That’s the closest thing to meditation that I’m interested in. Meditation bores me.

No, my son and everyone else who likes Buddhaism can have it, but it’s not for me. I’ll stick with Humanism thank you- which is exactly what I tell my son too when he encourages me to give Buddhism a try. I’m just not interested.

aren’t we suppose to kill the Buddha if we see it? I’d rather get it psychological help- sense supposedly if you see it, then it’s not Buddha.

As I understand it, that argument is intended to remind people that the Buddha shouldn’t be deified. Various traditions do this to various extents, with some basically making the Buddha into an Indian version of Jesus, which is problematic since it makes Buddhism into just-another-savior-cult. It’s intentionally hyperbolic language, since people have a tendency to deify whatever’s at hand unless they constantly remind themselves not to. As the Buddha said, “Though much he recites the Sacred Texts, but acts not accordingly, that heedless man is like a cowherd who counts others’ kine. He has no share in the fruits of the Holy life. Though little he recites the Sacred Texts, but acts in accordance with the teaching, forsaking lust, hatred and ignorance, truly knowing, with mind well freed, clinging to naught here and hereafter, he shares the fruits of the Holy life.” Buddhism is more focused on the individual and on individual action than on any other religion I know of and as such focused on results more than reasons. There’s good evidence that meditation does have certain mental benefits; whether you believe that you’re passing through four jhanas en route to a state of abhigna is beside the point.

olvlzl, no ism, no ist said,

June 11, 2007 at 9:56 am

Mriana, I get the feeling that you are looking in the wrong place for the answer to your personal conflicts. Looking at Dawkins or Myers or any number of others in full lather, Harris to an even greater extent or Hitchens even under alcholic sedation I don’t see any “joy, freedom, fulfilment and contentment. The present day atheist fundamentalism is not in any way about freedom, it’s about bigotry, suppression and propaganda.

That’s not where I have looked, olvlzl, and no, I’m not looking in the wrong place. I, personally, have found it in the philosophy of Humanism, but not Hutchens, Dawkins, and Harris’s idea of atheism. No, I’m afraid what I know of Humanism is the old school.

My older son is a Buddhist and I’m not interested. I’m more interested in what Humanism has to offer and I’ve spent years studying it. I am very happy with it and the Humanists I have met along the way.

Try reading Jeaneane Fowler’s book “Humanism: Beliefs and Practices”. I love her style of writing and she does a really great job of explaining it. I have many other resouces for Humanism too and they are not Harris, Dawkins et al’s brand. My sources are very focused on the human and human needs without being undignifying, which makes me very happy.

There’s been a big brouhaha in the secular community over the use of the word “fundamentalist” to describe people like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris.

I call them fundamentalists for several reasons:
1. They pretend to knowledge of things about which no knowledge is possible, only belief or non-belief.
2. They pretend that their personal viewpoint has the status of Truth.
3. They practice and incite bigotry about those who don’t share that viewpoint and like most fundamentalists they heap hatred on other non-believers who don’t choose to be obnoxious bigots “Neville Chamberlain Atheist” isn’t a term that was invented by liberal religious folk or agnostics.
4. They are absurdly confident, against all evidence, that their viewpoint will prevail and become controling politcally and socially.

While I don’t like to upset people who don’t like the term “atheist fundamentalist” that’s no reason to stop telling the truth about these guys.

Mriana, I get the feeling that you are looking in the wrong place for the answer to your personal conflicts. Looking at Dawkins or Myers or any number of others in full lather, Harris to an even greater extent or Hitchens even under alcholic sedation I don’t see any “joy, freedom, fulfilment and contentment. The present day atheist fundamentalism is not in any way about freedom, it’s about bigotry, suppression and propaganda.

If you want freedom and contentment, I’d suggest you try Buddhist meditation. It’s safely non-theistic so you don’t have to worry about being defiled by believers and it’s quite effective.

Moderates and skeptics (ironically) seem to be turned off by atheism precisely when the New Atheists compare them with extremists.

Yup