Why I am not a Buddhist.

Whenever anyone mentions the Buddha with affection and admiration, or speaks of his gentle wisdom with great solemnity, I want to narrow my eyes and say, “That guy? That rich kid who left his wife and child to go find himself? Fuck him.”

What a terrible fucking role model.

It’s true that he gave something useful to the world. And while I don’t follow his teachings, or cozy up to his followers or students, it is true that I do appreciate his work and have benefited from it. I meditate. The power of his contribution to the world is undeniable.

So if there’s a lesson to take from all this, perhaps it is this:

You don’t have to be a good person to make a positive contribution to the world.

You will hurt people and it’s totally ok so long as you leave something really good and useful for others. Hey, you’re only human.

You can break your commitments, abandon your family, be utterly selfish. And all of this may yet deliver unto the world something of great value, and no one will care if tears were shed by those who loved you along the way.

Collateral damage, one might say.

To make an omelette, you need to break a few eggs.

What’s a broken heart or two on the way to enlightenment?

Shanti shanti shanti, peace.