Thoughts on Buddhism

[Abracadabra]

I decided to stop affiliating myself with Buddhism, and I feel a whole lot better for it. I think there is a lot of good stuff I can get out of Buddhism - being a decent person for instance, and also meditation can be good to reduce stress etc. I just feel of late like the illusion of Buddhism being different to other religions has worn off and I'm starting to see the parallels. What are your thoughts on the matter? I'm hoping my criticisms of Buddhism won't be met with the same 'you're deluded' response as it did on Buddhist forums.

I feel like a weight has been taken off my shoulders being relieved of the burden of calling myself a Buddhist.

All the best
Laurens

You absolutely did the right thing. No question about it.

If you feel that Buddhism was a burden for you in any way and you feel better without being associated with it, then by all mean, you made the correct choice in leaving it.

It's absolutely foolish, IMHO, to be burdened by any religion.

Buddhism comes out of a culture that naturally believes in 'rebirth' or reincarnation. That's like an automatic assumption that people in those culture didn't even question. Not because it was taboo to question it, but simply because they were brought up in a culture where everyone believes it and takes it for granted.

I recently watched a college course on video by a professor who studied Buddhism and spent much time in India, China, Japan, and other places interviewing Buddhist monks. He said that in every case, he would take them aside in private and ask them directly, "Do you really believe in this reincarnation?"

And in ever case, they be totally baffled that he would even question such an 'obvious' thing. These people take reincarnation as a 'self-evident' truth for some reason.

I think I can understand why. Like you say, they look around and what do they see? They the universe around them bringing forth life that lives for a short while, decays and dies. It appears to be a never-ending process.

Obviously we are a 'part' of this process. Therefore, to their eyes, this is a self-evident truth. That's what's going on. You can see it. It's happening all around you all the time.

That is their fundamental vantage point. So they simply can't understand how anyone could question such a self-evident obvious thing.

That's where they're coming from.

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However, it seems to me that a person could forget about the reincarnation aspect of the religion and just focus on getting the best they can out of this life.

What is it exactly about Buddhism that would be a 'burden'?

I realize that some forms of it, especially for people who are attempting to become extreme Buddhist monks, it would require total 'non-involvement' with things of this physical world.

But that's an extreme form of the religion. Kind of like becoming a nun is an extreme form of Christianity.

If you were trying to become the "Perfect Buddhist" I could definitely see it becoming a burden.

But on a lighter note. Just absorbing the wisdom and trying to live the best lift you can't without going to extremes doesn't seem to me that it should be such a burden. I guess that could depend on what you want to do with your life and how you feel those plans may be 'objectionable' to the core values of Buddhism.

For me personally, I didn't find any 'burdens' in Buddhism. But at the same time I just wasn't inspired by it in a creative positive way. This is why I moved to Wicca. For me Wicca offers far more excitement, romance and creativity. In fact, it brings those things into my life in a way that I could not achieve without it.

But of course, that's just me. I'm in no way suggesting that you should look into Wicca.

There's nothing wrong with just living your life as a secular atheist. If you enjoy that, then that's what you should do.

I firmly support that people should do what feels right for them providing they aren't harming others in the process.

So if secular atheism works for you, go for it!