Thoughts on Twenty-Seven

Buddhism is constructive and not destructive. It's good to recognize the tenuous nature of all things, their `empty' nature, their `unreality,' but that doesn't mean we have to go down the path of nihilism. I believe William James said something along the lines of `We shouldn't believe things that are false, but we should believe things that are true.' Furthermore, all concepts are incorrect to some extent, but on the flip side, all concepts are correct to some extent. It is good to look for connections between people, concentrate on similarities, and not focus on differences. This is a prescription for peace. Standing up on a pedestal and yelling at others, "I am right, and you and your dharmas are wrong," is not treading the Bodhisattva path. If I were to do this, I would be severing my connection with those beings. I would be communicating anger, lack of compassion, egotism, and other things, and not the right message. I would be contributing to those beings' suffering. I would also be contributing to my own suffering by building up internal resentment that others do not share or affirm my beliefs. Indeed, a couple of years ago, I was an insecure atheist. I would fairly often get into caustic exchanges, belittling people who had a belief in God. I was lashing out because of my own fear, my own insecurity. I felt threatened by others' belief. In addition, the feeling of superiority that I got when I felt another's belief was childish, was a temporary salve to my ego. Yet I was really ingesting poison by cultivating anger and resentment in this way, and spreading it around too, with no compassion for my victims. The way I'm living now is more peaceful, more sustainable, and more beneficial for myself and others.