Why I will become Buddhist

It is not for no reason that Westerners increasingly embrace Buddhism.

There are good reasons which , er... "the heart does not know" (Pascal).

The main one is "desire". The Buddha taught non-attachment. He recognized the discernible link between suffering and desire.

Imagine the poor Buddha walking down 5th Avenue or in Hollywood...or, just your favorite strip mall.

Imagine the Buddha chained to a chair and forced to watch the home shopping channel.

The Buddha had it easy.

While the Buddha may have had it easy, the Buddha still had it right.

The more you desire and are attached, the more suffering you will endure. This is undeniable.

And we live in a society that is built on sheer desire.

Lucky us.

It's not good enough for Brad Pitt to have Jennifer Aniston. He has to also want Angelina Jolie. Worse, he has to actually go after her. Why? Because he can.

Love and Desire in the Western World.

For most men, Jennifer would have been just fine (though personally I'd have gone for Jolie first...but that's because I am a moth).

So we suffer...the lot of us. We obtain and then desire again and there is no end to this wanting. Thus we suffer.

The more we want the more we suffer...but our whole society is built on wanting.

It's pretty nutzoid.

Even those of us who are smart enough to see this pattern cannot seem to do anything about it.

No Buddhism is the only way out.

(or, er...in if you like).

(I think I will look good in saffron).