“What is right action? …abstaining from sexual misconduct.”

Buddhism comes in many, many forms. This seems to be quickly forgotten by critics of the atheist movement when they cry out ‘but what about Buddhism?’ in response to our criticisms of religion as a whole. To be honest, many atheist criticisms focus so intensely upon the Abrahamic religions that they may not necessarily apply to other religions; the God of the Old Testament is a bastard incomparable with the deities of many other religions. There is a certain amount of crossed communication between critics of religion and critics of those critics.

With regards to Buddhism[s], many of the angry complaints I level against other religions continue to apply. In the so-called ‘West’, the chief proponent of Buddhism is the Dalai Lama, a theocratic figure who has attained his position thanks to the doctrine of reincarnation. Given that the chief of the complaints of us ‘New Atheists’ is religious power due to superstitious nonsense, I think that the Dalai Lama is a perfect example of what is wrong with religion. It so happens that he is a relatively gentle man, who intends to bring democracy to Tibet should he return freedom to his people. This is a pleasant coincidence, but it changes not the facts of his religious and political position.

Tibetan Buddhism is a religion highly problematic to those of us who prefer to accept things on the basis of evidence for their existence. The pantheon of minor gods, demons, and other supernatural beings; reincarnation; the seclusion of small children in monasteries; these are all matters which are roundly criticised in other religions. There is no reason to exclude Tibetan Buddhism simply because the religion happens to be oppressed by China.

Other forms of Buddhism may or may not be problematic. At its core, Buddhism is a highly flexible religion where one may drop whichever tenets prove problematic to the adherent. One may therefore be a Christian Buddhist or an atheist Buddhist without necessarily watering down the belief system. The Eightfold Path is helpful whether one believes in future lives or not; whether one accepts Mara as literal or psychological, it is good to know how to avoid him. Meditation is genuinely helpful, even if stripped of its religious and supernatural connotations. I suspect it is this form of Buddhism to which critics of atheism are referring when they claim that we have not addressed Buddhism[s]. True enough, so far as that goes.

It must be noted that any general broadside aimed toward religion cannot possibly cover every permutation, each individual and her approach to faith. So The God Delusion only gave a token nod to Buddhism[s]. Well, it was aimed at theism, and so much of what it had to say is as relevant to theistic Buddhists as to Hindus or Christians. Most discussions of religion refer to them as cultural phenomena, and individuals who have cherry-picked their belief systems rather than remaining obedient to doctrine will naturally be left unattacked. So it goes. One cannot speak to all of the specific and remain relevant to the general.

I would like to see a greater amount of criticism levelled against ‘Eastern’ religions; perhaps someone could publish The Saṃsāra Delusion. Perhaps as discussion of religion and its demerits spreads, books discussing the faults of other religions will be published or translated into English increasingly. If anyone knows of any suitable literature, I would love the opportunity to read it; leave a note.