The Zennist: Geeky Buddhism

Is geeky Buddhism the Buddhism found in the traditional canons of Buddhism? No it isn’t. There can be no dispute on that subject. So first, what is geeky Buddhism? A good example of geeky Buddhism is to be found at Buddhist Geeks. Geeky Buddhism is like making a dish. First, add some technology (mainly Internet related technology), then neuroscience, psychology, materialism, meditation, and mindfulness. What we are served is more secular than spiritual. The secular, we have to keep in mind, always relates to the temporal world as distinguished from the spiritual world. It is going in the opposite direction of Buddhism.

Over all, geeky Buddhism is trying to make Buddhism palatable and understandable to people who—let’s face it—are worldly. They don’t believe in rebirth or karma. Fuck all that. Least of all, do they believe in such an notion as nirvana.

“Monks, there is a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. Monks, if that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be apparent no escape from this here that is born, become, made, compounded. But since, monks, there is an unborn ... therefore the escape from this here is born, become ... is apparent” (Udana).

I guess you could say geeky Buddhism is at the vanguard of trying to convert worldly, materialistic people into real human beings who actually believe there is more to life than gratifying one’s desires and trying to lead a happy unexamined life. But I am not sure this is going to work. Too much geekiness may harm Buddhism. Look at what the wily Stephen Batchelor has already done to Buddhism. He sure as heck hasn’t helped it, not with such crappy books like Buddhism Without Beliefs which cleverly tries to insinuate that most of Buddhism is belief oriented in which case we need to ignore most of it and turn, instead, to Stephen Batchelor for guidance!