I'm Not

I was asked recently if I'm anti-religion. I can understand why I come across that way. I'm not anti-religion, I'm anti-bigotry, anti-using the bible for their own purposes and ignoring all the other things the bible says, anti-using their beliefs as a crutch to get their way and most of all I'm anti-lack of intelligence.

The person who asked me this is someone I respect immensely. I understand his point of view, but growing up in a Christian dominated society and not knowing what my religion was or if I had one was something I fought with for a long time.

In my life I've been verbally abused and beaten up because I didn't know which faith was mine. It wasn't until my late twenties I found my place in Buddhism.

Those who don't understand my beliefs mock it, much the way every belief has been mocked throughout history. Those who understand me and what I've been through in my life know what Buddhism means to me and how much its changed my life.

Before I discovered Buddhism, or even Buddhism discovered me, I was very angry for a lot of reasons. I was verbally abused by my dad for most of my life, which in today's world would be called bullying, but we don't call our parents bullies, do we?

When I finally discovered who I was and what my beliefs were I began to understand my dad and his anger and my anger and where it came from and how to deal with it without throwing my life away.

But before I get too much into what happened to me I have to say this, I love my dad and I meditate on the suffering he goes through a few times a week. I may not talk to him on the phone, but I try to help him through the suffering in his life in my own way. He may not understand these words, but I know there are those who do.

I will probably never see my dad, not because of anything he's said or done, but because I lived that life as a child, I'm not doing it again. I've moved on in my life and I've discovered a peace I never knew existed.

I'm Buddhist because my life needed peace and a path to walk not because I hate other religions but because I love other religions, I'm just not crazy about what they stand for. Have you ever met a Buddhist who was angry at the world or have you met Buddhists who wanted to make it better? I'm guessing the latter.

Have a blessed day!