Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?
The Buddha referred to his teachings simply as Dhamma-vinaya
- "the doctrine
and discipline" - but for centuries people have tried to categorize the
teachings in various ways, trying to fit them into the prevailing molds of cultural,
philosophical, and religious thought. Buddhism is an ethical system - a way
of life - that leads to a very specific goal and that possesses some aspects
of both religion and philosophy:
It is a philosophy.
Like most philosophies, Buddhism attempts to frame the complexities of human
existence in a way that reassures us that there is, in fact, some underlying
order to the Universe. In the Four Noble Truths the Buddha crisply summarizes
our predicament: there is suffering, it has a cause, it has an end, and there
is a way to reach the end. The teachings on kamma provide a thorough and
logically self-consistent description of the nature of cause-and-effect.
And even the Buddhist view of cosmology, which some may at first find farfetched,
is a logical extension of the law of kamma. According to the Dhamma, a deep
and unshakable logic pervades the world.
It is not a philosophy.
Unlike most philosophical systems, which rely on speculation and the power
of reason to arrive at certain kinds of logical truths, Buddhism relies on
the direct observation of one's personal experience and on honing certain
skills in order to gain true understanding and wisdom. Idle speculation has
no place in Buddhist practice. Although studying in the classroom, reading
books, and engaging in spirited debate can play a vital part in developing
a cognitive understanding of basic Buddhist concepts, the heart of Buddhism
can never be realized this way. The Dharmma is not an abstract system of
thought designed to delight the intellect; it is a roadmap to be used, one
whose essential purpose is to lead the practitioner to the ultimate goal,
nibbana.
It is a religion.
At the heart of each of the world's great religions lies a transcendent ideal
around which its doctrinal principles orbit. In Buddhism this truth is nibbana,
the hallmark of the cessation of suffering and stress, a truth of utter transcendence
that stands in singular distinction from anything we might encounter in our
ordinary sensory experience. Nibbana is the sine qua non of Buddhism, the
guiding star and ultimate goal towards which all the Buddha's teachings point.
Because it aims at such a lofty transcendent ideal, we might fairly call
Buddhism a religion.
It is not a religion.
In stark contrast to the world's other major religions, however, Buddhism invokes
no divinity, no supreme Creator or supreme Self, no Holy Spirit or omniscient
loving God to whom we might appeal for salvation.[1] Instead, Buddhism calls
for us to hoist ourselves up by our own bootstraps: to develop the discernment
we need to distinguish between those qualities within us that are unwholesome
and those that are truly noble and good, and to learn how to nourish the
good ones and expunge the bad. This is the path to Buddhism's highest perfection,
nibbana. Not even the Buddha can take you to that goal; you alone must do
the work necessary to complete the journey:
"Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves,
seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your
refuge, seeking no other refuge." [DN 16]
Despite its non-theistic nature, however, Buddhist practice does call for
a certain kind of faith. It is not blind faith, an uncritical acceptance of
the Buddha's word as transmitted through scripture. Instead it is saddha, a
confidence born of taking refuge in the Triple Gem; it is a willingness to
trust that the Dhamma, when practiced diligently, will lead to the rewards
promised by the Buddha. Saddha is a provisional acceptance of the teachings,
that is ever subject to critical evaluation during the course of one's practice,
and which must be balanced by one's growing powers of discernment. For many
Buddhists, this faith is expressed and reinforced through traditional devotional
practices, such as bowing before a Buddha statue and reciting passages from
the early Pali texts. Despite a superficial resemblance to the rites of many
theistic religions, however, these activities are neither prayers nor pleas
for salvation directed towards a transcendent Other. They are instead useful
and inspiring gestures of humility and respect for the profound nobility and
worth of the Triple Gem.
Note:
1. According to Buddhist cosmology, every living being dwells in one of thirty-one
distinct "planes", of which our familiar human plane is but one.
Some of these realms are home to beings (the devas) with unusual powers and
extraordinarily subtle and refined physical bodies -- or even no body at
all. Their god-like status is, however, short-lived; like all living beings,
they are mortal and ultimately subject to death and rebirth in other planes
according to the purity and skillfulness of their actions (kamma). One of
these devas, the Great Brahma, is so clouded by his own delusion that he
believes himself to be the all-powerful, all-seeing creator of the universe.
| Authors
Details: John Bullitt. Web Site Unknown |
|
