It is a common
and idealistically beautiful notion, that all the
religions of the world essentially preach the same teachings for
the betterment of the world. In fact, this is part of the spirit
that makes harmonious inter-religious dialogue possible – when we
choose to focus on the similarities of compassion and wisdom. If we
are to harp on the differences to one another instead, there
would be religious conflict.
But are all religions exactly the same upon closer look?
Realistically, of course not - this is why there are
different religions in the first place, even though there
might be certain teachings which overlap in between. If we
truly wish to deeply understand various religions, we need to
not only look at the similarities, which many prefer to stop at,
but to look at the differences too. It should not be surprising
that the deeper one looks, the more obvious it might be that
there are differences aplenty. Many Buddhists too have
previously speculated on the sameness of all religions,
till they studied more about Buddhism, realising how it even
explains how various religious stems of thought evolved
differently.
Is it okay for one to be a “hybrid Buddhist”? For instance, to
be a “Whatever-Buddhist” (fill in your non-Buddhist faith in place
of “Whatever”)? While many Buddhists are not exactly sure
of others’ reactions to that, what would the Buddha think of such
an idea? Well, though the Buddha clearly wished to
benefit everyone with his teachings, he never
demanded anyone to follow his teachings fully without
question. In fact, he taught that “When you know for
yourselves that, ‘These qualities (as taught) are skillful; these
qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise;
these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to
welfare and to happiness’ - then you should
enter and remain in them.” (From the Kalama
Sutta: please study it for more details as to how
to wisely embrace a teaching.) Though the quote might
seem like common sense, it also means the Buddha allows us to
be as Buddhist or non-Buddhist as we wish, as we personally find
sensible or are comfortable with - though there is no
guarantee that every individual understands what is
truly ”sensible”.
Out of his great compassion, the Buddha would surely prefer us
to benefit through partial practice of his teachings than to
embrace none of them at all. Free-thinkers, those of other
faiths and those who are not totally Buddhist are thus always
welcomed to learn more about Buddhism in a non-exclusivist and “no
obligation” way. What is worth pondering about the quote
above is what truly constitutes “blameless”, “when
adopted and carried out, lead to welfare and happiness.” As
Buddhists, that leading towards enlightenment in one way or
another, directly or indirectly, should be seen as the
ultimate benchmark, with enlightenment being true “welfare and
happiness”. The Kalama spirit of “Come and see (and ask); don’t
just believe” is also renowned in Buddhism - a
probable reason why Buddhism is currently the fastest growing
religion in the largely dogmatically-saturated but
spiritually-dissatisfied West.
The Buddha also taught unequivocally that to become
fully spiritually liberated like Himself requires the full practice
and realisation of the Noble Eightfold
Path (Right view, resolve, speech, action, livelihood,
effort, concentration) which he taught – “But in whatsoever Dhamma
(teachings) and Discipline (moral guidelines) there is found the
Noble Eightfold Path, there is found a true ascetic (spiritual
practitioner) of the first, second, third, and fourth degrees of
saintliness (levels of spiritual attainment culminating in
self-liberation here). Now in this Dhamma and Discipline, Subhadda
(the Buddha’s last convert), is found the Noble Eightfold Path; and
in it alone are also found true ascetics of the first, second,
third, and fourth degrees of saintliness. Devoid of true ascetics
are the systems of other teachers.” (From the Mahaparinibbana
Sutta) In this sense, to the extent that one practises
the Noble Eightfold Path is the extent to which one is truly
Buddhist at heart.
The Three Universal Characteristics (Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta)
are also unique teachings found complete in Buddhism alone. These
are often described as the “Three Seals of the Law (of
Dharma)”, used to authenticate the Buddha’s teachings, to
differentiate them from non-Buddhist teachings. Another major
difference of Buddhism from many other religions is that the Buddha
clearly proclaimed himself not to be a god or godsend, having
transcended the limitations of all beings, godly or
not, though spiritual perfection, being addressed as the
“Teacher of men and gods” instead. The Buddha also did not advocate
the belief in an almighty good God, and even explained how the
concept of a creator God arose. That aside, He did teach
of the existence of countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with
infinite compassion, ever ready to guide all beings to attain True
Happiness.
If one studies different religions on the surface level, one
might be too quick to conclude that all religions simply teach us
to avoid evil and to do good. The Buddha’s teachings are often
summarised in this verse, “To abstain from all evil, the practice
of good, and the thorough purification of one’s mind - this is
the teaching of the Buddhas.” (From the Dhammapada)
Particular to Buddhism, not only does it
has exceptionally unmatched high and detailed moral
standards of universal compassion to all beings great and small, it
also systematically advocates a path for the purification
of the mind through meditational practices, whereby the end result
is realisation of the truth of non-self, the attainment of
enlightenment (also defined as the emancipation,
Nirvana or True Happiness), after which one is better
able to help all beings attain the same liberation. These
teachings are unique to Buddhism alone.
Even if one might be able to happily reconcile one’s
faith with the Buddhist faith, there are still indeed
“irreconcilable differences” which make Buddhism, as well as other
religions distinct from one another. While it might be
perceived that different religions are different paths to the
same goal, the goals of each religion are usually essentially
different, and only somewhat similar. May we remember that to
be truly open-minded does not merely entail looking beyond
differences, only thinking that different religions have
similarities in ideology - it also includes
realising they have concrete differences too. This is
important as having or promoting over-simplified or warped and thus
inaccurate personal conjectures of the essences of various
religions is not only unfair to oneself spiritually, it
is also unfair to those of their respective
religions.
While we might think outsiders of other religions can see the
overall picture better than the insiders, one should also consider
becoming more of an insider to see the picture from within, by
having more through study and practice of a religion to discover
its essence. Otherwise, one will have an incomplete vision of
the whole picture. Just as those of a religion should
respect and never disparage those of other religions, to “force”
the assumed oneness of all religions upon anyone is to
disparage all religions themselves, as this corrupts
their original teachings, which have painstakingly evolved to
be self-contained paths to their respective spiritual goals. Of
course, whether the paths work or not, and whether the goals are
true or not is another issue altogether, subject to
debate. However, since religions exist to
benefit humankind, may all religions co-exist
harmoniously in the light of true understanding!