Suita, vitor), Mme woren? He 1s moving fom Buddha the man w Buddhism the religion, itis Imperative that the later be seen against the background of the Hinduism out of which it grew: Unlike Hinduism, which emerged by slo, largely imperceptible spiritual scoretion the religion ofthe ‘Budd appeared oreright, filly formed, In ange measure it was ‘oligion of reaction against Hindy perersions~an Indien prot festantsm not ony inthe orgial meaning of thal word, which emphasized witnesing fr (ests pro) something. bt equally fn tt luter-day connotations, which emphasize protesting wns some thing. Buddhism drew Ss blood lowe Hindus, but gas prealing corruptions Buddhisr recoiled Le whiplash and hit Boek fad “Tounderstand the teachings ofthe Buddha, then, we shall ned ‘minimal picture ofthe exiting Hinduism thet partly peaked Ado lead into this, several observations about religion are In order. Sixaspecs ofreigion surface so regularly asto sues tha tele ‘seeds ar in the human makeup: One ofthete i autho. Leaving vine shorty xde and approaching the mater in human terms ony the point bogins with specialisation, Religions not ess compl cated than goveramest or modiina It ands to reason, therefore, that lot and sustned steton wil Mt ome people ane the verge in mates of mt hr sdice wl be sought end thelr ‘counsels gonerly followed. In addition, religon instton, ‘mune side calls for administrative bodies and indus who ‘ceupy potion of authority whose decison ary weigh ‘A econd normal fatre of religion a which was actly reigns ead fo anthropologist ht peope dasced out thet religion Btoe they thought it ot aligon see uf cle bration and ts opposite bereevement, both of wich ey oor ol leew expression. When ware crashed by Tow or when we are ‘eraborant, we want ot only obo wth people; we wat otra ‘eth them in was that ake th interactions more than the sum of theirs hsrloesour lation, The move snot limita tothe human species In northern Thala, the sing un fist touches the trectps, ames of ibboes sing bal toe descending sees in ‘unison as handover had, they sweep ares the topmost aches eligi may begin niu, but explanations ae son cle for so speculation enters tid eigous feature, Whenes do we oma whither do we go, why are we here? people wat sors o there questions. 'Afbarth constant in slo is tradi, Inhuman eget is traton rather than inate ht conseres what pst geeratons have learned and Bequest tothe preset a templates fr ction. 2 fit ype etre of religion is ace the bli often ial to sual athe face of teh Reality is ltimtly on ‘our sie Ina esort the univers sendy we cn fo sth ia 1 eligion sy that the bes ngs ae te more eternal hinge, the ‘hig tbs tn ow teat ons opk ed {he fal word=™ Finally eligion trace in mystery Being Sit the nn ind cannot begin to fathoms the lite isdn to ach of thes sx things authority, itl, speculation, rad tion, grace and mystery~coniibutes portal to religen Bt saul eachcan logit works Inthe Hinds of he Buds ay they had doe sal sic of them, Authority warranted ate start, tad become hereditary and explaiative as rakinins ok oar ing thoi religous tcrels and changing exebietly fr wnt tons Rivals same mechanchal mean fo blag neous results Speculation ha lst ts experiential Bae and dead into‘meaningless air-spiting edition had tumed into a dead weight, in one speci by insisting tht Sanskit—no longer understood by the mases— remain the language of reiion discourse. Gods grace vrs being misread in ways that undercut human responsibil if inde esponsibility an longor had meaning where karma, kewise misread, was confused with fats, Finally mystery was conised with mstery-mongering and mstiieon~ perverse obsesio with Inreles, dhe acct and the fantastic ‘Onto this religious scene corrupt, degenerate, a eeleant, ‘mate with superstition and burdened with wor-outtuls—came the Buddha, determined to clear the ground that truth might find new lie The consequence was surprising, Far what emerged was (a the stu) religion almost entirely dewid ofeach ofthe above- ‘mentioned ingredionts without which we would suppose tat reli ‘om onl nt take oot Thi fic so string that warrants being ‘rt of his erm consited of 0 more than making generalyaoes- sible what had hitherto been the possession ofa few. Contrasting his ‘own openness with the guild secrey ofthe brahmi he pointed out ‘hat “heros no such thing a closed Estedness in the Bada” So Jimpocant dd he regard this diforence that he returned tot oa his ‘deathbed to assure those about bim: “have not kept anything back" But iis fist attack ow authority was almed et an asia ‘Woo—the Brahmin exste his second was directed toward ind ‘idole. To 4 time when the malttades were parsvely relying on Drains to el them what oda, Buda challenged each indnodal to-do his own religious seeking. "Do not accept what you hear by report do not accept tradition, do not accept a statement because ‘sfourd inoue books, nor because itis in accord wth you belle nor ‘eau it isthe saying of your teacher Be lamps unto yourselves Those ho either now orate Lam dead, shall rely upoa themselves nly ad not loo fr assistance to anyone besides themselves, is ‘hey who sal reach the topmost height" 2 Buddha preached s religion devoid of ritual. Repeatedly he ticle the rigmarleof Brahman ites as sypersitous pions to indfoctual gods. They were tappings—icloant to the hard, demanding job of egoredaction. Indeed, they were worse than ‘relevant he anued that tli in the efficacy of ites nd ceeno- les" Is ne ofthe Ten ets that bind the human spirit Here, ‘pparently everywhere, the Buddha was consistent. Discounting Hinduism forms be resist every temptation oinsttute new ones fis ow a fact hat as ed some waiter to characterize his each- {ngs (onfiry) aa rational moraism rather than religion. ‘3 Boddha preached eigion that sired speculation. Thre ie sample evidence that he cold have been one ofthe work great ‘metapisicians fhe had put his mind othe task Instead he sired “the thicket of theorzing” His silence on that font did ot pass ‘unnoticed Whether the welds eternal or not eternal whether de World Is ate or not whether the soul is the same asthe body or whether the souls oe thing and the body anther, whether a Bud dda exists alter death or dacs uot exist afer death these things” tone of his disciples observed, "the Lord does nt explain to me And that he does not explain them ome doesnot pleate mc it does not suit me" There were many it didnot sult. Yet despite incessant needling, he maintained hir‘noble silence” His eason was simple, ‘On questions of this Sort, “ged for views. tends not to edi tion." His practical progna was exacting, and he was not going lethisdecipls be verted fom the hard oad of practice ito Belds of fruitless speculation. His famous parable of ‘he arow smeared thickly with poison ts the point with preciso, tis as ferman had boe wounded by on arrow thickly smeared swith poison, and hie ree and Kinsmen eet get a sur © heal i, ond he were tosay, Til not have this arrow pled out ‘ntl Tsu by what man T was wounded, whether he of the tcarror cast, o @ brahmi, or ofthe agricultural orth lowest ease. Or ifhe wore to say, il not hace thi arrose pled tut now of whet nane of family the man i: —o whether he {© tll, o short, oof mde height or whether he ie Hack, oF dark or yellowish; or whether he comes from such and suc lage or town, or ity or antl en whether the bx with which ‘ows wounded was chipacr akodanda, or uns Taw whether ‘the bow srng was of sualow-cot or bamboo fiero sin oF hap, oro mils tre, or antl nou wheter the shat atFrom aid culated plant; or ihether i wa feathered from ‘eultues wing ora herons or ahask, or peacocks or hether twas wrapped round with the sinew of ono, or ofa buf, oF of arureder o of monkey: or ntl Tino chather te an ordinary area, o a rcoratrs o an ron arin or ofa calf- tooth arr Before knowing ll th, that ma would di Simlarly, not onthe iw that he world eternal, that ‘tis finite, at body and sol re ditinct, or thatthe Buda exits afer death, that a religion Ife depends. Whether these ‘iso her opposites re hl, there il rebirth, there old ‘ge, theres death and pri lamonttion, ufering sorrow, and despair... Theee not spoken t hee wlace because they do not fondue to abvenceof passin, oo trangullty and Nreana. ‘Aad what have | explained? Saforing hace I explained, the cause of suring the destruction of suffering. an the path that ad tht of ring har oie. or 4, Buddha preached aeligion devold of traditon, He tood on top ofthe past and it peaks extended his vision enormeusly, bat he sv his contemporaes as largely buried beaeath thee peaks. He encouraged hiskllowers therefore to slip re fom the pasts burden, “Do notsgoby whats handed down, noraathe authority eyo tad onal teachings. When you know of yourselves: These teachings are not god: these eachings when lowed ot and pt in practice oon duce to loss and sferingthen reject them. His most important personal beak wth archais ey in is decison comparable to Mar- ti Lathe’ decison totranlt the Bible fom Latin ta Cera to ‘git Sanskrit an teach inthe vernacular of the people ‘5 Buddha preached a religion of intense eelfeflort, We have noted the discouragement and defeat that had vtled oer the India ‘of Bhat day. Many had come to accept the round of bith ad rebirth as unending, which wa lke rexiguingcoeself toa nightmnar- Ish Sentence to lard Tabor for eternity, Those who stl clung othe hope of eventual release hal resigned themclves to the Drokmin- ‘sponsored ation that the process would take thousands of times, lrg which they would gradally work their way into the Brahmin caste asthe onlyone from which release was possible ‘Nothing srk th Buds more pernicious than is prea ing ftom, He dent only one aserton, tht ofthe ea who ‘here sn ation, no ded, na power: "Bere Is pa oe end of Sutring ead i” Moreour very invidal st tread this path Fimslf or ese, through selfs and ntti “Those who ‘ebng upon themselves onl shal nt oak orate to anyone Tides thesis ste who shall cach the topmost height" ogod or gods cold be courtod on, not even the Buda himsl. ‘What Tan gons he tld bisfllowerin eBset donot beter to pray {oie forwhen lam ge willbe rely gone “Buddhas nly post the way. Work ou your sation eth Uigence”™ The notion hat ‘tly brahmi could ati elightenent the Buddha considered tials’ Whatever our casts he old bi fllover you can make iti tis very Mime “Let persons ofintelgene come to me, honest candi, taightorwud, ilinstruc hem, and they prac ‘Seas they ar taught, hey il come to know or thermseves nto reaze that sopresevligon and goal” Buddia preachd seligon dvd ofthe soperatrl. He condemned al fos of dination, sooty. and freeing 2 low art ands though be cooeuded om bisown experienc hatte Inna mind we expbleo powers now refered to as paranormal Ie refsed tallow bis monks o play round with thse powers “By {his you shal now that aman not my dicple—that ho ies to ‘orks miracle oral gpa to Ue supernatural and reiance ont Mounted, be lo looking fr shortcuts, ery answer, and simple Slations that coud ony vert tention fom the hardy pact {iL ofselredvance “tis beause I peronve danger in the pracice ti npc wonders tht I atrongly scourge "Whether the Budd rlgion~wihot author ital hel gy atin, roe ed the speroatral we elo rl wth CEC Cod wil le seerved for ae consideration, Aer bs death all the accoutrements thatthe Budd sbord to protec his religion fom cae ting itt long a ed ep eat ‘by Ara consequence orginal Buddhism present with aerion ei rlgion tht i nique and therefore story imal for Tent Int te fe that religon oun take inceses our Stnortanding of bat in esonce reign really Oral Bude dis comb charsteied ne folowing ters:1. twas empirical, Never asa religion presented its cate with ‘such mnoglvoealeppeato direct validation, Om every question per sonal experience was the al test of tet. "Do not go by essing, ‘sor by nfering, nor by argument" A true disciple must know for Rinse” 2. Temas scientific 1t mado the quality of Ived experience its final tes, and directed its atentin 9 iscovering cause-and-effect relationships that alfcted that experience “That being present, this ‘becomes; that not being present. this doesnot become" Thee ls 0 elect without Ie eause, 2. Tews pragmatio~a transcendental pragmatism one wishes, to distinguish trom the kind that focuses on practi problems everday lif, but pragmatic all th same in blag concerned with problem solving. Refusing tobe sidetracked by speculative ques. tions, Budde kept his attention riveted oa prediaments that ‘demanded slution. Unless is teachings were useful tole they had oval whatsoever He ikened them torus they help people eoss streams ut are of n farther value once the further shores reached. 4. It ms therapeutic Pastenr’s words. "T do not ak you either your opinions or your religion; but what yoor slleriag?” cond equally have been his “Ove thing I teach,” sid the Buddhas “safer ing andthe end of uring. 1s just I and he easag of Uthat 1 procaim."= 5. Tt was psychological. The word i sod here in contrast to ‘metaphysical Instead of begining with the universe and moving to the place of human beings within, the Buddha tara began yh human ot probes, nthe mais of eoping th 6 Teas egataran. With a breadth of view unparalleled in his ge and infrequent any he fsisted that women were as eapble of calightenment as men, And he rejected the caste systems asain tion tha aptitudes wore hereditary. Bor lahat (waren rules) yt finding himself temperamentally'« Brahmin, he broke case, ‘pening his order all regardless of social status 7 Te was directed to individual, Buddha was not blind to the social side of human nature he not ool founded a religous onder (Gongha)—he insisted on is importnce In tlafrcng individual resolves Yet in the end ls appeal was to the individu, tat each thould proceed toward enlightenment trough confronting his or her fdividsalstuation and predicaments. “Theor, G Ananda, be lamps unto yoursles Bete youraoes foo eter refuge: Hold fart ao refuge to the Truth, Workout your on eeation with dlgmca*