Is there anything you’re doing differently today because it’s Friday the 13^th?

I wonder where the line is drawn between faith or belief, on the one hand, and superstition, on the other. I mean, some of the things we believe in are as difficult to prove or establish in fact as “superstitions” like broken mirrors, black cats, walking under ladders, and lucky numbers. Despite the many cracks I have stepped on, my mother  never had any spinal problems, let alone a broken back. Yet, what proof do I have of the resurrection of Jesus, the parting of the Red Sea, or the reincarnation of lamas?

I’m not looking to start a debate about what beliefs are “real” and which are not; really I’m not. Rather, I’m trying to point out in my own feeble way that there is no profit in asserting that one person’s beliefs are correct and another’s are not, or that one’s faith is superior to another’s. The Buddha challenged his followers to not take his word for it, but to test for themselves and believe their own eyes. Ultimately, I think that is what most people do—their beliefs are founded on what they have seen and experienced. Only the strongest beliefs can long survive not being confirmed in some manner, at least occasionally.

My beliefs may be different from yours, but I think that’s because my experience has been different. I don’t have any more evidence now than I did when I was a Christian that Jesus was the son of God. Consequently, how could I doubt that belief, even though I’m now a Buddhist?

And here’s a point I come back to quite often: Who is to say that our seemingly different beliefs are mutually exclusive? As a Christian, I viewed unexpected and against-the-odds healing as evidence of the existence of God, of divine intervention. My explanation now is not much different, though I don’t envision God as a single omnipotent being. The “evidence” of a divine spark that inhabits all living beings is undeniable, in my opinion and based on what I’ve seen and experienced. (The image of a gigantic, elderly man with a long grey beard and hair never appealed to me at any time, to be honest.)

Can I prove it? Not easily. Certainly not up to my standards as an academic and researcher. It actually might be easier for me to make a case for misfortune following me when I spill salt and forget to toss some over my shoulder. Or the negative effects of Friday the 13^th.

(Note: My apologies to the couple at the table behind me; I never realized salt traveled so well!)