Some time ago I posted this message advising
Buddhists to stop making publicity to nonBuddhist
holidays:
Being respectful towards our nonBuddhist neighbours and
friends does NOT mean that we should pray to or make publicity to
false, nonBuddhist gods. As Pure Land Buddhists we should promote
only Amida Buddha and encourage people to entrust only to Amida
Buddha. By making publicity to nonBuddhist gods and spirits you
create the evil karma of offering false teachings to sentient
beings. I very much dislike how fake Buddhists post images (and
even praises) of nonBuddhist gods and spirits on various
nonBuddhists celebrations, including Christmas, Easter and even
pre-Christian holidays. Remember, respect does NOT mean promotion!
Respect means working together with your neighbors, helping them in
times of need, etc. Promoting the images of their gods and spirits
is a mistake, not a sign of respect. Pull yourselves together and
stop being stupid when you try to be nice.
Then a frustrated snowflake who is obsessed with Amidaji and
constantly upset by our orthodox teaching style said that by
calling such Buddhists fake we are guilty of the gravest offence of
causing disharmony in the sangha. Well, in the chapter on shinjin
from the Kyogyoshinsho, the offence of
disrupting the harmony of the sangha is quoted like this:
"disrupting the harmony of the sangha through one's inverted
views". How can one in his right Buddhist mind do not
understand that praying or making publicity to false nonBuddhist
gods is actually making publicity to the fake religious teachings
taught by those gods or in the name of those gods? How can this be
the behavior of a genuine Buddhist? Read carefully what I said
above - By making publicity to nonBuddhist gods and
spirits you create the evil karma of offering false teachings to
sentient beings. Yes, if you do that
as a Buddhist, you are actually promoting “inverted views”
(nonBuddhist views) to both your sangha members and nonBuddhists
who know you. Bad example is spreading like wildfire especially in
an environment like here in the West which is filled with many
false teachings and mixing of various elements from different
religions. I have met so many deluded Europeans or Americans
saying, “look Buddhists also believe in God or recognize Jesus”
after they saw or met nice smiling Buddhist monks and teachers who
supported the stupid idea that one can be a Buddhist and a
Christian (like Thich Nhat Hanh for example, etc) or not being very
clear and strict on the differences between Buddhism and
monotheistic religions. This and Christmas wishes and parties in
Buddhist temples contribute even more to the deluded atmosphere of
mixing teachings which do not help anybody.
To the idea expressed by that deluded commentator that he is
actually celebrating the “Christmas spirit” which we should all
encourage, and that shinjin is all that matters, I answered
that we don’t need any "Christmas spirit" when we can
find enough spirit of Compassion in Buddhist holydays which help
people make connections with Amida Buddha and may possibly bring
them, sooner or later to shinjin (faith).
Shinran Shonin encouraged us to "receive shinjin (faith in Amida
Buddha) and help others receive shinjin". However, celebrating
Christmas which is the celebration of a fake god, never leads to
shinjin. Turning people's minds towards the Dharma may lead to
shinjin. Buddhists and especially Jodo Shinshu Buddhists should
observe Buddhist holydays exclusively as that can help in our
promotion of the Buddha Dharma, creating a specific Buddhist
environment for our own members to grow in the Buddhist faith and
be more imbued with the Dharma and Dharmic related symbols while
also letting the world and nonBuddhists know that there is an
alternative for them if they wish to study it.
Shinran Shonin encouraged us to "receive shinjin
(faith in Amida Buddha) and help others receive shinjin".
However, celebrating Christmas which is the celebration of a fake
god, never leads to shinjin. Turning people's minds towards the
Dharma may lead to shinjin. Buddhists and especially Jodo Shinshu
Buddhists should observe Buddhist holydays exclusively as that can
help in our promotion of the Buddha Dharma, creating a specific
Buddhist environment for our own members to grow in the Buddhist
faith and be more imbued with the Dharma and Dharmic related
symbols while also letting the world and nonBuddhists know that
there is an alternative for them if they wish to study
it.
I repeat, Buddhists who make publicity to
Christian holydays like Christmas or Easter, sending each other
Christian related greetings and even celebrating it in their
Buddhist temples and centers as I saw many doing that, are actually
making publicity to fake gods and spirits and contribute to the
confusion that is prevalent in our times. A true Amida Buddha
devotee NEVER makes publicity to fake gods of any monotheistic
religion because he knows that connections with fake or samsaric
gods and spirits never leads to liberation.
I also received the following question:
Can we, as Buddhists, attend family meetings and meals with
our nonBuddhist friends and relatives if they invite us on the
occasion of Christmas, for example?
To this I answered without hesitation:
YES, of course you can! Why not! My advice is not intended to
disrupt families or friendships, but only to make Buddhists and
especially Jodo Shinshu Buddhists aware of themselves and the Path
they follow, as well as the consequences of the promotion of
nonBuddhist gods, spirits and teachings. You can attend meals and
celebrations of your relatives and friends without actually making
publicity to those holydays and the gods who are celebrated there
and without venerating them. You should also invite your
nonBuddhist friends and relatives to your Buddhist holidays and
events while also not force them to venerate Amida, but simply
share a meal or a dance with them.
Sometimes celebrations of different religions fall in the
same time. I remember how one day in the past Hanamatsuri
(Shakyamuni’s birthday) which is on April 8th coincided with both
Orthodox Christian and Catholic Christian Easter. Me and my
Catholic and Orthodox Christian friends (as well as some atheists)
ordered lots of pizza and drinks and we spent a wonderful night in
a rock bar until morning. For them it was Easter and for me it was
Hanamatsuri. I could drink, eat and have fun with them without
saying the specific Christian words “Jesus resurrected” to which
you have to answer traditionally with “Indeed he resurrected”
because they knew that I am a Buddhist. I also did not ask them to
say Namo Amida Bu.
We also have in our Amidaji
branch of Jodo Shinshu, the celebration called Winter Ohigan, so
you can join with your nonBuddhist friends and relative while they
celebrate Christmas and you celebrate Ohigan.
Thus, as you can see, there is a better way to be friendly
without doing things that go against our Buddhist teaching and the
dedication we must have towards our religion. I repeat what I said
at the beginning of this article - respect does NOT mean promotion!
Respect means working together with your neighbors, helping them in
times of need, etc.
Promoting the images of their
gods and spirits is a mistake, not a sign of respect. Pull
yourselves together and stop being stupid when you try to be
nice.
Namo Amida Bu
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