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Recently, my chosen preference of belief has come up as a point of conversation.  Not in a bad way or anything, just the natural flow of things.  But something it made me realize is just how much people on the outside don’t understand it.  Or more to the point, how much people outside anything don’t understand that which they are on the outside of.  The case in point being a comment made to me that Buddhism is a very egocentric "religion," that a Buddhist is, in affect, their own god.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.

So, I just want to discuss a few points for those who might be interested.  Anyone in any of my Buddhist blog groups that want to interject, expand, or correct anything, feel free.  I felt that this knowledge was something that had value in being passed on.  You are free to reject or disagree with any of it.  Just remember that Truth exists beyond what you think.  Don’t take my words, See them.  See through them and find the Truth that exists beyond them.

The idea that the Buddhist wants to attain enlightenment for "themself" is completely opposite of everything the Noble Eight Fold Path stands for.  "I" do not want to be enlightened for "myself."  It’s not something for "me" to have so "I" can lord it over others.  I use the quotes to emphasize the point that the idea of self is not something Buddhists regard.  Attaining enlightenment includes the realization that there is, in fact, no self.  The concept of self is a construct of human craving, our desires that lead to suffering, to duhkha.  A Buddhist acts with the motivation to relieve suffering.  Not for ourself, but for everyone.  One does not become enlightened as a sort of final act, waving goodbye and good luck to everyone as we walk into the sunset.  Reaching Nirvana isn’t the closing of a book.  No, it’s a tool we get so that we may teach others how to do the same.  I cannot show someone how to ride a bike until I have learned to do the same.

Example.  Why do you chose not to kill people?  Because there are laws against it?  Because your parents told you it is bad?  Because you follow the Ten Commandments to the letter?  Why?  Is it because we as a society have developed a moral paradigm that says that behavior is unacceptable?  What if I said that’s a bad reason for a rule?  Islamic extremists disagree with that mentality.  They view martyrdom and the death of others as a successful path to the afterlife.  Are they wrong just because we disagree with them?  Why?  Why is that a less correct belief than what Christian Americans think?  The Buddhist belief sees beyond morality.  Morality is an illusion, something we make up as we go along.  Something that is different everywhere.  You say do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  For the Islamic extremist following, that carries new meaning, does it not?  Instead, I say that I will not kill people because it will bring suffering to their families and their friends.  I will not steal my neighbor’s car, or burn down a school not because laws tell me it is wrong, but because I understand my actions result in suffering for others.  I see Truth beyond my actions in that regard.  It is not wrong for extremists to kill others because it violates laws or is immoral, it is because it is a huge source of suffering around the world, that is how I know that cannot be right.  We do not exist so that we may be a source a duhkha - we are duhkha, because we want.

It is that which supercedes morality.  Granted we don’t live in a world where we can all go through life like that, naturally.  People are bound to the idea that we need rules to control society.  Yet, I believe that through the path I take and others take, we can show more people how to live their lives in a better way.  One where the rules aren’t needed.  Rules aren’t Truth.

In contrast, most people who consider themselves Christian are the opposite.  The individual will follow the rules presented to them and does good things so that they may go to heaven.  Their actions are not for the benefit of others, but for the benefit of themselves.  So that they may say look at these good things I have done.  They react out of a fear of hell.  Once you go to heaven, you are done.  Responsibilty to others ceases.  Duhkha ceases.  To a Buddhist though, we see duhkha as something that can cease through enlightment in life, and as long as we are able to teach that to others, we should, and should encourage others who are enlightened to do the same. 

A Christian may say "I must help save as many people as I can in this life."  How does one do that if they themselves have not yet really been saved.  They may think they have been, as this is what they’re told, but that was not something achieved through knowledge, but rather a singular act done unto them.  How do you "teach" that to another person?  It isn’t a scorecard, your value in heaven isn’t ranked based on how many people you can convert.  But everyone suffers.  Christians, Jews, Hindus, Pagans, Islams, everyone.  I don’t want to convert them because I think that makes me a better person, I simply want to help them escape duhkha, a goal I believe can be achieved regardless of religious persuasion.  Because we have that power.  Anyone can See.  We all have access to Truth.  And it’s not religious.  There is no Truth in religion, especially ones that are a constant source of duhkha.  And even a good Christian, of which I know several, fails to see that their religion still is a source of suffering.  If your religion is wringing compliancy through fear, and giving you something spectacular to want, then you create more craving.  You want that goal.  You want to see heaven, you want to be free of suffering.  But it is that very wanting that causes the suffering to begin with.  I am not saying that all that isn’t achievable either, because I do believe that there are some people who can See the Truth beyond their religion, even if they don’t realize it, or they just put it in context of religion.  Overall, they still "get it," so-to-speak.  But generally, real religion is a roadblock to that because even if it’s tiny, they still want for that end goal.  They still crave heaven, even if it’s a tiny bit hidden in the back of their head.  Built in, inherent duhkha.  Buddhism does have the same trap, chasing enlightnement.  But the trick is that enlightenment is not necessarily reached by pursuing it.

In the end, under my belief system, death does not give you an exemption ticket.  Life isn’t something to suffer through, and once it’s over, you magically are free of duhkha.  Because in that event, you haven’t learned a thing.  That is the basis of the rebirth system.  We gain knowledge and experience as we go.  Eventually we can See past duhkha.  It’s a slow process, but works well for everyone.  That is my belief anyway.

I welcome any conversation.