Navakavada is a word which can be translated as “Way of the Juniors” or “Way of the Newbies,” as opposed to Theravada — “Way of the Seniors” or “Way of the Elders.”
We regard the Theravada school as the best source of teachings that can be regarded as genuinely those of the Buddha. At the same time, we recognise that the structure of Theravada Buddhism — especially that of the Theravadin sangha — is in many ways incompatible with modern Occidental life.
Up until now, many attempts at presenting Buddhism to Occidental audiences have managed to water down, ignore, and/or contradict basic tenets of Buddhism. Too often, the presentation appeals to the “lowest common denominator,” catering to the socio-political prejudices of its audience — and people end up spending a lot of money on a “Buddhism” that does little more than reassure them about their lifestyles.
The one thing most modern teachers want to avoid is anything that contradicts the prejudices of their audience or makes them uncomfortable.
Serious students who are seeking a path to enlightenment will turn away in disgust from such teachings: “This is Buddhism?”
And this is a great pity, since it can cause people to miss an opportunity to have access to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. It is often through the Sangha that the average seeker encounters the Dhamma on the way to the Buddha — and when the “Sangha” is a joke and the “Dhamma” becomes excuses for degeneracy, one is not likely to find the Buddha.
Real Buddhism is a demanding path — difficult to live up to, and incompatible with many of the assumptions held by modern audiences of paying “seekers.”
Navakavada is an attempt to encourage a more fundamentalist approach to Buddhism for (but by no means limited to) Westerners. Navakavada Buddhism renounces the current hysteria of “political correctness.”
Rather, Navakavada Buddhism attempts to reconcile the ancient, timeless values of the Dhamma with the post-modern, Occidental civilisation in which we live.