Buddhist Atheists? – Dialectic Two-Step
Question: There is a hip new phenomenon of Buddhist atheists, headed by Stephen Batchelor, who seem to be rejecting articles of Buddhist faith like karma and rebirth. Many think it’s disingenuous and converts our religion into a mere shell of its original self. What do you think?
Response: I have to say I’m sympathetic to Batchelor’s stance. I think he also makes an even stronger case in his new book, After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age, that even during the Buddha’s lifetime, the Dharma started slipping into the sea of the metaphysics. This shift led to a need for a whole lot of explaining. That’s rarely a good thing.
Batchelor hypothesizes and provides a rational case for this early shift in the Dharma. It moved from a highly pragmatic system of ethics, to an ontological and epistemological system of truths. In the former, Nirvana is respite from suffering that arises from greed, hatred, and delusion. In the latter Nirvana evolves into a privileged view of reality, a special metaphysical insight. Enlightenment changed from a radical acceptance of everyday life as it is, to being and altered state of being. Eightfold path practitioners not only permanently eliminate suffering (somehow bypassing dependent arising), but they could now expect clairvoyance, ability to see past lives, etc.
Perhaps there is a split here developing (not unlike the one ascribed to the Mahasiddhis). Perhaps it’s a warping of the Buddha’s view; perhaps it’s a return to the original teachings. I think it’s safe to say, we’ll never know.
I don’t see Batchelor as being right or having the final say here, but I do prefer his “I’m from Missouri” stance over accepting doctrine because it’s the way it’s been for a long time.
From a Pureland, Other Power perspective, I do not know how or why Amitabha saves me. I don’t see any benefit to knowing and I don’t see any way to answer the question how Amitabha saves me. I have faith in Amitabha. I do not have faith in religion. I have not been instructed to have faith in karma and rebirth. Perseverating on that seems to be in the realm self-power. It seems distracting and prone to lead to more suffering.
As I often like to say, tongue in cheek, “I’m a Buddhist. I’m not interested in matters of metaphysics, but since we’re at the game, I’m cheering for the non-metaphysicians.”
Dialectic Two-Step is an ongoing series of my thoughts on questions that come my way.
Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. - Octavio
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