Thoughts on Buddhism
Posted on Sep 23, 2008
Excerpt from Bad Buddist Radio:
Buddhism isn’t so much a religion. Religions talk about meaningless spiritual garbage that doesn’t mean a thing until after you’re dead. Gods, and afterlives, and spirits and blah, blah, blah. Buddhism doesn’t get involved in all that because Buddhism doesn’t care.
Gods don’t matter to Buddhism. Neither do all the other trappings of religion.
Why? Because Buddha wasn’t concerned with those things.
What he was worried about was the here and now. You’re living in THIS lifetime — not one to come, not one that’s already been. This one, right now, right this moment.
It’s what you do with THIS life that matters.
My Buddhist teachers stress the importance of respecting other religions. This as well as your comment makes me feel that my religion is somehow superior. Ahh, truth IS paradoxical
I can understand how the tone of the message could be interpreted that way. For my part, I don't feel I have any views that are superior to anyone else's. It was the aspect of living in the moment, right now, that spoke to me – for me, living in the past (or the future) is something I struggle with. Thank you for your comment!
While I'd agree with you that Buddhism tends to be concerned with the here and now, I think you are making some sweeping conclusions about both religion in general and Buddhism as well. There is a very clear experiential, mystical component to most Western religions. In fact, there are very strong commonalities between contemplative Christianity (i.e. the Desert Fathers, St. John of the Cross, the teachings of the Philokalia, etc.) and Buddhist forms of meditation and asceticism.
I also wonder at your conclusion that Buddhism isn't so much concerned with the “next life” as it is much as the present one. From a Buddhist perspective, both forms of existence are interdependent. The actions of our current life influence that of our future incarnations. Furthermore, our karma from our past existences impacts our current one. As the Buddha says, “we are heir to our actions.” To deny this basic tenant undermines much of Buddhist thought.
Lastly, while it is true that most all forms of Buddhism do not support the idea of a creator God, almost all forms of Buddhism posit the existence of lesser, mortal gods, higher beings, the existences of hells, heavens, ghosts, etc.
Thank you for your thoughts, it's very instructive. I am a complete newbie in the area of Buddhism, and the statement which was posted was an excerpt from a podcast called Bad Buddhist Radio, not my own words. If you have any favorite reading material you have found helpful for a beginner, I would appreciate it if you let me know.
Anyone who doesn't think Buddhism is a religion has never spent time around Buddhist part of historic communities (such as in Asia).
Buddhism is a man-centric religion unlike most religions which are God-centric. If we have to live well and responsibly in this world, we have to tread the path shown by the Buddha.
Ideas or religious tenants lack intrinsic existence and are thereby empty because of their interrelationship with the cause and effect nature of all things in existence. Based on an understanding of this statement, it is unnecessary to challenge the beliefs of other religions. The fact that some people believe in a creator and others do not does not change the nature of existence. Please read “Essence of the Heart Sutra: The Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom Teachings” and “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking is also helpful. You may find interesting parallels between modern physics and Buddhism. Also, I suggest that you begin to contemplate the idea that the universe is involved in a cyclical existence and try to give up the notion of a beginning and end. You may find that if something doesn't begin there is no need for its creation or a creator. On a personal note, I don't believe Buddhism negates a creator as a reaction to other religions that are based fundamentally upon such a belief.
Let's see, I guess you could start with Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace is Every Step. That particular book's strong foundation in mindfulness and day to day practice will provide a good introduction to Buddhism as a living tradition. If you wanted to get into some (slightly) heavier theological stuff, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana's Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness is probably the best primer on the Noble Eightfold Path that I've ever read. Gunaratana's masterful Mindfulness in Plain English is also a great read. After that, maybe you could try Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner Mind or Phillip Kapleau's Three Pillars of Zen. And, of course, no list of Buddhist books would be complete without the Dalai Lama's Art of Happiness. Hope this helps!!!
Mark