Wednesday 15 July 2009

Buddhism Bad! More Misconceptions about Buddhism

You know this whole Western vs non-Western Buddhist thing really is just a back drop to a bigger issue of ignorance by some people who don't know what Buddhism really is. For me, I'd rather stop fighting with my friends for we are all Buddhists, just simple Buddhists without qualifiers at the end of the day. If we disagree on practice or tradition, it is something we can work through, but with this kind of ignorance "Buddhism Bad!" we need to stand together as one tradition, regardless of race, culture or practice. People really do believe this shit, and hopefully, we can be a helpful force to spread some truth about what Buddhism really is all about.

(edit: Sorry, I had to add a couple of the funnest and saddest quotes from this article.)
http://lutheransurrealism.blogspot.com/2009/07/buddhism-bad.html

There are no criteria for anger within Buddhism. You are never supposed to be angry. You just stay calm, and focus on your own inner peace. Buddhism doesn't even have moral criteria. The ten commandments has no correlative in Buddhism. Everything just is. If someone chops your leg off, your job is to remain sanguine. If someone kills a child, try to see everything as transience, and stay in the groove. There are no jeremiads in Buddhism. Say om again and get on with nothingness.

Tibet itself was once a martial nation before Buddhism came, but it's become a bunch of marshmallows sitting around on pillows.

Therefore, Buddhists don't have a journalistic tradition. Even if they did have one, they wouldn't have any newspapers, because freedom of the press doesn't exist in any Buddhist countries. We used to have freedom of the press, at least, in the Protestant west, but now that Buddhism and Marxism have combined to wipe out our intellectual class and turn them into followers of the Pied Piper, I don't expect much from that sector any longer.

If so, why hasn't anybody done a report on the evils of Buddhism, and how it turns its practitioners into mental marshmallows? Maybe when you are doing the research, you turn into such a marshmallow you can't finish the report.

Ok Thank you Jack for reminding me about this scene from Ghostbusters!! Very appropriate given the comments above. LOL



So in honor of this rather ill-informed individual, here is a list, in no particular order, of commonly held misconceptions about Buddhism and Buddhists that I have heard and seen over the last few years from many not familiar with the teachings. Feel free to add your own.

1. Buddhism is about lapsing into some tranquil black hole.
2. All Buddhists are vegetarian and don’t drink alcohol.
3. All Buddhists are pacifists and non-violent.
4. Enlightened Buddhists have supernatural powers and live in a different reality.
5. With enough good Karma one can acquire enlightenment.
6. All Buddhists believe in literal reincarnation.
7. People that take psychedelic drugs can experience nirvana.
8. Buddhism is a nihilistic religion.
9. Buddhists believe the Buddha is a God and is worshiped as such.
10. Good Buddhists shouldn’t have opinions, hold judgments or express emotional feelings.

12 comments:

  1. Kyle,

    I couldn't agree with you more. I get this crap from time to time when discussing buddhism with non-buddhists. They are especially angery that I can be a buddhist and still act like an ass.

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  2. I am not a fucking marshmallow.

    Cheers,
    Jack

    www.zendirtzendust.blogspot.com

    I hope you don't mind me plugging.

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  3. for people who have a shallow or ignorant view of Buddhism, i just send them this link and let them process it until it sinks in :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX2f6QHkU-I

    ~C

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  4. Add to the list:
    -Buddhism is not a religion
    -all Buddhists are monks (covering the shaved head, robes, no possesions and requires hours of daily meditation b.s.)

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  5. I am not Buddhist, nor do I play one on tv, but I am very fortunate to have had Kyle re-introduce me to Buddhism. Perhaps I'm being a bit biased, but I think the spirit of his post is true not only for the "facets" of Buddhism but for just about everything we encounter. Huzzah for blogging about this issue so plainly and openly - some people need to be hit over the head with a concept to get it, and this one hits the nail straight on. It might be a pleasant place to stay a while once we all bloody-well realise that we are all one, not just the Buddhists.

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  6. Plug away Jack, plug away you damn Marshmallow you. ;-)

    God C4Chaos, if you were a chick and I wasn't involved with someone right now, I might have to ask you out. You find all the cool stuff!

    Thanks Count0. I know I am far from a monk. :-@

    Jody, biased? no :-D

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  7. http://zendirtzendust.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-aint-no-marshmallow-nor-vegetable-nor.html

    Next time I start drinking BEFORE I start blogging...ran out of steam.

    This was very therapeutic...but I feel that I am no longer a good, roshi-fearing, head of lettuce

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  8. ROFL Jack, that post of yours was hilarious. You reminded me of the GhostBusters scene which I have added to the post. Thank you!!!

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  9. Sweet...See, being a marshmallow isn't all bad.

    "Nobody steps on a church in my town" - I love keeping my buddhism and my 80s pop culture rolling together.

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  10. Thanks to all of you who came over to my blog to write against the notions of Buddhism that I gathered from my time at Naropa University, which is ostensibly the oldest Buddhist university in America.

    It was fun, and I enjoyed it. Keep coming over. We need a Buddhist perspective!

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  11. Well, thanks for being a good sport Kirby and thanks for actually listening and asking questions. I think you'll agree, sometimes first impressions aren't always the right ones. And even though we probably are still miles apart theologically speaking, its good to get an interfaith dialogue going, to ask questions and understand each other better.

    Be Well.

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  12. IMAGINE NO RELIGION... john lennon

    RELIGION GOT TO GO... george carlin

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