A community for the general discussion of Buddhism, dharma, and meditation.
Atheist engagement with Buddhism: denying (or redefining) awakening
Atheist engagement with Buddhism: denying (or redefining) awakening
A third approach is that of redefining awakening so that rebirth is not necessary, essentially naturalizing it to mean a sort of complete acceptance of impermanence and abandonment of psychological agony with regard to life's inescapable sufferings.
A third approach is that of redefining awakening so that rebirth is not necessary, essentially naturalizing it to mean a sort of complete acceptance of impermanence and abandonment of psychological agony with regard to life’s inescapable sufferings. Here, no rebirth is needed; the stories of past Buddhas and past lives of others are all just fodder to encourage helpless beings to get on the path, to do the work, to work toward their own awakening. Yes, telling them that it may take many lifetimes to attain it is technically false in this line of reasoning, but it may be a necessary expedient – a “skill in means” to get them moving toward the goal.



