April 11, 2007

How Buddhist am I?

I am a Buddhist by virtue of being born into a Buddhist society like any other Bhutanese. But, where do I stand as a real Buddhist? How much do I really know about Buddhism? When someone asked me about Buddhism, I am lost for any answer. I do not even know the fundamental principles and precepts of Buddhism. Should I be ashamed of myself to be called a Buddhist? My knowledge about Buddhism is very very limited. What about the youngsters now who tend to believe and incline more towards hippy cultures? Do we qualify ourselves to be called Buddhist? Moreover, our concept and understanding of Buddhism has interlapped with other religious beliefs. It's said that the concept of God is non-existent in Buddhism, but we use this conceptual gods as much as we use salt in our dishes. We even use words like 'sin' and 'sinner' like household utensils in our conversation on Buddhism, which is alien to Buddhist termonology. Has Buddhism in Bhutan being imperialised and colonialised, especially in the minds of the younger generation?

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