Buddhist philosophy is the single most coherent and logical postulation on the human condition I have yet to come across. To me, the Four Noble Truths (listed below) which form the foundation of Buddhist thought, describe two very important things: the nature of the human condition and a cure to that condition. Additionally, Buddhist philosophy is adamant that the efforts of the individual are paramount to the success of its application. This last point is in stark contrast to the many faith based religions prevalent throughout the world.
The Four Noble Truths are:
1) All life is dukkha,or suffering.
2) Suffering is caused by tanha, or desire (literally sandskrit for thirst).
3) Suffering is ended through Nibbana (Nirvana), a state of peace, free from desire.
4) The path to Nibbana is to practice the Eight-Fold Noble Path consisting of:
-right understanding
-right thought
-right speech
-right action
-right livelihood
-right effort
-right mindfulness
-right concentration.
Pretty simple stuff here. Nothing too esoteric or radical with one exception: its reliance on individual effort for results. It would seem that in our individualistic, goal driven culture, Buddhist philosophy would thrive. I will grant that scrupulously following the Eight-Fold Noble Path might not jibe with our capitalist urges, but Buddhist philosophy puts utmost emphasis on an action’s intent. It is still possible, even in our decadent culture to make a buck with good intent and therefore follow the spirit of the Eight-Fold Noble Path.
So why is Buddhism still frowned upon by most Americans (though it is steadily growing in popularity)? There is the obvious reason: the faith-based religions on which our American culture was founded promote a derisive view of other religions despite our American self-righteous Constitutional declaration of religious tolerance. But I believe there is another more human answer: cultural decadence breeds laziness.
Faith is easy. Most people do not like to think, to reason, to analyze. To do so confronts them with what they despise most: truth. Truth is the reality we all try our best to avoid by immersing ourselves in immediate distractions (booze, sex, sports, movies, etc.). Truth is painful and ugly. Delusion is much more gratifying.
Buddhism offers stark reality. It requires self-control in the face of humanistic, primal urges. It offers a discipline whose benefits from conquering the self are reaped slowly over time, a concept anathema to the American culture of decadence and immediacy.
Do not get me wrong. I am not proselytizing for Buddhism. If I am proselytizing for anything, it is truth. Delusion is dangerous. I will provide an example of why in my next post…
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I agree with you regarding the coherency of Buddhist philosophy. But I think the issue is deeper than just a question of adopting a particular philosophy. I know plenty of self-professed Buddhists who are hardly stellar examples of humanity, my Aunt Judy being the most obvious to me. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a pretty coherent philosophy too if you take out all the miracle nonsense. It's human nature, I think, to want to make something more than it is. Same thing happens to Buddhism. As it's practiced in the East, it's less a philosophy and more of a mystical religion. For some reason, we as humans need to make stuff magic.
I'm reminded of that story of the young Zen monk who reached the state of enlightenment. His brother monks all came up to him and excitedly asked, "Do you feel any different? How do you feel?" He replied, "As shitty as ever." I think that it's our very desire to escape the suffering of life that causes the suffering itself.The cause is the condition.
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