Expert: Laurie McLauglin - 3/4/2010

Question
2.   In your opinion, what is the most common Western misunderstanding of the Buddhist faith?
3.   How has Western society most impacted Buddhism?
4.   Why is happiness considered to be dukkha?
5.   In your opinion, what is the most important precept and why?
6.   With the belief in karma and reincarnation what, if any, remembrance of the dead is there in Buddhism?

Answer
Thank you for letting me answer your questions,

I think the most common Western misunderstanding of the Buddhist faith is that meditation is simply learning not to think about anything.

I think Western society has most impacted Buddhism in the fact that women play a bigger part in Western Buddhism then they do in Eastern Buddhism and I think Western Buddhism deals more with Western perceptions of things like emotions, anger and ego and material attachment.

Happiness is not specifically considered to be dukkha. There is nothing wrong with being happy.  Some of the happiest people I know are Buddhist teachers. What is dukkha is that we cling to or attach to the need to be happy.  Once we cling to something then we suffer. In that case we see happiness as coming from outside ourselves; as coming from the object that we cling to for our happiness.  And then when that thing fails to make us happy anymore then we suffer. If we can be happy without attaching to anything to make us happy; if we can find our happiness from inside then there will be no suffering.

I am assuming by precepts you mean either the five lay precepts or the eight Mahayana precepts. I would have to say not killing is the most important precept because we realize that all sentient beings are just like ourselves.  They all want to be happy and not suffer. There is no difference between any sentient being and myself, so killing them is wrong. Plus any sentient being could have been my mother in a previous incarnation so killing someone who has been my kind mother is wrong.

I know in many Eastern cultures there is a great rememberance of people's ancestors who have died. But from what I understand so far about Buddhism, Buddhism does not teach us to specifically remember the deceased.  What it does teach is to pray that the deceased have a fortunate human rebirth. Buddhists have memorials and build stupas holding the ashes or relics of family or teachers so in that way we remember our deceased brethern but we pray for their rebirth either as a human or in the Pure Land so that they may quickly attain enlightenment.

I hope these help to answer your questions.  If you have any other questions based on my answers or if I did not answer the questions you intended, please let me know and I will be happy to clarify my answers.

I wish you much success with your term paper.

Namaste - Laurie