Approach Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

11 Some claim that the European Enlightenment, with its emphasis on the t riumph of reason over religious authority, and the Buddhist concept of enlightenment , as a transformative awakening, have nothing in common – indeed I have been... more

11 Some claim that the European Enlightenment, with its emphasis on the t riumph of reason over religious authority, and the Buddhist concept of enlightenment , as a transformative awakening, have nothing in common – indeed I have been told that " it is a mere coincidence that they share a similar sounding word " ; that asking how they are related is nothing but a " conceptual confusion, " an equivocation that is on a par with confusing the bank of a river with a bank for cash deposits. 1 Of course, the two historical traditions are indeed different in countless ways. The European Enlightenment was rooted in the acceptance of the new scientific method, the industrial revolution, the emergence of politically p owerful merchant classes, the resulting disruption of established social h ierarchies, factional religious disputes, and bloody religious wars. For complex socio‐cultural reasons, and philosophical reasons too, a skepticism and rejection of religious authority and traditional hierarchies became increasingly widespread. The enlightenment instead emphasized relying on one's own j udgment and this fueled the nascent and emerging republican sentiments for representative government. In contrast, Buddhism began over 2,000 years ago as a monastic tradition focused on the ultimate goal of achieving nirvana, which is understood to be a release from samsara, that is, the otherwise endless cycle of suffering and rebirth. From its humble beginnings, Buddhism spread and diversified into one of the major world religions with perhaps 500 million people across the globe identifying as Buddhist. Indeed, there are a vast diversity of Buddhist religious sects, and each has its own favorite doctrines and texts, traditions and rituals. Unlike the European Enlightenment, the objection might continue, Buddhism is a sectarian religion, not a scientific and secular rejection of religious authority. The practice of Buddhism involves superstitions, folk rituals, prayer, and worship of buddhas and bodhisattvas all of which contrasts with the rationalism of the European Enlightenment. In addition, the monastic pursuit of personal