Religious Buddhism versus Psychological Buddhism
I find myself thinking that I don’t so much subscribe to the religion (or philosophy if you prefer) of Buddhism, as I subscribe to the psychology of Buddhism.
I don’t know if that is a valid observation, or if there really is a difference, but it’s what is at the back of my mind.
Possibly, but not necessarily, related posts:
Transcendent consciousness is...
A lot of Buddhists I know claim it is more of a psychology than a religion. Robert Thurman (I think he was the first American Tibetan Buddhist priest – father of Uma Thurman) says it is.
(He has a great three part lecture series where he very patiently and meticulously explain the Buddha, The Dharma, and the Sangha. I think it’s simply called Robert Thurman on Buddhism.) I agree – I am much more impressed with the psychology of Buddhism than I am the more religious aspects (although some are quite beautiful).
BTW – I was thinking about a recent comment you left on my blog and wondered if you’ve ever heard of Byron Katie? She had a post on her blog I thought you might be interested in. If not – feel free to disregard it.
http://www.byronkatie.com/2010/01/letter_from_a_soldier.htm
Laura,
I am somewhat familiar with Byron Katie. I had a book on CD from her, but lost it before I ever got a chance to listen to it.
I really appreciate you linking to the letter from the soldier. I think asking the four questions could make a big difference when I am in the spiral of fear that I get into. The trick (as with any practice) is to stop and DO IT.
There is a reason they call it practice.
I need to practice. Practice practice practice. 
But practicing doesn’t mean we need to do it all at once, the first go-round … I have a problem keeping that in mind sometimes, and it means that things sometimes overwhelm me. I’ve learned to ease into things a bit more, and have been happier for it.
I don’t have very much practical experience with Buddhism; so I don’t know the difference between the psychology of it and the religion, and have very little of value to contribute to that end. What I can perhaps contribute is that I am someone who observes Heathenry as a faith, Druidry as a religious expression, and Stoicism as a philosophical outlook … I don’t feel that any of these things detracts from or conflicts with any of the others. It’s taken some time to find equilibrium, especially with the Pantheist approach of Stoicism; but it’s been well worth the time and effort. So what I’m trying to say, in my own rambling sort of way, is if you find satisfaction from the psychology of Buddhism, go with it – let that fill you until you notice room for something else (if you notice any room at all), then go from there
Tempest,
You are quite right with my not needing to do it all at once. I was overwhelming myself. One of the things I did that was overwhelming was to add a bunch of Buddhist blogs to my RSS reader and it was immediately too much. They are no longer on my reader.
I’m going to stick with Kornfield’s book and the book on CD from Thich Nhat Hanh. I’m enjoying both of those very much and am going to let myself be there, for a while.
It’s interesting that as I read your observations (Heathenry, Druidry and Stoicism) that I do not have a similar list. I guess I could say that I have “God” as a faith, but I have no religious expression or particular philosophical outlook. Hmmm …
I might do well within liberal Christianity as a religious expression … but as for philosophical outlook, I’m not sure what mine is. Heh.
Hey Kay,
I’m so delighted to find you sharing your spiritual journey again. I was worried when you disappeared from Facebook. After the initial joy of finding lost relations on FB, it didn’t take long for me to want to find more depth, also.
I still find the polytheistic psychology of Thomas Moore most helpful to me. Through his writings I’ve learned to accept the multiple “gods” that are within me. At times I feel like a Quaker at other times a pagan, but always my Christian upbringing wants a home. Moore’s last book Writing in the Sand helps to re-imagines the gospels in a way that finds a middle way between literalism and subjectivity.
I also find Japanese Psychology of great practical benefit to me. As described on the website of ToDoInstitute.org
Constructive living has you relieve fear and anxiety by moving your attention to gratitude and what you need to do next in order to take our minds off our inner state. Here is a link that explains it a little.
http://www.todoinstitute.org/anxiety.html
Again, good to see you back!
Hey Ken!
I have a tendency to do that with Facebook alot. I’ll log on for a week or two, and then inactivate my account.
Thanks for mentioning Moore’s last book to me. I hadn’t even looked it up on Amazon yet. I’ll rectify that immediately. I’ve missed reading him.
Also, thank you for mentioning todoinstitute.org. I’ve bookmarked them and look forward to exploring them further. The article on anxiety mentions “shinkeishitsu.” Good grief does that describe me to a tee! (Though I’m not so bad with the hypochondria thing anymore.) It also mentions how trying to get rid of these feelings doesn’t work. Instead we should accept them. This is the suggestion of Thich Nhat Hanh and is what I mentioned in the post “Send Loving Kindness to Your Pain.”
Yes, please take some time and check out our website. Both Morita Therapy and Naikan are grounded in the wisdom of Buddhism and as such have spiritual underpinnings, unlike traditional western mental health approaches.
With all good wishes,
Linda Anderson Krech
ToDo Institute
http://www.todoinstitute.org
Kay,
I just found this essay by Linda’s husband, Gregg, which, for me, is a great start to this alternate psychology -
http://www.nektarina.info/2010/02/get-active.html
Thanks Ken!