I’ve been studying Buddhism for a few days and on the first day I was quite amazed.
I went to this introductory website and I was blown away when I read :
Buddhism should not be accepted on the basis of blind faith, but rather because we find it sensible. The Buddha put it this way: “Only when it agrees with your experience and reason, and when it is conducive to the good and gain of oneself and all others, then one should accept the teachings, and live up to them”.
Imagine, a philosophy that isn’t quite a religion yet provides the same sphere of hope. It doesn’t require anything of you, it doesn’t demand your allegiance. It simply says: Decide if this makes sense to you and if it does, then use it.
To me, that is the very basis of existentialism by which I live. I recognize that we all have to make sense of our lives, our deaths, our purpose and in doing that we have to make some kind of belief system a part of our core values. We CHOOSE our belief systems even though we do not know it. Some are introduced to certain beliefs systems and decide to accept them simply because they do not know that they have a choice.
I do judge, I realize that, we all do. It’s important to judge what is good for us and what is not. But it is also important for your own life quality to NOT judge others based on what they choose for themselves. Your frustrations with other people’s choices lead to your misery. Why would you choose that for yourself?
Let people live!
Then I watched this documentary called The Buddha by Filmmaker David Grubin
Watch the full episode. See more The Buddha.
This was an excellent film, except as I watched it I couldn’t help but think to myself that this was a man who was so adamant about constructing a way to help people to deal with their suffering better so he came up with a philosophy, a way of thinking, that could help them.
He made up a way of thinking to encourage them.
I can’t imagine myself bowing before his altar or anything like that. For what?
He made up a way of thinking to help relieve people and basically that is also what I do. I help people by reframing their perspective of things which will cause them to have more hope and more joy about life.
I respect his perspective and the fact that millions of people have found hope for their lives through his sacrifice and maybe one day I will construct something that helps too.