Holte's corner

Religion and Buddhism

To me, at this point, buddhism is an approach to religion more than a particular religion.

I've come to say this for a number of reasons.

One, because I've come to realize that the most important elements of Buddhism are the universal ones, the true ones, and the transcendental ones. When the Lotus Sutra talks of the Magician with his followers in the desert, the physician with his crazy children, the parable of the prodigal son who doesn't even know his father. All these stories are about how to make distinctions in religion and tame the mind. They don't recommend a particular method, a particular approach.

Two because, In Buddhism what is important is not the particular discipline, but that there is discipline. Not the particular object of worship, but that we make our object of worship enlightenment and transcending illusions. Thus it seems to me that Buddhism is at the very least a teacher of teachers, and possibly a teacher of the sages who teach teachers teachers.

Following this approach. I commend all Buddhists to go out and join their Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, and to apply Buddhist principles to tame the teachings of those religions. I know that that is dangerous. We humans are so foolish that we are more likely to become influenced by lesser teachings while still thinking we are Buddhists than to apply the principles of Upaya wisely. But it's the only way. The established sects of Buddhism have much to teach, but as long as they remain religions, that message will remain limited and transcient. Worse, most of them are hopelessly compromised with local religions. As long as nobody can make the distinction between say Bon teachings and Buddhism, Taoist ideas and Zen, or Tantric ideas and buddhism, people will not be able to use Shakyamuni's wise approach to religion in environments outside of those cultures. Worse they get confused by those cultures into thinking that Buddhism is about Bon reincarnation of Yogis, about Zen flow with the Tao, or about initiatiations into esoteric fantasies.

Nichiren use Confucian principles to teach ethics, and used Shinto teachings, to convey difficult Buddhist principles. We need to do the same thing with the religions of the world. We need to be serious about creating a Christian Budhism, a Jewish Buddhism, a Moslem Buddhism, that discards what is transcient not just about those religions -- but also about Buddhism.

Chris

Posted by cholte at January 9, 2006 09:54 PM