Emergency Buddhists
This is a term I've just coined: emergency Buddhist . An emergency Buddhist is someone who doesn't have a regular Buddhist practice, but then when some catastrophe strikes, they contact the Dharma center or teacher wanting some religious intervention. They dabble in Buddhism by coming to classes at times, when it fits into their schedule of family events, sporting events, and other entertainment. They complain that they can't really relate to pujas, mantras, sadhanas, or other types of recitations. These practices seem like hocus-pocus to them. That is, until they really need some drastic change in whatever karma is ripening. Then it sometimes seems too late. Their own illness is too far along, or their family member is already on their deathbed. And suddenly they want Buddhism to fix it, to make the problem go away. That's a heavy expectation to put on Buddhism. It carries an unspoken demand: "If you can't fix this emergency I'm having, then the Dharma doe