Playing Devil’s Advocate here (:-)) I decided to take up the question of whether Buddhism is religion or philosophy, as discussed a few posts ago.

I think any belief system can have a philosophical or religious side. Buddhism gets away with a lot because people who aren’t brought up in its traditions tend to be introduced to the philosophy, which has some wonderful insights into the human condition and the nature of life. In which case, you might think it doesn’t matter if it also involves certain observances.  Have you ever heard of Nicheren Shoshu “Buddhism”? It involves chanting certain mantras, to get rewards in the material world – wealth, promotions, a wife or husband, a new kitchen, etc. It seems to require that believers hand over fair amounts of cash but they can always get this back through their dedication to chanting. Chanting for things you need  is a sign of devoutness. If you need a new washing machine, surely it shows a lack of faith if you don’t take the opportunity to chant  so the universe will magically provide it for you.

By this standard, even extreme fundamentalist Islam or Christianity seem almost innocent. However, having said that, there is little evidence that the self-indulgent celeb-heavy philosophies like Nicheren Shoshu or Kabbala leads people to take part in crusades or jihads, so I suppose we should be grateful for them.

Technorati Tags: Religion, Philosophy, Society, Buddhism