How Not To Be A Buddhist

A friend sent me this email (which I will include in case you want to read the details). Basically 200 religious leaders chose Buddhism as the world's best religion. It's a very cute little piece. It was interesting to me because the word religion always sticks in my throat like that sharp little bit on popcorn. I am uncomfortable with labels and I am uncomfortable with religion. I love the teachings of the Buddha and the writings of many who call themselves Buddhists. But isms and ists make me squirm.

Maybe that's just my problem. Maybe I'm a fence sitter who just can't commit. Maybe I am destined forever to be a "stream enterer" always swimming around at the mouth of some religious tradition.

For me Buddhist practice is bigger than religion. It is a way of life. To call it a religion seems limiting. And from where I stand religion comes with a lot of hierarchy and sexism that seem contradictory to the essence of the spiritual practice. The Buddha wasn't a Buddhist. He was just a guy searching for the truth. And when you look at a lot of Zen stories and koans, they are killing the Buddha and burning the texts. They are asking us to get to the heart of the matter.

Training is good, sitting is good, studying is good and teachers I think are necessary. But after a stint as a Bookstore Buddhist, followed by some serious dabbling and 4 years inside the Zendo I think I am more comfortable peering into the temple from the fresh air on the outside, circumambulating the perimeter of the property ... out here with the stray cats.

15 Jul 2009, Tribune de Geneve

The Geneva-based International Coalition for the Advancement of Religious and Spirituality (ICARUS) has bestowed "The Best Religion In the World" award this year on the Buddhist Community.

This special award was voted on by an international round table of more than 200 religious leaders from every part of the spiritual spectrum. It was fascinating to note that many religious leaders voted for Buddhism rather than their own religion although Buddhists actually make up a tiny minority of ICARUS membership. Here are the comments by four voting

members:

Jonna Hult, Director of Research for ICARUS said "It wasn't a surprise to me that Buddhism won Best Religion in the World, because we could find literally not one single instance of a war fought in the name of Buddhism, in contrast to every other religion that seems to keep a gunin the closet just in case God makes a mistake. We were hard pressed to even find a Buddhist that had ever been in an army. These people practice what they preach to an extent we simply could not document with any other spiritual tradition."

A Catholic Priest, Father Ted O'Shaughnessy said from Belfast , "As much as I love the Catholic Church, it has always bothered me to no end that we preach love in our scripture yet then claim to know God's will when it comes to killing other humans. For that reason, I did have to cast my vote for the Buddhists."

A Muslim Cleric Tal Bin Wassad agreed from Pakistan via his translator.

"While I am a devout Muslim, I can see

how much anger and bloodshed is channeled into religious expression rather than dealt with on a personal level.

The Buddhists have that figured out." Bin Wassad, the ICARUS voting member for Pakistan's Muslim community continued, "In fact, some of my best friends are Buddhist."

And Rabbi Shmuel Wasserstein said from Jerusalem, "Of course, I love Judaism, and I think it's the greatest religion in the world. But to be honest, I've been practicing Vipassana meditation every day before minyan (daily Jewish prayer) since 1993. So I get it."

However, there was one snag - ICARUS couldn't find anyone to give the award to. All the Buddhists they called kept saying they didn't want the award.

When asked why the Burmese Buddhist community refused the award, Buddhist monk Bhante Ghurata Hanta said from Burma, "We are grateful for the acknowledgement, but we give this award to all humanity, for Buddha nature lies within each of us." Groehlichen went on to say "We're going to keep calling around until we find a Buddhist who will accept it. We'll let you know when we do."