My Take on Buddhism

In order to help make sense of my observations in my posts and commentary about the Buddha and Buddhism, I would like to take a moment and clarify some of my own ideas of what Buddhism means to me.

I am not a formal “Buddhist” and understand that there are many different types of Buddhism and many different interpretations of what Buddhism is.

In my case, I have read a fair amount about Buddhism and periodically done meditation. In addition I have thought a lot about many of it’s primary teachings over the years.

I think Buddhism is comprised of several different components, or aspects;

1. Psychological aspects (how we think, how our mind works)
2. Practical aspects (moral and ethical behavior, lifestyle)
3. Mythological and symbolic aspects (rebirth, karma, “pure land”)
4. Experiential aspects (selflessness, meditation, insight)

Personally, the areas that most intrigue me are the aspects of psychology and experience.

I am interested in the psychological insights of attachment and suffering that the Buddha revealed. And, more importantly for me, his insights into how our minds work and how our experience is constructed.

In Buddhism, this insight into how our mind works is primarily for the purpose of eliminating our personal suffering, but for me it is in uncovering how we construct our version of reality and its impact on our thinking and our lives.

It is my interpretation that the Buddha had profound insights into how our minds construct our sense of “reality”, and how these constructions lead to the unintended consequences of our ongoing experience of attachment, suffering and loss.

The more I study brain science, the more I see how deep and insightful his observations about the mind were. It is interesting to me to see his insights corroborated by modern day scientific observations and theories.

Somehow, he tapped into his experiences and developed an understanding of his mind that transcended the normal understanding that most of us have. Then, he was able to articulate his understanding in ways that helped other people get a glimpse into the constructs of mind that are normally not apparent to us in our personal lives.

Then there are PRACTICAL aspects of Buddhism, such as morality, the appropriate conduct of our lives, and the lessening of suffering and attachment – which improves the quality of our lives in practice. Those practical aspects of Buddhism are very helpful and legitimate, in my opinion. In fact, they have improved my own life significantly. However, these aspects are not my primary interest.

And finally in Buddhism there are the, what I call, mythological and symbolic aspects. These have to do with past lives, rebirth, the realms of “hell”, the Pure Land, and so on. These comprise a large part of Buddhism for many practitioners, but hold little interest for me personally.

SUMMARY

Although I have read about and studied many of the precepts and teachings of Buddhism for years, my primary interest is in the psychological and experiential aspects of it.

I have not been able to make the leap of faith required to accept many of the teachings found in the “religious” aspect of Buddhism.

What strikes me most in Buddhism is the richness and depth of understanding evident about the workings of the mind and consciousness in our experiences.

I feel that the Buddha was able to uncover a level of understanding of our minds and thinking that is only now being confirmed and verified by modern science.

The truth of his insights were always there to personally experience, but are now being backed up by scientific observation and theory.

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Thanks for your support,
Alex Johnson