I am surprised, sometimes shocked, at how many people call themselves Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, or whatever without having read the scriptures or main writings of that particular religion. So many people simply believe what their parents had told them, or what the church minister said. But you can’t truly be Christian or Buddhist unless you understand the tenets and teachings, and the best way to do that is to go to the source, or as close to the source as that religion allows.

I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the teachings I was hearing or reading about started confusing me with conflicting information. To read books, lots of them, or to take courses, will confuse you, unless you have read the main text yourself. When you read books about a religion, what you are doing is reading the beliefs of others, and those people are basing their beliefs on others, and on and on.

I’d hear a lot of Jesus said this and this, or Buddha said this and that, but all this is so far removed from the writings that it becomes watered down, muddy water at best.

When I was around age 10, I was becoming increasing doubtful about the Christan religion. My grandmother’s answers to questions were not satisfying. For a long time I dropped religion entirely. Then when I was in my teens, I decided to sit down with the Bible (the King James version at that time), and read it for myself. Whoa!

I realized very quickly that my grandma’s views, the minister’s views, the stories in Sunday school, and my friend’s views were fluffy, filled with motivations for God’s actions that were NOT in the Bible. I was struck and horrified by this God’s behavior, truly sickened actually, and was amazed that people found this book to be the acceptable foundation of a religion.

I could see how The New Testament made them feel slightly better about God, as Jesus spoke about him as though he really loves us. But I had to keep going back to God’s behavior which was detailed in the Old Testament. He never helps anyone or has a kind word for anyone! I felt like Jesus had done a lot of lip service. Though Jesus would go out of his way to help people, heal, and so forth, but God? No, not at all. Additionally, Jesus continually repeated the teaching that unless you give ALL your belongings to the poor, put all your trust and hope in God, and even give up desire for your own life, you can NOT go to Heaven. He said very specifically that you shouldn’t even worry about where your food and water or shelter will come from. And Heaven is the only place you will be rewarded, not here. Jesus made it clear he was not here to make life warm and fuzzy, not to create peace. No. Not at all. To get into Heaven you have to follow very strict rules.

I said goodbye to Christianity, but was to revisit the Bible in later years, other versions of it, noticed a few more horrifying things in God’s behavior, and then I decided for myself this is a demented God I wanted nothing to do with. After reading the history of this religion, the Bible’s discursive, and strange stories made more sense to me. It also became clear it was written with ill intent. I moved away, far away from this religion.

As I studied Buddhism for the last seven years, I also became confused. In this case, it had more to do with some conflicting teachings and rituals that seemed out of place based on the many views I had read about. I decided I needed to take the same approach I had used with Christianity and go as close to the source of Buddha’s words as I possibly could.

It seems agreed upon that the Pali Canon is the first collection of writings about the Buddha’s teachings. I don’t know Pali, so had to go with the English translations. In doing so, I was warned by my teacher to have an open mind, to understand that because there was a gap of 100 years or more between Buddha’s death and the writings, we have to consider errors in how people wrote down the Buddha’s teachings. And there is always a chance that the people who wrote the suttas misunderstood the teachings themselves as they were passed down verbally through several generations. In Buddhism, faith is not encouraged. Understanding and discovery is.

And so my studies began, reading the suttas, and looking into my own behavior and life. Additionally, I studied with a teacher of the Mahayana tradition, which did not base their teachings on the suttas but instead on a book called The Lamp of Enlightenment, which wasn’t written until 1600 years after the Buddha’s passing.

The one thing that was consistent throughout the Buddha’s teachings is that Buddha said, “Don’t just believe what I say, or what others tell you. Look into your own experience, and see if what I say is true.” So, with each lesson, I looked, and I looked.

I increasing felt uncomfortable with The Lamp of Enlightenment text , as much of it could not be tested. I was not comfortable with blessings, prostrations, and prayer, which felt religious to me. They often spoke of rebirth after death, which can not be tested. I ultimately dropped these teachings, seeing a huge move away from the suttas as they were written. I could see how culture and traditions of the Tibetans had inserted a lot of ritual and beliefs I felt were contrary to the Buddha’s teachings.

As I’ve studied the suttas and continue to do so, I see where people have misunderstood the Buddha’s teachings, even some teachers I’ve had. And because Buddhism arrived in the US around the same time as some of the other Indian religions, some concepts were mudged together. For instance, Karma in Hinduism is actually different than what the Buddha taught about karma (kamma). But people were writing and teaching Buddha’s view of kamma as though it were the same as in Hinduism.

I have seen great value in going to the source text of a religion. In fact, it’s vital before you going around claiming to be Christian or Buddhist. You will clear much confusion for yourself, you will see how others have added much to stories that simply is not there in the writings, you will see how people have added their own take on what a teaching means, which can be very different from the original text. It may be more palatable, more friendly, possibly even more gentle, but it may be completely different.

For instance, I had been told growing up that as long as you follow the Ten Commandments, and you believe in God that you can go to Heaven. Not true, according to what Jesus said in the Bible. You can NOT own anything, be getting a pay check, or receive reward for a good deed, and go to Heaven. In other words, no one I know is going to Heaven, even though many are wonderful, loving, caring people. Read the Bible.

I realized also that this approach is equally necessary with science concepts. I grew up learning about evolution. But I decided recently in addition to reading the many books I have enjoyed on the topic, I really needed to go to the source. In this case, it’s actually possible to read the words from the man who made this theory popular. So, I am reading Origin of the Species from Charles Darwin. It’s wonderful to follow along with him as he explores, discovers, and shares how variation in species occurs. Already in the first few chapters, I have uncovered some of my own misconceptions, and am really enjoying seeing the process of discovery from the man who has been the topic of controversy.

Don’t accept what your parents, teachers, ministers, monks, nuns, and friends have told you hook, line, and sinker! Though you may come across consistency with those sources, it’s vital to go to the source text of any system, or as close as possible. Read with an open mind. Unfurl any beliefs you have, any prior ideas you had, and read the text for what it is, what is on the page, without the extras that others have seeded in your mind.

This is also true of what we read in magazines, newspapers, and online. I have read so many articles that have completely screwed up recent studies or discoveries. Don’t get your science from the local newspaper or the news. Read the studies from universities that did them, or read the paper by the scientist who made the discovery.

Go to the Source! You will be amazed.

Tags: Buddhist, Christian, Views

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 6:27 pm and is filed under beliefs, Buddhism, Concepts, God. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.