[from Opening the Lotus © 1997 by Sandy Boucher, p9-10:]
---Many prominent religious traditions rely strongly on a single text. Christians take their truth from the Bible; Jews, from the Torah. Followers of Islam believe that the teachings of the Koran are literally the word of god, not to be interpreted or analyzed but followed precisely.
---Buddhism offers a different model. While there is a Buddhist canon, a set of books officially recognized as containing the basic teachings (including the sutras, which are supposed to be the historical Buddha's words), Buddhists in the various traditions may use any of the thousands of Buddhist texts in the canon as a guide. Zen Buddhists may study the Japanese author Dogen; Theravada Buddhists may read the sutras; Tibetan Buddhists may refer to the wisdom teachings of Padmasambhava, the Indian teacher who brought Buddhism to Tibet, and so on. These books are respected, studied, and consulted by Buddhist practitioners, but they are seen as guides only. The pursuit of Buddhism lives in the intention and energies of the individual. It is our own efforts, whether sitting in meditation or trying to act out the tenets of Buddhism in the world, that will lead us to a deeper view of existence.
[Yay, Buddhism! Think for yourselves, readers; find truths where YOU will, not where some arbitrary hierarchy tells you to find them. Remember your intentions and energies! (And the impact these have on others.) And maybe look into texts about an Indian spiritual master, Meher Baba, for a somewhat different point of view.
Be well, rest up, and keep talking to each other.]
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