Few are those among the people
who cross to the other shore.
The rest of humanity just runs about
on the bank right here before us.
-the Dhammapada
chapter six
Well,
I guess I should clarify that I’m not really searching for a religion per se in my attraction to Buddhism, but rather a better way in which to interpret the world. As beautiful as any one branch of Christianity may be (or free from ridiculous doctrine entanglements), I am no longer attracted to the philosophy behind western religions. I, too, believe that religion is Marx’s “opiate of the masses”, and I have no interest in being controlled by it anymore.
When I say that I’m looking for a better context through which to interpret reality, I mean that I have begun to identify with the notion in eastern philosophy that nature is not separated from the divine. This is pure blasphemy certainly, by any western standard, and a major reason I won’t come back. Buddhism embraces the idea that each thing on this earth is connected to and in kinship with everything else on the earth (hence the pacifist approach). I like this. It suits my idea of the way the world should “work” a little bit better.
Let me give an example, from a popular source, albeit a valid one I think. Thich Nhat Hanh says that in holding an orange, we should see the rest of the world. He says that as you prepare to sustain nutrition and your life with that food, you should be aware of all of the factors ( both human and natural) that came together to provide you with that food. The sun, the rain, the soil, the seasons, the human labor that harvested and later handed that food over to you at the grocery store are all in that orange. A bit cheesy of an example perhaps, but it demonstrates aptly what attracts me about Buddhist philosophy. Certainly, when you approach the simple act of eating an orange in this manner, you see your kinship, and ultimately your responsibility to the earth and the humans that share your earth. You are less likely to waste that food. You are more likely to feel you should purchase food that was created fairly, and by a person who was paid a fair wage for that product. You are more likely to see that the treatment of the earth’s soil and water have a direct effect on the article you are putting in your mouth. It’s a lot to ask from an act as mundane as eating an orange, but the point is that all things are related, or inter-connected, and each action you take will ultimately come full circle. It results in a more empathetic, less judgmental, more cautious way of living. It’s the reason I don’t eat beef anymore: I can’t reconcile the act of putting a steak in my mouth, knowing that for my 1 pound steak, 5 lbs. of grain and 2400 gallons of water had to be used to cultivate that product. It seems more reckless when you think about your responsibility to other humans. Similarly, it seems somehow irresponsible to leave appliances needlessly plugged in, or not utilize energy efficient bulbs in your fixtures when you realize that you are draining the earth of shared, limited resources. Small examples, but this philosophy better reconciles me to the world I live in.
So, I guess this has been a looong-winded way of explaining that I don’t really care about the concept of heaven or reincarnation, and I certainly don’t believe in virgin births (which, incidentally buddhism shares) and resurrections. I care that the philosophy underlying Buddhism gives me a greater sense of kinship with humanity. I prefer the code of ethics it gives me to live by, because it makes more sense to me. Isn’t that what it’s really about anyway?
And…I would have chosen pacifism anyday over our current crisis in Iraq that daily threatens my husband’s security as an Air Force officer. Pacifism can be a path of frustration, as it seems slow and uncalculated, but I think the fallout from aggression or haste can be much more disastrous.
