It is sad to reflect on how the teachings of the Buddha have in most cases been reduced to a series of formulas which have the intellectual and emotional appeal of a shopping list. Most of the Sutras read like a child's two times table. These sutras are considered, by fundamental Buddhists, to be both holy and sacred. Some of them contain profound truths, but most of them contain self-evident and mundane cliches with, in the translations especially, terrible distortions of truth.

When the Buddha speaks of 'anatta' meaning not atman, not Soul, not Self, not the real You, he speaks of the false masks of ego we wear and believe to be Self: the Body, the name, the occupation, the relation we have with others, all the roles we play. All are changeable and not permanent conditions. None of them is what we really are. Clinging to the false ego is like clinging to the wind. What you really are is permanent, immortal. Anatta is translated in English as no-Self. The non-existential belief. Descartes shot that belief down with his "Cogito, ergo sum" - I think, therefore I am.

Fundamental Buddhists believe, because they have been taught by ignorant Dhamma teachers, that the real cause of suffering is desire. Desire to have something pleasant and desire to get rid of something unpleasant. The Buddha so desired enlightenment he was prepared to die for it. You cannot wash, eat, sleep, go to the toilet or join a monastery without desire. And anyway, what is wrong with desire? The frustration or the non-fulfilment of desire may cause suffering if you permit it. The fulfilment of a desire can be very gratifying. Trying to divest yourself of all desire is not only impractical but a denial of life.

The Buddha's teachings are today buried beneath boring and seemingly endless repetitions of platitudes. The best you can say of them is that they do have a great rhythm when chanted; that's about all. Buddhist children are brought up on the Jataka stories. The myths and legends of the imagined life of the Buddha. The focus is always on the Buddha and not on his teachings.

The same applies to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Christianity these days it seems that all the emphasis is on the personality of the historical Jesus and very little on his teachings. If his teachings have no value unless he is God, or at least His only son, was of virgin birth, and was physically resurrected, then we do not accept his truths on their own merit. It wouldn't matter if Jesus were black, yellow or white, queer and communist. What matters is what he had to teach. Despite the blasphemy of today's teachings - "God is punishing you for your sins. You'll go to hell etc." - the real teachings are still to be found, and they are very simple. Love God and love your brothers and sisters as yourself. Sadly we are taught to love our 'Holy' books more than God and ALL his children. ??