Spirituality: Blues for Buddha

Being critical of Buddhism isn't easy.

Buddhism is the most likable of the major religions, and Buddhists are the perennial good guys of modern spirituality. Beautiful traditions, lovely architecture, inspiring statuary, ancient history, the Dalai Lama - what's not to like?

Everything about Buddhsim is just so... nice. No fatwahs or jihads, no inquisitions or crusades, no terrorists or pederasts, just nice people being nice. In fact, Buddhism means niceness. Nice-ism.

At least, it should.

Buddha means Awakened One, so Buddhism can be taken to mean Awake-ism. Awakism. It would therefore be natural to think that if you were looking to wake up, then Buddhism, i.e., Awakism, would be the place to look.

::: The Light is Better Over Here

Such thinking, however, would reveal a dangerous lack of respect for the opposition. Maya, goddess of delusion, has been doing her job with supreme mastery since the first spark of self-awareness flickered in some chimp's noggin, and the idea that the neophyte truth-seeker can just sign up with the Buddhists, read some books, embrace some new concepts and slam her to the mat might be a bit on the naive side.

On the other hand, why not? How'd this get so turned around? It's just truth. Shouldn't truth be, like, the simplest thing? Shouldn't someone who wants to find something as ubiquitous as truth be able to do so? And here's this venerable organization supposedly dedicated to just that very thing, even named for it, so what's the problem?

::: Why doesn't Buddhism produce Buddhas?

The problem arises from the fact that Buddhists, like everyone else, insist on reconciling the irreconcilable. They don't just want to awaken to the true, they also want to make sense of the untrue. They want to have their cake and eat it too, so they end up with nonsensical theories, divergent schools, sagacious doubletalk, and zero Buddhas.

Typical of Buddhist insistence on reconciling the irreconcilable is the concept of Two Truths, a poignant two-word joke they don't seem to get, and yet this sort of perversely irrational thinking is at the very heart of the failed search for truth. We don't want truth, we want a particular truth; one that doesn't threaten ego, one that doesn't exist. We insist on a truth that makes sense given what we know, not knowing that we don't know anything.

Nothing about Buddhism is more revealing than the Four Noble Truths which, not being true, are of pretty dubious nobility. They form the basis of Buddhism, so it's clear from the outset that the Buddhists have whipped up a proprietary version of truth shaped more by market forces than any particular concern for the less consumer-friendly, albeit true, truth.

Yes, Buddhism may be spiritually filling, even nourishing, but insofar as truth is concerned, it's junkfood. You can eat it every day of your life and die exactly as Awakened as the day you signed up.

::: Bait & Switch

Buddhism is a classic bait-and-switch operation. We're attracted by the enlightenment in the window, but as soon as we're in the door they start steering us over to the compassion aisle. Buddhists could be honest and change their name to Compassionism, but who wants that?

There's the rub. They can't sell compassion and they can't deliver enlightenment.

This untruth-in-advertising is the kind of game you have to play if you want to stay successful in a business where the customer is always wrong. You can either go out of business honestly, or thrive by giving the people what they want. What they say they want and what they really want, though, are two very different things.

::: Me Me Me

To the outside observer, much of Buddhist knowledge and practice seems focused on spiritual self-improvement. This, too, is hard to speak against... except within the context of awakening from delusion. Then it's easy.

There is no such thing as true self, so any pursuit geared toward its aggrandizement, betterment, upliftment, elevation, evolution, glorification, salvation, etc, is utter folly. How much more so any endeavor undertaken merely to increase one's own happiness or contentment or, I'm embarrassed to even say it, bliss?

Self is ego and ego is the realm of the dreamstate. If you want to break free of the dreamstate, you must break free of self, not stroke it to make it purr or groom it for some imagined brighter future.

::: Maya's House of Enlightenment

The trick with being critical of so esteemed and beloved an institution is not to get dragged down into the morass of details and debate. It's very simple: If Buddhism is about enlightenment, people should be getting enlightened. If it's not about enlightenment, they should change the sign.

Of course, Buddhism isn't completely unique in its survival tactics. This same gulf between promise and performance is found in all systems of human spirituality. We're looking at it in Buddhism because that's where it's most pronounced. No disrespect to the Buddha is intended. If there was a Buddha and he was enlightened, then it's Buddhism that insults his memory, not healthy skepticism. Blame the naked emperor's retinue of tailors and lickspittles, not the boy who merely states the obvious.

Buddhism is arguably the most elevated of man's great belief systems. If you want to enjoy the many valuable benefits it has to offer, then I wouldn't presume to utter a syllable against it. But if you want to escape from the clutches of Maya, then I suggest you take a very close look at the serene face on all those golden statues to see if it isn't really hers.

::: About the Author

"Jed McKenna is an American original." -Lama Surya Das

Jed McKenna is the author of "Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing" and "Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment", published by Wisefool Press. Coming in 2005: "Spirituality X" and "Jed McKenna's Notebook". Visit http://www.WisefoolPress.com to learn more.

---

Spiritual Sanity

Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United... Read More

You Have a Friend in Jesus

Have you heard the saying that; You have a friend... Read More

Fool for God

The following article is an exploration of the Spring holiday... Read More

An Analysis of Western Mans Guiding Presuppositions

An analysis of Western man's guiding presuppositions, A Review of... Read More

The Other F-Word Forgiveness

Excerpt From The Relationship Handbook: How to Understand and Improve... Read More

The Death of God, the Mission of Modern Psychology, and Me

The question, "Is God Dead?", first entered my consciousness when... Read More

Healing For Your Soul

Can God really heal your pain? Does every trial come... Read More

A Crash Course In Tarot For Newbies #1 - All About the Cards

The Tarot is not just a divinatory tool, but it... Read More

Improving Your Spiritual Life (for Christians)

70% of people who send me feedback at http://www.insideoutmusic.net tell... Read More

The Divine Throne-Chariot

The following fragment was found in Qumran along with the... Read More

Humility, Not Pride: Keeping Ice Off Your Bow

Tony was a professinoal salt-water fisherman. He explained how he... Read More

Are You Following Your Knows Or Your I Dont Knows?

We have all heard the phrase, "follow your nose". This... Read More

Power of God Makes Life Easier

When the storms in your life are raging, just believe,... Read More

The End of Guilt

What is the purpose of guilt?Well, let's look at it.Some... Read More

Dream As Big As God!

Sounds like a tall order doesn't it? But I think... Read More

What Is The Universal Subconscious?

There are many different and interchangeable terms that are used... Read More

What Is The Spiritual Path?

For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More

The Search for Gods Intention

I believe in the source we refer to as 'God'.... Read More

Why The Fulfillment Of Your Vision Delays

When God first unveils a business or ministry vision that... Read More

The Truth of Reactions

In my life, I have tried... Read More

God?s Eyes- If These Four Walls Could Talk?

Can you imagine being sent out into the wilderness for... Read More

About Divine Communication - A Special Q & A

1. How can anyone receive direct communication from Divine Source,... Read More

Echos Transition

Echo was a flea-bitten gray horse, with brown speckles everywhere,... Read More

The Gratitude Toll

I very often see rants, complaints, wishes and dreams that... Read More

A People in Exile (Part 1)

Second Isaiah, so called because his book of prophecy was... Read More

Neither White-washed Nor Unmarked

When I was 10 years old my father decided to... Read More

No Star-Studded Career

What is success? It probably means different things to different... Read More

Losing Control

One of the most frightening things... Read More

It Seems We Have All Taken a POW

Just for a moment think of what is stopping you... Read More

Gods Name... Creation and Undoing!

Over the past number of years, while going through my... Read More

Faith and Repentance Basics

As I listen with pastors and preachers in the body... Read More

Psychotherapy and Spiritual Growth

The teacher of the future.... will be a master of... Read More

Dark Cages

Acknowledgement of our need of God and reliance upon Him... Read More