Buddhism Is Not a Religion, It's a Relationship
A Response to Jim Palmer's "Becoming an Interdivisional"
Here’s how Jim Palmer begins his Substack post today:
Not growing up Christian, I had not heard the phrase, but I’ll trust that many Substack readers have. If you’re not familiar with Jim, it’s hard to place him firmly in a category. I’d call him an expert in theology and philosophy who gave up life as a Christian megachurch pastor to deconstruct the edifices we’ve erected around spiritual truths and help others find their way. There’s no name for that school of thought…yet.
I’ll admit to being an impatient reader of Jim’s Substack posts, which run long, but I find wisdom and flashes of eloquence in them. I wish I had time to read more. I often reflect on what I’m reading, not to critique Western theology but to bring an Eastern awareness to Jim’s words. What does his message mean for me and my Buddhist practice?
In today’s post, Jim deconstructs the idea of a “personal relationship with God.” While it may not be an ideal phrase for relating to an omnipotent and omniscient god, it might be a perfect phrase for Buddhists to consider:
Buddhism is not a religion; it’s a relationship with the Buddha Nature.
Of course, everyone is free to call Buddhism a religion, philosophy, science, theology, way of thinking, way of living—whatever. The label doesn’t matter. Practicing Buddhism is learning how to relate personally and closely with your pure Buddha Nature, something you share with every sentient being. That’s what matters.
As with any relationship, building a close personal relationship with the Buddha Nature takes time, practice, and patience. You may feel closer at some times than at others, but the pure Buddha Nature doesn’t change and remains available behind whatever shmuts1 has gotten in the way.
So, once again, Jim, I am grateful to you—this time for leading me to that phrase.
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You won't find that word if you look in a Tibetan, Sanskrit, or Pali dictionary. It’s Yiddish for dirt or garbage.
The difficulty I have with the line of reasoning in your post (and in Jim Palmer's) is that religion actually means relationship. It comes from the Latin meaning to connect or to relate. The word religion is coined because it is about relating to God. And in Buddhism it's a bit difficult to say we are trying to 'relate' with our buddha nature because that assumes the two are separate and different and a link needs to be made between the two, when the Buddhist understanding is that we ARE the buddha nature, it is our nature not anything separate.
Please forgive my ignorance, but doesn’t a “pure Buddha Nature [that] doesn’t change and remains available behind whatever shmuts has gotten in the way” contradict the teachings of emptiness and dependent arising?