NationStates Jolt Archive

A great philosophy?

A religion?

A crazy idea for heathens and infidels?

A good set of ideas, but nothing to change you life over?

What are the thoughts of people on NS on Buddhism?

It seems harmless, which is how I like my religions. And Zen books like The Gateless Gate are good for a laugh.

my View Is To Ban All Religions And Commence Nuclear War

don't care what other people believe as long as they keep their religion the hell away from me

jk

yeah you can believe anything you want as long as it doesn't affect me

It's a religion, but it does not preach the existence of a god or a pantheon of gods. Or goddesses, for the avid feminists out there (there, happy? Now get off my lawn!)

It's pretty cool.

overrated and sometimes used as a pedestal for hippies to elevate themselves with, which pisses me off

It's a religion, but it does not preach the existence of a god or a pantheon of gods. Or goddesses, for the avid feminists out there (there, happy? Now get off my lawn!)

It's pretty cool.

I don't know if I consider it a religion. Zen buddhism is definitely a religion, it is practiced. General buddhism to me is much more philosophy than a religion.

Religion is the teaching of a certain code or belief that can be used to create a certain belief or following in which to help enrich and sustain a certain type of lifestyle.

Sounds like buddhism to me.

I regard buddhism a religion, and one of the better ones. Indeed, I studied it for a few years. Very fun.

Bah! I dont even pretend to understand this whole enlightenment thingie.

But, hey, whatever floats your boat!

overrated and sometimes used as a pedestal for hippies to elevate themselves with, which pisses me off

Then they don't know Buddhism. It preaches self-control and restraint, to not takee things for granted, thus allowing a higher level of enjoyment when you are in contact with those certain things. It's a short term for increasing the value of life and all of life's features.

Well, from what I know of it it seems a pretty good religion, but I wont go any further than that until I've studied it in my RMPS class.

Cheese.

If more people followed Buddhism, the world would be a better place. I'm all for it as my country is a religious but freely religious society. We just don't accept religions of hate.

Cheese.

Spam.

Cheese.

You better be careful. Mods constantly on the prowl *looks over shoulder*

Buddhism? The 8-ways way. Cool. Hard.

yeah you can believe anything you want as long as it doesn't affect me

I hope you meant effect, and not affect... It's pretty much impossible to believe, and/or act on anything without affecting something/one else...

I hope you meant effect, and not affect... It's pretty much impossible to believe, and/or act on anything without affecting something/one else...

Unless you're a hermit in north Romania.

You better be careful. Mods constantly on the prowl *looks over shoulder*

What? I'm perfectly on-topic here. ^_~

I personally think Buddhism is overrated by Eastern fetishists, but it has some great concepts, and some fun lil books of sayings and quotes.

I've studied Buddhism also, and I have to admit, there's still a lot I don't understand. I can wrap my mind around things like the Four Noble Truths, and some of the Eight-fold Path, and I think I get the idea of samsara being illusion (though that one's rather heavy), but in some ways Buddhism seems to impersonal to me.

What? I'm perfectly on-topic here. ^_~

I personally think Buddhism is overrated by Eastern fetishists, but it has some great concepts, and some fun lil books of sayings and quotes.

Fetishist?

What are the thoughts of people on NS on Buddhism?

I suppose it's OK, but if one religion is true, then all others are, by definition, false. Not much sense in following a false religion. So, before taking up Buddhism, or any other religion, you'd better be sure that it is correct and all others are wrong. Otherwise, you're not only wasting your time, but probably screwing up your afterlife as well.

A great philosophy?

A religion?

A crazy idea for heathens and infidels?

A good set of ideas, but nothing to change you life over?

What are the thoughts of people on NS on Buddhism?

it is all of the above. Whatever you make it. It is one of the few religions that agrees w/ a lot of science. I wish I wasn't raised in a christian society, so it would be easier to drop my view of "god", so I could become a buddhist.

I suppose it's OK, but if one religion is true, then all others are, by definition, false. Not much sense in following a false religion. So, before taking up Buddhism, or any other religion, you'd better be sure that it is correct and all others are wrong. Otherwise, you're not only wasting your time, but probably screwing up your afterlife as well.

buddhism doesn't beleive in a "right" or "wrong" religoin. They believe we are all on a path to salvation. Christians are just on a different path than buddhists.

Spam.

Spam and cheese. Must be from Wisconsin or Minnesota. :p

buddhism doesn't beleive in a "right" or "wrong" religoin. They believe we are all on a path to salvation. Christians are just on a different path than buddhists.

All religions are mutually exclusive. If one leads to salvation, the others, by definition, do not.

I've studied Buddhism also, and I have to admit, there's still a lot I don't understand. I can wrap my mind around things like the Four Noble Truths, and some of the Eight-fold Path, and I think I get the idea of samsara being illusion (though that one's rather heavy), but in some ways Buddhism seems to impersonal to me.

that's because it is. There is no "you". You are just a drop of water in a lake. But there is no disticintion between drops of water, they are all part of a bigger body of water. Also the fact that buddhism doesn't believe there is a soul, that makes it difficult to be very personal.

All religions are mutually exclusive. If one leads to salvation, the others, by definition, do not.

not necessarily. They don't say "christian is wrong" or "aethiest is wrong". They believe in rebirth, so when you die a christian you will "move up" the ladder to salvation to a "more advanced" type of religion.

buddhism is more of category than a distinct religion. It's very broad and allows other religions to enter, as long as the beliefs are fairly similiar to it's own (do not think of selfishness, lust, etc.).

not necessarily. They don't say "christian is wrong" or "aethiest is wrong". They believe in rebirth, so when you die a christian you will "move up" the ladder to salvation to a "more advanced" type of religion.

But that belief itself is contrary to the teachings of Christianity, Islam, and probably several other religions, and if true, then the teachings of Christianity, etc., are wrong.

There's no way around it: all religions are mutually exclusive. You must choose one to believe in or else choose not to believe in any of them. That's just the way it goes.

But that belief itself is contrary to the teachings of Christianity, Islam, and probably several other religions, and if true, then the teachings of Christianity, etc., are wrong.

There's no way around it: all religions are mutually exclusive. You must choose one to believe in or else choose not to believe in any of them. That's just the way it goes.


buddhism teaches religious tolerance and buddhists are allowed to worship in other religions if they wish, so yes there is a way around it

buddhism does not say it is the thruth, it simply states its an idea

Certain buddhists can be seen as atheists, as some factions of Buddhism do not preach of any god. Thus people who do not believe in Gods can still be an avid Buddhist.

buddhism teaches religious tolerance and buddhists are allowed to worship in other religions if they wish, so yes there is a way around it


They're allowed to worship in religions which state that Buddhism is wrong? That doesn't even make sense.

They're allowed to worship in religions which state that Buddhism is wrong? That doesn't even make sense.

That's the difficulty. While Buddhism allows the influence of other religions, other religiosn do not invite it's teachings.

Buddhism is great.
I turned to Buddhism from Christianity after I became a vegetarian and realized that vegetarianism and Christianity dont really mix. Buddhists doent have to be vegetarians, infact the Dalai Lama eats meat, but at least it encourages it. Unlike the whole animals were put here for us to eat them idea.
After finding out more about Buddhism I came to realize how everything Buddhism teaches is based on logical thought (4 noble truths, loving- kindness, compassion) and contemplation instead of blind faith like Abrahamic religions.
I cant wait until the Dalai Lama comes to Buffalo next summer!

That's the difficulty. While Buddhism allows the influence of other religions, other religiosn do not invite it's teachings.

And that's why you basically have to choose one religion or the other, or none at all.

They're allowed to worship in religions which state that Buddhism is wrong? That doesn't even make sense.


yeah makes no sense but its what buddhists believe

But that belief itself is contrary to the teachings of Christianity, Islam, and probably several other religions, and if true, then the teachings of Christianity, etc., are wrong.

There's no way around it: all religions are mutually exclusive. You must choose one to believe in or else choose not to believe in any of them. That's just the way it goes.

thats not always true.
Buddhists often look to other religions for wisdom. Buddhism doesnt teach that it alone is true. It doesnt even teach that you have to be Buddhist to reach Nirvana.
even in Hinduism, great gurus have used book like "the Imitation of Christ" by A Kempis along side the Baghavad Gita and Upanashads, in a realization that the basic messages upheld by world religions are the same.

Buddhism is another example of a person trying to have people live moral lives that may not necessarily lead them to pleasure and material gain in their lifetime. Because people have to sacrifice so much in their lifetime, Buddhism provides them with promises after life, just like Christianity. Thus, afterlife is an invention of these religions to persuade people to be more "moral."

A great philosophy?

A religion?

A crazy idea for heathens and infidels?

A good set of ideas, but nothing to change you life over?

What are the thoughts of people on NS on Buddhism?
I prefer to stay away from religions.

, in a realization that the basic messages upheld by world religions are the same.

Depends on what you consider to be "basic messages." It seems to me that the basic message of, say, Christianity is that god came to earth incarnated as a human, and that salvation can only be gained through him. That rather contradicts the Buddhist belief that "we'll all get to heaven in the sweet bye and bye" regardless of the path taken. Or Nirvana or whatever you want to call it.

I prefer to stay away from religions.


Same here.

And that's why you basically have to choose one religion or the other, or none at all.

Not neccessarily. It's difficult to completely adhere to multiple codes, but not impossible.

Thus, afterlife is an invention of these religions to persuade people to be more "moral."

It's either an invention or the truth. If it's the truth, then not believing in it won't allow you to avoid it.

Likewise, if it's an invention, then believing in it won't make it real.

Not neccessarily. It's difficult to completely adhere to multiple codes, but not impossible.

All religions conflict with their messages; the only constant truth is the lack of a god. Because all religions are different in their view of god, how can we tell which is the "right one?"

Not neccessarily. It's difficult to completely adhere to multiple codes, but not impossible.

We're not talking about codes, but of the nature of the Supreme Being, assuming there is one. If there is a god or set of gods, then he/she/they has (have) certain qualities. Believing that they don't won't make these qualities go away. If one of these qualities is a demand to foresake all other gods and religions except for the true god(s), then failure to do so puts one in the wrong.

All religions conflict with their messages; the only constant truth is the lack of a god. Because all religions are different in their view of god, how can we tell which is the "right one?"

Believe it or not, it is possible to know for certain. :)

All religions conflict with their messages; the only constant truth is the lack of a god. Because all religions are different in their view of god, how can we tell which is the "right one?"

Perhaps there is no true God. Perhaps it's a subsequent battle for popularity by multiple different Gods of religions. Have you played Black and White? It could be like that.

We're not talking about codes, but of the nature of the Supreme Being, assuming there is one. If there is a god or set of gods, then he/she/they has (have) certain qualities. Believing that they don't won't make these qualities go away. If one of these qualities is a demand to foresake all other gods and religions except for the true god(s), then failure to do so puts one in the wrong.

Not neccessarily. I'm not Christian, but I have studied religion, and some rules do not apply that there is only that God to worship. For example, in Christianity, Judaism, etc. The God implies:

You shalt have no other god before me

I'm probably wrong, but it could imply that you are not to have faith in another god more than that. Since parts of Buddhism do not even preach of an existence of a god, then it would not be contradicting anything.

Perhaps there is no true God. .

If there's no true god, then there's no god at all. You might as well be an atheist as a Buddhist, then.

If there's no true god, then there's no god at all. You might as well be an atheist as a Buddhist, then.

And how would you come to that conclusion?

Buddhism is another example of a person trying to have people live moral lives that may not necessarily lead them to pleasure and material gain in their lifetime. Because people have to sacrifice so much in their lifetime, Buddhism provides them with promises after life, just like Christianity. Thus, afterlife is an invention of these religions to persuade people to be more "moral."

That's not true at all. Traditionally Buddhism takes no stance on the afterlife. The historical buddha was not at all concerned with this since there was no way of being sure. He was an agnositc- very big on logic and experience. As other people have already stated, Buddhism is oftened practiced by people of other religions and so many religions have been combined with Buddhism to form the large variety of sects. Reincarnation is definitely not a universal Buddhist belief, and it was taken from hinduism at some point.

Perhaps there is no true God. Perhaps it's a subsequent battle for popularity by multiple different Gods of religions. Have you played Black and White? It could be like that.

You are right about the fact that there is no true God. And it is a subsequent battle for popularity by different religions (just leave out the multiple gods part.) Jesus Christ, Buddha, etc. all were demagogues. They preached giving to the poor, and guess what, the poor loved them! Their influence spread to the most well-off eventually, but it was their blatant populism that initially won them support. This is exactly like a politician giving out pork. It makes me sick to think that these people are thought of as divine. :mad:

That's not true at all. Traditionally Buddhism takes no stance on the afterlife. The historical buddha was not at all concerned with this since there was no way of being sure. He was an agnositc- very big on logic and experience. As other people have already stated, Buddhism is oftened practiced by people of other religions and so many religions have been combined with Buddhism to form the large variety of sects. Reincarnation is definitely not a universal Buddhist belief, and it was taken from hinduism at some point.

Isn't nirvana part of the afterlife???

Isn't nirvana part of the afterlife???

It's a state of contentment on the step to enlightenment.

Isn't nirvana part of the afterlife???

I think it is a state of total happiness, and is viewed on by most (may be wrong here, though) as something you reach in your life.

Buddhism seems to adapt and change as it passes through different cultures and times, for example Zen Buddhism is quite Japanese, whilst Cambodian (Khmer) Buddhism has kind of melded with Hinduism (from my own observations) and so forth.
From my own recollection, the state of nirvana is the attainment of enlightenment, breaking the cycle of rebirth. Some who reach nirvana move on into another state of existence, timeless and all-knowing. Some who reach nirvana stay in the present and try to teach others on how to attain it, and are called Bodhisstatvas (sp?) for example the Dalai Lama (in all reincarnations) and Jesus (how I see it anyway)
Perhaps Buddhism is just a way of life, rather than a philosophy or religion. But I probably wouldn't ask me, I'm not a very good Buddhist.

Isn't nirvana part of the afterlife???

No. Nirvana means "to be blown out", sort of like a candle flame. Basically, one achieves Nirvana when one no longer has any desires. When there's nothing left for you to do, you just cease to exist.