[Buddha-l] The authentic Buddha

[Franz Metcalf]

John,

You ask a brave question in a brave way. And you've received the 
unusually open and non-combative answers your honesty deserves.

For my part, I'll echo Jim Peavler: those of us not pursuing chimeric 
absolutes find our authenticity in movement toward what we perceive of 
as good, even "the good." Without absolutes against which to measure, 
we can only guess at the worth of ourselves and our practices. This is 
dukkha, but, then again, we're not vulnerable to critique from the 
(imagined) absolute perspectives of others--nor to the accusation (even 
from within) of being in bad faith. In this desperate situation 
authenticity derives from our work and our honesty about it. When we're 
working and genuinely seem to ourselves to be making progress, then we 
are in integrity and we are authentic.

But you know all this.

Perhaps what you really want is a passage from some Buddhist canon that 
permits, even blesses, this blind stumbling. I want that, too. Here are 
two that absolutely will not satisfy you. The first is hackneyed, the 
second is extra-canonical, and neither really says "love God and do as 
you will."

    Do not be led by rumor, or tradition, or hearsay. Do not be led by 
the
    authority of religious scripture, nor by simple logic or inference, 
nor by
    mere appearance, nor by the pleasure of speculation, nor by vague
    possibilities, nor by respect for “Our Teacher.” When you’ve seen for
    yourself “these teachings are skillful, blameless, wise; when 
followed
    they lead to good and happiness,” then stay with them.
    --Kalama Sutta AN, III, 65. For another translation see:
    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an03-065.html

    I really do not know whether the nembutsu may be the cause for my
    birth in the Pure Land, or the act that shall condemn me to hell. 
But I
    have nothing to regret, even if I should have been deceived by my
    teacher, and, saying the nembutsu, fall into hell. The reason is 
that if
    I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices
    and yet fell into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire 
regrets
    for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any
    religious practice, hell is my only home.
    --Shinran, from the Tannisho, section 2

Maybe genuine relativists shouldn't go looking for blessings, even from 
Buddhas. But a breezy practice is at least an open practice. And if 
there's no absolute Buddha out there, we can still bow to our lovely 
longing for it.

In gassho,

Franz