On Buddhism
Many people have written volumes on Buddhism without saying much about it in the end. I am going to share with you some of my understandings of Buddhism and hope that it will do more good than not. Clearly I won't be able to do justice to the topic in a single post, and I doubt if its essence can be gleaned from reading alone.
One of the appeals of Buddhism is its faith in the innate nobility of all creation. Whereas Judeo-Christian religions divide the world into forces of Good and Evil and demands vengeance/compensation for the original sin (and all the rest that fallows), Buddhists believe that the true nature of everything is innately noble. The "evil" is the result of ignorance and/or imbalance.
This difference in starting point leads to very different conclusions. One the most significant conclusions is that while in a Judeo-Christian world you make a trade with God (Be a good Christian and get Paradise), in Buddhism you work on becoming Buddha. The difference between Heaven and Nirvana is subtle but significant. Heaven is given to you for the good deeds rendered. Nirvana is achieved by you when you have cast away your impurities sufficiently to be beyond this world.
Which brings us to the concept of after life. It seems neither logical, nor just to suffer (or be rewarded) for all eternity based on what you did for a short period of time on earth. Would you have behaved the same way if you had been born in the opposite sex? Would a street kid have stolen if he had been born to better and more well off parents? Would I believe in Jesus if I had seen him in person walking on water and raising the dead? Any objective judgment of a person's essence requires studying that person over multiple life times in different conditions. Just as logically (to me anyway) there is no Big Guy to judge your life times; you simply face the natural consequences of your own actions. Owning up to the natural consequences of one's own actions seems like a far more reasonable course of events than some grand jury hearing in a yet to be determined date.
Besides, what would be the point of the Judgment Day, or life for that matter? If you believe there is an infallible being out there who knows the course of history in advance, then no matter how you slice it, the events must happed as ordained and we have no choice in the matter. Contrast this with the idea of self improvement over many life times until you get it right and breaking the cycle.
The above are some of the "theoretical" aspects of Buddhism that deal with after death and the meaning of life. But there are also practical advantages. Because Buddhism does not believe in a reward/punishment scheme but rather self-achievement, you don't pray to get something; instead you meditate to increase your understanding of reality and to achieve a more focused and serene mind. This means that over all, Buddhism works. It makes one a better equipped to deal with reality and it helps you become a better person (note a "better person" does not necessarily mean a "good person").
And you don't have to take my word for it. This is independently verifiable via functional MRI and objective observation. Grab any 5 Tibetan Lamas and any 5 Bishops or Cardinals (or evangelical priests for that matter). Measure their brain wave patters and their responses to stress. There will be no question that the monks are better able to cope with life. Buddhist ways have also been incorporated into many arts ranging from flower arrangement and painting to the martial arts. Again, there is a practical advantage to this methodology (see Thinking Body, Dancing Mind ISBN 0-553-37378-1).
Just as with every other religion, Buddhism is not a magic bullet in curing the ills of the world. And just like every other religion, it is open to the interpretation of its practitioners. Buddhism as practiced by the unwashed masses in Asia is just as mechanical a practice and rife with superstition as any other religion. I've had acquaintances who thought fortune tellers on the street had relationship with the devil and that my Halloween decorations would bring the devil to our building. I am sure their belief seems very logical and not superstitious at all to them. I doubt any fundamental change in them would occur if they had been raised in a Buddhist country.
-----
Like every other religion, Buddhism has several sects. I recommend reading Zen for Beginners ISBN 0-86316-116-2 and Introducing Buddha ISBN 1-87416-618-8 for a good intro. Another good and short book is Zen in the Art of Archery ISBN 0375705090. What is good about these books (aside from them being brief and very enjoyable reads) is that they are all written by Westerners who have experienced Zen. As a result they can explain it in a way that is easier for an American to relate. Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness ISBN 1573221112 and How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life ISBN 0743427084 are NOT about Buddhism per se, but are still invaluable reads and will reveal the Buddhist way. I would stay away from long winded boring (and sometimes dead wrong) writings of Allen Watts and David Suzuki and other "academics".
Buddhism is a remarkably malleable philosophy. Within broad outlines, there is no "wrong" interpretation, so long as it works for you. There are also very few aspects of it that directly conflict with other religions. As a result, one can incorporate much of Buddhism in his life without giving up on his own religion. My personal favorite sects are Zen (really Taoism in Buddhist clothing) and Vajrayana (a.k.a. Tantra). They are both of the schools that believe in "doing" more than "philosophizing" and both try methods that would be natural to your own inclinations. Unfortunately, there is a difference between knowing the path and waling it. Both Zen and Tantra require working with a master (think of it as a coach), Vajrayana much more so than Zen. Unlike Zen, if you choose to walk the path of Vajrayana, you must be committed to seeing it to the end; it is the embodiment of "a little knowledge is dangerous thing" (see Dangerous Friend ISBN 1-57062-857-2).
I hope this helps,
Sun Tzu
PS I am neither Chinese nor was born into Buddhism. I developed my own thoughts over the years and when I finally ran into Buddhism, I noticed the great similarities between my own thoughts and it. I have since benefited from the works of many masters who over centuries have perfected a unique outlook on life. |
