Inter Faith Week 2023 - How I found Buddhism (more specifically, how Buddhism found me!)

Inter Faith Week 2023 will take place from Sunday 12 - Sunday 19 November. Each year, Inter Faith Week begins on Remembrance Sunday, and runs until the following Sunday.

I was approached by my boss to ask if I would Blog as part of Inter Faith Week as the J2 Faith Belief and Religion representative here in PJHQ. I’m often asked about Buddhism due to genuine curiosity or confusion about the premise of it so hopefully this blog may help; it’s a story about a journey but ultimately, it's about compassion, wisdom and the peace we deserve. I found Buddhism (more specifically Buddhism found me) 10 years ago when instructing at the Royal Naval Leadership Academy. Professionally I was performing as a model Senior Rating, personally though I was in a very dark place due to circumstances which probably require another blog; however, I digress.

Whilst sitting in the library one day waiting for my photocopying, I spied tucked away between various tomes on how to be a better leader a little orange book on Buddhism, I picked it up started reading it, became captivated with the simplicity and honesty and the rest you could say is history. Born in Lumbini, Nepali around 563 BCE, Prince Siddhartha gave up his royal entitlement around the age of 29 to search for the end of suffering and by the time of his passing around 483 BCE, he had attained his goal and had become a Buddha “an enlightened one”. Over the course of his lifetime Buddha gave an estimated 100,000 teachings and taught different styles according to his audience and disciplines divided originally into two main branches Theravada, “the Tradition of the Elders” and Mahāyāna “The Great Vehicle”; both offered the prospect of enlightenment, Theravada for the philosophers and the monastics whilst Mahāyāna offered enlightenment to all; to date there are now several variants of both.

The teachings were transported from Northern India via the Southern transmission which travelled South through Sri Lanka to South East Asia and the Northern transmission taking Mahāyāna through Central Asia via the Silk Road. Regardless of tradition we all subscribe to the Four Noble truths: Suffering, The cause of suffering, The end of suffering, and The path leading to the end of suffering, and we all take refuge within The Buddha, The Dharma (Teachings) and The Sangha (Community). There is an ongoing debate to whether Buddhism is a religion, a belief system or a methodology to be practically applied in day to day life; again, that is a Blog topic of its very own. Having read and re-read that little orange book and in order to gain further understanding I attended several Defence Buddhist Network (DBN) meetings and seminars, developed a daily meditation practice, I then applied to undertake Chaplaincy Training with the Buddhist Chaplaincy Support Group (BCSG) and duly qualified as a non-ordained lay chaplain known as a Kalyāna Mitra (A good friend) which enables me to use those pastoral skills within the Defence community and beyond. Buddhism and its many practices (I am a Mahāyāna / Zen practitioner) whether it be meditation, chanting or ceremony, individually or with the Sangha provides me with structure, clarity of thought, self-compassion and allows me to transform negative emotions, cultivate positivity, remain present and mindful, and enables me to see reality as it is not how I think or feel it is.

I don’t practice with the aspiration of being a better Buddhist, just a better human being and as a Buddhist in the military “aren’t you pacifist, shouldn’t you abstain from killing?” comes up quite regularly. The honest answer is compassion and empathy doesn’t mean we don’t fight; it just means we don’t hate. The nature of Buddhism is non-harming and the Buddhist world view relies on interdependence, nothing is permanent, and everything comes about due to cause and effect. Therefore, what we think, say, and do has an effect for better or for worse regardless of your occupation. As for converting or adopting Buddhist practices don’t just rely on this Blog, as the Buddha said “Come and see, not come and agree” but do stop by for a chat or drop me a line I would love to hear from you.

With Love and light Anthony