Emergency Buddhists

This is a term I've just coined: emergency Buddhist.

An emergency Buddhist is someone who doesn't have a regular Buddhist practice, but then when some catastrophe strikes, they contact the Dharma center or teacher wanting some religious intervention.

They dabble in Buddhism by coming to classes at times, when it fits into their schedule of family events, sporting events, and other entertainment.

They complain that they can't really relate to pujas, mantras, sadhanas, or other types of recitations. These practices seem like hocus-pocus to them.

That is, until they really need some drastic change in whatever karma is ripening. Then it sometimes seems too late. Their own illness is too far along, or their family member is already on their deathbed. And suddenly they want Buddhism to fix it, to make the problem go away.

That's a heavy expectation to put on Buddhism. It carries an unspoken demand: "If you can't fix this emergency I'm having, then the Dharma doesn't work."

Hey, nobody ever said the point of Dharma was to fix emergencies. Dharma practice is a long-term project, best undertaken when you have good health, energy, reasonably good intelligence, time and other resources. Then you use your good fortune to create the right causes for realizations--creating merit, purifying obstacles, and developing wisdom.

Unfortunately, when people have good health and ample resources, they don't see any need to practice.

"What? Why should I try to get out of samsara? Everything seems fine. I don't see any problem."

Then, when things unravel, they are too overwhelmed to practice.

Comments

  1. mr frodoOctober 10, 2009 at 4:40 AM

    this is another wonderfully insightful post. i think that many people from other faiths (christians i think off-hand) can relate to this very well, especially those who minister to others (i.e.-priests/ministers). it's the same line of thinking from an old saying- "there are no atheists in foxholes". i think it's meant not as a comment on 'atheism' per-se, but more about how we view our own spiritual practice and attitudes- is it meant to benefit anyone (including ourselves) in the long run, or are we simply 'reacting' to adversity in our life. marx's idea of "the opiate" comes to mind. i must admit i'm somewhat guilty of not having a 'consistent' practice in terms of meditation or attending as many teachings as i should perhaps, but one thing for sure, with all the 'suffering' i see daily, my practice to recite/offer prayers regularly is done 'religiously.- pun intended.
    thank you.

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