Killing Buddha
Thinking is hard and that is why we let others do the thinking for us and believe what they say and behave as they expect. This is acceptable and even healthy for children. But as adults, if we continue to simply believe everything others say, whether they are political leaders or religious figures, without thinking about the validity and relevance of their ideas for our lives, we are being childish. Childish ways are impediments for adult thriving.
For the first 38 years of my life, I basically believed everything either my parents or my church leaders said. I never thought about what I believed or questioned its validity and relevance. I was afraid of what others might think of me if I were to challenge their thinking. I considered it arrogant on my part to challenge age-old traditions. I doubted my ability, discounted my worth and feared about my status in the Church.
A huge shift began to happen in this area after I read the book, If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!
The title was daring and powerful and I began to read it with curiosity and trepidation. Its central message, part of which was on the book jacket, instantly shifted the ground beneath my mind.
The most important thing that each man must learn, no one else can teach him. Once he accepts this disappointment, he will be able to stop depending on the therapist, the guru who turns to be just another struggling human being. Illusions die hard, and it is painful to yield to the insight that a grown-up can be no man’s disciple. This discovery does not mark the end of the search, but a new beginning.
Those words sent shock waves through the belief system of this Catholic priest who always believed that the Bible was inerrant and the Pope was infallible.
At first, it was hard to believe that intellectual giants like Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and thousands of other luminaries in all areas of life were struggling human beings like me. But the truth is that, on the level of humanity they are like you and me and on the level of self-awareness, intellectual development and the ability to articulate their thoughts, they are indeed giants.
They are also subject to the limitations and constraints of space and time. These theologians and gurus have articulated some age-old truths and made some profound statements, but to believe that everything they said is true and applicable to everyone, everywhere and at all time is mental timidity masquerading as humility.
If the notion of killing the Buddha is deemed disconcerting, let me offer you another version of the same notion from the movie, The Wizard of Oz.
“Ignore the wizard behind the curtain who is an illusion.”
Dorothy followed the yellow brick road to find her way back home but the Munchkins — the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man — convinced her that her hope was the magic of the wizard. At the end, she found out that he was no wizard but only an old man behind the curtain.
The story reminds us that, like Dorothy, we will find answers to our questions, if we trust ourselves enough to pursue our dreams and embark on our individual journeys.
Let these words of Buddha himself assuage you of any guilt you may have for killing him:
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
Don’t look for final answers from anyone; there aren’t any. There are only your answers.
I’ve lived on the lip of insanity, wanting to know reasons. The door opens: I’ve been knocking from the inside.
Pondering these words of Sufi poet Rumi can be extremely liberating.
