ESSAY THREE: Buddhism Versus My Beliefs...
Buddhism Versus my Beliefs,
And What I Have Learned from the Comparison
by James Aaron Parmelee
What I must reject or have doubts about.
1. A faulty beginning premise: That the ultimate goal of existence is to cease to be, in order to escape from suffering.
It is hardly surprising that in his self-depriving search for ‘Eternal Truths’, Prince Siddhattha Gotama, later known as the Lord Buddha, would seek to escape from such sufferings, while also assuming that other persons likewise would seek non-existence if they could. This, we daresay, was an erroneous assumption on the Buddha’s part, as it was the only path towards ‘happiness’ that he could conceive of, whereas there can be no happiness at all in one who has ceased to be. (One wonders if mandatory and universal birth control might not have achieved the same end, therein curtailing the beginning of life [and thus ‘suffering’], at least for those who might otherwise have come into existence!)
2. That all life is suffering.
Life does indeed contain, and will predictably also cause, suffering (sometimes an enormous amount of it, and often quite disproportionate to its apparent causes), but it also consists, generally, of great pleasure, enthusiasm, hope, dreams, satisfaction and, at times, sheer joy. Life, indeed, should be regarded as a remarkable ‘gift’ and opportunity, a chance to achieve the very limits of what can be done in the creation of good things, both for oneself and others during this life, but also for the generations that will follow.
3. That the soul does not exist, and that it is the belief in a ‘soul’ which creates ego: ego, in turn, being the source of ambition, rivalry, conflict and the need to control, while destroying inner peace and outer harmony; and that belief in the soul is thus at the root of all human suffering.
The soul is indeed manifested by all of the above, but is ultimately an indispensable ‘arm’ of God Himself, to enable man to improve his situation, and that of others, both now and in the generations to come. The soul is that which defines the individual, and is possessed by all living beings as a conduit unto God. Indeed, without ambition and rivalry, and the very processes that compromise both inner peace and outer harmony, no progress whatever could be made by man to achieve the goodness God demands of him in exchange for his ‘Gift’ of life.
4. That there are rebirths, but no reincarnations, because there is no soul.
There are rebirths of the soul in new incarnations. To believe otherwise is to doubt the existence of Karma, and/or make karma meaningless.
5. The teaching or implication that there is no God.
God is a synthesis of all things, and God and all things are inter-dependent. Thus God in wholeness indeed possesses great powers, greater than have ever been manifested.
6. God does not answer prayers.
God does not interfere in the free will of men, but may exert through His Angels (as a result of prayer) a positive impulse for good, on persons who hold the destiny of others in their hands.
7. The implication that truth, or ‘enlightenment’ may only be obtained through Buddhist-style meditation.
There are many effective means of meditation, and Truth can only be approached, not acquired through any such method. ‘Enlightenment’ is an illusion caused by physiological changes occurring in the body during deep meditation and is not a reality, though a level of ‘enlightenment’ may indeed be approached (for later study) through this method.
8. Humans may be reborn from animals or other former beings.
There seems to be no evidence for this, though it may be true.
9. All humans are reborn until they become ‘Buddhas’.
This seems to be logically impossible. Many persons are in their first births, and not all deaths result in new lives, as more people are born than have died. Also, by logic, it seems unlikely that the difference could be made up by rebirths from animals, as animals so greatly outnumber people! This premise, therefore, appears to be badly flawed—without a great deal more evidence to support it.
10. The precept not to ‘cause the death of any living being’.
To follow this precept is to refuse to live, because man in order to survive must consume either meat or plants (both of which can be shown to be ‘living beings’ capable of suffering), or else cause suffering to plants or animals by robbing them of fruits and eggs. Most importantly, to leave such ‘killings’ to others does not in any way exonerate the end consumers of this ‘crime’!
What I agree with.
1. The existence of karma (or ‘kamma’), both in this life and as a result of previous lives.
I believe people, or at least some people, or some people some of the time, are reborn, and that the good or bad deeds of their previous lives will impact on their present lives. I believe, also, that good and bad deeds may impact on the quality of one’s present life also, though this is a tendency, rather than a law. I also believe that these rebirths are only possible if the soul follows, as otherwise there is the rebirth of precisely what? Only energy waves? I don’t think so!
2. God did not create our universe or ourselves.
God, I believe, is a synthesis of all that is, and is the Center of all things, and that He knows all things that are knowable. However, He did not directly create anything or anyone that exists. Rather, He makes existence possible, and provides the source of both knowledge and power to accomplish anything which is physically possible.
3. There are many universes.
There is no reason to doubt this. From these, there are many rebirth possibilities for life forms other than humans.
4. Do not have blind faith in any teachers, traditions, scriptures or religious teachings.
I emphatically agree. I believe that ‘Truth’ must be discovered by oneself, not solely through other sources—including the Buddhist teachings, to be sure!
What I feel I have learned, or projected, from this comparison study.
Our lives are affected by Karma, both in this life and from previous lives. We may or may not be reincarnated, or have been reincarnated. There is a ‘Heaven’ for both people and other beings. Reincarnation may, or may not, be instantaneous from the moment of death. It may not occur at all. In addition to ‘Heaven’, there may be both a ‘Hell’ on earth (through Karma) and a ‘Hell’ after death, when one’s karma brings forth both punishment and instruction. Animals, like people, are given spirits to animate them after death, and they also may be reincarnated, whether as people or not being unproven. The spirits of dead persons may exist both as residents of heaven and in new incarnations. Thus, the spirits of loved ones will always be ready to greet the souls of newly-dead persons. The all-encompassing power of God will generate for souls a wonderful feeling of peace and well-being while in Heaven, and upon being returned to earth, if that occurs, will inhabit better persons than they previously did.
There remains, of course, much more to learn!
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