Blessings

This argument over “Buddhism Without Beliefs” reminds me of the Viet Namese Peace talks held in Paris at the end of the Viet Nam war. Before the talks could even begin, they argued endlessly about the shape of the table that the talks were to be conducted at. One group wanting a round table, another a square table; this went on for quite some time.

Unfortunately, now more than even at that time, the real issues at stake here are much more monumental than at first they might appear. What concerns me most is that “Buddhism Without Beliefs”, whether you like the concept or not, is a product of these times. To be honest, I must admit that I haven’t read any of this stuff, nor do I intend to. Nor do I harbor any personal dislike towards the concept. But I would say, from what little I have read of the concept, that it seems to be another standard-bearer in the materialist society. In other words, it is not the cause of the problem; it is another example of the symptom of the disease.

Modern society is at a true crossroads. While many hold beliefs of faith, the official religion is that there is no religion. (This is not an issue about the freedom to practice according to ones faith. But, rather the undercurrent that pervades all of our sciences, the official body of societies knowledge.)

And it is not to difficult to see where the current path will lead: With no higher authority, be it a God or karma or Highest Truth, to provide an ethical and moral framework with which society and its members may engage to direct their lives, then, anything goes. And it does so as long as it doesn’t look too bad in the press (that other spiritually sanitized provider of Truth). Given a society that is gelded of spiritual truth, it is non-too surprising to see the gelding of the religions themselves.

Therefore, our planet is a provider of resources to be consumed, rather than husbanded. People are the consumers, materialists first and foremost. Scientific research is corporately funded, i.e. consumer driven. And what can’t be proven scientifically, and reported by Peter Jennings on the network news, isn’t real. Therefore, it doesn’t matter.

The overfed Americans dropping like flies from heart disease are statistics on the annual report in one of your mutual funds holdings. The kids killing kids phenomenon is a mystery, except to the children raised on television commercials and soda pop. Frankly, who would want to live such an empty life?

A sterilized Buddhism fits perfectly into the current cultural milieu. Just live here and now (nothing else matters), meditation is a great way to relieve stress (I’m not one of those spiritual weirdoes), Zen is a way to play golf (need I say more).

It doesn’t mean that everyone has to be a deep mystic, (hell I don’t even care much for the word), but it does mean than everyone can have a sense, or at least an inkling, that there is something more to yourself than your career and the parties, something to care about besides what you want right now. And a society that abandons that vision to T.V. ads and the press propaganda machine isn’t likely to get that.

You get that, hopefully, from a personal direct experience, as best as you can, with the greater reality. And for me, that is what the core of the Buddha’s teaching is about; that beyond all your hopes and cares, fears and troubles, is a higher truth that cannot be touched by these, and yet, is not separate from you.