Is Buddhism a Religion?

Wednesday 28 Sep 2016

This question comes up a lot, and many people think Buddhism is not a true religion because it does not have a “Godhead”, at least in the conventional way that one may think of a religion. I wish to make the case in this essay, that Buddhism is definitely a religion. A good dictionary definition of religion is hard to find because they try to cover all the different beliefs, however the best I have heard, that seems to cover what all religions try to reflect is --- “a practice that takes you home.”

Buddhism is often referred to as the “middle way”. A pathway between extremes! Buddhism is a religion that sees nature as the driver that built the world as it is and has got us to where we are presently as human beings. Beginning less beginnings and endless ends are left without comment or at the least classed as uncertain! That is why truthful scientific study will never hurt what the Buddha taught. If the science is right it will always be in tune with what, in Buddhism, is called, “Right View”. In fact Buddhism can and does often assist Science to see things more clearly. (Psychology is a good case in point) This will continue to be the case and I believe even more so in the natural science of physics.

So what is Right View?   Right View about recognising that truth and reality exist only in the present moment. It is recognition that the past is gone and finished and the future is merely speculation. This is not to deny the flow of time that exists from past to present to future, but merely an undeniable recognition that the present is the only truthful reality. So Buddhist practice is all about uncovering the present moment. This is done by practicing meditation in order to recondition the mind and allow it to become still. Then the flow of consciousness in the mind becomes apparent. One starts to see that the nature of this flow is impermanent, and because the compounded conditioning built up is also subject to change, it is unsatisfactory and not self. As this conscious flow becomes clearer, one starts observing it more from the stillness and not the conditions that make up and confuse the mind. Eventually we will observe this stillness as pure consciousness.

When one knows still consciousness the scene is set to make this the reference datum of our life. One will start to see our life arising and finishing out of this still consciousness. When one practices to have stillness in mind, wisdom will naturally grow as the impermanence and unsatisfactory nature of our conditional existence shows itself. This follows with the knowledge that there is no self, just a stream of consciousness that we cling to. This realisation can allow us to know and see our past lives, especially as they influence our present mind stream. We see that they are compiled into the conscious field of the Universe.

All this spurs us on to go deeper into the moment to where we can see that consciousness finishes. In Buddhist terms this is called Cessation and when this is clearly seen one can see the “Apparent” nature and the “Transcendent” truth of our lives all at once. In effect the Universe has stopped. We have become unified with it! No karma can be made in this state of existence! The body will live on with the Apparent and the Transcendent and at the eventual death of the body, with this knowledge in place, there will be no more beginnings and no more endings. There is only true peace. Perfect balance! The practitioner will be both come and gone, reflecting the middle way. The practitioner will be by definition --- “home”.  Therefore, Buddhism by its very nature, is --- a Grand Religion!