system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] How would Vulcans view the earth Religion/Philosophy of Buddhism?

I am curious as to how they would perceive it, how much in common it would have with their own philosophy.
gpt
Logic and compassion are not the same thing. Let's start with the impetus of both philosophies. 

Buddhism is the child of Hinduism, taking the concept of samsara (cyclical suffering through reincarnation) and offering a cause (desire) and a solution (moksha, or liberation from the cycle). Withdrawing from desire means righteousness, which means constant compassion and avoiding the excess of human wants and needs. In an Indian subcontinent of princes and kingdoms, it was a reaction to the inequality between poor and wealthy (hence the Siddharta tale including the old and poor).

The teachings of Surak come out of an era of possible species extinction. Faced with planetary destruction brought on by constant aggression, the Vulcan race decide to give up its emotional life to save its temporal one. Logic dictates the simplest and most straightforward answers to enormous problems, but only through intense self-denial, constant meditation, and intense rituals. This also helped develop the notion that the Vulcan race is chemically imbalanced (i.e., the rages of pon farr and neurological disease brought on by long-term isolation). Surak also helped the Vulcans return to their psychic abilities, allowing the wordless transfer of information, and in rare cases, an entire consciousness.

So do Vulcans like Buddhism? Maybe. It is a religion based on emotion, but a fairly logical emotion. Compassion allows for logical and ethical discourse between beings. But sometimes being logical means ignoring compassion. Ignoring desire is very Vulcan, but most Buddhists do not live as stoically as Vulcans do, instead choosing moderation. Vulcans do not believe in reincarnation, so that element of Buddhism may seem very illogical to them. Overall, I'd imagine they view it as they view every non-Vulcan religion; admirable in its effort but ultimately flawed.