Home  

IS BUDDHISM PRACTICAL IN WESTERN CULTURE?
February 29, 2004
John T. Crestwell, Jr.

I wanted to try something different today. As an eclectic religious bunch I think it’s good if we, from time to time, explore other religions and have ongoing discussions of their history, impact and practicality in the culture. And so this morning I would like to begin with a question: Is Buddhism practical or useful for us in our postmodern culture?

I would like to share with you briefly the little I know, basic stuff about this interesting faith, then I will be depending on our friend Lynn Fox who has studied and practiced Buddhism for many years, to pick up the pieces during our sermon discussion to see if we can draw some conclusions…

Okay… Buddhism. The story of Buddhism and its beginnings is like any other story about a sage full of great moments of great insight along with moments of despair and sadness. There are many accounts but it is said that Siddhartha Gautama lived in the fifth century BCE in India. He was a prince, wealthy, the son of a King in what is now known as Nepal. His mother died during labor and many stories say she dreamt that a white elephant entered her side and at that moment she conceived Siddhartha, miraculously from her side.

Days later, as was the tradition of the culture a sage inspected the infant and said he would be a great leader. And later during his naming ceremony, a priest told his father, the king, that indeed his son would be great and would either be a powerful king or a great spiritual teacher or a world teacher. The telling factor was that the boy must not see suffering, for if he did, he would surely follow the latter call and not his natural succession into kingship.

Well, succession meant everything to the king and so he took measures to make sure his son followed in his footsteps. He built large walls around the palace grounds and made sure his son had everything he could imagine. The king’s plan worked for nearly 30 years but Siddhartha was a seeker and often wondered, “Why did my mother suffer and die so young?” And his questions, curiosity, and the fact that you can’t live your whole life in a palace no matter how nice it is… push him to go beyond the palace grounds. It’s not long before he sees the suffering of ordinary life… He sees a man crippled and toothless, he sees sickness, and he sees, people wasted by disease, he sees a corpse being taken for cremation, but he also sees a holy man with no possessions who appears to be at total peace. This profoundly affects Siddhartha and he thinks, “My life up to now has been a luxurious prison.” He became depressed and began asking himself questions: “Why am I here?” “Why do people grow old and die?” “Is there a God or divine reality at the heart of things?” “Can we avoid suffering?” “What is my purpose for living?” He determines that he must move on, away from the comfort of home, toward the wilderness, the world of uncertainty to have his questions answered. And so, very late at night, Siddhartha sneaks away. During his wilderness experience he has several encounters with holy men who teach him many things but no answer come. I’m sure he learned the best of Hindu mysticism but that wasn’t enough. He took to practicing the ascetic lifestyle of monks, living on little food and water hoping this would help him find answers. This nearly kills him and when he recovers he realizes still no answers to his questions. He decides to give up the extreme approach and accept a more moderate way, which included some asceticism and some self-indulgence. As he sat under the Bodhi Tree, Siddhartha, now a moderate monk, continues his meditation and has the usual temptations of the great sages—lust, power, hunger, thirst, doubt. But the epiphanies he had been searching for were discovered at dawn, the Buddha or the “Awakened One” or the “Enlightened One” was born.

So, what were some of these discoveries? First, as mentioned Buddhism teaches moderation or a middle path, not too much of this and not too much of that… That sounds like Unitarian Universalism! Amen.

Second, that there are three marks to reality: 1. Change will occur, be ready. 2. There is no permanent identity. That is, you are a micro of a macro world that is ever-changing and if there is change in the world then there is constant change in you (until you are released from it). 3. Suffering or sorrow is a part of reality. Pleasure is fleeting; pain will come because of change that leads to suffering. This sounds pessimistic (Lynn will clean this up later J ). This leads to Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path…

Four Noble Truths
1. To live is to suffer
2. Suffering comes from desire
3. To end suffering, end desire
4. Release from suffering possible if you follow the Noble Eightfold Path

How do we end desire to end suffering and maintain inner peace?
This is the eightfold path:
1. Right understanding – I recognize and accept my grief and I recognize my suffering comes from my desire
2. Right intention- My thoughts cannot be tainted by my emotions and selfish desires but must be guided by the intention of finding inner peace
3. Right speech - I must speak kindly and honestly, avoid lies and be positive
4. Right action – I treat people like I want to be treated
5. Right work – What I do for a living does not harm others
6. Right effort – I am moderately trying to improve and not extreme
7. Right meditation – I use the disciplines of meditation to keep me focused
8. Right contemplation – I think on things that build blissful inner peace

One of the more popular Buddhist sayings is that “it is the illusion of permanence that is the source of all suffering.” Buddhism would say that if you want peace, you must let go of those things that bind your mind. When you finally let go, you can ease your spirit and reach Nirvana, which I would term a psychological state of never-ending joy and bliss.

I need to add the concept of rebirth. Buddhism, taking from Hinduism says that we are born over and over again, its called rebirth, but the cycle stops once we reach Nirvana. It is commonly believed that Buddha reached Nirvana under the Bodhi tree.

There are other things to discuss like does Buddhism believe in a ultimate Deity (the answer from my readings is I don’t think so) and do Buddhists worship the Buddha (the answer is no) but that’s enough for now…

I have some questions as we lead into our sermon discussion.:

1. Is Buddhism practical in a post-modern culture that is grossly materialistic? Can its tenets be followed and lived?

2. Is it really possible to release oneself from suffering and desire with all of the “stuff” American life brings—school, work, taxes, family?

3. Religions are born in specific times and places and grow out of a societal need. Can our society follow a religion that was born in the East, in India, many years ago, a sharp contrast to our post-modern culture?

4. What can we learn from the life of the Buddha and his teachings?

About Our Diversity Growth Plan

Request updates for this site.

Rev. John Crestwell Bio & Sermons

A. Powell Davies Bio

A. Powell Davies Sermons

Sunday Morning Worship Services

Celebrations

Caring Network

Membership

Virtual Memorials

Links