Sharing World Views: A Comparison of My Beliefs to Those of Buddhism

Taking a religion class or even learning about religion can be a daunting task. Many people are reluctant to pursue theological knowledge that is beyond their personal world view. Despite the typical reluctance to study other religions than one's own, it is an important subject to gain knowledge about. Religious studies help you to not only understand your own views and beliefs more fully, but also to understand the cultural and religious backgrounds of people you encounter.Learning about the teachings and philosophies of Buddhism caused me to ponder ideas that I had not previously considered. It also helped me to realize the similarities between most religions.

I have a somewhat unique view on religion. I am extremely reluctant to trust organized religion, and oppose the idea of people gaining power or influence through the use of religion. Upon studying Buddhism, I found this to be a similarity between my views and that of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. He distrusted the Hindu scholars who charged great fees for the sharing of their religious knowledge, and otherwise exploited their religious power for personal gain. I found it to be interesting that religious corruption existed even so long ago. To offset the power of the Brahmin class, the Buddha made all religious texts available to the masses. In his time the lower classes did not have access to any of the Hindu texts, so they relied solely on the Brahmins to teach them about religion, and also to dictate what they are to do in their lives."Buddha preached a religion devoid of authority...He wanted to break the monopolistic grip of the Brahmins on religious teachings, and a good part of his reform consisted of no more than making generally accessible what had hitherto been the possession of a few" (Smith 94).

I feel that a very important part of religious studies is the pursuit of all and any knowledge. Speculation is a great tool to use. It may not provide you with actual, definite answers, but it makes you aware of many different possibilities. I disagree with Buddhism's stance on religious speculation. The Buddha is famous for telling a parable of a doctor who is attempting to treat a man with a deadly arrow wound. Before he will treat the injured man he demands to know all sorts of specific details, such as the composition of the bow, bow string, arrow, arrow head, and countless other bits of information. The wounded man would surely die before the doctor is able to treat him. This teaches that people should attempt to act out their lives without spending time speculating small details. While it is a good idea to not let speculation prevent your necessary duties to be performed, it is still a viable tool to gain knowledge. I would agree with the idea of not continuously seeking minute details about every occurrence, but to simply eliminate this process all together is a bit excessive. I would rather see religious speculation as being acceptable in moderation. Like all things, moderation is the key to success.

Another disagreement I have with organized religion is the fact that most of them are so old that they are full of antiquated ideas and traditions. If religion is to serve its purpose, it must adapt as society adapts. For example, it is simply not viable in American culture to spend six or more hours a day in prayer and meditation if you expect to support yourself and your family by working. Would a just and noble God damn you or condemn you for not forsaking your family's well-being and the responsibilities of your job to pray? This is another similarity I found between my beliefs and those of Buddhism. Buddha created a religion that was free of traditions. Traditions lose their meaning and significance when they become repetitive and monotonous. Buddha felt that you should learn from the past, rather than repeat it. "Buddha preached a religion devoid of tradition. He stood on top of the past and its peaks extended his vision enormously, but he saw his contemporaries as largely buried beneath those peaks. He encouraged his followers, therefore, to slip free from the past's burden"(Smith 96). When you follow religious traditions, you may very well be repeating the mistakes of others. You should rather seek and gain knowledge on your own, and develop your own methods and habits of worship.

It was fascinating to learn of the Buddhist notion of hell. There are several different hells, each of which dole out separate punishments for separate crimes. This idea of hell is a disagreement that I have with not only Buddhism, but many other religions, such as those affiliated with Christianity. The notion of a hell consisting of fire, brimstone, and torture is a human construct. Rather, hell is a place of extreme solitude. The suffering that exists there is inflicted by the lack of the divine presence, as well as the lack of family members, friends, and loved ones. It is a place of eternal loneliness. According to Lopez, the Buddhist hell for adulterous men is a place with a large tree with a beautiful woman nestled in the top branches. She beckons to the man, who climbs the tree to reach her. When he climbs the tree all of the branches turn to blades. Upon reaching the top, he looks down to realize the woman is now at the base of the tree. He climbs back down the blades to find her once again at the top. This cycle continues for about ten trillion years (23-24). The idea of such a hell seems to be a scare-tactic. While the motivation behind teaching of such a hell may be a noble cause, it is a dishonest way of coercing people to behave in a certain way.

Just like Christianity has commandments, Buddhism has a set of rules to follow. These are called the Eight Fold Path. Rule sets such as these allow religion to achieve one of its main purposes: to unite people under a common standard of morals and ethics. While I feel that many of the ideas of "Right Conduct" are sound, I do not agree with the setting of commandments. If Buddha taught a religion that was free of authority, who, then, has the authority to command specific performance from Buddhism's followers? One can certainly argue that Buddha merely encouraged these activities instead of demanding them. What happens then if someone doesn't live by them? That is where the concepts of a fiery, torturous hell comes into use. Right conduct instructs Buddhists to not kill, steal, lie, or engage in premarital and/or excessive sexual activity. I feel that for the most part this is sound advice. Life should not be taken unless the life of another is threatened. Stealing is dishonest and can have disastrous effects on the perpetrator and the victim. A liar is, by definition, untrustworthy and therefore useless. I do disagree with the regulation of people's sexual activities. My view on life puts sexual activity as more of a biological function than a sacred one.

Perhaps one of the largest religious debates is on the topic of whether or not there is actually a God. I greatly respect the stance that Buddha took on this issue. He knew that the existence of a God or gods could not be proven or disproved, so he did not support one side of the other. Rather, he developed his religion that taught people to live honestly and to pursue personal and spiritual growth. He taught a concept that I firmly believe myself. Whether or not there is a God, a certain amount of godliness lies within each person. By focusing on this divine essence and expanding upon it, people are able to grow spiritually.

While the Buddha may be compared to Christ, I feel that he lacked the hubris that Christ possessed. Christ claimed to be the son of God, and to be a divine entity sent to provide for the entire earth's salvation, past, present, and future. Buddha refused to call himself a god, or even be referred to or thought of as a godly figure. "Notwithstanding his own objectivity towards himself, there was constant pressure during his lifetime to turn him into a god. He rebuffed these all categorically, insisting that he was human in every respect. He made no attempt to conceal his temptations and weaknesses- how difficult it had been to obtain enlightenment, how the the margin by which he had won through, how fallible he still remained"(Smith 90). This is something that I admire greatly. I, too, believe that god-men do not simply walk the earth working miracles, but rather men become enlightened and make efforts to share their wisdom.

Like so many religions, businesses and other establishments, Buddhism changed drastically in the time after the death of its founder. In many religions this kind of change is a bad thing. Christ's teachings went from teaching morality, forgiveness and personal, contrite worship to huge religious institutions that gained enough power to demand taxes and provide great power to their leaders. Such was not the case for Buddhism. Because Buddha created a religion that lacked traditions, these changes are seen as necessary changes for an evolving religion rather than exploitations and bastardizations of the original teachings. I feel that Buddha did a great service to his followers by creating his religion the way he did. Even though he fought the people's push to make him a god, he eventually came to be seen as a godly figure. Although it is not what he intended, it still serves a good purpose. It elevates Buddha's words and teachings to a divine level. Because Buddha strictly stated that the religious leaders possess no power, and each person holds the key to their own salvation, modern Buddhist religious figures can not use their knowledge and perceived power to control or enslave their followers.

Although Buddhism is an extremely old and complex religion that a few month's study can barely scratch the surface of, I feel I have learned enough of it to see that it complements my own world view and religious view. It has provided me with insight that other religions have not, and has helped to solidify some of my sentiments on personal religion for personal growth, rather than heavily organized religion that focuses on authoritative figures dictating their views to the masses. It also provides an invaluable look into the Eastern mindset. Religion has an enormous impact on culture. The values of Christianity create much of the moral standard of Western ideologies and cultures. Similarly, the principles of Buddhism are ingrained into Eastern culture and philosophy. By viewing the similarities between Eastern and Western religions, I am able to see the many values that are held in common. Having this insight into one of the most influencing areas of someone's culture is a great tool to not only understand someone from another country or culture, but also to relate to them. Religious studies should be encouraged, if not required for people in diplomatic roles. It allows one to see that we are citizen's of different countries, followers of different religions, but we are all individuals and citizens of one world.

Bibliography

Lopez, Donald S., Jr. The Story of Buddhism: A Concise Guide to its History and Teachings. New York HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2001.

Smith, Huston. The World's Religions: Our Greatest Wisdom Traditions. New York HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1991.