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You Atheists have no hope. What keeps you alive?
MindGate
United States Veteran
I think Edward Tarte answered this question VERY well. "...I strive to relieve human suffering... I hope to leave the world a little better place than it would have been." He said this, among other things. Comments?
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But everybody is different so i'd hate to make such a general statement about atheists. they are human and have passions just like everyone else
I find the unified field theory very interesting and this is the best explanation I can give for my abstract concept of what everyone calls "God".
Even atheists, you just have to see that they are beings that suffer like the rest of us and act under delusion/ignorance.
If I am making any sense here? People try to attribute all of these complicated reasons and lessons for human existence, but I ignore them and simply spend the time being kind to others and improving myself and how I act. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, or in an afterlife or not... cherish this time you spend here, and do your best to improve the lives of others in a way the helps them, but also teaches them how to help themselves. Doing so will also make you see how to help yourself in the same way.
Going a little off-topic: Yesterday, while paging through a buddhist book in a local bookstore, a gentleman approached me and said that the only way to heaven is through Jesus and there is no other way. I was taken aback and before I could respond, he strolled away. So, there are people that tell me that I'm going to burn in hell. :rarr:
"Pantheism is the view that the Universe (Nature) and God are identical.[1] Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Ancient Greek: πᾶν (pan) meaning ‘all’ and θεός (theos) meaning ‘God’. As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that “God” is best seen as a way of relating to the Universe.[2] Although there are divergences within Pantheism, the central ideas found in almost all versions are the Cosmos as an all-encompassing unity and the sacredness of Nature."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheism
What do you guys think?
Possibly, Vajra, however I do not see the universe as a God, I simply try to see it for what it is. It is miraculous and mundane at exactly the same time."
Right, not a "god" in the sense of Monotheism, but merely as a creative principle as a whole. As in... "we" are all collectively god, co-creating, co-originating, co-manifesting on and on and on in an eternal cycle? The entire mass or cosmos manifests samsaric and nirvanic realms, sentient beings, bodhisattvas, gods, dogs, cats, buddhas... over and over again, churning, cycling... "creating" as a mass of interconnected parts of which we all are.
I think this is what theories of "tathagatagarbha" or "dharmakaya" and Buddhist traditions such as Dzogchen try to point to with the understanding of "samantabadhra." That though Buddhism conceptually is an atheism, it is also more of a pantheism experientially rather than an "absolute" atheism. As I feel the concept of "interdependent origination" declares inter-relative creativity.
But over time, and with practice, belief and disbelief give way to experience. Experience trumps belief and disbelief equally. Where belief and disbelief concern themselves with with something else, Buddhism concerns itself with this action, this moment, this something that is not something else.
Just my take.
http://www.sinfest.net/comikaze/comics/2007-10-08.gif
To me, such arguments support why I am atheist.....basically because teachings are not the words of god but human records of dogmatic story telling.
Saying that, Buddha's teachings have been corrupted by human interpretation, differences in translation etc etc so we shouldn't be too smug. After all, we have different traditions in Buddhism for exactly the same reason as other 'religions'.
Although I ticked the 'buddhist' box on the recent census in the UK, I feel that it is unimportant to attach a label to what I believe. After all, I have not always been a Buddhist and may not always be. I'd also rather others looked upon me through my actions, unaffected by their interpretation of the label attached to me. Therefore,
Spock is Spock
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.093.than.html
Without screw-ups like me, how could Buddhism be a world-class activity?
In the moment, I have to go back to my previous posts and answer comments directed at me.
Kind people took their time to do it. THANK YOU. I feel I have to respond ....even to say : :grr:
What does this idea add to your Buddhist practice?
Just replying, not to attack anyone, but to expound on what I said earlier on the thread.
Also why do you need an imaginary authority figure to have an happy life?
So my belief is "I don´t know, we will see". It feels lovely to rest in the unknown and look at nature and be amazed about the mystery of life. That´s freedom. I just humble myself to life whatever the outcome will be. Life is amazing and beautiful.