Buddhist Romanticism

to create his/her own set of beliefs, but also the duty to change his/her
tradition. So the tradition has no right to object to whatever those beliefs
might be. Either way, the Dhamma loses out.
This connects with a second irony: Although most of the scientific and
philosophical underpinnings for the twenty points have since fallen away,
the points themselves have continued to exert influence over Western views
on religion in general, and Buddhist Romanticism in particular, to the
present day. This continued influence can be explained by the fact that,
regardless of how science and philosophy are currently taught in the
academy, these points have gained and maintained the status of
unquestioned assumptions in three areas of thought: humanistic
psychology, the academic study of the history of religions, and popular
writings on “perennial philosophy.” The next chapter will examine how
this has happened, and how these three areas of thought have helped to
create—and justify the creation of—Buddhist Romanticism.
But first, to help clarify what actually does and doesn’t count as a
Romantic influence on Buddhist Romanticism, it’s useful to review what
the Dhamma teaches about the twenty points listed above. So here is a
second list, drawn from Chapter Two, that will allow you to compare pointby-point
where the Dhamma and Romanticism are similar and where they
part ways. This way you will be able to recognize what is Buddhist and
what is Romantic in modern Buddhist Romanticism.
These two lists diverge at the outset. They differ on the purpose of
religion, the nature of the universe, and the place of the individual within
the universe. Because these first three points are basic to the Romantic
program, this means that the Dhamma and the Romantic program part
ways from the ground up. However, it’s also important to note that they
contain similarities in some of the more derivative points—similarities that
have allowed for Dhamma and the Romantic program to become confused
with each other.
On the object of the Dhamma:
1) The object of the Dhamma is not the relationship of humanity with the
universe, but the end of suffering and stress (§2). To focus on defining the
place of humanity in the universe is to think in terms of becoming, which
actually gets in the way of ending suffering and stress.
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