In today’s post I’m going to continue explaining why Buddhism, despite there being religious organizations called Buddhism, is not inherently a religion and is a technique and way of living that is applicable to anyone, EVEN IF they choose to continue identifying with a religion. I cannot think of a more important use of my time here at Beliefnet.com and for the Interdependence Project. If I believe, as I do, that the Buddhist way of being is one that fosters compassion, kindness, and cooperation in myself and others, I should want it to be as widespread as possible. And if a condition of being “Buddhist” is that you must forsake your religion (Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, or otherwise) for something called a “Buddhist religion”, the chance of Buddhism spreading wide becomes exponentially slimmer and I would have sorely misunderstood what the four noble truths mean. I’d like to explain today at least part of why I do not believe this is the case.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nThe main issue I’d like to focus on in today’s brief post is that
\nBuddhism, as a path to liberation from dissatisfaction, does not
\ncondone war and killing others on the way to your own liberation.
\nBuddhists do not defend physical or mental territory with knives, guns,
\nand bombs. Although religions like Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, and
\nothers all have beautiful teachings and have been engines of
\ncivilization at various points in history, each of them also succumbs
\nto combat when their geography or beliefs are challenged. There is a
\nwhiff of the primitive origins of religion that makes itself known
\nwhenever religious organzations (or governments claiming divine right)
\nkill other people for not believing in the spiritual or physical
\nboundaries that they have drawn.<\/p>\n
When I hear of wars being conducted with the blessing of Christ, or a
\nJewish God, or a Fatwah, or in the name of a Mormon divinity, I cannot
\nhelp but picture a caveman with a stone in his hand standing outside
\nhis rock house bashing in the head of a threatening neihbor going “Me
\nmine, no come here.” Spiritual teachings that are truly based in
\ncompassion and interdependence, and offer those who follow the path the
\ntools to actually manifest compassion, do not require guns, knives, and
\nbombs to defend. They simply are. <\/p>\n
Because war, murder, and bloodshed are a common feature of every major
\nworld religion (even to the point of being included in the texts that
\nform the basis for these religions), and Buddhists (with a very few
\nexceptions) do not engage in killing others to prove that Buddhism is
\nthe best way, on this point it seems quite different from other
\nreligions. Furthermore, while religious war is justified in major
\nworld religions as different from teachings against killing as
\njustified by “divinity”; Buddha made no such distinction, making us
\nresponsible for our own decisions rather than giving responsibility up
\nto a deity. On this point as well, Buddhism diverges sharply from
\nother religions which each offer some version of “because God willed
\nit” when it comes to killing in the name of God.<\/p>\n
Buddhism also does not require any kind of conversion process or ritual
\nin order to follow the teachings, as compared to the conversion
\nprocesses one must go through to go from being a Jew to Christian or
\nvice-versa, and the empahsis in most religions on birth (bloodlines) as
\na signifier of belonging. One needs simply to have a dedicated
\ncontemplative practice and ideally study with a sangha (or on your own
\nif no community is available) and you are on the way..<\/p>\n
In this sense, I would say that American Democracy is more of a
\nreligion than Buddhism, with its requirements of birth as signifier of
\nbelonging, elaborate conversion process for those who were not born
\nhere, invokation of God as divinely ordaining war, money, and
\nallegiance, and defense of geographical and philosophical boundaries
\nthrough guns and bombs.<\/p>\n
Finally, a thought experiment. A spaceship leaves Earth on a five year
\njourney to a distant galaxy. On this ship are 500 people – 100 Jews,
\n100 Christians, 100 Muslims, 100 Atheists, and 100 Buddhists. Within
\neach of these groups are varying degrees of religious moderation,
\nthough each of the 500 has been profiled for having high tolerance of
\nothers views.<\/p>\n
Two years in, the ship loses contact with Earth and is adrift in an
\ninky black galaxy. Decisions must be made about resources, the
\ndirection of the ship, and how to run things on board. Each week, a new
\nsection of the ship must be shut down as power, water, and food is
\ndwindling.<\/p>\n
The most devout members of each religious group (the Orthodox Jews,
\nthe Evangelical Christians, etc) naturally become increasingly sure
\nthat it is they who have divine authority in this situation, as their
\nfaith requires (to not claim divine authority would be to betray their
\nfaith). They try to hoard resources for “their people”, and
\nincreasingly try to defend smaller and smaller pieces of territory.<\/p>\n
What do the Buddhists do? Who starts killing who first? Do the
\nBuddhists defend themselves, if attacked? If all the other religious
\nbecome increasingly devout, but the Buddhists simply continue to be,
\nwhat does that mean? What does it mean if people from some of the other religions begin meditating with the Buddhists? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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