Lessons In Practical Buddhism - Sirimangalo.Org

someone to believe in the benefit of something that leads
clearly to their own detriment. Surely our intelligence itself
plays a part in the problem. There is no other race on Earth
so capable of acting to its own detriment as the human race,
and yet we are unquestionably the most intelligent, most
advanced race on Earth. As far as I know, no other species
on Earth is afflicted with the kinds of stress, anxiety,
depression, cruelty, despair, or self-hatred that human
beings are capable of as a matter of course.
The theory proposed, however, as to why we are prone to
develop such errant habits and tendencies is founded on a
behavioural pattern we share in common with our less
intelligent animal friends. It is understood to be, in purely
evolutionary terms, against our best interest to investigate
thoroughly every experience we encounter. For example,
when one hears a rustling sound while walking in a field of
tall grass, the best response is clearly not to take the time to
investigate, lest one risk becoming a meal for a hungry
predator. Much safer is simply believing there to be a
predator and running away; no harm will come if one is
mistaken. The unfortunate side effect of this wise-seeming
precaution is that it becomes a cornerstone to our outlook on
life - that problems are not meant to be understood, but
merely "solved" by whatever means possible.
Evolution measures success based on proliferation. The
habits and tendencies that allow a species to flourish are
those that will be favoured and passed on. Unfortunately,
such habits do not always happen to be those in the best
interest of the individuals making up the species;
behavioural patterns such as sexism, tribalism, colonialism,
xenophobia, and, of course, religious views and beliefs tend
to proliferate more successfully than their more humane /
rational counterparts.
The idea that religious belief may be of evolutionary benefit
or detriment is not hard to understand, nor is it
undocumented; the Indo-Ariyan people who conquered India
in the time before the Buddha, for example, had a
well-established religious tradition that well-suited their
war-like nature. Their inclination towards conflict was most
certainly supportive of their conquest over the relatively
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