Actor Orlando Bloom has “come out” as Buddhist. Eventually, I’m sure we’ll start seeing comparisons to Richard Gere, but Bloom is following the Soka Gakkai branch of Buddhism, whereas Gere, who began with Zen, is a follower of the vajrayana form, a subset of Tibetan Buddhism.
A few years ago, NPR did a piece about Soka Gakkai in the United States (by Mandalit del Barco, whose name I just love saying!). If you’re interested in Gere’s Buddhist experience, you can go to Shambhala Sun’s interview with the actor in 1999.
Interestingly, NPR points out that Soka Gakkai has been called “prosperity Buddhism” because of its emphasis upon the material world. One difference to know between these traditions is that Vajrayana Buddhism is part of the Tibetan tradition, wheras Soka Gakkai arose from Mahayana, from a Japanese monk who “perfected” the Buddha’s teachings.
Broadly speaking, Mahayana, which is most Buddhism today, emphasizes the laity’s ability to obtain enlightenment and their already-existing “buddha-nature.” They have a larger set of scriptures than Theravada (another major vehicle) that they consider authoritative. There’s no direct theological parallels in Christianity, but you could think of it in terms of the Eastern Orthodox / Roman Catholic split, or the Roman Catholic / Protestant split.
So, while it’s true to say that Bloom and Gere are both Buddhists, it’s kind of like how Mel Gibson and Stephen Baldwin are both Christians.
Image: Statue of Vajrasattva, Tibet © Marcel Nies