Buddhism Is a Religion for the Wise

Buddhism is a religion for the wise, which is exactly why it cannot be followed—or even understood—by the masses: it was not shaped for them. To become a Buddhist, one must first think, then be able to choose, to take a path on one’s own initiative. The virtues of a Buddhist are absolutely unpalatable to ordinary human beings, who not only do not understand them, but despise them in their most intimate essence. To detach oneself from worldly pleasures and ties, to root out desire, to take refuge in silence, to purge the mind, to annul the gregarious instinct… all this is repugnant to creatures incapable of thinking and averse to individual effort.