Monday, July 14, 2008
A Reflection on the Decline of Buddhism in Japan
It is bothersome to me that neither this article nor many of the comments following it on Digg pay any tribute to what Buddhism is actually about.
"With all the pain and destruction religions have wrought, we should not mourn their demise," one commenter said. Yes, that is absolutely right. But Buddhism is about transcending the pain and destruction involved in worldly living. The Dalai Lama has written that in order to break the cycle of death and rebirth and everything in between, one must spiritually reflect and dismiss the 10 nonvirtues.
The I Ching also says that in everything beautiful there is ugliness, and the Dalai Lama expanded on this in his books by taking many examples of things that can initially bring pleasure, and showing that whether overindulging or pursuing sensory fulfillment with the wrong motivation, the pleasure is replaced, many times in the short term, by a greater pain or emptiness.
This article is most disturbing to me because I want to believe that something like Buddhism could survive, as its spiritual teachings can be incorporated into a secular life, one which can include money and work, but still help make things more meaningful. For the priests to say they are losing hope, they are denying their faith and perpetuating negative energy in this challenging moment when they need to remain positive the most.
It is bothersome to me that neither this article nor many of the comments following it on Digg pay any tribute to what Buddhism is actually about.
"With all the pain and destruction religions have wrought, we should not mourn their demise," one commenter said. Yes, that is absolutely right. But Buddhism is about transcending the pain and destruction involved in worldly living. The Dalai Lama has written that in order to break the cycle of death and rebirth and everything in between, one must spiritually reflect and dismiss the 10 nonvirtues.
The I Ching also says that in everything beautiful there is ugliness, and the Dalai Lama expanded on this in his books by taking many examples of things that can initially bring pleasure, and showing that whether overindulging or pursuing sensory fulfillment with the wrong motivation, the pleasure is replaced, many times in the short term, by a greater pain or emptiness.
This article is most disturbing to me because I want to believe that something like Buddhism could survive, as its spiritual teachings can be incorporated into a secular life, one which can include money and work, but still help make things more meaningful. For the priests to say they are losing hope, they are denying their faith and perpetuating negative energy in this challenging moment when they need to remain positive the most.
Labels: Buddhism, Dalai Lama, Spirituality
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