Puthujjana (secular) Buddhism

What is odd about secular Buddhism is that it is bad at defining itself.  Being fair to secular Buddhism, in an earlier blog I said this about it:

Some key points that secular Buddhism shares with Holyoke's vision is, first, that secular Buddhism pretty much sees itself as independent of important traditional Buddhist tenets such as karma and rebirth. Secondly, secular Buddhism is based on knowledge that can be obtained in in this life which is capable of being tested by experience.  Next, secular Buddhism’s own light and guidance, like that of secularism, comes from mundane truths (we could even say science).

Does any of this ring a bell in traditional Buddhism?  It sure does.  Secular Buddhism by any other name is puthujjana Buddhism.  The best way to define puthujjana is that it refers to a common worldling.  In this respect, puthujjana easily falls under the category of secular which relates to the worldly as distinguished from the spiritual.  

We learn from the canon that a puthujjana is a spiritually blind person who cannot distinguish a noble person (ariya-puggala), such as a disciple (sâvaka) or a Buddha, from a non-noble person.  The reason for this is that a puthujjana cannot sense the spiritual presence of the noble person.  A Buddha, for example, or a recent current-winner (sotâpanna) could be sitting together in a Dharma center and no one would be able to recognize them because they are puthujjanas who lack the dharma-eye (S., dharma-caksus).  In brief, the dharma-eye marks entry into the supermundane path (lokuttara) which is the true Buddhist path.

Foremost, the puthujjana does not know nor does he see things as they really are nor does the puthujjana know that the higher Mind is clear light or the same, radiant.  Even though the puthujjana claims to be a Buddhist he is still subject to suffering (duhkha) and rebirth.  In addition, he cannot distinguish his self from the Five Aggregates.  Essentially, puthujjanas remain subjects of Mara the Evil One—not the Buddha.

Secular Buddhists have no spiritual attainments even close to sotâpatti (current-entry) or bodhicittotpada (manifesting the mind that is bodhi).  The only part of Buddhism they imagine they understand are the teachings of impermanence, suffering and no-self (an-âtman).  But with this they don’t know what is the permanent, the non-suffering, and the true self which is the Dharma body of the Buddha which is increate and perfected.

Comments

[Subaru9]

Thanks for pointing this connection between secular buddhism and putthujanas.
Only those contemplatives who had entered the stream (Sotapanna) by going against the stream of parental, social-cultural conditionings through connecting with their own bodhicitta (heat-mind) and faith in Buddha and Dhamma in the seen and unseen belong to the fourfold Sangha of the 'Noble Ones' (ariyapuggala). Peace

[John Willemsens]

We invite you to like and share
https://www.facebook.com/ASecularBuddhistMeetingPlace
Cheers,
John Willemsens.

[azanshi]

Zennist wrote:

"When faith is undefiled, the mind is pure ~ Avatamsaka Sutra"

2nd that!

This was the original intention with the chinese version of the Pure Land school and why some chan masters offered it to dharma students with, lets say, too many bad habits to practise the superior path of the arya-sravaka. The latter being students endowed with superior spiritual abilities. Much like a contemporary math teacher offering the exceptional students a special teaching in accordance with their innate capacity and the rest a teaching sufficient to pass the required grades for a higher education.

[The Zennist]

Jure K:

When faith is undefiled, the mind is pure ~ Avatamsaka Sutra

[Jure K.]

"No sravakas or pratyekabuddhas are able to know, see or investigate this matter with their insight. How much less able to do so are foolish ordinary people (puthujjana), except when they directly realise it by faith!" (Anunatva-Apurnatva-Nirdesa)