Exploring the Illusion of Buddhism
July 27, 2006
Recently, my daughters and a few other neighborhood girls set up a lemonade and cookie stand. Business was brisk notwithstanding a price of 25 cents per 9 ounce cup. The afternoon was made even more enjoyable by the fact that parents from four families gathered around the stand, lounging in chairs or on the grass and talking for several hours.During this time, I had one long conversation with my neighbor's father that was particularly interesting. He is a retired professor of Japanese religion and comparative religion, a Quaker, and a former Presbyterian minister. It also seemed clear based on several statements that he has thoroughly adopted a postmodern perspective on truth.
Buddhism – his area of expertise – was the primary subject of discussion. At one point, I shared my understanding that Buddhism teaches that (1) we are all part of the same cosmic oneness (“the One”) and always have been; (2) the problem with the human condition is that we suffer from the illusion of distinction, i.e., we think we’re distinct from each other and the world around us; and (3) we can overcome the illusion of distinction by shedding our desires and appetites, and thereby reconnect with the One.
He balked at number (2), contending that many Buddhists believe the world to be “illusory” but not an illusion. When asked to explain the distinction, he compared it to our sensory experience of a metal object. Our unaided senses of sight and touch tell us that the metal object is solid, hard and heavy. Yet, when we use scientific technology to examine that metal at a subatomic level, we see that it is made mostly of empty space. Thus, the solid, hard and heavy nature of the metal object is, in some real sense, “illusory.”Genuinely curious, I asked him what those Buddhists who believe the world is illusory but not an illusion do with that knowledge. Does one try to overcome this condition? If so, what’s the point? Is the ultimate aim of those who adhere to this belief something other than reconnecting with the One?
He spoke without interruption for the next 10 minutes. Yet, by his own admission, he unfortunately could not answer these questions. My suspicion is that this is a distinction without a difference, but I am ready to be corrected.
Another possibility: not all self-proclaimed Buddhists adhere to the teachings of Buddha, which is not unlike the situation in the Christian Church.
Comments
Sounds like a floundering and vascillating idiot. A lot like all of us, EXCEPT that, with the knowledge that the true Trinity is the orchestrator of all of this, we can muddle with the knowledge that we are getting closer to the truth and the answer every day.
M
Posted by: Mike | August 25, 2006 12:13 AM
My portrayal must be misleading, because this man is no idiot. He is a thoughtful, caring, serious man who -- God bless his soul -- is unwittingly in the trap of the devil (2 Tim 2:26).
Posted by: zwilson | August 27, 2006 01:15 PM