Em hotep (in peace!)

Recently, I was discussing religion with a Buddhist friend: the difference in faith structures, beliefs, dogmas, etc. He kept using the phrase "vehicle" to describe the different sects, or types, of Buddhism. I thought it was an interesting phrase to use to describe a religion, and his only answer to me regarding its origins was that "vehicle" was how the original word translated into English.

The more I thought about the use of the phrase "vehicle," the more interested, and convinced, I became. Our religions are indeed vehicles - not just Buddhism. In English we usually understand the word to mean a transportation device. But are they really that different?

THE TEN RULES OF VEHICLES (be they religious or petroleum-powered):

1. A vehicle's purpose is to take you from one place to another. If a vehicle doesn't move you, it isn't a vehicle: it's an oversized paperweight.

2. There are many kinds of vehicles. Some carry one person; others carry many. Some coast, some speed, some fly, others hover. Some move on tracks; others can go off-road. There are vehicles for all kinds of drivers and all kinds of terrain. Someone will always insist that their vehicle is better/faster/smarter/etc. than yours; but the existence of many vehicles tells us we haven't hit on the perfect design yet.

3. Vehicles require fuel in the form of outside intervention. Without fuel, eventually, even the best vehicle stops running. Vehicles also require maintenance from time to time in order to be in their best shape. You can perform your own maintenance on your vehicle, but if you haven't been trained to do so, you do it at a risk.

4. In order for a vehicle to work properly, it requires an operator (usually someone who has been trained to operate that particular vehicle, either yourself or some other trained, mature person) and it requires that you know where you want to go, else you won't get to your destination, whatever that is.

5. You can only ride in one vehicle at a time. You may take more than one vehicle to get to your destination, especially if you have a long way to go, but you can't ride in two at once. Nor can you necessarily operate one vehicle with the operating rules of another. Imagine trying to drive a submarine the way you drive a school bus, for example.

6. You can build your own vehicle — in fact, most vehicles sprang from someone's invention — but if you aren't quite sure what you are doing, this is often best left to professionals.

7. Some people get vehicles because everybody has one. This doesn't necessarily mean it's the best vehicle available; it's just the most popular. Strange colors and designs come and go, but the basic foundations and rules remain intact. Other people inherit vehicles from parents or others, or acquire whatever vehicle they can afford. Remember, there's always a trade-in.

8. Vehicles are neutral. In and of themselves all they do is get you from one place to another. Vehicles are not "good" or "bad" but can be used for either purpose, depending on the driver's intent. An ambulance driver saves lives, but a drunken driver can take them. Vehicles require responsibility - recklessness can ruin the vehicle, the operator *and* the passengers. Be careful.

9. Unless your vehicle is strictly off-road or not "street legal," it is required, like all other vehicles, to conform to certain rules of the road. Otherwise, we'd all crash into each other. These rules are decided upon by majority consensus. Some people don't like them; and for that we have traffic cops. Be responsible.

10. Above all, it is important to remember that a vehicle is a tool: a tool to direct you to your decided-upon destination. A vehicle will not tell you how to get there (though some have very sophisticated navigating equipment), nor will it drive itself (though some have "cruise control" or "auto pilot" for certain periods of time). If you aren't driving, it's a good idea to know who is...and where you're headed. If it's where you're going, strap yourself in and enjoy the scenery. There's always a brake and a door, too, if it's time to slow down, stop, or get out.

Until next week.
Ankh udja seneb em hotep (life, prosperity and health, in peace!)