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Buddhism: Philosophy or religion
Hi all
Please excuse my (probably) incoherent ramblings but I'm typing as I'm thinking. I've been looking through some of the postings here and it appears that some people use Buddhism as a philosophical approach to life and for others it is a religion. Can it really be both? When are you a Buddhist? I know some people here have suggested that you are a Buddhist when you call yourself a Buddhist and I can see how that would work for the Buddhist philosophers, but would you be accepted as such by religious communities? Or do you really have to practice Buddhism as a religion to be a Buddhist?
Another question. As far as I know, the Buddha never spoke about God(s). Does this mean that Buddhism is essentially atheistic? How would Buddhists reconcile our continued existence after death (soul?, spirit?) without having a prime mover (God?) to bring everything into existence? Or to put it another way, where/how did it all begin?
I hope you can shed some light into my darkness and help me to lift myself out the sea of confusion.
Ian
Please excuse my (probably) incoherent ramblings but I'm typing as I'm thinking. I've been looking through some of the postings here and it appears that some people use Buddhism as a philosophical approach to life and for others it is a religion. Can it really be both? When are you a Buddhist? I know some people here have suggested that you are a Buddhist when you call yourself a Buddhist and I can see how that would work for the Buddhist philosophers, but would you be accepted as such by religious communities? Or do you really have to practice Buddhism as a religion to be a Buddhist?
Another question. As far as I know, the Buddha never spoke about God(s). Does this mean that Buddhism is essentially atheistic? How would Buddhists reconcile our continued existence after death (soul?, spirit?) without having a prime mover (God?) to bring everything into existence? Or to put it another way, where/how did it all begin?
I hope you can shed some light into my darkness and help me to lift myself out the sea of confusion.
Ian
0
Comments
The Buddha taught how to liberate oneself from suffering - nothing else.
God is irrelevant in the equation so i think buddhism is agnostic. Someone more knowledgeable can give you the story of a guy getting shot by an arrow and not letting anyone remove it until he knew exactly who shot it and from what bow and from what wood was it made etc..
As for philosophy or religion i prefer to call it a philosophy because i am wary of organised religion - but i guess it's all semantics at the end of the day.
When are you a buddhist? i'd like to know the answer to this one too.
Taking your second point first, Buddhism is essentially atheistic in that it does not contain any doctrine, dogma or belief in a Supreme Creator. Some branches of Buddhism use the notion of 'gods' or devas as archetypes. Thus, Tibetan Buddhism, which is part of the Mahayana tradition, speaks of the "Sons of Buddha", the boddhisatvas. It is delightful, however, to note that the Boddhisatva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, is seen as having been an ordinary human who, having achieved enlightenment, made the decision to return, again and again, to samsara whilst beings continue to suffer. And, beyond this, it is from the tears of Avalokiteshvara that the Taras are born: goddesses but not in a sense that post-Christians understand.
Our thinking has been so warped by the Christian take on 'God' and religion that we have lost sight of the fact that, prior to evangelisation, both Greece and Rome used their vast store of myth and legend as illustrative of philosophical principles (cf. for example The Symposium by Plato). The philosophers did not see any distinction to be made between mysticism, mathematics and philosophy.
The scholastic theologians of the Thomist tradition are trained in philosophy as much as in theology but the Protestant churches (and much of the post-Reformation Catholic Church) have a tendency to distrust any sort of philosophical exploration of ideas. Despite this, it is worth noticing that genuine theological exploration continues to be along philosophical lines. The fact that these works are rarely brought into the pulpit and opened to the laity is interesting.
Buddhism is, essentially, a humanism and, as such, is a philosophy, a psychology and a spiritual practice. In basic Christian terms (as the late Pope acknowledged) it is not a religion, although it may use qusi-religious rituals and forms to express the inexpressible.
There is no entry requirement to become a geometer: all that is needed is study.
There is no membership ritual to being an existentialist: all that is needed is a mental attitude and action in the world.
Someone else said that the real purpose of religion is not to explain God, but to explain death - since that is what humans really care about: what happens when we die. On this subject, the Buddha remained silent. Our limited minds cannot grasp this, and even if we could, IT DOES NOT make a difference to our current situation. The oft-quoted story is of the man pierced by a poision arrow. Would he sit there and ask questions like "who shot the arrow?" or "how was it made"? No, you need to remove the arrow as quickly as possible, because TIME IS RUNNING OUT (in this life).
Gods in the time of the Buddha was a given. (not God/singular since Buddha predates monotheism which started in the Middle East not India). Buddha acknowledged the Gods, but explained that they are conditioned and part of samsara (the cycle of existence). They can influence worldly events, but [faith in them] cannot resolve your suffering.
Prime Mover? How did it all begin? All existence is conditioned, with no original "event". But I would ask you the question: Does it matter? Would knowing the answer help you?
For my part, and for me, Buddhism falls into the 'religion' bracket, for many reasons, including the definitions (2) and (3) as given by the Oxford on-line English Dictionary:
"Religion:
• noun 1 the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. 2 a particular system of faith and worship.
3 a pursuit or interest followed with devotion.
— ORIGIN originally in the sense life under monastic vows: from Latin religio ‘obligation, reverence’.
Buddhism is for me, a way of Life. but it is one to which I am devoted, and it teaches me time and time again that I need to practise with Respect, Reverence and Compassion.
I feel you are Buddhist when you make the promise to yourself that this is the way you choose to 'Walk the talk'.
THis is all purely my opinion though. But I will add that it works for me, I've tried and tested it.....:)
Magwang, your comment about the purpose of religion being to explain death, not God was truly inspired. I'd never really thought about it before but I can see that it is true. And you are right. Knowing how all this came into being wouldn't help me on my journey at all. The desire to know is probably just one more think I need to let go of.
The conclusion I've come to about god(s) is that not only can I never know for sure whether they exist or not, but that has no relevence to my life. All I can do is my best and that by being aware, diligent and disciplined I might actually make some progress. So I guess the answer to my own question about whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion is simply yes. And I guess that makes me a (trainee) Buddhist.
Thank you all for a little clarity and wisdom.