Source: Austin-American Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/life/buddhist-parents-struggle-with-how-to-pass-on-181521.html
A few years ago, I was struck by a frank assessment made by Zen monk Clark Strand in the Buddhist magazine Tricycle. "Buddhism," Strand wrote, "must change or die."
Americans began embracing the Eastern religion in a major way in the 1960s, he said, but they focused on the practice of meditation and spiritual retreats for themselves and failed to develop rituals and traditions to pass to their children.
More-established religions in the U.S. such as Christianity and Judaism provide structured religious formation for children through baptisms, bar and bat mitzvahs, Bible and Hebrew schools. But, Strand argued, Western Buddhist centers are not always as family friendly.
Since reading that piece, I've wondered how Western converts introduce their children to Buddhism. Most had never seen Buddhist concepts through a child's eyes and perhaps had never encountered children in the meditation sessions they attended.
I recently reconnected with one of my Buddhist sources, David Zuniga, who happened to be tackling this question with his own family.