I’m reading Stephan Batchelor’s new book Confessions of an Atheist Buddhist, and I must say it resonates deeply with me, not because I’m an atheist, but because I went on a similar curvy path of confusion through Buddhism. Fortunately, I didn’t spend years and years on that twisty road like Batchelor did. I saw through the religious BS of Buddhist traditions over a 6 year span instead of decades.

But this path is one that is common to many in the US, and worldwide. Sadly, many people who are drawn to Buddhism get snared, fall for the same religious suspension of logic and reason, and accept fabricated belief systems just like in many other religions. Yet, all that goes against the very principles that Buddha taught.

Buddha did not do prostrations. He did not pray to statues. He did not pray at all. He did not use mala beads, nor did he assign himself or anyone else to be Lamas. Buddha didn’t teach special monks to give blessings, did not teach rituals that would free one of their “negative karma.” No, quite the opposite.

Like Batchelor, my studies in Buddhism begin with the Tibetan Mahayana tradition. Truthfully, in the beginning I didn’t even know there were different traditions, and I didn’t understand how vastly they differed from one another, nor did I know some actually go wide and far of what the Buddha likely taught. Like many people, I was drawn by the teaching that said we are to think for ourselves, to examine the teachings in our own experience, and if they didn’t work to reject them. I was also compelled by the powerful code of ethics, explained on an internal level, which I very much agree with. The benefits of meditation tools quickly made an impression on me.

Yet, as I progressed through my studies with a nun of this tradition, I questioned frequently the teaching on rebirth after the death of the body, on being reborn in animal or Hell realms, etc. I doubted karma could travel one life to the next, even were rebirth after death of the body possible. Underlying my questions was the teaching that I was to disregard what I could not test, disregard superstition and metaphysics. But my questions went unanswered, dismissed as though those answers would reveal themselves to me as I progressed.

In my second year in the Tibetan Mahayana tradition, a sentence in the Lamp of Enlightenment sent my head reeling. “If you turn away from Mahayana, you will be reborn in the Hell realms many, many times over.” The final big red flag went up. I realized then and there what had been bothering me all along. This stunk of religion! Threats of Hell. This could not possibly be known, or claim to be any kind of truth. This felt like the church of my youth, and with that threat aimed at me, I left that tradition.

So, now the Christian church and the Tibetan Mahayana tradition condemn me to Hell. So be it! Pooh, pooh to them.

But I was not ready to dismiss Buddhism entirely. In spite of all the rituals, prayers, and mala counting that made no sense to me and mostly seemed ridiculous, there had been some valuable teachings in there too. Meditation was teaching me to know my own mind and body, to be more present in my daily life, to see how incredibly attached I was to certain things, and the suffering that brought to me. I was fairly sure that while Tibetan Mahayana was full of religious nonsense, there had been enough  Buddhism there for me to know Buddha had been onto something valuable.

I explored in Zen and the Theravada traditions, and was careful to make sure the authors of the books I read did not follow Tibetan Buddhism.  Zen and Theravada seemed closer to the mark, less praying, less chanting, and more meditating. The focus now was directed at the Eightfold Path and the 5 ethical precepts. I settled in for some time, relieved not to have to hear about hell realms and unlikely human rebirths. But as I dug deeper, and benefited, I was again disturbed by subtle ways logic was cast aside.

Rebirth after death was still being taught, but now the explanations focused on consciousness, some kind of new formation of it, something fuzzy and hazy that no one could explain, and again gave me that, “One day you will see for yourself.” That again. Sigh.

I then stumbled upon Stephan Batchelor’s book Buddhism without Beliefs, and felt a deep connection with this author. He explained that it was quite possible that the teachings had been misinterpreted, or Buddha quite possibly had some beliefs of the times he lived in. In any case, there were suggestions that many of the teachings were simply misinterpreted by those who harbored many beliefs.

And the more I continued my own practice, the more I saw into the workings of how a new self arises, dies, and arises, and repeats, the more I became convinced that rebirth and death were but metaphors. About that time, I met a group of people in Second Life called Skeptical Buddhists. The name appealed to me right away, as I was a born skeptic. These folks weren’t just buying Buddhist teachings hook, line, and sinker, but were carefully examining them, looking into their own experiences to verify or deny the validity of such a teaching. Additionally, they weren’t buying into the ritual and religious BS like the other traditions. As it turned out, they were covering chapters of Batchelor’s Buddhism Without Beliefs book.

I was drawn to this group, continued with my Buddhist practice, and more importantly continued being skeptical, trying out the teachings, and marveling at some of the results. Instead of being transformed into something special, instead of being lifted out the normality of life, I was finding myself more and more in tune with this life being lived, and getting back into my very comfortable atheist skin. The only things pure atheism had not provided were the tools for understanding the workings of my own being, and a way of understanding ethics from inside out.

Skeptical Buddhism, or Secular Buddhism, is free of religious trappings and dogma. Instead we study the English translation of the Pali Canon with the skeptical eye the Buddha encouraged, the willingness to look within our own lives and existence, and in the process free ourselves of many the delusions that have been yanking us around our entire lives. Above all else, this process teaches one to scrutinize, study, examine. Belief is not for us. Belief is for the religious, those willing to accept what someone else believes, who accepts what some else again believes, and on and on.

Secular Buddhism is growing in this country, and is often misinterpreted as Buddhism for Americans, to accommodate our fat and greedy needs. On the contrary, that is not the case. But it sure makes us see quickly how fat and greedy we are, and how we cling to all the things that support our desires. Secular Buddhism attempts to revive the very practical ideas of the Buddha, without the religious nonsense people added to it, or the many ways they have misunderstood the teachings.

Recently, I acquired a SIM of my own, an island in Second Life, where I am building a Secular/Skeptical Buddhist Community to augment the Skeptical Buddhist sangha. Here, you won’t find Asian decorations everywhere, you won’t find statues of Buddha’s, nor will you see prayer flags flapping about. Instead, we are creating an environment for modern day secular/skeptical Buddhists who have concerns not only for their own well being but for animals and the environment. We have a redwood forest, a hemp garden with information on how hemp products can replace tree products, we have solar panels and turbines, and you can get around the island via canoe, horseback, bike, or rowboat. We offer tai chi/yoga, as well as meditation, sutta study classes, and fun at the drum and dance circle. Stop by and join the fun.

Secular/Skeptical Buddhist Community in Second Life

What is Skeptical Buddhism? video

Why Skeptical Buddhism? video

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under beliefs, Buddhism, Eight Fold Path, Influences, meditation, second life. 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.