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Outsider Buddhism
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Outsider Buddhism is a term generally applied to teachers and programs focused on audiences that would typically have difficulty accessing the dharma or who would not normally be considered 'typical' Buddhists. It is highly individualistic - some teachers take an eclectic approach, borrowing from many traditions including those outside of Buddhism, while others (such as Brad Warner) attempt to interpret traditions by comparing them to Western cultural developments (Zen compared to the 'straight edge' school of American hardcore punk music culture, for example). The core teachings of the Buddha and their 'subversiveness' relative to Western mainstream culture are often taken as a starting point. Linkages to other countercultures such as punk and prisoners, are used to make the dharma relevant to these audiences. In many, but not all, cases teachings favour those Buddhist schools such as Zen, which rely less on the study of texts and more on meditation. Examples include outreach programs to prisoners such as the Prison Dharma Network in the USA, Angulimala in the UK and teachings targeted at audiences such as the homeless. Notable teachers *Fleet Maull *Bo Lozoff *Noah Levine *Brad Warner Selected reading Dharma in Hell - Fleet Maull We're All Doing Time - Bo Lozoff Hardcore Zen - Brad Warner Sit Down and Shut Up - Brad Warner Dharmapunx - Noah Levine 
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