RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD---IN RHYME--part 4 BUDDHISM

Buddhism

Buddha said he didn’t know

How or why the world was made,

And he knew nothing about any God.

But as he sat in the Bo Tree’s shade,

He experienced enlightenment and in a flash
saw the pain of the world all about.
"Everyone has an arrow in his heart,
and I see how to take it out."

The 1^stNoble Truth

Pain is inherent in life,

Unavoidable, necessarily so

Because of adjustments we must make

To the world’s unceasing flow.

Pain is the challenge of our existence,

Sufficient reason and rhyme,

To stimulate our grand adventure

Of eternity acting in time.

The 2^ndNoble Truth

Suffering, however, is needless.

It comes when we struggle and resist

The flow of our own experience

As life makes turns and twists.

Wishing things were different,

Endless cravings and desires

Cause our upsets and frustrations,

Discontents and inner fires.

The 3^rdNoble Truth

But we can learn to know ourselves;

We can diminish our cravings,

Which in exact proportion will

Dampen down our  ragings.

It is possible to be happy,

To cultivate a mind

That’s open, passionate and awake,

Responsive, involved and kind.

The 4^thNoble Truth:
The Eight-Fold Path

And here is how that task is done:
Right views, intent and meditation,

Right effort, speech and mindfulness,

Right action and occupation.

The Illusion of Self

The deepest truth we need to know,

Buddha’s profoundest conclusion,

Is that none of us are “real;”

Our very self is an illusion.

Like Bruce Willis in the movie Sixth Sense,

The truth we need the most

Is to discover for ourselves

That we are only a kind of “ghost.”

When our inner eyes are opened,

When our ego comes undraped,

We see ourselves like fleeting whirlwinds

A swirling breeze has shaped.

We are not a solid self,

And we will vanish back to wind.

Our ego is only a clever illusion

We foolishly promote and defend.

Reincarnation 

 Over and over egos are born

Over and over they die.

Only a Karmic core of tendencies

Pass on to the brand new guy.

Karma

Each new personality and life,

Making advances or retreats,

Determines the status of the next-to-be-born:

The gutter or easy street.

Nirvana

If somehow you become enlightened,
 You break the cycle of Rebirth,

Are absorbed into Nirvana

And never return to Earth.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: Origional  Buddhism was not nonsense---and it was not religion.  It was PSYCHOTHERAPY.
And good Psychotherapy---and still is.  But the doctrines of reincarnation, karma and nirvana were added later by enthusiastic diciples---along with a host of other superstitions like prayer wheels, prayer flags, demons etc.   Subsequent followers could not resist the temptation to wrap this fine philosophy in crazy superstitions like all the other major religions.  Tibetan Buddhism evolved into a theocracy with the monk class exploiting the working class.  I don't know how I feel about Japanese Zen Buddhism--they focus on the enlightenment aspect--and leave off the superstition.

Perhaps some of my readers have a better take on the evolution of Buddhism to its current state.

Next up:  HINDUISM-- (my finest poem I promise you)

ADDENDUM: I urge my readers to scroll down to the  comment posted by Michael for a profound take on this series.
It delights me that I have readers of such acumen.