Imbibe The Spirit of Buddha: Defy, Never Deify

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 23 May 2024 Believe Nothing, No Matter Where You Read It, Or Who Said It, No Matter If I Have Said It, Unless It Agrees with Your Own Reason and Your Own Common Sense. The Buddha The quote by The Life Of Buddha, "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense," emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and personal judgment. May 23 is Buddha Purnima ----- Buddha encourages individuals to question and analyse the information they come across, regardless of its source or origin. He advises that blind acceptance should be avoided and encourages people to trust their own reasoning and common sense. In doing so, one can ensure that beliefs align with their personal understanding, keeping them grounded in truth and authenticity. Ultimately, this quote highlights Buddha's profound wisdom and his call for self-reliance and independent thinking in the pursuit of knowledge. Humans, especially, the blind followers of all faiths and ideologies, need Buddha's intellectual and sagacious iconoclasm. You needn't be an anarchist or a nihilist to defy, deny and detonate what doesn't appeal to you rationally. Just stop believing blindly. Start analysing and scrutinizing. Nothing is sacred and sacrosanct. Your belief makes it so. If there's anything sacred in the world, it's the life of a human. Don't destroy it for the sake of a fictitious god. It's really strange as well as ironic that more than 2,600 years ago, Buddha doubted and defied gods, religions and scriptures. Yet, people in this 'modern' age cling on to all sorts of esoteric beliefs, faiths and superstitions. It's even more ironic that the same apatheist Buddha is 'Lord' (Bhagwan) Buddha to his followers. For all of us, it's important that we recognise Buddha's exhortations to his followers not to raise him to the level of a god, once he was no more. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and many Buddhists today 'pray' to him and some even 'worship' him. Humanity cannot become humanitarian until it follows such masters' teachings as lessons and doesn't raise enlightened mortals to the levels of divinity. Imbibe the spirit of Buddha: Defy, never deify. Discard all your 'holy' books, dysfunctional religions and decadent gods. Embrace humanity and become the Buddha. Gautam Buddha always said that every individual was a Buddha. Find the Buddha within you. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/imbibe-spirit-buddha-defy-deify/d/132366 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism