Dharma

The difference between secular Buddhism and Buddhism as religion seems to hinge on the concept of Dharma (Dhamma), or law of the Universe, as perceived allegedly by Gotama, the historic Buddha. I believe, as a secular student of Buddhism, that elements of Dharma can be used as a part of a working model of a righteous and compassionate life in modern society. In the minds of the religious Buddhist, this most likely makes me a cafeteria or buffet Buddhist, picking and choosing slices of Dharma that suit my particular reality sandwich. They would be incorrect, because I am not a Buddhist at all.

The problem with religious practice is simply its one-size-fits-all approach. "You must meditate for one hour in this specific position with these specific elements in your environment!" is, in my mind, as questionable as "You must kneel, spin around three times and spit!" The historic motivations for these prescriptions, based in illiterate and unscientific societies, are no longer relevant. The incense, the robes, the head-shaving, the bells are all superstition, tied to a dead, albeit charming, past.

Gotama reputedly lived in the same era as Socrates. While the Socratic method of education has been demonstrated to be effective, I hardly think we would be wise to teach science as Socrates understood it. Similarly, while Gotama was on to something very elemental in the human psyche, I believe, we owe it to ourselves to apply his wisdom to the growing understanding of the world through science.

Perhaps the key element of Dharma which often goes overlooked is its emphasis on change and impermanence. As someone who was drawn, as a young man, to the quaint aspects of Buddhist art and ritual, I eventually understood that the joy of Buddhism is growing out of the restraints of "temple Buddhism" and growing into a personal daily practice of consciousness and compassion. When Dharma fused in my modern life with ongoing education, practice and understanding, I saw this as the foundation of my humanism, which is nonreligious and motivated by the best of my educated human instincts.