Buddhist Philosophy: Attitudes to the truth claims of other religions

 

The Truth Claims of Other Religions, A02

·        How far the belief is reasonable:

1.      According to the doctrines of Classical Theism/Philosophy of Religion.

Buddhism could be seen as more likely to embrace the truth claims of other religions than religions such as Christianity or Islam. This is because Abrahamic religions view themselves as offering the only correct way to salvation (Christianity through believing in Jesus and Islam through following the Qur’an). This means that most Christians and Muslims view the dharma as being wrong, and may even see it as being dangerous as it turns people away from the correct way to salvation. Buddhism in comparison accepts that other religions have partially realised the dharma and so there is some value to their teachings, and Buddhists prioritise ahimsa meaning that they are less likely to aggressively oppose the teachings of other religions.

However, it could be argued that Nitchiren Buddhists are more like classical theists in the way that they view their doctrine as the only right doctrine, and that their method of salvation (following the Lotus Sutra) is the only way to practice religion. But, this common ground does not mean that there can be and effective dialogue between Nitchiren Buddhists and classical theists, because they all view their own religions as being the only right way to eternal life/salvation.

2.      According to modern science and empiricism.

Militant atheists such as Dawkins see all religions as something to fight against, which are a mark of human unintelligence in an age where science and empiricism is increasingly revealing the true nature of the world around us. This means that as the world, particularly the developed West has become more secular, the truth claims of all religions including Buddhism have been rejected.

·        How coherent the beliefs are:

1.      Do they make sense rationally?

It could be said that Buddhist attitudes to other religions are rational because of the Buddha’s interactions with others: he taught peace, respect, kindness, and above all that it is important for people to realise the dharma for themselves. It can therefore be argued that Buddhists embracing other religions as being valuable and worthy of respect fits with the rest of the dharma, making it appear reasonable.

In a secular/pluralised society where all religions are seen as being equal in worth, Buddhism also appears to take a very rational approach to other religions, particularly Buddhists such as Ashoka who sees other religions as offering valuable insight that people can learn from. This may be more attractive that extreme classical theist or atheist beliefs that actively seek to discredit the truth claims of other religions to show that their belief system is the best.

However, it should be questioned if the Buddhist attitudes to the truth claims of other religions can be phrased in a way that is empirically verifiable – it is possible to say that “all religions are a way to the dharma” but this cannot be verified through science or empirical testing (at best it can only be verified through eschatological verification) so Logical Positivists would still view these statements as meaningless.

2.      How consistent are they with other beliefs within the belief system?

The largest point of inconsistency comes from the views of Nitchiren Buddhists in comparison to other Buddhists. Nitchiren taught actively and aggressively against other religions, and even other forms of Buddhism, showing that peace towards other religious believers and tolerance of beliefs as taught by Ashoka is not shared by all Buddhists.

There are also tensions between Secular Buddhists and other forms of Buddhism – Secular Buddhists view Buddhism as a moral philosophy meaning that they may even practice another religion whilst carrying out Buddhist behaviours like mindfulness meditation. Scholars such as David Brazier would actively oppose this and argue that Buddhism is a religion in its own right that should not be practiced alongside other religions as it has its own faith claims.

3.      Are they meaningful for everyone?

All Buddhists: believe in peace, ahimsa, doing no harm.

Secular Buddhists: Disagree with the miraculous and supernatural aspects of Buddhism and see it only as a way of life, meaning that the truth claims of other religions could be more meaningful to individual Secular Buddhists that the Buddha-dharma.

Nitchiren Buddhists: reject those who are accepting towards other religions and forms of Buddhism as the plurality of religions in society has contributed to the “Age of Mappo” – leading people to hell rebirths and increased suffering.