I think the problem with 'religious Buddhists' is that they see the Buddha as an infallable charicter who's every word should be taken as ultimate truth. I think the Buddha should be seen less as an infallable deity, and more of an example of a great human.
For example, the Buddha probably taught rebirth because in India at the time it was generally accepted that rebirth occured from life to life. The Buddha was not the originator of this concept. The Buddha's insights into suffering and the nature of the self, should take preceedence over the supernatural and he probably intended this to be so.
I think rather than an infallable god-like figure the Buddha should merely be viewed as a great thinker deserving of respect, and great thinkers can be wrong about some things. The main things I admire about the Buddha are the way he sought to shake up the current caste system and promote equal rights, not only for humans, but for animals also, he promoted free-thinking and spirituality in a time when all the spiritual knowledge was reserved for the Brahmin caste. He was a great rationalist of his day, and provided a great philosphy for people of his time.
I still have respect and admiration for the guy, but I don't see him as infallable and the only source of truth any more, I merely view him as a great teacher who had some amazing insights for his time.
Its sad that for many people Buddhism has become about lighting joss sticks and reciting supposedly magical mantras, or having superstitions about which way your Buddha is facing and getting worried when you forget to take your magic amulet off when you go to the toilet. Just the kind of meaningless gibberish that the Buddha sought to elliminate.
For example, the Buddha probably taught rebirth because in India at the time it was generally accepted that rebirth occured from life to life. The Buddha was not the originator of this concept. The Buddha's insights into suffering and the nature of the self, should take preceedence over the supernatural and he probably intended this to be so.
I think rather than an infallable god-like figure the Buddha should merely be viewed as a great thinker deserving of respect, and great thinkers can be wrong about some things. The main things I admire about the Buddha are the way he sought to shake up the current caste system and promote equal rights, not only for humans, but for animals also, he promoted free-thinking and spirituality in a time when all the spiritual knowledge was reserved for the Brahmin caste. He was a great rationalist of his day, and provided a great philosphy for people of his time.
I still have respect and admiration for the guy, but I don't see him as infallable and the only source of truth any more, I merely view him as a great teacher who had some amazing insights for his time.
Its sad that for many people Buddhism has become about lighting joss sticks and reciting supposedly magical mantras, or having superstitions about which way your Buddha is facing and getting worried when you forget to take your magic amulet off when you go to the toilet. Just the kind of meaningless gibberish that the Buddha sought to elliminate.
