buddhism as both a worthy goal and an obstacle

I greatly admire Sam Harris. He has a way of cutting through fuzzy and poorly defined issues and getting to the heart of things. Although he doesn't mince words he is nevertheless not as combative as some others of the new, high-profile atheists. Most important to him, it seems, is finding ways to increase human well-being and he looks to science as a way of gaining that knowledge. As part of that quest he doesn't deny that there are some useful things to be learned from some spiritual traditions, but he is keen on turning that most productive of tools, science, to analysing how those useful things can be improved and made available to all, not just those who subscribe to some rituals. Being a neuroscientist, studying how the brain works, he is well placed to explore such routes. I just finished reading his wonderful short essay, Killing the Buddha (published in the Shambhala Sun), in which he praised buddhism as providing us with many of the tools that humanity needs. He balances this with the danger to such advances that is posed by seeing buddhism as a religion.

It is superbly described, and clarifies to me why I have always felt so partial to many aspects of buddhism, yet wary of the ritual and tradition. I agree with him. We need more people to understand the enlightenment that buddhism can bring, without being led astray by its religious elements.

Additional: I have just now read Sam Harris' latest short essay on How to Meditate. Very nice.