If this is your reaction then this chapter is definitely for YOU!

First let's look at your objections: Yes there's a lot of blah-blah about Buddhism these days and not all of it is authentic! Much is false and misleading, and some of it probably intentionally so. Buddhism is "à la mode" and like all such fads it will pass, but at least it will have alerted more people than ever before to the presence of Buddhism in the Occident.

Contrary to what you may suppose this presence is not new. There's a tradition that there were Buddhist monks at imperial Rome, benefitting from the exemplary religious tolerance of the epoch. More recently, the enlightened 18th century saw wide discussion and approval of the culture of the Far East, particularly Buddhism. This trend saw its fruition during the following century when philosophers such a Schopenhauer adopted Buddhism, although in a somewhat deformed version.

So an interest in Buddhism is nothing new in the Occident. But there is something new; it is that this interest is now manifest at the popular level.

To continue with your objections: Buddhism has no dogmas, and what is essential does not depend on superstition. Further more Buddhists are, at the same time, agnostic and atheist. (Agnostic, because the Lord Buddha taught that there was insufficient evidence to decide, and for the same reason atheist before claims with regard to specific deities.)

As for a "Zen Sermon"; well, you have to get people's attention before you can inspire them to practice!

Still I haven't answered the basic objection behind your remarks; which I'll restate, if you permit, as follows: today, unlike in ancient times, we have sufficient scientific knowledge to satisfy our curiosity about our universe and our place in it; as well as unprecedented well-being and security. Divine intervention is simply no longer seen as necessary.

Yes, BUT: in Buddhism it's not a question of the intervention of a deity, but acquiring the most efficient means of maximizing your satisfaction and minimizing your suffering.

If you're young, in good health and optimistic, I congratulate you. You're like the Titanic on its maiden voyage: nothing can possibly go wrong!? In any case, why worry? Because when the ship starts to sink, it's a little late to learn to swim!

It's a fact that one day, if we survive, old age and death will come to us all. In the meantime, few of us are lucky enough to completely avoid sickness and all the other misfortunes to which flesh is heir. Although it's a fact that many people today are enjoying unprecedented superficial well-being, it is nevertheless also a fact that precisely among those profiting most from these exceptional circumstances, there is a profound sense of dissatisfaction as the suicide statistics, particularly among young people, demonstrate.

Now I hope you'll agree, that, despite your objections Buddhism may have something to offer that you need. Here is what it amounts to: learn to experience your life so as to recognize the difference between reality and your view of it; and to use that understanding to promote the satisfaction and reduce the suffering that you experience.

Perhaps, now you are objecting: "This is ridiculous; of course I know the difference between reality and beliefs about it!" Do you? Then you're quite exceptional! Here's my proof that most people don't. René Magritte's famous painting (of a pipe) with the caption "This is NOT a pipe" leaves almost everyone perplexed. "This is ridiculous; of course it is a pipe, and nothing but a pipe!" they exclaim. Perhaps 30 years ago, at the "Petit Palais" exposition of his works, I stood beside this painting and asked visitors if it was a pipe. Although perplexed they insisted that, of course, it was a pipe. At this point I brought out tobacco and matches and asked them to smoke it! Only then did they understand Magritte's point. That it is NOT a pipe, but only the image of a pipe, and definitely not for smoking!

I hope I have convinced you that, even in an age when "god is dead", Buddhism retains its relevance.

Here then is our project: to teach you to observe and understand the functioning of your consciousness so as to be the master of your reactions and attitudes rather than to be their slave. To be the master and not simply a guest in your mental "house" enables you to decide under what circumstances you wish to be on the playing field and when you prefer to watch from the sidelines. Whatever your decision the possibility of "sitting this one out" is always available and therefore you can freely chose to play, whether for your own satisfaction or by compassion for others.

Prepare yourself now for what life may bring, so that when the time comes you may help yourself as well as others.

Study the teaching, understand its meaning through meditation, and practice it in your everyday life to enlighten yourselves and all sentient creatures.

In the meanwhile, take good care of yourselves.

Ming Qi

(Lily-Marie Johnson)