Tolerance: Buddhism

  

 

I purchased this drab, concrete, garden statue of Buddha a little more than ten years ago.  I wanted something substantial for my meditation garden and concrete fit the bill.  With a bit of watered down acrylic paint I was able to affect the antique look I was after, though it took several years of northwest weather to accomplish the task.

 

As a Christian I was constantly asked how I could entertain Buddhist philosophy and still profess Christian tenets of "no other god" and such.  The answer is so simple most Christians refuse to understand it.  Unlike Taoism which pays homage to deities, Buddhism focuses on the "Three Fold Path" of morality, concentration, and wisdom.  When the Buddha was dying he said to his followers that he had taught them everything he could, and now it was time for them to teach themselves.  He did not want to be worshipped.  In fact, pure Buddhism does not recognize a god or gods and rejects the concept of a "second coming" of Jesus Christ.  They do, however, believe in reincarnation where you will be reborn into any of the 31 planes of existence, as your karma dictates, until you attain nirvana.

 

Notice the mention of "pure" Buddhism.  Some find it difficult to reconcile rejecting the concept of a second coming of Jesus from a belief system that incorporates reincarnation.  Personally, I found the Three Fold Path and Buddhist meditation helpful along my own path.  The fact that there is no deity in the Buddhist system makes it easier to fold parts of it into other faith concepts as a way of focusing on your goals.

 

Like most of the world religions, this one has also been misunderstood by most and corrupted by well-meaning followers throughout its history.  The basis is sound.  Buddha taught what was on his mind, what he had learned from his own observations and practice.  He longed for confrontation and discussion of these ideas as the whole point of the philosophy is to learn and become more than you are.  In this way, I think Buddha wasn't so much pushing his belief on others as he was trying to make you think for yourself as you follow his path, until you found your own. 

 

As he tried to make his disciples understand, we are all Buddha whether we know it yet or not.