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Cheri Huber
What are the opinions of the people on this forum of Cheri Huber? ... and by extension Soto Zen Buddhism in the west?
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I do want to know if Buddhism is truth, how that differs from psychology? Is not psychology just a focused effort to get to the truth of the human condition?
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However, we are indeed after the truth. And by following the path we become peaceful which to many makes Buddhism seem much more like a philosophy than a religion, because we are increasing happiness and living better. In my humble opinion this is because their experience of dharma never really passes from the book for them. They learn to do nice things which put their minds at ease and possibly rid them of a few delusions, but never truly give up wrongdoings and there for never follow the path to the end and never gain full benefit. To a great many who strive to follow the path see Buddhism more like a religion because it becomes a very deep spiritual practice for us.
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The dharma is like a treasure map, you can see it, learn it, and memorize it but, it won’t go get the treasure marked at the X for you. You yourself have to take the journey, make the hike, do the labors of digging, and follow the path laid out for you, and so on to get the treasure. For many of us it is this way, we work diligently and work our lives around our practice and follow our map of dharma so we may one day reap the treasure of liberation. In this respect I see it as a religion, though in the end it’s only a title which we have placed meaning in and holds no real impact. Like I said this is only my personal opinion, others may feel differently.