GOD-centric :

A life centered on the pursuit of a good and fair God of love

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Ch. 5 The Quest (continued)

Buddhism

  I admit that I have a joyful Buddha in my foyer to greet my guests and a sorrowful Buddha on whom I gaze as I listen to my Zen Spirit CD and contemplate the infinite and a 2 ½ foot tall Buddha-esque statue that I call “The Happy Spiritual Traveler.” Even so, I am surprised when my friends today think I am a Buddhist. I also have three manger scenes, four crosses, my childhood crucifix, two rosaries, a St. Francis statue, and a dancing Shiva on display, not to mention a whole bunch of diverse books on religion. Buddhism seems to be all the rage among disenchanted Westerners but I am more Hindu than Buddhist and more Judea-Christian, in my humble opinion, than either. It was difficult for me to even think of Buddhism as a religion since the Buddha rejected speculation about God.

  The Buddhist in me embraced its goal of reducing suffering caused by false and petty attachments. I appreciated the Eightfold Path to enlightenment: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. I valued the practice of meditation to calm the mind by gaining perspective in realizing that you were not the mind, that you were a peaceful spot beyond the fray. I could jump on that big ferryboat of Mahayana Buddhism that wasn't leaving until every sentient being was on board. I, too, viewed the Bodhisattva desire to help others even after attaining nirvana to be the ideal.

  I was not a Buddhist because I disagreed with the "no-soul" Doctrine of Anatta and The Four Noble Truths' goal of attaining dispassion. I thought that spot beyond the fray was your soul and I embraced non-petty desire, passion, and attachment as vital parts of life that were worth the suffering they would cause in their transience. I believed in immersing oneself in life. The Kingdom could not be built without our active involvement that risked suffering to achieve a higher goal. Also, I retained my concerns about karma and reincarnation.