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In studying the core beliefs of the world's religions - those with many adherents and those with fewer - one thing may strike students as clear: the majority of the rules with which these systems started were based on the idea that human beings should respect each other. In the Ten Commandments of the Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam), for instance, not killing, not stealing, honoring one's parents and not bearing false witness are central ideas. For those of Pagan traditions, such as Wicca, "Harm None" is an integral concept. For Buddhists, the precepts form a code of discipline, five or more of which may be taken as vows by lay practitioners to ensure ethical motives in action.
There is a problem with such vows, however, set deep in the psyche of every human being. While basically honorable creatures, the majority of human beings have a rebellious streak. As noted in the Tao Te Ching, "The more rules you have, the more unhappy people are... and the more laws you pass, the more we will break them." (#47, trans. Man-Ho Kwok, et al) Humans cannot follow rules for a prolonged period, in many cases. An example would be marriage vows - proof of which is found in the high divorce rates. Religious vows are also broken, considering how many Christian monks and nuns have requested to leave their orders and return to lay life.
For Buddhists, the stricture of a lifetime's commitment is not included when taking the chosen vows. This can, perhaps, be seen as the best option, because it gives the practitioner the freedom to decide to renounce the vows openly at a point where they no longer seem feasible, instead of secretly breaking them, and causing greater remorse and suffering.
The rules themselves might be the problem, though. The Christian version - poverty, obedience and chastity - may have been instituted to encourage those in religious life to "rise above" their weak human tendencies but, as a wise man once asked, "If you haven't had sex before taking the vow, do you really know what you're giving up?"
The temptation to transgress is greater when the supposed "violation" is improperly comprehended, or has never been experienced.
Obedience is a good rule to consider. How many adults can honestly say they were never disobedient as a child or teenager? And that they did not receive a punishment of some sort because of the misdeed? Thus, the idea of a vow of obedience is readily understood. To obey is to turn one's will over to the wisdom of another. This is usually for the best but, even in the military, when an order goes against one's personal ethical code, disobedience still takes place.
The vow of poverty is a wash, in many ways. Few Christian religious orders are truly poor in this day and age. Seeing the need to ensure the well being and longevity of their ministries, they amass property and are secure there will be three square meals a day for those living under their well-heated roof. The exception to this scenario, perhaps, is the Missionaries of Charity started by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who saw true poverty at every turn and shared in it as much as possible.
Moving onto the Buddhist precepts - especially the main five - the same standards can apply. The idea of "improper sexual relations" is a concept wide open to interpretation, depending on the culture in which the practitioner lives. And taking intoxicants is, again, relative. If a Buddhist lived in Mexico, where drinking the water could kill, and the only option is wine, would the person rather die than break the vow?
Understandably, these rules are made to help the practitioner break free of entanglements which could provide a distraction from the ultimate goal of the spiritual journey. For Buddhists, this is compassion and relief of suffering. To contemplate just where that suffering originates might, indeed, eliminate it altogether, without the need for the vows.
The definition of suffering, itself, is problematic. Irregardless, the source of suffering remains the same - the mind and the spirit. Human beings tend to agonize over situations in daily life: unreachable dreams, the stress of family and work, and so forth. If they can learn to deal with these problems in a healthy and balanced way, the suffering is eliminated. And, if one person can learn, then so can the many.
That healthy and balanced way is not necessarily through vows or rules imposed by others. It is through complete self-knowledge and understanding. The same set of ethics cannot apply across the board to every single human being, because every human being is unique. Each must determine his or her own best course, according to individual talents, beliefs and predisposition.
Furthermore, placing restrictions on a person in order to encourage spiritual progress most often defeats the purpose of faith. Once again, inherent rebelliousness will rear its head when something is labeled anathema, causing frustration and suffering in the deepest part of the soul.
Establishing a harmonious method of interacting with the world on a daily basis is far better. The opportunities presented by the world should be taken as they come. As recorded by Michael Aquino in his comprehensive study of the Church of Satan after its formation in the late 1960s, many people came to the Church, attracted by the motto, "Indulgence instead of abstinence." These people, with their odd sexual appetites or fetishes, expressed themselves freely among the other members, but when they saw their behavior did not shock or repulse, they soon departed.
Most often, "indulgences" which are a manifestation of one's need for attention - even of a negative type - reflect an unbalanced or repressed nature. Mature spiritual seekers, however, will take what the world presents, use it and move on through their lives, unscathed by religious or societal norms. For these human beings, when it is possible to have everything, nothing is wanted in such a way that it overwhelms the spirit or the mind to the point of distracting one from the ultimate journey.
Thus, rules and vows become unnecessary.
Instead of prying oneself away from the world, human beings who know themselves and determine their ethical behavior according to a respect for themselves and others can immerse themselves in the world and benefit from the adventure: spiritually, physically and mentally. They are untouched by the possible revulsion or criticism of others, grasping that many do not share their insights into the truth. They express their personal beliefs as they see fit, without relying upon the dictates of organized religious bodies.
It is, after all, impossible to escape the world (except through death). To continually try to flee reality is to propound one's suffering. In like fashion, no one can escape his or her own self. To deny the truth of one's own make-up has been proven to cause incredible suffering, from physical maladies to mental illness.
If mature seekers wish to drink intoxicants, say, they do not do so to get drunk or escape the world. It may be for pleasure, or to heighten the altered state of consciousness inherent to ritual work. If they wish to have sexual relations, it may again be solely for pleasure, or for magickal purposes, based on the ancient Hindu practices of Vama Marga.
Leaving behind the rules and vows in this way takes a lot of deep introspection - often achieved through meditation - and acceptance of one's strengths and weaknesses. Learning about one's innermost secrets, perhaps buried for decades for a variety of reasons, it becomes possible to repair the damage, and to find balance and harmony with the world. For Buddhists, this may sound very much like "enlightenment", and it is. It just doesn't take a set of vows to find it.
Those who have taken vows - Buddhist, Christian or otherwise - are not guaranteed enlightenment. Just as the initiation rituals of Pagan traditions do not ensure advancement on the spiritual path, the truth is: personal effort alone makes achieving the goal possible. Taking Thomas Merton as an example, that Trappist monk wrote numerous edifying works, yet repeatedly disobeyed his superiors in the monastery and broke his vows.
If a person knows of a weakness, and refuses to transform it into an asset or, at least, recognize it for what it is and accept it, then that weakness will be a source of suffering throughout his or her life. If a person persists in giving in to these weaknesses, no number of vows taken or rules imposed will solve the problem.
Each must stand up, shed the heavy cloak draped about him by the rules of others, and freely gaze at his own soul with honesty and self-respect. Only when every shadowed and hidden corner has been revealed, and thoughtful changes accomplished in his actions and mindset, can he look outward and respect others.
All of it done without rules or vows, but the inner integrity of the true human being - the spiritual being having a physical experience.
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