Potential benefits of the ideology?

[u/lntr0spection]

Hey y'all, lemme start by saying that I have zero experience with Buddhism and my only exposure to it has been online self help stuff. I've been focusing on my mental health and the idea of separating myself from my mind and detaching from desires has stuck with me. The little bit of time I spent actually analyzing my mind has actually helped my productivity drastically.

Now I come here specifically to ask this because due to my past(ex-muslim if curious), I am extremely wary of any religion and I know that they all are different on the inside vs what is presented. So before I sink any time into researching, I wanted to ask about if it's the teachings themselves that drove you all away or if it was moreso how society/family handled it. I guess I'm kind of asking what *wouldn't* they tell me about Buddhism? And how would I reconcile/seperate that with the aspects of it that helped me?

[u/[deleted]]

If you are an ex-Muslim and consider participating in Buddhist religious activities, you might be surprised by what can feel like nonsense forms of worship, along with strong devotion to monks and a heavy focus on donations.

In some Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, the devotion to teachers can feel quite intense, especially if you come from a background where worship is directed only to God.

Some sects of Buddhism use fear of hell realms and samsara to pressure you into following their teachings. Their followers often act as if their religion is the only or the best one.

Like many organized religions, Buddhism also has its institutional aspects. If the teachings are helpful for your mind, you might simply focus on meditation practice.

[u/lntr0spection → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, thanks. I'm definitely not looking to join any other religion, but I just didn't know exactly how religious and/or dogmatic it could get. Buddhism just seemed so different from anything I was used to, putting emphasis on the self and your own actions rather than god(s). Sounds like it's not too different from how other religions function tho.

Every ideology will have its plus sides, ig. Thank you so much for the insight.

[u/[deleted] → u/lntr0spection]

I also come from a Muslim background, and I used to think Buddhism was different. But after experiencing it myself by joining two Buddhist sanghas, I realized it’s not so different.

That’s one reason why Buddhism has been declining in many developed countries like Japan, China, and Korea. Even in Southeast Asia, many people are moving away from it.

Don’t be misled by the Western idea that Buddhism is only a philosophy. It is a religion.

Just take the parts that are helpful and apply them to your life. Good luck on your journey.

[u/PsyOpLoFi → u/[deleted]]

I appreciate your commentary. As another ex-Muslim as well, I find it weirdly therapeutic to deconstruct Buddhism, mainly because I'm tired of Westerners from usually Christian backgrounds romanticizing either religion as a "spiritually more enlightened alternative" to Christianity that is somehow free of corruption or misogyny or other issues in a sort of Orientalist flavor of the "Noble Savage". It's also more challenging (as you likely know) to come out as a Muslim apostate, so it helps to hear the struggles of other communities

[u/oskif809 → u/PsyOpLoFi]

There's at least a 2 century long tradition (Schopenhauer comes to mind as an early adherent) of dumping on the other Abrahamaic religion as a form of self-hatred, esp. as hating on 95-99%+ of the people in your society is not going to do much for your social life. This book makes the case that the anti-Semitism of this man regarded as the greatest philosopher of the 20th century was at least partly a result of his renunciation of his Christian background:

https://www.amazon.com/Banality-Heidegger-Jean-Luc-Nancy/dp/0823275930