A smart beginner

There are different religions.  But within each different religion there are also, for example, different Christianities, Judaisms, Islams and, certainly, there are different Buddhisms.  Differences can certainly fall within differences and multiply.  

Looking at Buddhism there are many different interpretations of what the Buddha said.  Some of these interpretations are more popular than others many of which have a large following.  They give rise to different Buddhisms.

Different Buddhisms, I am almost convinced, first of all form around a certain consensus, that is, a general agreement among like minds.  These minds expect Buddhism to deal with certain problems and needs in a particular way, for example, by means of zazen or chanting.  Most of those who make up the consensus are more than likely beginners who may have read a handful of popular books about Buddhism but never really managed to tackle the Pali canon or the Mahayana canon.  In addition, this consensus might be represented by single teacher or several. Essentially, the teacher, we could say, is always preaching to his choir; never otherwise.  This is what the community expects.  

It is from such a consensus held together by a particular teacher that different Buddhisms arise.  Such a community accepts the teacher's interpretation of Buddhism as authoritative.  On the surface this is neither a good or a bad thing.  Nevertheless, such a Buddhism can be extremely superficial and limiting, limiting in the sense of being too narrowly focused on a small part of what Buddha taught—missing the big picture and missing awakening.

This is where the smart beginner who is a member of this community needs to realize the value of study:  studying all of Buddhism, especially what the Buddha taught and not just somebody’s interpretation of what the Buddha taught.  The smart beginner needs also to realize that it isn’t healthy to stick with one kind of Buddhism too long without studying other forms of Buddhism as well.  In other words, it is not good to follow the herd too long—one may live to regret it.

Several years ago, someone wrote me who had studied with a particular Zen master for over twenty years.  He was rather shocked to learn there was a lot more to Zen than his teacher had taught him.  He felt almost betrayed if not deeply saddened that he had wasted so much of his life following a very limited interpretation of Buddhism.  I really couldn’t say much to him.  I couldn’t even imagine the pain he felt.

Comments

[Mike]

I was wrong, what I was looking for was in the Gateless Gate -

As for those who try to understand through other people's words, they are striking at the moon with a stick; scratching a shoe, whereas it is the foot that itches. What concern have they with the truth?

[Mike]

As a beginner, I'm painfully aware of my complete lack of knowledge. I continue to seek new information, new texts and new conversations.

I'm trying to remember a part of the Diamond Sutra that speaks to the path of enlightenment isn't the path the Buddha took. That the Buddha hesitated to teach what he had learned because it was beyond words and he knew that by saying these words the words would become an anchor keeping people locked in samsara. That Mind is what we are and through Mind we break the chains.