I made this observation to a friend of mine last night, which sparked off a discussion about just why this was. There were a few different hypothesis offered up, but then I realized the real reason: it’s my attitude towards it. I expect it to be a place of happiness and tranquility, and so it is.

Have I wandered into ‘dangerous’ territory here? Am I risking the rational, atheist part of me by saying something like this? I don’t think so, not at all. While it can sound like I have forsaken the ideals of an objective reality by claiming that my mere thoughts have created this peace, I think the truth is a little more nuanced.

The temple is just a place. There is nothing inherently special about it. It’s a building that people gather together in. It’s no different in this respect than any other building. If the group of people included fundamentalist Christians and gay rights activists, I highly doubt it would be a place of peace at all. But that’s not what happens. It’s a gathering of people whose goal is to create that personal peace and understanding – of practicing mindfulness.

That alone isn’t enough. If I were to go to this place looking for a fight (perhaps an argument about whether or not reincarnation actually happens or not), I would not find it to be a place of peace. I would find it a place of strife. When presented this way, I don’t see anything particularly controversial. It’s certainly not an idea that depends on a belief in subjective reality.

Perhaps I should begin to look at my apartment in the same way… After all, that is what ‘mindfulness’ is all about, isn’t it?

The object is raised, however: “Josh, you seem to be so against religion, especially Christianity. What is it about Buddhism that draws it to you?”

Well, there are several things about it. Let me explain.

First, when Buddhists say ‘test everything, and only believe in what you feel is true’ they actually believe it, unlike Christians who say the words and don’t really mean it. Don’t believe in karma? That’s ok! Don’t believe in reincarnation? That’s ok, too! Don’t want to chant to the white tara? That’s perfectly acceptable. Don’t believe that meditating on the suffering of others will do anything to actually improve the suffering of others? No problem.

Christians may have a hard time understanding just what this means. Basically, imagine someone walking into church and going ‘well, I don’t believe Jesus was the son of god, but he said some rather interesting things.’ Or ‘I don’t think god exists, but I like some of the moral precepts laid out in the bible.’ Is there any church that would accept this sort of thing without trying to completely convert them? Perhaps some unitarians.

Why is this important? Because I’m a scientist. I don’t want to follow some dogma. I want to discover reality as it really is. There is empirical evidence that certain types of meditation lead to tangible improvements. I’ve been able to confirm this through my own experimentation.

The second draw to Buddhism is that I see it as a way to hack your brain. I’m not going to say much more about that here.

There is a much more fundamental philosophical difference that draws me to Buddhism, and it stands in stark contrast to the philosophical basis for Christianity.

In Christianity, humans are fallible, and must be saved from on high. They have an external source for improvement.

Buddhists, on the other hand, understand that humans can improve themselves. Within each and every one of us is the potential for greater understanding, compassion, and enlightenment. Within you is the Buddha nature.

That’s a powerful idea, and one that I agree with completely. Not only that, but I think it’s a much healthier outlook on life than the self-loathing inherent in Christianity.

There is so much more that could be said on this topic and has been said. As always, this is just the way I see it.