ABSTRACT
By 1957, Buddhism in the United States was Aryanized; not only was the founder of the tradition an Aryan, but his doctrine had been transformed, through “science” into a tradition of supposed superiority. In American culture, people still believe in racecraft as if it is true; the national census asks everyone about “race” although these categories have changed drastically over the years and in the world of medicines like BiDil, the first medication designed specifically for African-Americans to treat heart disease. Scholars of Buddhism have regularly attempted to nuance this picture by showing the adaptations of Buddhists upon entering America to complicate the narrative that Buddhism is simply unpacked in a new nation. Asian Americans have felt shut out of Buddhism in America, and the history of Aryanism and the supposed corruption of Buddhism provide some of the historical threads for modern phenomenon.
