The cover of “Buddhism for the Spiritual But Not Religious,” an e-booklet free to new Shambhala Sun subscribers
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been sharing with you here Melvin McLeod’s 10 reasons why Buddhism can be enriching to the growing number of us who consider ourselves “Spiritual but not Religious.” (Click here to read Melvin’s introduction to this series, and here to check out the other reasons.) Here now, is #10:
It works.
We can’t see or measure subjective experience, so we can’t judge directly the effect Buddhism is having on someone’s mind and heart. But we can see how they act and treat other people. We can hear what they say about what they’re experiencing inside.
What we find is that Buddhism works. For millennia, Buddhism has been helping people become more aware, caring, and skillful. All you have to do is meet someone who’s been practicing meditation a lot to know that. In our own time, hundreds of thousands of Americans are reporting that even a modest Buddhist practice has made their life better—they’re calmer, happier, and not as carried away when strong emotions arise. They’re kinder to themselves and more caring toward others.
But it’s really important not to burden ourselves with unrealistic expectations. Change comes very slowly. You’ll also see that when you meet a Buddhist meditator, even one who’s been at it for a long time. Don’t expect perfection. We’re working with patterns of ignorance, greed, and anger that have developed over a lifetime—if not much longer. Change comes slowly for most of us. But it does come. If you stick with it, that’s guaranteed. Buddhism works.
