efore settling down on a long retreat and averting my eyes from the other practitioners, I like to scan the crowd for the under-30 yogis. I check for overalls, Doc Martens, concert t-shirts, body piercings.

hy are there so few young ones? I thought Buddhism was hip. New York magazine and the Wall Street Journal say so. Adam Yauch, Laurie Anderson, Richard Gere, and Tina Turner are Buddhists. My teacher, U Pandita Sayadaw, says people coming to the practice at an early age progress extremely fast.

oung people were the ones to bring vipassana (meditation) west in the '60s, when they protested the war, formed communes, tripped on psychedelics, pioneered therapy movements and took off for India.

he '80s--the decade my peers went to college and learned about financial success--were another story. Few students took time off to travel to Asia or otherwise explore their minds. In fact, I remember scorn for the "hippies in the '60s": the line was that they went off and neglected their responsibilities. Look at us, we announced, we're serious. We care about good grades and high-paying jobs.