Religion and Rebellion

My wife was sitting on her meditation cushion last night before bed and reading one of our myriad books on spirituality, this one was: “Food for the Heart:  The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah.”  

We were discussing various ways of holding the Buddhist teachings around “The 4 Noble Truths” and the 4th Truth which is “The 8-Fold Way.”  

https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/understanding-the-four-noble-truths-and-walking-the-noble-eightfold-path/

An interesting note that I did not realize is that “The 4 Noble Truths” are a spiritual guidance in the form of a classical Ayurvedic medical prescription!  

I usually think about Buddhist writings and teachings as, in its purest form, not a religion, instead as a logical unfolding of a method of living that results in continued growth on the evolutionary scale.  

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/02/just-stranger-in-strange-land-part-2.html

Unfortunately, humans tend turn stuff into religions…    

Buddhism seems, at least in part, to be a rebellion against the then Hindu caste system that taught that only the Brahmin can become enlightened.  

Perhaps in parallel of religious rebellions, Jesus’ rebelling against the then Jewish elite, Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation, I am no religious scholar, but I’m sure that list goes on and on...      

I did some internet searching about origins of religions, interesting reading on the varying interactions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, in China, and how leaders would pick and choose amongst the various religions to support what they wanted to do.  Also interesting readings on how Buddhism had to merge with Shintoism in Japan.  

That brought me to this Blog, and asking what is the next religious rebellion?  

I do see the Humanistic Psychology movement as a modern form of religion in rebellion against current religions:  

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-lifespandevelopment/chapter/the-humanistic-perspective/

In 2015 I proposed a new religion based on the works of Ken Wilber, see a bunch of my posts from 2015:  

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2015/05/integral-new-religion.html

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-church-of-integralism-three-basic.html

No small amount of sarcasm is contained in my Blog postings, yet perhaps, some deep truths as well…  

And I like to repeat my 3 Commandments whenever I get the chance…   

https://enlightenedmdphd.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-second-commandment-love-everything.html

As I say, I am no guru, I propose ideas for people to examine, or not…  

Up to you to make up your own damn minds about what is True and important for your own path, or no path at all…  

I have only one job…

… being the Heretic!  

Namaste