Fucking Mormons.

[Perndog]

Goat: every religion or philosophical school is full of adherents that don't follow it accurately. But whether or not people other than monks do this in practice, Buddhist doctrine is about detachment, which means exactly that: you detach yourself from physical desires and feelings, because every bit of pleasure must be followed by suffering, and suffering is to be avoided. The "Buddhists" who don't practice this are either just calling themselves Buddhists because they think it's cool (I've seen former Lutherans who became "Buddhists" and lived their lives exactly the same way and just changed their church services a little bit) or they are picking and choosing which of the teachings they want to follow.

You don't need to transcend anything to think for yourself; I think countless atheists are enough evidence of that.

And Vibecrewangel, it's awfully weak to say "yes, it does have proof" and then not to offer any. I'm waiting.