I can't say I know a lot about Buddhism, but I've been exposed
to many of its ideas over the years. I especially like movies such
as "Little Buddha," "Seven Years in Tibet," and Martin
Scorsese's "Kundun." It's kind of like "Buddhism for Dummies" because
I get a glimpse of the beliefs and the way of life. I'm told that in
real life, Buddhists have over eighty volumes of material to study.
(And I thought the Course was long!)
I like the way Buddhism knows about the world being an illusion
and recognizes the impermanence of it all. It knows about the folly
of judgment and the silliness of desiring the things of this world.
But, as Pursah puts it on P.32 of "Disappearance," "...Buddhism,
which is obviously the world's most psychologically sophisticated
religion, does not handle the issue of God." I know that's not a put
down, and Arten and Pursah have respect for Buddhism. After all,
Arten says on P.102, "...Buddhism is a step in the right direction
because it doesn't run away from the mind the way Christianity does."
It seems to me that the Course contains much of the wisdom and
many of the ideas of Buddhism, but then takes it a giant step further
by handling the issue of God in the loftiest of possible ways. I'd be
happy to hear any comments about Buddhism, its relationship to the
Course that you may have noticed, or the relationship of the Course
and other spiritual paths that the Course may be an improvement on.
As the preface of the Course says, there are many versions of the
universal curriculum. They all lead to God in the end. (p.ix) Love
and peace, Gary.
