Reply #21: Practical morality for Buddhists -

[RichardRay]

First, as a practicing Buddhist (I know I'll get it right eventually) I don't think of Buddhism as a religion. More like a philosophic discipline. Certainly my practice doesn't require dieties, although I do believe in and request assistance from enlightened beings who have been working on the whole thing longer than I have.

As a Buddhist I believe I can prove analytically:

Life is suffering. (Happiness is possible, but requires some insight into the nature of suffering.) Rebirth is a bummr since it sends me around again on the old guitar.

There is a way out of suffering; it's not hopeless.

That through practice and discipline I can avoid suffering and be truly happy.

The precepts that define that practice and discipline are my morality. Practically, moral behavior is driven by the law of karma. You know, the old 'goes around, comes around' thing?

As a mahayanist I believe that it is most effective for me to maintain the altruistic intention to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, but there are great practioners who follow other paths that don't emphasize this point.

See, a whole moral framework and not one reference to diety. Buddhists are taught, urged and required to inspect the teachings carefully and to refuse any part that doesn't make sense to the individual, so dieties really aren't required.