Whoddhism

I'm a Buddhist - just not a practicing Buddhist

Excuse me?

I mean I don't really meditate, as a dedicated practice, but I really resonate with the teachings I've heard. I went on a Buddhist retreat, read a few books and I have a meditation CD set by … I just don't make the time to sit and get quiet, on a regular basis.

Hmm. I see. Well … I'm on this polo team, but I really don't swim; although, I've watched lots of games, many in person, I know all the best players and coaches, and I'm a regular subscriber of “WP Weekly”. I'm also in the pilot's union, although I don't actually fly. But I have heard several pilots talk in great detail about what it's like to do so and what they'd learned while doing it. And as soon as life settles down a bit I plan to ...

Oh, come on. That's not the same at all.

Because?

Because I'm talking about a religious conviction.

So, you profess a conviction to your religion – which, as it so happens, is built around fostering beneficent attitudes and ethics by means of Self exploration and discovery through the regular practice of meditation – and you don't meditate.

Look. I try to speak kindly to others. I recycle. I'm a regular donor to the “Save the Opossums” foundation. And I've even been thinking about knocking the cobwebs off of my bicycle to lesson my carbon footprint.

Excellent. Following the “rules of conduct” is a good place to start, but it's so easy to get mired in the rules, rites and protocols that you lose touch with the core intentions of the tradition.

Isn't meditating just another rite?

Yes. The same way that reading is an archaic ritual for those who subscribe to the news paper.

But you have to read if you want to learn from the paper. There's lots of ways to learn about Buddhism.

But learning about Buddhism's not the same as learning about your inner most nature, is it?

No. I suppose not.

And the intention of Buddhism is for one to do just that, is it not?

Well, primarily. But just look around. How many people profess an allegiance to other religions and only attend to the most superficial levels of their traditions? Aren't you applying higher standards here, than you would to them?

Not at all. Anyone who exhibits a shallow display of conviction is in the same boat. And, the “He was doing it, too.” argument didn't fly with your mom. What makes you think it'll work now?

Geeze! Why am I defending myself here?

My apologies. I really don't intend to be offensive. I'm just trying to make sense of your fist statement - “I'm alive, I just don't breath”.

(The evil eye is cast.)

OK. I admit it. That was a bit of a poke. I just couldn't resist.
Joining any religion should be about more than merging into a crowd and following the rules. Ideally, it should be about fostering a yearning to know the “mind of god” and diligently pursuing this ever evasive end.

But that kind of open ended pursuit sounds really extreme and grueling to me.

It does seem that way to one quadrant of the mind. But this is the same part that imagines stability everywhere, in a world where everything is always changing. Life is a mystery. The universe is unfathomable. So a major component in any religious quest is to come to terms with the constantly fluxing and ungraspable nature of reality.
Seeing the truth of universal interconnectedness and feeling compassion to every single being are two other major facets. These tend to come naturally to those who step behind the curtain of their constructed selves and free the divine spark that fuels their own being.

Why do I feel like you just dropped an anvil on my brain?

(Laughs) Because you're trying to take it all in through your intellect, which doesn't do unfathomable.

But that's how I process things. I mean, how else am I supposed to think?

Hmmm, I see. If you want the answer to that, perhaps you should consider practicing meditation.