Is Zen Atheistic?
Zen Buddhism is not a theistic religion. So does that mean it’s atheistic?
Well, like most dualistic questions asked about the Buddha Way, this one simply doesn’t apply. Zen is Zen, whether there are no gods or many gods or one God and regardless of what any deity might be like.
But wait a minute… isn’t the question of the existence (or nonexistence) and nature of the Divine a supremely important one? Wouldn’t knowing the answer one way or another make all the difference to our lives?
We can imagine living near a volcano which is either active or extinct. Isn’t the difference supremely important to our lives, to our children’s lives, to all that we have and hold dear? Of course. It’s a thing we’d probably prefer to know, if we could. Would the answer change our religion? Likely not.
The practice of Zen remains what it is, whether there is a volcano or none or many, whether they are active or extinct. Same with God and gods and angels and demons and spirits and everything else we can name.
Refrain from what is evil.
Cultivate what is good.
Clarify the mind.
This is the way of all buddhas.
And how do we know to distinguish step one from step two?
See step three.
Image: Creative Commons via Pixabay