RSSB "Buddhism" book distorts Buddhist reality

This morning I got angry while reading a chapter in "Buddhism," a book published by Radha Soami Satsang Beas (RSSB) which purports to show "the essential unity of the teachings of the Buddha and other spiritual teachings of the time."

Anger isn't very Buddhist, I suppose. But it felt justified. 

I'm a big fan of Buddhism, the non-religious variety, at least. Ever since my college days I've devoured writings about Buddhism, particularly Zen.

So since I was an active member of RSSB for about thirty-five years prior to my churchless un-conversion, I was curious to learn how an author (K.N. Upadhyaya) would attempt to relate Buddhist teachings to RSSB's belief in an eternal immutable soul whose highest destiny is to merge with God.

After all, my impresssion has been that (1) Buddhists don't believe in an unchanging soul, nor (2) do Buddhist's believe in a transcendent personal divinity called "God."

The book arrived a few days ago after someone told me about it in a blog post comment. Today I decided to start reading it by jumping into what seemed to be a crucial chapter: "A Perspective on Buddhist Views on Soul and God."

In another post I'll write more about Upadhyaya's surprising take on Buddhism. (At least, it surprised, and angered, me.) Here I'll just share a few short excerpts concerning how Buddhism supposedly is right in line with traditional Hindu notions about soul and God.

This principle of microcosmic representation of the macroscopic consciousness and the concept of the presence of the Tathagata as held in Buddhism are essentially not different from what is called soul -- or atma -- in standard non-Buddhist Indian tradition.

...In the Pali Canon itself, an accomplished disciple of the Buddha named Kassapa affirms the existence of the jiva or soul, which can be understood as the immortal essence of a sentient being.

...Buddhist texts speak of the supreme state as Brahman...The Buddha himself is described as one who has obtained Brahman.

...Even though Buddhism is rigorous in not personalizing ultimate reality, it is equally pragmatic in its presentation of the Buddha, personalized and infinitely compassionate, as one with ultimate reality. 

...We might also suggest here that in their earnest quest for truth, the need for seekers to find a wise and compassionate Buddha to guide them on the right path is emphasized again and again.

As I suspected when I ordered "Buddhism," Radha Soami Satsang Beas has published another deceptive pseudo-scholarly fake comparative religion book, in line with the equally deceptive "The Gospel of Jesus." 

I'm fine with books which accurately describe a religion or philosophy, and then attempt to show how its tenets relate to some other belief system. But it deeply irks me when an author distorts a religion or philosophy in order to cram it into the confines of his/her favored world view, like RSSB's Sant Mat.

After reading only one chapter, I can tell that this is what K.N. Upadhyaya is up to with his "Buddhism" book. It was difficult for me to recognize the Buddhism that I've come to know (and sort of love) in his discussion of how Buddhists look upon soul and God.

Over and over, Upadhyaya cited the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita, Hindu holy books, in his effort to show that the Buddha's teachings basically are the same as Hinduism's central tenets of atman (soul) and Brahman (God).

Well, if the Buddha was so up with Hinduism, why did he head off in a different spiritual direction? I'm no expert on Buddhist lore, but I've always thought that the Buddha was critical of Hindu dogmatism and urged his followers to leave all of that supernatural theorizing behind.

That's the impression I get from a Wikipedia article on Buddhism and Hinduism.

The focus of the Noble Eightfold Path is not so much about worshipping god, achieving heaven in the next life (perhaps for a number of lay devotees but not for bhikkhu / bhikkhuni), nor is it about experiencing Brahma consciousness in this life or the next.

The reason is that in all these realms, beings are subject to rebirth after some period of time. It is like going around in circles in the round of rebirth despite all the effort and striving. Therefore, the purpose of the holy life in the Buddha’s path is about liberation from the cycle of rebirth and experience awakening in this very life (some might take longer, depending on the person).

At any rate, in my next post about this book I'll try to include a PDF file of the chapter I read today. Hopefully some other people who know a lot more about Buddhism than I do can take a look at it and comment on how accurately they consider RSSB's take on Buddhism to be.

My main point, for now, is that RSSB shouldn't distort the reality of other religions and philosophical systems.

One of the most duplicitous aspects of Radha Soami Satsang Beas is how it isn't content with simply promulgating it's own teachings, but tries to demonstrate that the RSSB version of Sant Mat is the universal common ground of every religion, form of spirituality, and mystical practice.

In other words, RSSB isn't content with being one religon among many, but does its best to proclaim itself as #1 over all.

So even after reading just a single chapter in "Buddhism," I can confidently predict that K.N. Upadhyaya will argue that the current RSSB guru should be looked upon as a modern day Buddha, just as John Davidson argued in "The Gospel of Jesus" that the guru also is a modern day Jesus.

Jesus Christ! Buddha! (hard to make the latter into a swear word, but I'm trying)

Let it go, RSSB. Isn't it enough to claim that Gurinder Singh and his predecessor gurus are "God in Human Form"? Why can't you let Christianity have Jesus, and Buddhism have Buddha, as their own?

But no, you've got to try to show that Jesus and Buddha actually were gurus/masters just like the RSSB line of "saints," and that Christianity and Buddhism are the same as Sant Mat once minor details -- namely, facts -- are set aside.

Absurd. Irritating. And anger-producing. 

Comments

[Jim Jones]

Maybe it's the same motivation as that of Scientology - I notice there is now a Scientology cross which is starting to appear on their buildings and elsewhere.

[tucson]

The fact that this book is published by
RSSB and therefore approved by Gurinder Singh (the supposed god in human form guru of the organization) sheds, in my opinion, a very unfavorable light on him and the organization. RSSB seekers and followers...beware.

[cc]

"RSSB isn't content with being one religon among many, but does its best to proclaim itself as #1 over all."

The "true religion" says all religion is false, and its adherents are the true believers. But if religion is false, belief is foolishness and there's nothing more to be said...unless one has a beef with believers.

[David C. Lane]

My old friend Paul Tooher, a long time satsangi (he is now deceased), once made a very revealing crack after satsang that dovetails precisely with Brian's astute criticism of R.S books hawking their wares via the misinterpretation of other philosophies and religions.

Tooher said to me (and not merely in jest) that "Charan Singh could find Sant Mat in the latest issue of Cosmopolitan magazine."

Very insightful indeed and too true!

[Sita]

I absolutely didn't find the Buddhabook good or fine!!Nor insightfull in the self..

[hola halo]

[Ordinarily I don't publish comment rants with nasty personal insults, but this one illustrates the fundamentalist religious mindset so nicely, I'll make an exception. -- Blogger Brian]

Fact of the matter is all you pseudo intellectual know nothings are wrong and RSSB is right about this aspect of Buddhism as it is right about anything and everything relevant to life

Just because some you goons cannot appreciate nor understand anything relevant to reality in respect of the Buddhist teachings, don't mean you know whats cutting on any sphere let alone this one you sitting or standing in..

So get a handle on yourself before you go seeking to critique something that is right outside your orbit of experience or understanding..

And that goes for all these pseudo intellectualized lost farts in here... David Lane, Brian Hines, Tucson Bob.. and the rest of you poor deluded lost in the universe of your mental self made ego rampant delusions...

[tAo]

Hey Ashy, long time no see! How's your halo doin in that little corner of Bozoland? What, not any fun you say?

Well, you know, its gotta be that RSS-B virus... that'll get ya every time.

No worries though, you just need some of dat Ole Time Religion, brother.

Can I get a witness? I say, can I get a witness?

Oh yes indeedy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb3tMfDISGQ

[Juan]

According to Hazur Maharaj Charan Singh in his book The Master Answers.

.....The real teachings of Buddha cannot be different from those of Sant Mat... . The real teachings are something very different from what is being told through the organizations and churches and temples....some people who have ulterior motives suppress certain things .....only that much is given to us which can keep us under their hold.

Further the teachings of the Buddha or Christ were not noted at the same time, but were written by some other people after a period of hundred of years, and also misinterpreted.

It is clear that RSSB Gurus are the only who know the right interpretation of the teachings of Buddha and Christ and other Saints and they are so kind and softhearted that they have revealed it to the people,as they don’t have any ulterior motives, nor they want to keep the people under their hold.

[Barton]

Juan wrote: ".....The real teachings of Buddha cannot be different from those of Sant Mat...."

--Why not?

"The real teachings are something very different from what is being told through the organizations and churches and temples...."

--Proably so, whatever they were.

"some people who have ulterior motives suppress certain things ....."

--Including RS masters?

"Further the teachings of the Buddha or Christ were not noted at the same time, but were written by some other people after a period of hundred of years, and also misinterpreted."

--and possibly misinterpreted by RS masters as well?

"It is clear that RSSB Gurus are the only who know the right interpretation of the teachings of Buddha and Christ and other Saints..."

--Why is it clear that RSSB gurus are the only ones who know the right interpretation?

"and they are so kind and softhearted that they have revealed it to the people,as they don’t have any ulterior motives, nor they want to keep the people under their hold."

--Maybe the RSSB masters are not kind and softheartedand because they DO have ulterior motives to keep people under their hold?

[Blogger Brian]

Barton, your response to Juan was almost exactly what I would have said, when I got around to saying it. So thanks for saving me that effort.

Yes, since no one knows what Jesus or Buddha actually taught, just what devotees claimed they said hundreds of years after they died, why should we trust the Radha Soami gurus' opinion on this?

I feel that the actual followers of a faith know better than outsiders what that religion is all about. And I can guarantee that almost all Christians and Buddhists don't agree with how RSSB looks upon the teachings of Jesus and Buddha.

Tara, you're also right. It's dishonest and disturbing when RSSB twists the teachings of another faith in an effort to say "Look at us! We're the True Universal Religion! So you can leave your own and join ours, because we're all the same deep down!"

No, that isn't true. Like you said, there are deep differences between Buddhism and Sant Mat. HUGE differences. Pretending otherwise doesn't make the truth any less true.

[Mike]

Then Manjusri addressed the Lord Buddha, saying:

Blessed Lord! Since my Lord has descended from the Deva Realms to this Saha World, he has helped us most by his wonderful Enlightening Teaching. At first we receive this Teaching through our sense of hearing, but when we are fully able to realize it, it becomes ours through a Transcendental and Intuitive Hearing. This makes the awakening and perfecting of a transcendental faculty of hearing of very great importance to every novice. As the wish to attain Samadhi deepens in the mind of any disciple, he can most surely attain it by means of his Transcendental Organ of Hearing.

For many a Kalpa - as numerous as the particles of sand in the river Ganges - Avalokiteshvara Buddha, the hearer and answerer of prayer, has visited all the Buddha-lands of the ten quarters of the universe and has acquired Transcendental Powers of Boundless Freedom and Fearlessness and has vowed to emancipate all sentient beings from their bondage and suffering. How sweetly mysterious is the Transcendental Sound of Avalokiteshvara! It is the pure Brahman Sound. It is the subdued murmur of the sea tide setting inward. Its mysterious Sound brings liberation and peace to all sentient beings who in their distress are calling for aid; it brings a sense of permanency to those who are truly seeking the attainment of Nirvana's Peace . . .

[Mike]

This post and the prior post are taken from the Surangama Sutra

As soon as this one sense perception of hearing is returned to its originality and you clearly understand its falsity, then the mind instantly understands the falsity of all sense perceptions and is at once emancipated from the bondage of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking, for they are all alike illusive and delusive visions of unreality and all the three great realms of existence are seen to be what they truly are, imaginary blossoms in the air.

As soon as the deceiving perception of hearing is emancipated, then all objective phenomena disappears and your Intuitive Mind-Essence becomes perfectly pure. As soon as you have attained to this Supreme Purity of Mind-Essence, its Intrinsic Brightness will shine out spontaneously and in all directions and, as soon as you are sitting in tranquil Dhyana, the mind will be in perfect conformity with Pure Space.

[Todd]

What I actually like about the book is how up to date it is, mentions names like "Dzogchen," "Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche," and "Pabongka Rinpoche," probably the most broad and well informed RSSB book I've ever read.....

....of course I haven't gone through all of it yet.

[Unknown]

Buddhism, does indirectly describe a God. God or Brahman, is not an old man, who sits up in the clouds! God, is an essence of love and goodness, present everywhere in the universe. The Buddha Nature, too is an essence of Love and goodness!!

Lets, put it this way, Hinduism had become impure!! The original meaning of the Lord and Krishna, was starting to change!! So the Buddha, created Buddhism, which was suppose to be a purification of the Hindu faith. With,no casting system, animal sacrifice or silly concepts of God!!

The quality of God or Brahman, is "NOTHING!!" In other words, Brahman(and the Atman(Soul), as the Atman, is part of Brahman), is literally "NOTHING!!"

[lengthy quotes deleted]

[Tarun]

Watch the video of Budha related to Samadhi you will find that the teachings of Budha and RSSB and all other organizations are same and pointing in same direction. Link attached below :- https://youtu.be/Bw9zSMsKcwk.