Fellow Travelers

Rev. Gregory Gibbs

Fanaticism is an excessive concern with matters of limited importance. Persons with strong religious or political convictions sometimes forget that EVERYTHING IS A MATTER OF LIMITED IMPORTANCE. Only the Whole of Life has ultimate importance. Even highly important concerns like preserving democracy, protecting the environment and finding cures for catastrophic illnesses are less than ultimate concerns. Anything that can be named is no more than an aspect of, a mode of approaching, or one sort of manifestation of the One Life we all share. From a Buddhist perspective this would be true even of the Sacrifice of Christ and the Compassion of the Buddha.

Religious teachings can be very important sources of strength and direction. Even so, there is an obsessive approach to religion which makes people sick. The false belief that a religious teaching can solve all our problems sometimes spreads like an insidious virus. Our lives are very complex. There is no one solution to all our problems. We have to address social problems at the level of human interaction. We have to address medical problems with a search for medical solutions whether traditional or holistic. We have to approach political problems with political know-how. Psychological problems are best approached psychoanalytically.

If we try to resolve the problems in our lives in such a balanced and multifaceted way, we may discover that we also have religious needs. Buddhist temples, Jewish temples, Christian churches, et.al., may give us a center of faith. Living our lives out of a centered religious conviction will help to give us strength and confidence to enter into the various arenas of modern living.

It is not the person of deep faith who is likely to try stopping the spread of the AIDS virus by prayer or chanting. A minister of profound faith is likely to urge people to support research directed toward a cure for AIDS. It is persons of little religious faith who thinks all human problems can be solved at a religious level.

The various values we hold and commitments we make do not fit together neatly. Our social concerns, political commitments and religious convictions, for example, sometimes pull us in opposite directions. Maturity does not come from trying to harmonize them all without conflict. Maturity involves living amidst the tension created by contradictory priorities, inconsistent values, and mutually incompatible needs.

Faith involves trust in something perceived as profoundly worthy and reliable. Those who attend Buddhist temples learn and discuss ideas, engage devoutly in rituals, and have personal contacts which nurture their faith. Buddhist temples do not foster the sort of fanaticism which tries to solve all human problems with a single set of ideas. I encourage you to visit a Buddhist temple. I hope our teachings may prove of interest to you.

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