And just like every teenage girl when she's home sick I decided to research Buddhism.
It started last weekend when my dad brought me a book on mindfulness he thought I'd enjoy.
It was by a Buddhist monk named Thich Nhat Hanh...
and it was awesome.
Suddenly, almost everything my life seemed to be lacking was found in the wise words of this monk.
Everything the world seems to be lacking could be found in the wise words of this monk.
Which brings me to why I've started to love Buddhism:
1.) Simplicity:
There's something really nice about a religion that doesn't ask too much of you. Since Buddhism is more of a mindset than a religion it doesn't require you to go to mass every Sunday or to avoid certain foods on certain days. It just requires you to love the world and feel compassion toward everything and everyone. I like the idea of humans living out their religion rather than practicing it on certain days of the week.
2.) Mindfulness and being in the present:
Many people focus too much on the future and the past. For the future, they focus on getting into heaven. Some are so preoccupied with the ending goal that they miss out on living in the now. Others are so preoccupied with past sins and mistakes that they live out the rest of their life in guilty memory of their mistakes. Buddhism focuses one to stay in the present. One must forgive ones past mistakes and realize that it is only through the present that we get to the future.
3.) No ill will
Do you realize how much nicer this world would be if everyone agreed not to harm anyone else? There would be no wars, no crimes and very few problems. I know this is very idealistic but it's a nice thought. Plus, Tibetan monks live out this lifestyle already so maybe goodwill is not too far out of reach for the rest of us.
Buddhism Deal-breakers:
1.) No God
Although Buddhism is considered a religion, it does not exactly have a God. Rather it has this idea of spirituality and dharma that lies within all of us. Buddhist can pray to the Dalai Llama or to Buddha, but their is no deity in the way that there is in other religions. Perhaps this isn't such a bad thing though. Without a God, there is no God to fight over. This idea does however make it more difficult for a protestant like me to consider converting. To go from the idea of a God to no God is a huge deal.
2.) The men have the power:
All the many Buddhist sects the leading roles are given to men. This is of course the same in every single other large World religion, however it does serve as a reminder that Buddhism is not exactly my utopic religion.
It is so refreshing to read your post, because I am Buddhist. Sometimes (pretty much always) it's nice to have a fresh lens to see the spirituality/mindset/not-exactly-religion through. :) For me, the fact that there is no god is one of the things I love, and personally not something I consider a deal-breaker. Obviously, I realize that is different for all people, and I can totally respect that. And while, in much more traditional settings, a lot of the power is given to men, there are a lot of western temples led by women. For me, Buddhism has also been something super-personal because, let's face it, there aren't a ton of Buddhists in Holland. That's probably another reason I've never had a problem with male power.
ReplyDeleteThich Nhat Hanh is genius. Even though I'm not Buddhist, I find his perspective refreshing, and extremely applicable to my life. I especially love the idea of living in the present. I recently read a passage of one of his books, "Your True Home", that spoke about making each moment "the most wonderful moment" of our lives. I love that! I think it is so easy to get caught up in making plans for the future, or worrying about the past. Life is short, so we might as well take in and appreciate the time we have.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it's so great to see you thinking for yourself and exploring your beliefs (I hope that sentence doesn't have the connotation that you haven't been before). I wish more people would do that.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, as a Christian, I think we have certain areas, especially in prayer practices and mindfulness, where we can learn a lot from Buddhism. I would be really interested to learn what you've been studying and looking at recently.
Third, I'd like to say that Christianity is actually about most of those things you wish for, or at least the life of faith I live within the episcopal church. Our priest and presiding bishop are both female, and our priest is a lesbian.
I would say that Christianity actually isn't about the rules of the law, isn't about going to Church on Sundays or not eating food or not doing this or that. It's about living out the fullest potential of what it means to live like Christ, and these are excellent ways to do that. Though going to church on Sunday isn't necessary (what if you don't have a church?), God promises to be there strongly with us at the sacraments, and the fullest Christianity is one in a communion of believers.
Distinct difference I see between Christianity and Buddhism is around the words mindfulness and purposeful. Buddhism is about being aware of the world around you, especially the present, and realizing that it is an illusion. Exactly what that means differs depending on the branch and school of Buddhism. Christianity takes it to be true that this life is real and important, and so we try to understand our role in the present by being mindful of the past, present, and possible futures and living out our life "according to his purposes."
I guess this third part really explains my vote for Christianity... and just that I'm thinking about these things too and would love to talk.