Buddhism and Reason

This chapter looks at how many people think of Buddhism, seeing it as at odds with reflective, rational, or abstract thinking. Indeed, Buddhism in the West is often placed on the emotion side of the divide between reason and emotion, but there are lots of reasons to question this. For one thing, there is good reason to question the divide itself. When one engages in reasoning, one often relies on subtle emotional cues. Thinking and feeling are not separable domains and are often intertwined in complicated ways. The chapter then considers another dispute that Western Buddhists in particular are fond of having: Is Buddhism a religion? Often, people who like Buddhism but do not like religion insist that Buddhism is not a religion. Certainly, many people in many places around the world relate to Buddhism in ways that are religion-like. This is one aspect of what is sometimes called “traditional” Buddhism. Others de-emphasize these aspects and attempt to fit Buddhist ideas into a scientific worldview, sometimes called “modern” or “secularized” Buddhism.