Feb 2, 2010

Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy?

This question has always perplexed me: Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy. All the major religions have some kind of an omnipotent, supernatural entity that is variably called god, source, allah or such; in Buddhism, there is no such almighty controller of all things. Does a religion always have to have a god? And if Buddhism doesn't have a god, it is "just" a philosophy, then first of all it will not qualify for IRS' tax exempt status; and many people in this country will not have a religion, will not be considered "religious," and are therefore atheists? Of course these people, namely Buddhists, are still very "spiritual" people, very kind and loving people, probably more so than some of those who have a "religion." There is something wrong with this picture.

Today, I finally find a reasonable explanation for this weird state of affairs and I would like to share with you. While reading Matthieu Ricard's book "The Monk and The Philosopher," the author quoted an answer to this very question by Andre Migot, a French medical doctor, adventurer and Buddhist scholar during the first half of last century, and Matthieu Ricard is a Tibetan monk of French origin, who lives in Nepal. The quote is from Migot's book "Le Bouddha" (The Buddha):

"There has been a lot of discussion about whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy, and the question has never been decided one way or the other. In these terms, it is a question that only makes sense to a Westerner. Only in the West is philosophy just a branch of knowledge like mathematics or botany, and only in the West is the philosopher a person, usually a professor, who goes through particular doctrines during his courses but, once he goes home, lives exactly like his lawyer or his dentist without what he teaches having the slightest influence on the way he lives his life. Only in the West is religion,for a large majority of believers, a small compartment that only gets opened on particular days, at particular times or in certain predetermined circumstances, and is firmly closed again before actually doing anything. Although there are professors of philosophy in the East, too, a philosopher there is a spiritual master who lives what he teaches, surrounded by disciples who want to follow his example. His teaching is never based on sheer intellectual curiosity, for its value lies only in its realization. In this light, there seems little point in wondering whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion. It is a path, a way of salvation, that which led the Buddha to enlightenment; it is a method, a means of attaining liberation by working intensely on the mind and spirit."

I might add that this explanation is applicable to Confusianism as well. I often explain to people that in China, most people (including myself) don't belong to any organized religion; that their spiritual anchor is a combination of Confusianism and Buddhism, which are more like philosophies.