In Response to Rosa Rubicondior

Note: This was a response generated from a short Twitter conversation with Rosa Rubiconido. Her blog can be found at . A few changes have been made and will probably continue to be made as my thoughts progress.

Hello, I had a conversation with you on Twitter that never finished, I suppose because Twitter is a difficult platform to have a discussion about Twitter.

I formed the opinion that Atheism is a religion and you asked for proof. Well, here is my opinion about atheism as a religion, other opinions about Atheism in general, some info about myself and some advice from me:

– Atheists have a shared set of beliefs (a belief that there are no Gods/Goddesses)

– Atheists typically read popular works about Atheism, mainly western philosophical works about Atheism, some published recently, some much older (comparable to Bible and Buddhist scriptures).

– Atheists try to “convert” people and “prove” they are right (quite similar to your targeted religion of Christianity).

– There are “leaders” in Atheism like in all religions. I do not know who “founded” Atheism but there need not be a “founder” for Atheism to be considered a religion. Richard Dawkins could be called a great religious leader of our time. In fact, he kind of reminds me of Joel Olsteen with his public lectures, popular books and TV appearences.

– Very strongly believe in their beliefs: same as Christians.

Some bad aspects about Atheism:

– Atheists are quite similar to (misguided) missionaries of their targeted religion Christianity. Atheists believe they are right and everyone else is wrong.

– Atheists don’t seem to take into account other religions (Buddhism, Taoism, etc.) Eastern religions seem to be left alone while Christianity and Islam are targeted, especially the Holy Bible. Atheists need to take into account other religions, especially eastern.

– Athiests don’t have much (or any) respect for other religions. You may disagree but no need to call Christians and other believers “stupid.” Atheists need to learn to be respectful of other beliefs.

Good aspects of atheism:

– Still give to charites

– Are skeptical of things (as am I). I will also note that skepticism is a western way of thinking. (Many eastern religious people accept things with no “proof,” as do Christians, not that this is bad because it isn’t). Skepticism is necessary and wonderful for science but philosophy and religion are different ways of thinking.

Advice from me:

– You need to be more respectful of other religions, especially the Bible. I love intellectual discussions as well but, as you say, stick with facts and not emotional “Bible-thumping” opinions.

– You need to become more knowledgable about other religions, especially eastern religions since many Buddhists and other followers of eastern religions are agnostic.

– You need to take into account that Gods/Goddesses, especially in eastern religions, are often more metaphorical than literal. Eastern scriptures are fascinating works of literature, like the Bible, but should probably be understood more on metaphorical terms than literal terms.

– Realize that many western MDs and/or PhDs use eastern spiritual techniques in treatment for mental and physical disorders, especially mental health disorders.

About myself:

I am a Buddhist nun in training. I believe in Buddhist scripture and many eastern beliefs (especially Taoism). In my opinion eveything is like a ying-yang: good and bad: NOTHING can be 100% good or evil. I attended Catholic school in my youth and actually read and studied the Bible. I drifted away from Catholicism and Christianity because I questioned the concept of an all knowing, all powerful “God.” I also didn’t believe in eternal heaven/hell. I am an agnostic but also believe I am a reincarnation of the Hindu goddess White Tara (the goddess of compassion). I tend to think of my reincarnation both metaphorically (“White Tara” as a metaphor for great compassion) and literally. I am also very interested in community service and volunteer work. I also have psychic abilities which I didn’t believe existed until I began experiencing them first-hand as the result of opening my third eye (and my fourth, fifth and etc.)

And you will probably take nothing I say seriously because of my religious beliefs.

Buddhism and Disability

I am a disabled person with multiple disabilities who is currently working on entering into a nunnery to become an ordained nun. Obviously, I have many things to say about this topic but, for the moment, I am going to restrict myself to Buddhism and disability, both generally and give more specific examples, though my interest is on more advanced topics in Buddhism rather than on disability and Buddhism per se.

Many disabled people, especially in the west, get caught up in “suffering,” Buddhism and disability. I understand this, especially in people who are more severely disabled. But for those who have a more advanced understanding of Buddhism this “realization” is actually very basic Buddhism. Yes, disabled people suffer pain, discrimination and they will die (like we all do) but most disabled people (like most lay people) do not move beyond a basic understanding of Buddhism. In fact, a disabled person who practices Buddhism should not at all be “amazed” by this realization. Non-disabled Buddhists in third world countries who live in extreme poverty don’t suffer from the same vanity as disabled Buddhists in the west (who usually live beyond their means). I don’t think I’ve ever seen a non-disabled Buddhist in a third world country write specifically about extreme poverty and their amazement of their “understanding” of “suffering.” As usual, westerners have a very basic understanding if Buddhism.

I recently purchased a book by a disabled person who studied Zen Buddhism. I do not know if he studied with a teacher or if he was self-taught but I am always interested in the topic since I am a disabled Buddhist (working on entering a nunnery). My guess is that he did not gain an advanced understanding of Buddhism because he decided to publish a book about this very topic. Let me state from the start that I have no problem with a severely disabled lay person publishing a book on this topic: in fact, it will probably be helpful to other severely disabled lay people. The topic of my discussion is more about gaining a more advanced understanding of Buddhism then on disability and Buddhism in general.

Now, I am definitely not saying that disabled people should “accept” their suffering if there is care available just like I don’t advocate that people living in the slums should accept their conditions. Change needs to happen in these areas and this change has less to do with Buddhism then with social progress.

In the east there are disabled monks and nuns, though they are obviously not as common. Buddhism suffers from discrimination like every other religion: women, non-Asians and disabled people are still no where equal to non-disabled, Asian men. I know that in some branches of Buddhism people with certain disabilities cannot be ordained. Of course, this needs to change (just like with women). Luckily, the Buddha himself wrote that if a person did not agree with certain practices of his teachings then they should be changed. This is in contrast to the Bible: many Christians state that the Bible says this is wrong and therefore you have to go with what the Bible says. To my knowledge nothing in the Bible is written about seeking change if a practioner disagrees with the teachings. I know, for a fact, that this is written in Buddhist texts:

“Don’t blindly believe what I say. Don’t believe me because others convince you of my words. Don’t believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Don’t rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don’t infer or be deceived by appearances.”

“Do not give up your authority and follow blindly the will of others. This way will lead to only delusion.”

“Find out for yourself what is truth, what is real. Discover that there are virtuous things and there are non-virtuous things. Once you have discovered for yourself give up the bad and embrace the good.”

-Buddha Shakyamuni

Therefore, according to Buddhist scripture itself, there should be no problem with a young, white, disabled, queer female desiring to become an ordained nun. Yes, I am aware of my own “suffering” as a disabled person but I am also aware that this understanding is only the very beginning of delving into the deep realms of Buddhism.

Of course, you’ll have someone state that these quotes were not actually written by the “original” Buddha and are therefore not legit. But this shouldn’t matter because these quotes are from Buddhist scripture. The Bible has many different authors (John, Luke, etc.) and the Christian faith sees it just as legit as the words of Christ. Therefore, since these quotes are from Buddhist scripture they are just as legit.

(As far as karma and disability (an oft repeated topic): I obviously have much to say on this topic which I will save for later posts.)