Talking Out Of Turn

We’re not really with Patrick on leaving Tibetan Buddhism behind; after all, we don’t have aspirations to actually be the Dalai Lama. But this is a guy, as the billboard on my way to work proclaims, that doesn’t just want peace; he works for it. I mean, he has threatened not to be reincarnated into any territory that is controlled by Communist China. And apparently he can do that. He couldn’t keep the Chinese out of Tibet, but he can keep his future selves out of Tibet. He’s actually more powerful than the main character in Doctor Who, because the Doctor can’t always control where he lands, or what his future regenerations will do.

But I was drawn to Buddhism by the fact that you can believe this and not actually believe in God per se, and then I find out that the path to enlightenment generally seems to consist of adoring His Holiness The Dalai Lama. I don’t even like capitalizing pronouns anymore now that I have all this newfound freedom, and here I can’t even call this guy by his real name. But I find that if I want to achieve enlightenment on this path I have to submit myself to all these things, and I’m thinking, “submitting myself? The whole point of this exercise was to be free!”

And I don’t think I can really lose myself in singing the Dalai Lama song, either.

Of course, Buddhist freedom is losing yourself. Atheist freedom is losing your belief in eternity. Clearly I need a system that lets me be scientific and rational, and lets me reincarnate or transmigrate as needed, without losing my individuality.

Hang on a minute; I may have found something.