Belief (with a Captial "B")

"Is Religion a force for good?" was the topic of discussion at a evening gathering of friends last weekend. The nine of us (an instructor at Naropa, the local Buddhist university, a Christian physicist, a Sikh, several agnostics and 2 high school students) greatly enjoy exploring the diverse viewpoints each of us brings to these intimate gatherings. Although we didn't arrive at a consensus on whether religion was a force for good or not (lots of evidence on either side of the issue), we did spend hours talking about why religion exists, whether it's necessary or inevitable, and what the purpose of prayer was. During the discussion I came to realize that belief in God (or the Divine, or the Ultimate Reality), if it is not based on an experience of God, can be a double-edged sword. It can comfort us in difficult times, but it makes us vulnerable to those who would promise to take us God. Belief, if based solely on faith, i.e. something you accept on the basis of what someone else has told you, can keep a person from growing spiritually rather than helping them. It has been well established that we do not see what does not fit in with our beliefs. It takes courage to be a seeker of God - to be open to the Truth in whatever form it is presented to us in. On the other hand, as someone in the gathering said, relentless examination and questioning of your beliefs can distract you from finding the Truth.

I believe there is within each person a longing to fully awaken, to see and experience all dimensions of existence with unfettered eyes. I also believe this is only possible by transcending the analytic mind, and this takes commitment to a practice. A true spiritual practice originates with someone who has succeeded in fully awakening and through this experience realizes that the only worthwhile endeavor is to help others awaken. Because everyone, on some level, longs to awaken, they are drawn to those who have awakened. When a seeker only has the teachings and spokesmen of an awakened one who is no longer present, it is all to easy and common to embrace dogma and settle into unquestioning belief. But having a glimpse, even a fleeting one, of the Transcendent, makes the longing to awaken an inescapable imperative.