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@Markus_Louis said:
Good day! I've been reading Lama Surya Das's Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be for a couple of weeks now and I am quite intrigued at the same time fascinated. Buddhism matches my worldview/philosophies/principles, though I am affiliated with the Evangelicals (but I prefer labeling myself as a theist). I am a turned theist to be exact. I was into agnosticism then came a time when I became an atheist (I was raised in a Christian family by the way. My mom and dad are both elders in the church).
I am very much interested to know more a about Buddhism, to seek truth, and to understand and appreciate complexities.
By the way, I would like to raise some questions/arguments and probably you could clarify the points. It would shed some light, really. So here it goes:
[a] Is Buddhism an organized religion or more of philosophy?
[b] Buddhism is the same as as pantheism
[c] If reincarnation is real, how come our number (population) still increase since the soul can fit in only into one particular body?
[d] I have read that Buddhism does not believe in God or a god(esses), is this true to all categories/types of Buddhism?
[e] How were we created in the Buddhist point of view?
[g] Are there monks or teachers of Buddhism (I don't what they are called) here in the Philippines? I seriously want to have a long discussion with them even if I am from Ilocos Norte.
Thank you!
Magandang umaga! Here are things as I understand them-
a) Yes? I think it's a bit of both. I would lean more toward philosophy, as I find that Buddhism doesn't disallow the idea of a supreme being, nor does it specifically support one.
b) As The Buddha never claimed to be a god, I don't think that it would be similar to pantheism.
c) The jury is out (for me) on reincarnation, I'll find out in my next life. Seriously though, I don't really know. Could be that the population keeps increasing because there are beings that are being reborn from other planes of existence into this world as we know it. Best guess I have.
d) I don't know a whole lot of the specifics about the different sects of Buddhism. I don't think I would be capable of approaching this question.
e) Reincarnation- We are reborn into this world based on our Karma from previous lives. Science- When a man and woman love each other very much...
g) if you do a Google™ search for "Buddhism Near Me" a bunch of helpful pages will come up.
Natutuwa akong na ikaw ay nagpasya na sumali sa forum Ito ay isang magandang lugar na puno ng maganda ang mga tao na nahanap ko na ito ay isang mahusay na mapagkukunan para sa marami sa mga tanong na mayroon ako Alagaan at hanapin ko inaabangan ang panahon na sa pagkuha ng malaman
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Gods in Buddhism are not eternal, all-powerful, omniscient and omnipotent. They have a beginning, a middle and an end, just like Humans do., Just like anything does, in fact. They might be 'gods' but not in any way that a Christian would describe THEIR god.
@SpinyNorman I have to disagree. Belief has something to do with attachments. Atheism is not actually the lack of belief a particular deity, since they reject the existence of one. Lack of belief in a god is a de facto theist.
@federica If the Buddhist gods have limits just like humans, then they cannot be legitimate gods. There is no difference, since we will come to an end (or do we? Since there is the cycle of rebirth). Maybe, this explains why Buddhism is generally non-theist
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Buddhist gods, for so far as I have been able ascertain, are usually accorded a few powers but are not thought of as omnipotent or omniscient. A Buddhist monk of my acquaintance described them as "touching this world, but living in the rainbow, or in a dewdrop."
@Markus_Louis said: @SpinyNorman I have to disagree. Belief has something to do with attachments. Atheism is not actually the lack of belief a particular deity, since they reject the existence of one. Lack of belief in a god is a de facto theist.
Your Evangelical-Jedhi mind ticks will not work here. Faulty reasoning for example, Atheism = theism (good luck with that).
@Markus_Louis said: @SpinyNorman I have to disagree. Belief has something to do with attachments. Atheism is not actually the lack of belief a particular deity, since they reject the existence of one. Lack of belief in a god is a de facto theist.
Personally I don't find the theist/atheist dichotomy useful, and prefer to view it as a spectrum. Richard Dawkins took this approach in his book "The God Delusion".
In The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins posits that "the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis like any other." He goes on to propose a continuous "spectrum of probabilities" between two extremes of opposite certainty, which can be represented by seven "milestones". Dawkins suggests definitive statements to summarize one's place along the spectrum of theistic probability. These "milestones" are:
Strong theist. 100 per cent probability of God. In the words of C.G. Jung: "I do not believe, I know."
De facto theist. Very high probability but short of 100 per cent. "I don't know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there."
Leaning towards theism. Higher than 50 per cent but not very high. "I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God."
Completely impartial. Exactly 50 per cent. "God's existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable."
Leaning towards atheism. Lower than 50 per cent but not very low. "I do not know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be skeptical."
De facto atheist. Very low probability, but short of zero. "I don't know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there."
Strong atheist. "I know there is no God, with the same conviction as Jung knows there is one."
Note that this spectrum can be applied to beliefs in a more general way.
@dhammachick Let us start from the similarities first shall we?
Christianity and Judaism both believe in one God who is almighty, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and infinite. Both religions believe in a God who is holy, righteous, and just, while at the same time loving, forgiving, and merciful.
Both Christianity and Judaism believe in the existence of heaven, the eternal dwelling place of the righteous, and hell, the eternal dwelling place of the wicked (although not all Christians and not all Jews believe in the eternality of hell).
Christianity and Judaism have basically the same ethical code, commonly known today as Judeo-Christian.
However, the differences are all-important, too.
Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah / Savior. However, Judaism often recognizes Jesus as a good teacher, and perhaps even a prophet of God. Judaism does not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
As to the Nature of God:
Christianity: Trinity - one substance, three persons
Judaism: unity - one substance, one person
Resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Christianity: affirmed
Judaism: denied
We could discuss more, but these could be more than enough
When all the intellectualising/spiritual thrill seeking has finally gone from the system ( ie, the system being the psycho-physical phenomenon AKA the clinging & grasping self "five aggregates" ) and experiential knowledge/understanding/awareness becomes the norm,(through meditation practice) then one will find that the so called seeker of the truth is the 'truth' itself...
"Paradoxically, it takes time to become who we already are!" This according to Zen
When the penny finally drops....who or what will be left to hear the sound ?
2
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited June 2016
@Markus_Louis which rather begs the question, are Christians then a Jewish sect, and does that make all Christians also Jews? After all, they profess to follow the same God, and Judaism is by far the senior branch of the religion.
@SpinyNorman Regardless of your personal views on the theist-atheist dichotomy, it still clarifies some unclear points, create links, and eventually make our own analyses. I have also read that book. I suggest you should also read David Berlenski's The Devil's Delusion.
@Kerome Lemme, dissect those arguments that you raised:
Is Christianity a Jewish sect? No. Since the the thin line between Christianity and Judaism is the Persona of Jesus Christ. Christians claim the Jesus is the Messiah, while Jews reject this (although some Jews have come realization). Could also be Yes, since Jesus Christ is essentially a Jew. The first Christians (the disciples or students of Jesus) were essentially all ethnically Jewish or Jewish proselytes. In other words, Jesus was Jewish, preached to the Jewish people and called from them his first disciples.
All Christians are Jews? No. First, you cannot generalize. Second, because of ethnic/race differences. It is safer to say that some Christians are Jews.
They follow the God? Yes. But, generally, Christianity adheres to the Trinity (one God, three functions/persona) [although some Christians are Unitarian], while Judaism reject the Trinity.
Christianity and Judaism both believe in one God who is almighty, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and infinite. Both religions believe in a God who is holy, righteous, and just, while at the same time loving, forgiving, and merciful.
Both Christianity and Judaism believe in the existence of heaven, the eternal dwelling place of the righteous, and hell, the eternal dwelling place of the wicked (although not all Christians and not all Jews believe in the eternality of hell).
Christianity and Judaism have basically the same ethical code, commonly known today as Judeo-Christian.
However, the differences are all-important, too.
Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah / Savior. However, Judaism often recognizes Jesus as a good teacher, and perhaps even a prophet of God. Judaism does not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
As to the Nature of God:
Christianity: Trinity - one substance, three persons
Judaism: unity - one substance, one person
Resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Christianity: affirmed
Judaism: denied
We could discuss more, but these could be more than enough
We could but the problem with Christianity is that the OT is in many parts a bastardisation and mistranslation of the Torah (Leviticus and Isaiah being the main culprits. With Isaiah being outrightly reworded in regards to Moschiach/Messiah).
As a Jew I reject the shoddy handling of the Torah by Christianity, also I have to ask which version of the over 500 current translations of the Bible are correct?
Out of respect for my friends here, let's end this now. I was being sarcastic in my first comment, I should have highlighted that so as to not cause any misunderstandings, for that I apologise.
I will say however, your coming on here and speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian is extremely arrogant, ignorant and offensive. Don't do it.
@dhammachick Since you want to abort the discussion, I will no longer give my rebuttals.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Markus_Louis well, I won't consider the conversation a complete failure, as the point was to make you think.
I hope you will continue your inquiry into Buddhism, it has many treasures and can significantly change the way you view the world, especially coming from Christianity.
"I will say however, your coming on here and speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian is extremely arrogant, ignorant and offensive. Don't do it."
@dhammachick You got it all wrong. I was pointing out the distinctions. It was never my intention to hurt you. You said yourself that you were willing to listen and perhaps could clarify some points since you're a Jew (more familiar with the Jewish customs than I am), but then you're accusing me as arrogant, ignorant, insensitive. We're here for intelligent discussions (to come to a consensus), we should set aside our emotional attachments. Isn't that what the Buddha taught?
@Kerome Yes, my intention here was to clarify some points that were unclear to me. No, it is not a complete failure, I have to agree with that. We are clearly unfolding issues here. Yes, I'll be continuing this spiritual quest, I'll be meeting the monks and laymen Buddhists here in the Philippines this month. Thank you.
The verse is out of context (on the issue) and should not be taken separately. I suggest that you read the whole passage. V17 starts with, " Now you, if you call yourself a Jew..." Plus, proper hermeneutics are need to digest and interpret the meanings of each verse.
Out of respect for my friends here, let's end this now. I was being sarcastic in my first comment, I should have highlighted that so as to not cause any misunderstandings, for that I apologise.
I never intended to discuss it with you as I find your Evangelism and most Christianity tars Jews with a very incorrect brush. You missed my sarcasm in my first post so I clarified. And you missed the clarification so I am pointing it out again.
We may (or cannot?) come into terms because you hold on too much of of Jewish attachments that you find those points I presented as offensive. Yes, I am with the Evangelicals (as of now), had also taken my pastoral course under them. But I should stress out that I was an atheist back then. Thus, looking at all angles as much as possible and to let go of my attachments (I was raised in a Christian family).
@dhammachickPost redacted as being offensive to member.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited June 2016
MODERATOR NOTE:
@Markus_Louis said:
"I will say however, your coming on here and speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian is extremely arrogant, ignorant and offensive. Don't do it."
@dhammachick You got it all wrong. I was pointing out the distinctions. It was never my intention to hurt you. You said yourself that you were willing to listen and perhaps could clarify some points since you're a Jew (more familiar with the Jewish customs than I am), but then you're accusing me as arrogant, ignorant, insensitive. offensive. We're here for intelligent discussions (to come to a consensus), we should set aside our emotional attachments. Isn't that what the Buddha taught?
No. she hasn't accused YOU of being arrogant, ignorant and offensive. She stated that speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian, is arrogant ignorant and offensive.
There's a fine line between pointing out an error in methodology, and calling someone names.
I'm here to prevent that distinction being blurred.
@federica Lemme restate that, she MAY not mean accuse me (of being arrogant, ignorant, and offensive), but unfortunately it all spelled out her post that you even quoted. Grammatically speaking, what was the antecedent of her sentences? "YOUR", right. As a CHRISTIAN: who's the Christian here, is not the YOUR she's mentioning?
Yes. 'Your' is possessive, while the your being attached to Christian makes Christian as an adjective. So that makes the the YOUR possess the the adjective Christian. Thus, clearly pointing out the sentence directly to me - the one who posses the adjective. I would like to remind that I am a communication graduate, major in journalism. If you know the rules, I know my rules pretty much, too.
Enough said. Let's go on discovering things.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited June 2016
And if You are a 'Buddhing Buddhist' are you here to learn from us, or teach us a thing or two?
because as stated, you can be a Christian and practise Buddhism in virtually its entirety. But you cannot be a Buddhist and accept a Theistic religion into your practice, in its entirety.
Sooner or later, a Christian choosing to practice Buddhism needs to question their own belief and its relevance, resonance and veracity.
It is not for YOU to convince us to meld a theistic view with ours; This is a Buddhist forum. The majority of us have already previously deliberately abandoned a Theistic position, and have chosen to embrace Buddhism in favour of that.
If you're a 'Budding Buddhist', then it's a legitimate conclusion that you are seeking to deepen your Buddhist practice, and gradually scrutinise the logic and enigma of also following a theistic practice....
We don't need telling about Christianity and your Evangelical qualification.
You need to listen to the rationale we propose, to explain why such a stance is not logical to our understanding.
Lemme clear that out: It was not I who stated, "you can be a Christian and practice Buddhism", but from a Filipino Buddhist monk (who took refuge with Theravada) that I had previous talks with.
Yes, I am budding Buddhist and I am here to learn from you, guys. It was never my intention to "influence" you with my theistic affiliation, nor to brag about my Evangelical qualifications. I just brought this out (and later on unfolded, as some of the guys here wanted to ask for some details) [a] to provide a background of how I came to appreciate Buddhism; and [b] for you guys to "empathize" (because of where I am coming from); and [c] to clarify whether it is safe to conclude that Buddhism is basically adheres to atheism or we go back to non-theism [Mahayana's beliefs in god's included] (which was also unpacked. You may review the thread).
And I would like to stress that I never convinced anyone in this forum to shift to theism once again (You can review the thread). I am affiliated with Evangelicals, yes, but lemme reiterate that I was an agnostic-turned-deist-turned-atheist. And I would like to emphasize that there is a gap - a gap that needs to be bridged; a gap that was never filled by any of my four worldviews that I had.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
So what precisely is that 'gap'?
Let's discuss that...
The gap is the search for the truth. That is why this post unfolded, whether we disagree or agree with each other. Contradictions and our differences (setting aside our attachments) makes the unclear clear.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
There are only 4 indisputable, undeniable, inarguable truths (which is why they are called 'Noble'. This denotes a degree of worthiness, reliability and rock-solid fact.)
These are the 4 Noble Truths, ie that
Life is "stressful"
It is "stressful" because of our Craving
There is a way out of this "stressful" perpetuation;
That way is the Eightfold Path.
All other 'truths' are endlessly debatable.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited June 2016
This may help.
It goes into the 4 (Dukkha, Samudaya, Niroda and Magga) in detail.
Comments
So Nirvana as an existing reality?
I don't think atheism is a worldview, just a lack of belief in God.
Magandang umaga! Here are things as I understand them-
a) Yes? I think it's a bit of both. I would lean more toward philosophy, as I find that Buddhism doesn't disallow the idea of a supreme being, nor does it specifically support one.
b) As The Buddha never claimed to be a god, I don't think that it would be similar to pantheism.
Seriously though, I don't really know. Could be that the population keeps increasing because there are beings that are being reborn from other planes of existence into this world as we know it. Best guess I have.
c) The jury is out (for me) on reincarnation, I'll find out in my next life.
d) I don't know a whole lot of the specifics about the different sects of Buddhism. I don't think I would be capable of approaching this question.
e) Reincarnation- We are reborn into this world based on our Karma from previous lives. Science- When a man and woman love each other very much...
g) if you do a Google™ search for "Buddhism Near Me" a bunch of helpful pages will come up.
Natutuwa akong na ikaw ay nagpasya na sumali sa forum Ito ay isang magandang lugar na puno ng maganda ang mga tao na nahanap ko na ito ay isang mahusay na mapagkukunan para sa marami sa mga tanong na mayroon ako Alagaan at hanapin ko inaabangan ang panahon na sa pagkuha ng malaman
Gods in Buddhism are not eternal, all-powerful, omniscient and omnipotent. They have a beginning, a middle and an end, just like Humans do., Just like anything does, in fact. They might be 'gods' but not in any way that a Christian would describe THEIR god.
@SpinyNorman I have to disagree. Belief has something to do with attachments. Atheism is not actually the lack of belief a particular deity, since they reject the existence of one. Lack of belief in a god is a de facto theist.
@SpinyNorman or an agnostic or deist. Depends on how you evaluate yourself.
@SpinyNorman It is a worldview.
@ajhayes Oh, goodie! A Pinoy. Yes, I actually joined a group of Filipino Buddhists in Fcebook, and I'll be meeting them one of these days.
@federica If the Buddhist gods have limits just like humans, then they cannot be legitimate gods. There is no difference, since we will come to an end (or do we? Since there is the cycle of rebirth). Maybe, this explains why Buddhism is generally non-theist
Buddhist gods, for so far as I have been able ascertain, are usually accorded a few powers but are not thought of as omnipotent or omniscient. A Buddhist monk of my acquaintance described them as "touching this world, but living in the rainbow, or in a dewdrop."
@Kerome Thanks
Your Evangelical-Jedhi mind ticks will not work here. Faulty reasoning for example, Atheism = theism (good luck with that).
... meanwhile in nirvana masquerading as samsara ...
http://dharmandme.blogspot.com/2012/08/nagarjuna-on-emptiness-and-why-nirvana.html
Long live the Sith! [oops ... what a giveaway]
@lobster Actually, it will. Since we need in-depth analysis on situations.
And, if you please try to review the posts I made earlier. I never said that atheism is theism.
I'm all ears - I love hearing about Judaism from Christians.......
@dhammachick Okay. Where should we start then?
You start - I'm Jewish so I'll just correct you where you're wrong.....
Okay.
Personally I don't find the theist/atheist dichotomy useful, and prefer to view it as a spectrum. Richard Dawkins took this approach in his book "The God Delusion".
In The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins posits that "the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis like any other." He goes on to propose a continuous "spectrum of probabilities" between two extremes of opposite certainty, which can be represented by seven "milestones". Dawkins suggests definitive statements to summarize one's place along the spectrum of theistic probability. These "milestones" are:
Note that this spectrum can be applied to beliefs in a more general way.
@dhammachick Let us start from the similarities first shall we?
However, the differences are all-important, too.
Christianity: Trinity - one substance, three persons
Judaism: unity - one substance, one person
Christianity: affirmed
Judaism: denied
We could discuss more, but these could be more than enough
@Markus_Louis
When all the intellectualising/spiritual thrill seeking has finally gone from the system ( ie, the system being the psycho-physical phenomenon AKA the clinging & grasping self "five aggregates" ) and experiential knowledge/understanding/awareness becomes the norm,(through meditation practice) then one will find that the so called seeker of the truth is the 'truth' itself...
"Paradoxically, it takes time to become who we already are!" This according to Zen
When the penny finally drops....who or what will be left to hear the sound ?
@Markus_Louis which rather begs the question, are Christians then a Jewish sect, and does that make all Christians also Jews? After all, they profess to follow the same God, and Judaism is by far the senior branch of the religion.
@SpinyNorman Regardless of your personal views on the theist-atheist dichotomy, it still clarifies some unclear points, create links, and eventually make our own analyses. I have also read that book. I suggest you should also read David Berlenski's The Devil's Delusion.
Thank you, @Shoshin
@Kerome Lemme, dissect those arguments that you raised:
Is Christianity a Jewish sect? No. Since the the thin line between Christianity and Judaism is the Persona of Jesus Christ. Christians claim the Jesus is the Messiah, while Jews reject this (although some Jews have come realization). Could also be Yes, since Jesus Christ is essentially a Jew. The first Christians (the disciples or students of Jesus) were essentially all ethnically Jewish or Jewish proselytes. In other words, Jesus was Jewish, preached to the Jewish people and called from them his first disciples.
All Christians are Jews? No. First, you cannot generalize. Second, because of ethnic/race differences. It is safer to say that some Christians are Jews.
They follow the God? Yes. But, generally, Christianity adheres to the Trinity (one God, three functions/persona) [although some Christians are Unitarian], while Judaism reject the Trinity.
We could but the problem with Christianity is that the OT is in many parts a bastardisation and mistranslation of the Torah (Leviticus and Isaiah being the main culprits. With Isaiah being outrightly reworded in regards to Moschiach/Messiah).
As a Jew I reject the shoddy handling of the Torah by Christianity, also I have to ask which version of the over 500 current translations of the Bible are correct?
Out of respect for my friends here, let's end this now. I was being sarcastic in my first comment, I should have highlighted that so as to not cause any misunderstandings, for that I apologise.
I will say however, your coming on here and speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian is extremely arrogant, ignorant and offensive. Don't do it.
_ /\ _
"Legitimacy" is defined by human imagination, as are gods.
@dhammachick Since you want to abort the discussion, I will no longer give my rebuttals.
@Markus_Louis well, I won't consider the conversation a complete failure, as the point was to make you think.
I hope you will continue your inquiry into Buddhism, it has many treasures and can significantly change the way you view the world, especially coming from Christianity.
"I will say however, your coming on here and speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian is extremely arrogant, ignorant and offensive. Don't do it."
@dhammachick You got it all wrong. I was pointing out the distinctions. It was never my intention to hurt you. You said yourself that you were willing to listen and perhaps could clarify some points since you're a Jew (more familiar with the Jewish customs than I am), but then you're accusing me as arrogant, ignorant, insensitive. We're here for intelligent discussions (to come to a consensus), we should set aside our emotional attachments. Isn't that what the Buddha taught?
@Kerome Yes, my intention here was to clarify some points that were unclear to me. No, it is not a complete failure, I have to agree with that. We are clearly unfolding issues here. Yes, I'll be continuing this spiritual quest, I'll be meeting the monks and laymen Buddhists here in the Philippines this month. Thank you.
or yes?
http://biblehub.com/romans/2-29.htm
... and now back to the dissection (women, children and lobsters first) ...
The verse is out of context (on the issue) and should not be taken separately. I suggest that you read the whole passage. V17 starts with, " Now you, if you call yourself a Jew..." Plus, proper hermeneutics are need to digest and interpret the meanings of each verse.
@Markus_Louis you missed this bolded bit:
I never intended to discuss it with you as I find your Evangelism and most Christianity tars Jews with a very incorrect brush. You missed my sarcasm in my first post so I clarified. And you missed the clarification so I am pointing it out again.
_ /\ _
@dhammachick You call that sarcasm? Never intended to discuss with me and yet you wanted to listen to my views? C'mon.
We may (or cannot?) come into terms because you hold on too much of of Jewish attachments that you find those points I presented as offensive. Yes, I am with the Evangelicals (as of now), had also taken my pastoral course under them. But I should stress out that I was an atheist back then. Thus, looking at all angles as much as possible and to let go of my attachments (I was raised in a Christian family).
sighs I can't tell if my sarcasm was that subtle or if you're just a troll.
Incorrect brush? I was pointing out the clear distinction, of which, most Jews and Christians agree with.
@dhammachick Post redacted as being offensive to member.
MODERATOR NOTE:
No. she hasn't accused YOU of being arrogant, ignorant and offensive. She stated that speaking in absolutes about Judaism, as a Christian, is arrogant ignorant and offensive.
There's a fine line between pointing out an error in methodology, and calling someone names.
I'm here to prevent that distinction being blurred.
Carry on.
@federica Lemme restate that, she MAY not mean accuse me (of being arrogant, ignorant, and offensive), but unfortunately it all spelled out her post that you even quoted. Grammatically speaking, what was the antecedent of her sentences? "YOUR", right. As a CHRISTIAN: who's the Christian here, is not the YOUR she's mentioning?
@federica And just to clear things out, I am not flared up. I'm just magnifying the obvious
'Your' is possessive. 'You' is accusative.
Enough said.
Yes. 'Your' is possessive, while the your being attached to Christian makes Christian as an adjective. So that makes the the YOUR possess the the adjective Christian. Thus, clearly pointing out the sentence directly to me - the one who posses the adjective. I would like to remind that I am a communication graduate, major in journalism. If you know the rules, I know my rules pretty much, too.
Enough said. Let's go on discovering things.
And if You are a 'Buddhing Buddhist' are you here to learn from us, or teach us a thing or two?
because as stated, you can be a Christian and practise Buddhism in virtually its entirety. But you cannot be a Buddhist and accept a Theistic religion into your practice, in its entirety.
Sooner or later, a Christian choosing to practice Buddhism needs to question their own belief and its relevance, resonance and veracity.
It is not for YOU to convince us to meld a theistic view with ours; This is a Buddhist forum. The majority of us have already previously deliberately abandoned a Theistic position, and have chosen to embrace Buddhism in favour of that.
If you're a 'Budding Buddhist', then it's a legitimate conclusion that you are seeking to deepen your Buddhist practice, and gradually scrutinise the logic and enigma of also following a theistic practice....
We don't need telling about Christianity and your Evangelical qualification.
You need to listen to the rationale we propose, to explain why such a stance is not logical to our understanding.
Lemme clear that out: It was not I who stated, "you can be a Christian and practice Buddhism", but from a Filipino Buddhist monk (who took refuge with Theravada) that I had previous talks with.
Yes, I am budding Buddhist and I am here to learn from you, guys. It was never my intention to "influence" you with my theistic affiliation, nor to brag about my Evangelical qualifications. I just brought this out (and later on unfolded, as some of the guys here wanted to ask for some details) [a] to provide a background of how I came to appreciate Buddhism; and [b] for you guys to "empathize" (because of where I am coming from); and [c] to clarify whether it is safe to conclude that Buddhism is basically adheres to atheism or we go back to non-theism [Mahayana's beliefs in god's included] (which was also unpacked. You may review the thread).
And I would like to stress that I never convinced anyone in this forum to shift to theism once again (You can review the thread). I am affiliated with Evangelicals, yes, but lemme reiterate that I was an agnostic-turned-deist-turned-atheist. And I would like to emphasize that there is a gap - a gap that needs to be bridged; a gap that was never filled by any of my four worldviews that I had.
So what precisely is that 'gap'?
Let's discuss that...
The gap is the search for the truth. That is why this post unfolded, whether we disagree or agree with each other. Contradictions and our differences (setting aside our attachments) makes the unclear clear.
There are only 4 indisputable, undeniable, inarguable truths (which is why they are called 'Noble'. This denotes a degree of worthiness, reliability and rock-solid fact.)
These are the 4 Noble Truths, ie that
Life is "stressful"
It is "stressful" because of our Craving
There is a way out of this "stressful" perpetuation;
That way is the Eightfold Path.
All other 'truths' are endlessly debatable.
This may help.
It goes into the 4 (Dukkha, Samudaya, Niroda and Magga) in detail.