"While these traditions [the various schools of Buddhism and Hinduism] do not offer a unified perspective on the nature of the mind or the principles of spiritual life, they undoubtedly represent the most committed effort human beings have made to understand these things through introspection...Buddhism...in particular has grown remarkably sophisticated. No other tradition has developed so many methods by which the human mind can be fashioned into a tool capable of transforming itself...While Buddhism has also been a source of ignorance and occasional violence, it is not a religion of faith, or a religion at all, in the Western sense...[I]t remains true that the esoteric teachings of Buddhism offer the most complete methodology we have for discovering the instrinsic freedom of consciousness, unencumbered by any dogma...Though there is much in Buddhism that I do not pretend to understand--as well as much that seems deeply implausible--it would be intellectually dishonest not to acknowledge its preeminence as a system of spiritual instruction."
--Sam Harris, The End of Faith
Harris' take on Buddhism as a science of the mind reminds me of Stephen Batchelor's groundbreaking book Buddhism Without Beliefs, which took on the more "religious" elements of traditional Buddhism, including the belief in reincarnation. His position raised the ire of many Western Buddhists, especially those affiliated with the Tibetan traditions, but he gave voice to the many people who were practicing meditation but had no particular interest in the more esoteric cosmologies of classic Asian belief.
Because ultimately, Buddhism is not about belief, it's about the careful analysis of human consciousness and the liberation that comes from dwelling in the awareness that transcends our individual personalities.
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"Because ultimately, Buddhism is not about belief, it's about the careful analysis of human consciousness and the liberation that comes from dwelling in the awareness that transcends our individual personalities"
Human consciousness can not be analyzed. This is impossibility. Since we as a person know not the essence of our existence it is impossible for us to comprehend our makeup or our origin; only theories can be conjured, which in our history have come to be our religious beliefs.
(See post to 01/17/06).
The wise philosopher (Ok, that does not look like it is spelled right) said:
"The only thing I know is that I know nothing".
I have lived my life with this basic principle; yes, principle, and have come to experience may things otherwise not available to me if my soul had been 'bound' by religion ideology. We are so much more that we give ourselves credit for. Yet the reality remains; we are weak in our infancy, and when the need for explanation overcomes our capacity for reason, we extrude our being from its rightful place and bow to the peaceful feeling of subordination which lets us accept our own inadequacy.
After reviewing my previous posts I have reasserted to myself the fact I cannot spell. My apologies (then again, let see how many of you can write in Spanish!) Ok, my grammar is just as bad in my native language.
"In vino veritas"
EC
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