| Marx said religion is opium, Dawkins ("The God | | | | These schools would be at loggerheads with Dawkins. |
| Delusion (TGD)" )argued that God is a delusion. The | | | | Other schools believe in Buddha-nature, or in Sunyata |
| debate on TGD has been very heated, to get some | | | | (Emptiness), which is some kind of Pantheism, similar to |
| idea, read The Huffington Post for a summary of | | | | what Spinoza and Einstein believed. |
| Dawkins' position and about 580 comments running | | | | "Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be |
| across 24 pages. | | | | expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It |
| Most discussions are related to Christianity, what about | | | | transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and |
| Buddhism? | | | | theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and |
| Buddhism is regarded as Pantheistic, and sometimes | | | | it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the |
| agnostic, so the clash with Dawkins is not expected to | | | | experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a |
| be as sharp. | | | | meaningful unity." Albert Einstein |
| First thing to note, however, is that there are many | | | | Is Buddhism a meme? |
| schools of Buddhism, with very different views about | | | | Going further to Dawkins earlier work "The Selfish |
| God. | | | | Gene", where he introduced the term meme as a unit |
| Theravada (or doctrine of the Elders) is definitely | | | | of cultural transmission, we may ask if Buddhism is a |
| agnostic, and refuses to go into intellectual arguments | | | | meme. Dawkins said that religions or religious practices |
| about things not here and now. It focuses on the | | | | and rituals are complexes of memes or memplexes. |
| purification of the mind, which if achieved, could provide | | | | Some of the Buddhist rituals are definitely memes, but |
| answers to the difficult questions. Discussing it now | | | | it is interesting to hear Susan Blackmore, the author of |
| when our minds are full of mind viruses is futile. | | | | "The Meme Machine" about meditation: |
| It is told that the historical Buddha, an ordinary person, | | | | "if a meditational system such as Buddhism is a meme, |
| said that he can only point the way, everybody needs | | | | then it is actually a very peculiar one - a meme-clearing |
| to tread their own paths. | | | | meme." |
| This is different from Stephen Jay Gould's 'NOMA' - | | | | Meditation is a tool to be aware of the viruses in our |
| 'non-overlapping magisteria'. Gould claimed that science | | | | mind, including religions. |
| and true religion never come into conflict because they | | | | The self delusion Finally, the central tenet of Buddhism |
| exist in completely separate dimensions of discourse. | | | | is the no self doctrine: no self, no soul, no reincarnation. |
| Other schools of Buddhism believe in certain Gods and | | | | It regards the Self Delusion as a much serious problem |
| Goddesses, such as bodhisattvas, who have vowed | | | | than the God delusion. I wonder if Dawkins would |
| to help all sentient being to be liberated. Such | | | | regard self as a delusion. |
| boddhisattvas are worshipped for their superpowers. | | | | |