hand, the Wisconsin ACLU said it had received no complaints over the issue, and was not looking into it.

"This is not meant to be a religious event," says Maples. "You don't see any statues of the Buddha. You don't see any chanting or incense. [But] whatever helps people be ethical and moral and do the next right thing in front of them, I'm all for it, as long as it's inclusive and not exclusive."

In his speech, Hanh also emphasized the retreat's non-sectarian nature. "It is not necessary to become a Buddhist to profit from the teachings of the Buddha. You don't have to be Chinese to enjoy Chinese food."

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