The word ‘religion’ came from the West and it has various meanings and definitions, none of which suit the concept of Buddhism. If we conceive of Buddhism as a religion it has a negative implication that can result in wrongly conceptualizing the intrinsic nature of Buddhism. Here, I justify my stance against the notion that ‘Buddhism is a religion’, since the word ‘religion’ connotes the belief in, and worship of, a supernatural controlling power, especially a personal God or other power, as the creator and governor of the universe.
According to the philologist Max Müller, the root of the English word ‘religion’ is the Latin word religio, which originally meant “reverence for gods, careful pondering of divine things”. The sociologist Émile Durkheim in his book The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life defines religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things.” Other great Western thinkers like Peter Mandaville and Paul James define religion as a relatively bounded system of beliefs, symbols and practices that address the nature of existence.
Distinctly exploring the facts, it is obvious that among various aspects of the definitions presented by many Westerners, no single definition is suitable to describe Buddhism as a religion. Rather, these are repugnant to the essence of Buddhism. Buddhism in general, and Madhyamika in particular, dissent on the worship of a supernatural controlling power or other power as the creator and governor of the universe.
According to the Buddhist perspective, there exists neither a supernatural controlling power as creator and destroyer nor a personal God. Our own karmic fruitions are the key causes for the creation and destruction of the mundane worlds.
To ratify this statement, one of the sutras states:
Manifold mundane worlds are originated or evolved as a result of karmic fruition.
In addition to this, Chandrakirti’s Entering to the Middle Way describes the following:
The outer world of the environment and the inner world of living beings are immeasurably affixed by the mind. It was stated by the Buddha that all sentient beings are born by the power of karma.
Buddhism does not accept any higher supernatural power which controls beings’ destinies, or which rewards and punishes, for this is completely arbitrary. Reverence for gods means venerating or treating gods with great respect as a wise way to connect with them, but a mere reverence for and pondering of divine things cannot liberate us from samsara. On the contrary, it is the dreaded karmic causes that knit us tightly to cyclic existence. This outer reverence for gods is for one’s own benefit and out of gratitude such people pay outer respect with blind faith. It would not be appropriate to expound Buddhism on the basis of faith and belief since the very foundation and priorities of Buddhism are not meant for faith and belief.
In ‘religion’, sacred things can be myth, legend or dogma. Myth is a particular traditional story which embodies beliefs regarding gods, the origin of the world or forces of nature. Legend is also a story from the past which relates known or unknown events describing many miraculous accomplishments. Similarly, Buddhist texts such as those of the Abhidharma also explain about the origin of the world and the forces of nature, and reveal the historical legends of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. But just because these views are similar one can’t judge Buddhism as a religion.
Aside from this, ‘dogma’ is also a faith set forth by religious organizations or a leader of a group, which others are expected to accept without any argument. It is a known fact that Buddhism does not fall under the authoritative aspect of such faith and beliefs. Buddhism was not organized by group of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Instead these enlightened ones profoundly realized the true nature of phenomena and taught what they realized to their enthusiastic followers. Unlike in a religion, there are no restrictions to being a Buddhist. Anyone can be a Buddhist if he or she accepts it, regardless of different castes, faith or traditional background. Universally, Buddhism is nobody’s property; whoever practises it owns the utmost precious jewel.
Many religions have narratives, symbols and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning and origin of universe. Similarly, Buddhism also contains its own symbols, narratives and sacred histories, which are comprised of ritual dances and objects, colourful symbols, the maroon robes of monks and nuns, incense and flower offerings, etc. However, these outer objects cannot explain the true essence of Buddhism. They are like ships to cross the ocean, to be discarded once the other shore is reached.
Worthy Buddhism cannot be brought under the definition of religion, as religion remains in the realm of the concepts and ideas of the mundane world. The concepts and ideas expounded in religious theory make no advancement for true liberation. Therefore, Buddhism cannot be called a religion as it is not a system of faith or worship.
What does Buddhism really mean? In simple terms, Buddhism is a skilful method which can mend, alter, tame and manipulate the mind through discipline. In other words, Buddhism is a medium through which truths and experiences are shared by the fully awakened ones for the sake of liberating beings from the ocean of suffering. Profoundly, it encompasses the doctrine of scriptural teachings and the doctrine of realization. To justify this, the Abhidharma-kosa-shastra states:
The teachings of Buddha are of two kinds—entities of doctrine and realization.
All the eighty-four thousand divisions of the Buddha’s teachings can be summed up in these two sections. Be it Hinayana, Mahayana or Vajrayana, the indivisible union of wisdom and compassion is the essence of Buddhism.
When I argue against the definition of Buddhism as a religion, I don’t intend to criticize any religion. Whatever I wrote here was merely a proof to explain that Buddhism is not a religion.
By Sangay Tenzin
7th Year NNI
