/ratheism's take on Buddhism

B5C

If you are fan of reddit. r/atheism has a good discussion going around about Buddhism in general.

We have one side saying Buddhism should not be accepted like other religions because some it's tenets don't match with science and the other side is that Buddhism does not require the supernatural and more like a philosophy that was turned into an religion.

Image too long to post:


The debate:
http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/pic06/on_buddhism_samsara_and_science_more_original/

person

Nice debate, nice cartoon. I assume you're view is like the crab's in the cartoon? I'm curious as to how you view Buddhism and what you get out of it?

In the debate thread there was one post that kind of sums up my view in relation to this subject:

"For the fact is that a person can embrace the Buddha’s teaching, and even become a genuine Buddhist contemplative (and, one must presume, a buddha) without believing anything on insufficient evidence. The same cannot be said of the teachings for faith-based religion. In many respects, Buddhism is very much like science. One starts with the hypothesis that using attention in the prescribed way (meditation), and engaging in or avoiding certain behaviors (ethics), will bear the promised result (wisdom and psychological well-being). This spirit of empiricism animates Buddhism to a unique degree. For this reason, the methodology of Buddhism, if shorn of its religious encumbrances, could be one of our greatest resources as we struggle to develop our scientific understanding of human subjectivity."

I generally accept the more 'magical' aspects of Buddhism as well. Partly because I have personal experience with supranormal phenomena and partly out of a faith to the teachings because I have personally validated enough to be true to provisionally accept the things I can't personally validate. I will defend my position as best I can and enjoy talking with others who share my views but I don't demand anyone else to accept it without direct experience for themselves.

B5C

I am in the camp of that religion has corrupted the teachings of the Buddha. Why would the Buddha teach us to be skeptical to everything and even to his own teachings, but while promote supernatural ideals?

Remember some Greek philosophers had religious cults created after their deaths.

Jeffrey

You're sort of missing the point of Buddha's teachings though - Buddhism isn't about being right or wrong.

This as a vibe I agree with. In meditation you don't prove anything. It is not a good or bad session.

But that's just a different orientation of the mind. It does not mean that atheists are not more reasonable by requiring evidence of a hell realm for example. However it would be an impoverished view though to think "why are people so dumb, why are they so superstitious"..
Make funny with your funny ways. I put candy out on halloween for the spirits one year. It was a very sacred gesture and the paradigm of 'are spirits real' did not mean anything because I was using another dimension of my mind. Our mind can dream and in a dream we do not orient ourselves by science because anything can happen.

This is just expository random musings of mine.. Have you ever heard of the eneagram? Or the Myer-Briggs digga digga? Right brain and left?

The mind can discover what is true with science. But science doesn't tell you who to marry or what religion to be. Some people get married to mysticism.

patbb

I am in the camp of that religion has corrupted the teachings of the Buddha. Why would the Buddha teach us to be skeptical to everything and even to his own teachings, but while promote supernatural ideals?

what supernatural ideals?

the only thing remotely supernatural in Buddhism is the past life things.

but this is not very important to meditation, and meditation (and what you get to observe, experience and realize directly) is the by far the most important part.

also it can be understood differently (evolution) which can solve this problem, or you can just ignore it until you personally see what the old dudes were talking about.

B5C

what supernatural ideals?

Rebirth, Karma's effect on rebirth, hungry ghosts, certain Buddhist sects that has deities, Bodhisattvas, cosmology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology

patbb

what supernatural ideals?

Rebirth, Karma's effect on rebirth, hungry ghosts, certain Buddhist sects that has deities, Bodhisattvas, cosmology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology

i think that if one understand these concepts a little more deeply instead of superficially, one realize that what is referred by these terms is not what one previously thought it was.

for example, hungry ghost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preta

if you just look at things superficially, you think "ohhh ghost!! Buddhist believe in ghost!!".
but if you learn a bit more you realize they are describing people who suffer from great thirst about whatever.
they represent mental states (always hungry for sex type of thing.)

B5C

if you just look at things superficially, you think "ohhh ghost!! Buddhist believe in ghost!!".
but if you learn a bit more you realize they are describing people who suffer from great thirst about whatever.
they represent mental states (always hungry for sex type of thing.)

It matters to some people. In Asia, a good number of the population believe they are real. Heck in HHDL wrote in his books that hungry hosts ARE real.

vinlyn

if you just look at things superficially, you think "ohhh ghost!! Buddhist believe in ghost!!".
but if you learn a bit more you realize they are describing people who suffer from great thirst about whatever.
they represent mental states (always hungry for sex type of thing.)

It matters to some people. In Asia, a good number of the population believe they are real. Heck in HHDL wrote in his books that hungry hosts ARE real.

Very true. This is a common theme in Thai Buddhism.

Bekenze

The crab is wrong. It is debatable about whether Samsara is literal, metaphorical or what-not.

seeker242

I am in the camp of that religion has corrupted the teachings of the Buddha. Why would the Buddha teach us to be skeptical to everything and even to his own teachings, but while promote supernatural ideals?

Because one is for people who are skeptical and the other is for people who are not.