Neil deGrasse Tyson has said a few times that he thought it would be interesting to do a study on the 7% of scientists who believe in god to find out what drives that belief. I agree, and I think the first question should be: were you indoctrinated in religion as a child? My guess is they were. Continue reading “Why Religious Children Become Atheists” »
I’m repeatedly told by confused religious people that without god or religion, one can not realize meaning in life, nor can one be moral. So, I want to address meaning first, and morality second.
Even if you are religious, no one can tell you what the meaning of your life is. Anything they say about this is going to be guesswork, or words that come from some old book. Needless to say, it’s not going to apply to you personally in any shape or form. You can go ahead and believe that what has been said is the meaning of your life, but how can you know this to be true? Continue reading “Morality and the Meaning of Life” »
Practicing Buddhism should help one out of the mire of religion, not get one into yet another religion called Buddhism. It’s a shame that the Buddhist myth has been taken so literally and then turned on its head and twisted into the various traditions that it has. Buddhist teachings ask us to take a critical look at ourselves and the world around us, and that includes this thing we call Buddhism. Continue reading “Making the Most of the Buddha Myth” »
It is your right to believe whatever you want. But what about when beliefs interfere with other people’s beliefs or lack thereof? What about when beliefs cause division and hatred between people? Some people’s beliefs can even cause them to violate the rights of others, sometimes going as far as harming them physically. Continue reading “The Right to Believe, and the Nature of Belief” »
One of the resounding themes in the Buddhist studies and practices I’ve taken on over the last years has focused a lot on labels, concepts, and views. The foundation of everything being emptiness, impermanence, and unsatisfactoriness. In the beginning, emptiness was confusing and cryptic, but as I explored the titles and labels I wore, I realized I had to stop calling myself a Buddhist. Continue reading “Calling Yourself Buddhist Isn’t Buddhist” »
Ban Offshore Drilling
Buddhism has a reputation for being passive, and there are good reasons for this. All that meditation and mindfulness we do appears passive. And in the beginning many of us do have to mindfully hold back reactions, and refrain from falling into old active patterns that used to get us into trouble. But there is a time for apparent passiveness, and a time to act, a time to be engaged. Continue reading “Engaged Buddhism Needed” »
I studied a lot about Buddhism, in various traditions, and one of the resounding and inarguable themes addresses the big A, attachment. There is resounding agreement that attachment is at the base of craving and causes suffering. The indisputable agreement on this topic stems from the fact that personal exploration proves that attachment causes craving and suffering, and the idea is repeated throughout most Buddhist’s text. Continue reading “Attached to Buddhism?” »
