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The "right" religion
This is something that I've thought about time and time again and discussed on numerous occasions and I would love to heard what fellow practioners think since I've never had this discussion with one.
There can't possibly be a 'right' religion. One that everyone in the world should follow? Why should people who have never heard of Chrsitianity be condemed? Why should the native americans who worshipped sun and moon gods and revered the earth as a living entity have been condemed? There are too many minds for people to nicely fit into just one.
I feel that if that's what you practice and believe in what's right for you then you will have the peace that you seek in the end.
What do you guys think?
There can't possibly be a 'right' religion. One that everyone in the world should follow? Why should people who have never heard of Chrsitianity be condemed? Why should the native americans who worshipped sun and moon gods and revered the earth as a living entity have been condemed? There are too many minds for people to nicely fit into just one.
I feel that if that's what you practice and believe in what's right for you then you will have the peace that you seek in the end.
What do you guys think?
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Comments
However, that being said, it is far different than the structure of, say, Roman Catholicism.
It is quite possible that Buddhism is a religion (which I tend to believe it is), though a religion in a sense that differs from our Western sensibility of religious structure.
The inability of the Catholic Church, for example, to ever adiquately explain what happens to those who have no knowledge of their form of salvation (a response which is typically, "Ignorance is okay for them, but not for you") points directly to the flaws in any of the prevailing religious certainty.
At the end of the day it is in the best interest of the Catholic Church to proclaim their soverign divinity because once they lose that they lose all their power -- and with it their income. I firmly believe it to be a numbers game, and a large financial gambit, with the greater majority of organized religions. It has become quite vogue to attack the likes of Tom Cruise for his Scientology (which is wacky, don't get me wrong) but to, at the same time, defend ideals just as outlandish, and money-grabbing practices just as blantant, by more conventional Churches.
In that respect, Buddhism, or at least the Buddhism I have been exposed to, differs greatly from the conventional idea of religion and, it could be argued, is not a religion based on our knowledge of what religion is.
That was long. Phew.
At a cultural level, myths evolve and are accepted because they make some sort of sense of the chaos that confronts our naked senses. We also have our own mythic framework for our perception of ourself, others and the world at large.
If you have read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night or have been around people with autism, you may have been struck, as have I, by their unmetaphorical world-view. It appears to be extremely painful and isolating.
One of the benefits to my own pilgrimage of Buddhism has been the realisation that 'right' and 'wrong' are not categories that can be attached to myth. On the dashboard of a taxi in Goa, our driver had a statue of Sri Ganesha, a picture of the Dalai Lama and a small shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. From the mirror hung a picture of Sai Baba: can't get too many gods for safety! And, after a journey with him, I gave thanks to all of them for a safe arrival.
Old John Paul II could not consider Buddhism a religion and he may have been right in terms of Western Buddhism which is typically reductionist. We are getting forms of Buddhist practice and theory based on various traditions but stripped of their ancient myths: Tibetan Buddhism without all the gods, demons, magic kingdoms, etc., etc. is one example. Sogyal Rinpoche has grasped this very clearly and the myth content of his work is minimal. But he can't avoid it completely: Gampopa, Milarepa, Padmasambhava all turn up in his work.
It is exactly this which prevents Buddhism from being viewed solely as a philosophy in modern terms: there is a need for stories to illustrate and to affirm points made.
I'm not sure that Buddhism fits into any of our usual categories, although it has aspects of both a group of philosophical schools and a clutch of religious doctrines.
Anyhow I did want to give the definition of religion I found in the Encylopaedia Britannica:
human beings' relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, or divine. Religion is commonly regarded as consisting of a person's relation to God or to gods or spirits. Worship is probably the most basic element of religion, but moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious institutions are generally also constituent elements of the religious…
I think the first sentence could be applied to Buddhism but I don't think the rest of it really does unless you're a buddhist who incorporates God or gods.
"moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious institutions are generally also constituent elements of the religious" this could apply to us also right?
So in some technical way for the people with their survey's and the people at the check in desk at the hospitals or the university admissions department, this helps them to neatly classify people of our spiritual orientation!
Religion is like a shoe. Certain sizes fit for different people. No matter how you may try to fit someone else's foot in your shoe, it may or may not fit the same. Everyone's shoe is valid and unique in its own way.
^gassho^
I don't believe that Buddhism falls under that.
Michael
welcome to the site. Im glad you are here!
^gassho^
According to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language - Fourth Edition, religion is
"1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion."
In my case, Buddhism falls into definition #3, and perhaps #4. Of course, it also depends on how you define spiritual.
For me I still have faith in God. I don't believe Jesus was his son nor do I have faith in the bible. You see I have faith in God but I believe Buddhism is God's true way. I am not saying that God worked his ways through Buddha. I just believe that Buddha figured it all out first. I believe God wants us to find out things for ourselves. So for me Buddhism is a religion. And yes as Wolf points out it is also a label. I myself am not past labels yet but maybe one day. I love it here on the path. I have never felt more "right".