Alan
Watts, a 20th
century philosopher who is best known for his works in eastern
philosophy once said that understanding Buddhism is like grabbing
water, at first you see the water is there, but when you grab it, you
realize that there is nothing there. It is true, in a philosophical
sense that the concepts of Buddhism are as fleeting to grasp as water
is. Buddhism is a religion of many parables from Zen Masters, and
understanding it is like understanding the nature of mind, but that
is probably because to study Buddhism is to study the mind. As a
secular humanist one of the things that most attracted me to Buddhism
is the fact that Buddhism as a religion is secular in nature. That is
to say that Buddhist need not believe in the existence of any god or
gods in the traditional sense. This I believe makes Buddhism
extremely unique in comparison to the majority of world religions
which center around questions of the supernatural. To Alan Watts,
Buddhism was more of a form of psychotherapy and not a religion at
all. While the layman commonly confuses and equates Buddha to the
deity of Buddhism, this is not the case. In a sense, the religion
that we call Buddhism can be thought to be a form of apathetic
agnosticism; it does not care about the existence or non-existence of
gods.
The
exact translation in Sanskrit of Buddha means, “to become awoken,”
or “awakened one.” The Buddha is just a label for a man, like
Christ is a label for a man (or king) who has been anointed with a
mixture of oils (Hanh). The Buddha's real name was Siddhartha
Gautama. He was a prince born to a royal Hindu family of the Sakya
Dynasty in Kapilvastu, Lumbini (Nelson). Although a descendant of
royalty, he was a regular man like you and I. There is much to say
about the legends of his birth, but we will for the purposes of this
short essay ignore the historical ambiguities of his birth and focus
on the center of his teachings.
Throughout
his early years the young prince was sheltered from the outskirts of
the kingdom by his father, King Shuddhodana (Gyatso). When he grew
older, guided by his curiosity, he ventured into the world beyond and
during these trips he observed four sights; an old man, a sick man, a
corpse and an ascetic. These four sights had a great impact on the
young prince and made him realize the suffering of all beings and
compelled him to begin his spiritual journey which led to his
enlightenment. The important thing to consider is that he was just a
mortal man who made certain observations about the nature of human
suffering and proposed a set of teachings in order to live better
lives, or as a means to end the suffering. The observations that he
made are known in Buddhism as the Four Noble Truths; suffering is
universal, desire causes suffering, ceasing to desire relieves
suffering and escape from suffering is provided by the eight fold
path. (Fiero)
The
path that Buddha proposed to be free from suffering are known as The
Eight Fold Path; right view, right intention, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration (Knierim). The first two deal with faculties of
analytical thought and wisdom, the next three with ethical conduct
and the control of personal behavior, and finally the last three with
mental development and generally becoming a better person. The
eightfold path is really the equivalent of any model for positive
behavior and growth that the secular world has to offer. Perhaps it
is even better than most I have seen because it also focuses on
self-awareness. We should be interested in the correlation between
meditation and neurological brain chemistry, and the role that that
plays on human physiology as well as on the psyche. These are the
core teachings of the Buddha and they offer the foundation for my
conclusions.
As
you can see Karma and Reincarnation are not fundamental cores of
Buddhist teaching. While the Buddha spoke frequently about rebirth
(upupatti) he did not speak about reincarnation. Since he taught the
doctrines of *impermanence* and *non-self* (anatman), there is
nothing that could reincarnate. This was part of the Buddha's overall
rejection of the core truths of the Vedic/Hindu tradition. Some
scholars or religious adherents may argue that he actually believed
some variant of traditional Hindu concept of reincarnation; however,
it was only as an expedient. “He did not believe in traditional
reincarnation but since his listeners were so bought into it, he used
it as an expedient means (upaya) to convey much more pragmatic
practices.” (Lantz) Another thing one must consider is that the
Buddhist scriptures, including the Tripitaka
(or Pali Canon),
the Mahayana Sutras,
and
The Tibetan Book of the Dead,
were written hundreds of years after his death and although literal
reincarnation stories exist in the scriptures they are not likely
those of the Buddha but added later by editors.
Now
that we have established the foundation of Buddhist teachings and
separated fact from fiction in terms of its supernatural theology,
let us briefly examine The Eightfold Path from a secular perspective
so that I may properly address the issues at hand. The first of the
eight fold path is right view. It is the cognitive aspect of wisdom.
It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to
suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature
of all things (Knierim). Then we have right values, which are a
commitment to mental and ethical growth in moderation. This is the
goal of critical thinking and rational discourse, in order to achieve
liberation from ignorance we examine what we know and what we
believe, create order out of chaos, and understanding out of
ignorance. Next we have right speech. One should speak in a
non-hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way. If we are to consider the
wellbeing of others, it becomes evident that going about insulting
and hurting others emotionally is not the most effective manner for a
civilized society to conduct itself. Most people would agree that it
is not right to unnecessarily hurt others with our words, it is
simply not profitable or in the best of interests of a society as a
whole to function in this manner. Then we have right actions which
are in essence a product of our values. Wholesome action, avoiding
action that would do harm. This again is a question of secular
morality. Every cause has an effect, sometimes the effects are
negative, and sometimes they are positive. One need not believe in a
supernatural existence to understand or agree with these statements,
but rather simply partake in honest rational deliberation about the
suffering of others and how our own actions and words can affect
that. It is not necessary to go further and debate why positive
reactions are better than negative reactions, for I am hoping this
presupposition is one you are willing to accept.
The
fifth path is right livelihood, one's job does not harm in any way
oneself or others; directly or indirectly. For example, a weapon
maker, drug dealer, a soldier of combat, etc. There is a movie by
Nicholas Cage's called Lord
of War that charts the
life of the Ukrainian immigrant Yuri Orlov from his early days in the
early 1980's in Little Odessa, selling guns to mobsters in his local
neighborhood (Carvalho). His business of gunrunner supplying illegal
weapons in disturbed areas of the planet increases with the end of
the Cold War, and Yuri bribes a Russian general to sell most of his
arsenal. Meanwhile, he becomes a millionaire, making a profit at the
expense of others.
Then there is right effort. One should make an effort to improve. Only psychologically afflicted people ignore this. It is common sense to want to become a better person. We desire, some of us anyways, to acquire an education and learn more every day, to become better fathers or mothers to our children, to grow more aware or conscious of our own behavior, learning from our mistakes. We all want better, we all desire a comfortable and happy life and to make the world a better place. We should all want this because it is beneficial to all sentient life including ourselves, and not just because it is a rule or commandment that one must obey or else suffer the consequence. In comparison, Christian and Islamic morality is partly driven by egocentric motifs where one is focused around the rewards and punishment of our behavior, or worse yet, punished for what are supposed to be our private thoughts.
Then there is right effort. One should make an effort to improve. Only psychologically afflicted people ignore this. It is common sense to want to become a better person. We desire, some of us anyways, to acquire an education and learn more every day, to become better fathers or mothers to our children, to grow more aware or conscious of our own behavior, learning from our mistakes. We all want better, we all desire a comfortable and happy life and to make the world a better place. We should all want this because it is beneficial to all sentient life including ourselves, and not just because it is a rule or commandment that one must obey or else suffer the consequence. In comparison, Christian and Islamic morality is partly driven by egocentric motifs where one is focused around the rewards and punishment of our behavior, or worse yet, punished for what are supposed to be our private thoughts.
Following
right effort we have right mindfulness, the mental ability to see
things for what they are with clear consciousness. Great examples are
abusive relationships, drug addictions, and even dealing with
traumatic experiences. “Modern clinical psychology and psychiatry
since the 1970's have developed a number of therapeutic applications
based on the concept of mindfulness.” (Anonomous) In 1970, Dr. Jon
Kabat-Zinn founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at
the University of Massachusetts to treat the chronically ill. There
is indeed and objective correlation that can be measured between mind
and physiology in modern science. (Kabat-Zinn)
Finally, we have reached the last of the eight fold path, right meditation. What is implied in Buddhist philosophy is a state where one reaches enlightenment and the ego has disappeared. This is the most interesting one to me in my study of neuroscience, consciousness, and psychoactive entheogens. They are all, none the less, a study of cognitive psychology and mental properties. Meditation is nothing more than an individual training his or her mind to induce a mode of consciousness, either for some benefit or as an end in itself. If you can manage to seep past the new age nonsense in your local book store that has been recently interwoven into meditation, you will soon realize that at its core there is nothing mystical about it.
Finally, we have reached the last of the eight fold path, right meditation. What is implied in Buddhist philosophy is a state where one reaches enlightenment and the ego has disappeared. This is the most interesting one to me in my study of neuroscience, consciousness, and psychoactive entheogens. They are all, none the less, a study of cognitive psychology and mental properties. Meditation is nothing more than an individual training his or her mind to induce a mode of consciousness, either for some benefit or as an end in itself. If you can manage to seep past the new age nonsense in your local book store that has been recently interwoven into meditation, you will soon realize that at its core there is nothing mystical about it.
In
Buddhism there are no applications for ritual in the supernatural
realm, only systematic rituals designed to heal the mind of internal
conflict. The Dhammapada (“moral path”), a collection of 423
verses compiled by Buddhist scribes preserving the sayings of The
Buddha, essentially deals with moral conflict as questions of how our
actions effect the well-being of others including ourselves (Fiero).
The Buddhas approach to morality was one that dealt with questions of
how we control our own thoughts. In the opening verses of the
Dhammapada he says, “all that we are is the result of what we have
thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our
thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows
him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded
on our thoughts; it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or
acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that
never leaves him.” (Muller) As you can see, unlike the dominant
monotheistic religions of the world, or even some ancient
polytheistic ones, these are not moral constants that one must obey,
nor are they absolutes that exist objectively. They do not appeal to
the emotional well-being of jealous and sometimes violent gods who
behave irrationally. Buddhism is rational morality, morality that is
centered on the question of the wellbeing of sentient beings. The
14th
Dalai Lama, the political and spiritual authority of Tibet recently
sent out a message to the world that I believe emphasizes my point,
“All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love,
compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote
inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding
ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am
increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of
thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.”
Siddhartha
Gautama is estimated to have been born sometime around 556 BCE.
Although it is not sure exactly when and there is still debate on the
matter, the discrepancies are only a small distance apart. Siddhartha
may have lived so long ago, but his philosophical works should not be
discredited by westerners and secularists with little patience for
religious ad hok. I assume you, the reader, are familiar with
Socrates and Plato, two of the greatest philosophers of Hellenic
culture whom are responsible for contributing more to the development
of western philosophy than probably any other great thinker. As a
matter of fact some even call Socrates the father of western
philosophy. Socrates was born in 469 BCE, roughly around the same
time period as Siddhadrtha, and Plato was his student. They were
citizens of the city-state (polis) of Athens. These two men lived
over 2500 years ago, yet their secular philosophical ideas and
opinions are still of great source of knowledge to anyone who begins
a quest in the realm of critical thinking in the western world today.
In the Apology, Plato writes his version of the speech given by
Socrates as he defended himself in 399 BCE against the charges of
“corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the
city believes, but in other dalmonia that are novel.” (Miller)
Let
us take a look at the constitution of the United States of America
for a brief moment. It is also a secular guideline for behavior
within the government body and its given society. These philosophical
systems are simply guidelines (in this case they are laws) for
behavior in the collective mass of human existence. Buddhism, along
with a small handful of eastern religions and other world views, does
not propose to answer questions about the origin of the universe.
This is an essential principle that any naturalist must surely
appreciate. One of the biggest problems with religion in the modern
world is the perversion of scientific knowledge as well as its
ability to handicap scientific advancement. For example, stem cell
research, one of the most promising medical advancements in human
history, withers away in the hands of the collective mass of human
ignorance which rather concern itself with gay marriage, pre-marital
sex and abortion than to come face to face with the grim reality of
human suffering and our ability to minimize it with modern
breakthroughs in science and medicine. It is because of this that we
cannot dump all religions into one basket.
Buddhism
is indeed unique as a world religion and quite frankly a breath of
fresh air. It does not propose cosmological explanations, does not
propose an afterlife or eternal life, does not propose belief in god
or gods or any other entity that may exist beyond space time
(whatever that even means). It does not propose a supernatural world
of any kind, and does not propose miracles of any kind, that is, the
suspension of natural laws. In fact, the only reason we call Buddhism
a religion at all is because what is does do is propose a problem
(suffering), and propose a solution (awareness). Their system of
becoming aware is nothing more than cognitive psychology and the
conscious reprogramming of human neuro-brain chemistry. Although
understanding Buddhism may take one a life time to accomplish, for
practical purposes, understanding what it is not instead proves to be
much more beneficial to us in an world beset with faith based
religions. Maybe Alan Watts was correct all along, and Buddhism is
not at all a religion but instead one of the first forms of
psychotherapy in human history. The British scholar, teacher, and
author Stephen Batchelor once said, “his [Buddha's] awakening is
not about some privileged state of mind or the unconditioned state
but rather about a complex of truths. He awakens to a way of
understanding the world and then a way of behaving in the world.”
Works Cited
Anonomous. Wikipedia. n.d.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_%28psychology%29>.
Carvalho, Claudio. IMDB.com. 2007.
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399295/>.
Fiero, Gloria K. Landmarks in Humanities Third Edition.
Christopher Freitag, 2013.
Gyatso, Keshe Kelsang. Introduction to Buddhism: An Explanation of
the Buddhist Way of Life . Tharpa Publications, 2008.
Hanh, Thich Nhat. Living Buddha Living Christ. 2007.
Kabat-Zinn, Dr. Jon. Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of
Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Random
House Publishing Group, 1990.
Knierim, Thomas. The Big View. n.d.
<http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html>.
Lantz, Sabio. Triangulations.worldpress.com. 17 10 2010.
<http://triangulations.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/did-the-buddha-teach-traditional-reincarnation/>.
Miller, (Plato) Paul Allen. The Apology. Univerity of Oklahoma
Press, 2010.
Muller, F. Max. The Dhammapada: Path of Virtue. Penguin
Classics, 2002.
Nelson, Walter Henry. Buddha His Life and His Teachings. Great
Britain: Penguin Group, 2000.
