Monday, March 21, 2011

Why I am not a Buddhist

Earlier this year, I seriously asked myself whether 2011 would be the year I came out and admitted to myself that I am, actually, a Buddhist. My religious/spiritual beliefs are somewhat confusing, even to me. I’ve always felt somewhat religious, even though I know that it’s all a crock, and I’m pretty much a hardcore rationalist. However, no religion I’ve ever found actually seems to suit me.

I’m a bit pagan, in that I do tend to observe the Celtic seasonal festivals, but that’s more to do with marking the passage of time than anything mystical. I’ve messed around with various occult systems, and have found them to be, on occasion, a good way to deal with psychological issues and personal development. (I don’t, for example, believe that casting spells can have any effect; on the other hand, making talismans in a ritual fashion can concentrate the mind wonderfully and help you to focus on the problem you’re trying to address.) I’m definitely not a believer in “big church” religion, and I’m totally opposed to following religious laws that can’t be justified in a modern context, no matter how sensible they were when first conceived.

Since I was about 13, though, I’ve had a fascination with Buddhism, particularly Zen. What I liked most about it was that it was much more about understanding your own mind and learning to live in the world than anything I normally think of as a religion. The Dalai Lama couldn’t be much more different to the Pope – he’s always talking about compassion, kindness, and understanding, not calling down damnation on those who doesn’t follow some archaic teachings, or who follow them in a slightly different way.

Earlier this year, I went to an Open Day at one of our local Buddhist temples. (The Chinese one, not the Thai one in the picture above.). As always, I was struck by the peace and tranquility, and by the friendliness of everyone, priests and visitors alike. After wandering around for a while, I figured that maybe after thirty years, I should just stop wavering and try being a practicing Buddhist. So of course, I wavered. I loaded myself up with all the free literature I could find, and decided to read a bit more before committing myself. After all, I know plenty about Buddhism, but very little about what it means to be a Buddhist.

Two months later, I’ve decided it’s not for me after all. Of all the religions I’ve flirted with, Buddhism’s still the one I feel most comfortable with, but I wouldn’t be honest with myself if I said it was something I can actually accept. Here’s why.

  • Belief in authority: many Buddhist teachings rely on the words of past masters. It feels like some old-time school where all you’re required to do is to learn selected quotes from Aristotle or Aquinas and parrot them back unquestioningly. That’s not enough for me. Just because Lama so-and-so said something doesn’t, to my mind, make it true. However, that’s often all you get.
  • Too many myths: traditional Buddhism is full of mythology. There’s a firm belief in ghosts and other supernatural elements. While I love myths and stories, I can’t make myself believe in them. (Strangely, I have very little problem accepting the idea of karma, but deities as literal beings? Not for me.)
  • Belief in parables: a typical Buddhist teaching method is the parable. Someone does something bad and misfortune befalls him; someone else does something good and he is rewarded. Those kind of stories are fine as kids’ fairy tales, but that’s not something I can accept as part of a serious belief system. It’s one thing when they’re presented as allegory (which Christian parables generally are), but not when they’re presented as literal truth.
  • Reliance on lists: the final straw for me was the extensive lists enumerating all sorts of things. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but those annoyed me. For example, one book I had listed the 80 characteristics of a Bodhisattva. They just seemed to me like lists of adjectives, especially when they started repeating themselves (e.g. neat hair, tidy hair, clean hair, well-trimmed hair). That seems to me like one thing: Bodhisattvas look after their hair. What’s the point in making me learn four ways to say the same thing? It just felt, well, childish. And then they started listing clean nails, well-trimmed nails, clean face, clean skin, clean feet, and so on. Okay, okay, I get it! Bodhisattvas have personal hygiene!
    It was the same with various other lists; they didn’t seem to tell me anything, just weird metaphysical categorization of things for no apparent reason. Like lists of postures you can adopt while meditating (sitting, lying, standing, kneeling, walking, etc) or times of day you can meditate (before dawn, at dawn, after dawn, mid-morning, etc), which basically boil down to “you can do this any way you like, any time you like”. It feels like false wisdom – lots of words, signifying nothing.

Now, I’m absolutely not knocking Buddhism. If the world had more practicing Buddhists in it, it would be a much nicer place. I still believe that the Buddhist principles of compassion, duty, and awareness are the way I want to live my life. I just can’t truthfully say that I believe in the religious trappings with which those principles are presented.

I’ll still have my smiling Buddhas by my desk and by my bed, though. Right next to the Ganesha, the mandalas, the Tree of Life, and the Celtic talismans. There’s something in all religions. Just not the religious bit. Not for me, anyway.


8 comments:

Will Shetterly said...

I came to much the same conclusion. Check out the Unitarian-Universalists. Though individual churches vary, they're very much a home for people who have an eclectic approach to religion, and they're extremely pagan-friendly.

India Drummond said...

The way I put it is that I'm following a Buddhist path. One of the things I've learned by doing that is that everyone makes their own path, and follows where their own karma leads them. No judgement of others makes any sense when you take that view.

So I congratulate you on going through your life mindfully. =)

Aspect of the Wolverine said...

"-- You humans, most of you, subscribe to this policy of an eye for an eye, a life for a life, which is known throughout the universe for its... stupidity. Even your Buddha and your Christ had quite a different vision; but nobody's paid much attention to them, not even the Buddhists or the Christians."

I agree with you principles of religion. They all have merit, all of them. The general tenants; "Be kind." "Be forgiving." "Be patient." "Help thy fellow planet sharer" and so on.

I just find so much of it gets lost in the rigid structuring of identity and exactly how one is supposed to pay homage to these figures.

I figure, I'll apply the lessons practically, but she away from the rocky shores actual patronage.

Aspect of the Wolverine said...

That should read as shy away..

Carl Anderson said...

You could, perhaps, become a radically reforming Buddhist prophet -- shearing away ye olde baggage in a blinding fit of revelatory insight. (It seems appropriate in such contexts that we not worry about whether there is more blinding or revealing going on ....) Anyway, this kind of approach has worked for people before. :) Or maybe someone has already done this ....

@t0ni0lin said...

Hi matt! I am a practising Buddhist and I believe you have misunderstood certain basic principles of Buddhism.
Maybe your master of teacher had tried to coerce or enforce their teachings on yo au. I would gladly invite you to join my Facebook group, Buddhist Teachings for Starters. here, we really use authentic texts and do not follow dogma simply without logic.
You see, when you mention past masters guidance, it is not actually Buddhist, but imposed by lamas (teachers).
I myself follow the Dharmma only and use it as a reference and source of inspiration, the Dharmma places little emphasis on the need for a teacher, and in fact calls for a student to seek a new teacher if the first one is unsuitable after trying (as Buddha left his earlier 2 teachers).
Furthermore, on the rituals and mysticism, YOU CAN FORGET IT. Those are tales from the past and are NOT KEY TO BUDDHIST PRACTICE. The core idea is meditation as the key to liberation. It does NOT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS, but it changes the way your mind perceives it. :)
It is a therapy of sorts, I have tried it, I'm 19 and it works so far, but after i practised for 2 years. So, maybe you should reconsider?

Martin Glass said...

What are your thoughts on the person Jesus?

Matt Kelland said...

I like a lot of what Jesus said (assuming he was a real person). I don't like what the church has turned that into.