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Questions for a college course
I have 10 questions that I need to ask someone who is a non-Christian. Would anyone on this forum like to volunteer to answer them? They are listed below.
1. In your view, what is responsible for the existence of the universe?
2.Where did the world come from? How did it come into being?
3.What is a human being?
4.What happens to a human being when he or she dies?
5.How can we be sure that we have any true knowledge?
6.How do you determine what is right and wrong?
7.Does history have any purpose or theme? How does life have any significance?
8.What are the pros and cons of your view?
9.Do you have problems with the Christian view of reality?
10.What do you appreciate about the Christian view of reality?
I cannot simple put down what I think someone on this site would say, I actually need someone to respond. I appreciate your taking the time to answer.
Thank you.
1. In your view, what is responsible for the existence of the universe?
2.Where did the world come from? How did it come into being?
3.What is a human being?
4.What happens to a human being when he or she dies?
5.How can we be sure that we have any true knowledge?
6.How do you determine what is right and wrong?
7.Does history have any purpose or theme? How does life have any significance?
8.What are the pros and cons of your view?
9.Do you have problems with the Christian view of reality?
10.What do you appreciate about the Christian view of reality?
I cannot simple put down what I think someone on this site would say, I actually need someone to respond. I appreciate your taking the time to answer.
Thank you.
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Comments
11. Why do you hate Jesus?
We don't consider this to be an important question, as it's unanswerable.
2.Where did the world come from? How did it come into being?
see above.
3.What is a human being?
A composite of 5 skandas.
4.What happens to a human being when he or she dies?
The physical body either decays and rots away as worm fodder, or if cremation takes place, we end up as powder.
5.How can we be sure that we have any true knowledge?
We can be sure we have knowledge insofar as we understand what knowledge is. It depends how you define it really, huh?
6.How do you determine what is right and wrong?
If I feel a bad feeling in my gut - it's wrong.
If I feel a good feeling generally all over, it's right.
7.Does history have any purpose or theme? How does life have any significance?
That's two completely separate questions.
Probably.
Maybe.
8.What are the pros and cons of your view?
The pro's are that they really, really work for me.
The cons are that I don't always live by them.
9.Do you have problems with the Christian view of reality?
well, there are so many Christians, and so many views, that I have a hard time getting them to tell me what they are.
10.What do you appreciate about the Christian view of reality?
I appreciate that it's their right to see it this way, and I hope it makes them happy.
I cannot simple put down what I think someone on this site would say, I actually need someone to respond. I appreciate your taking the time to answer.
Well, it just took a few moments.... others may answer differently.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Nature. Various forces & impact following the law of cause & effect.
In Buddhism, the word is manusaya, which means 'high minded'. A human being is defined by having a mind with conscience & concern; with reflective reasoning.
When a human being dies, they remain the memory of other human beings.
True knowledge is something confirmed or verified. For example, the Buddha taught at least four things are true knowledge, namely:
1. All things arise from a cause.
2. When human beings suffer, this is due to attachment & ignorant craving. When human beings are free from suffering, this is due to being free from attachment & ignorant craving.
3. All conditioned things are impermanent.
4. All conditioned things cannot be owned or possessed. They are "not-self". They are & belong to nature.
If it harms & causes suffering, it is wrong.
It it does not harm & does not cause suffering, it is right.
Sure. In this life, we can gain enlightenment & help other human beings gain enlightenment. Enlightenment is true knowledge that results in the minds of human beings being free from suffering.
No cons. All pros.
Generally, no problems really. If it can bring happiness to some people, it is good. But it has no relevence to my life.
Only problems is the common Christian missionary agenda & fundamentalism. Both Islam & Christianity share this problem. They think all human beings must follow their beliefs. They think their beliefs are true knowledge rather than being merely beliefs.
Just as our world has many kinds of living creatures and many kinds of human beings, it has many kind of different beliefs.
Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, etc, are just sets of beliefs. None of these can ever be true knowledge for each & every human being.
If Islam & Christianity can stop their wars, this would help humanity enormously.
When Jesus said: "I am the only way to the Father", this was true because it is the way to the "Father".
But not all human beings are interested in the way to the Father just like not all humans beings are interest in travelling to Alaska.
For example, Buddhists are interested in the way to perfect peace (Nirvana/Nibbana).
So Christianity has one problem, which is fundamentalism. To have a more democratic outlook is better.
What is practically useful in those teachings was already previously taught by the Buddha. For example, teachings of non-violence, charity, love, etc, are all found in abundance & perfect explanation in Buddhism.
you are.
2.Where did the world come from? How did it come into being?
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html
3.What is a human being?
form, feeling, reaction, perception, consciousness
4.What happens to a human being when he or she dies?
i'm not dead yet
5.How can we be sure that we have any true knowledge?
true knowledge is non-dualistic .
6.How do you determine what is right and wrong?
it's a matter of strategy not metaphysics.
7.Does history have any purpose or theme? How does life have any significance?
coming out of suffering, in all it's forms
8.What are the pros and cons of your view?
no fixed views beyond that actions have consequence.
9.Do you have problems with the Christian view of reality?
Gnosis has No Rules, No Dogmas and No Beliefs
10.What do you appreciate about the Christian view of reality?
whatever works...
Thank you again for your time.
Everything is caused. Including God if he exists. If God were to exist his role as a father, loving, creator are all dependently arisen with creation. Before creation God is none of those things and is unknown.
There is a zen koan (riddle of instruction): what is your face before you are born? I think for a christian given that we are in God's image I think it could be: Who is God before creation?
2.Where did the world come from? How did it come into being?
Everything is caused. So no first cause. Even God.
3.What is a human being?
Sentient intelligent population of earth. In buddhism human means that you can understand the dharma and have enough suffering that you have motivation to practice and escape the desire realm. So there could be blue humans with wings in space if they had those qualities.
4.What happens to a human being when he or she dies?
I don't personally know. But Tibetan buddhism teaches that they are reborn. Could be hell being, human, demon, hungry ghost, deva, animal, form realm, or formless realm.
At death its believed you see the clear light which is the truth of reality I gather. But most people pass out and then are reborn. If you see the truth and understand it you can be a buddha in which case you tirelessly become reborn to help sentient beings.
5.How can we be sure that we have any true knowledge?
No true knowledge is graspable. We can't freeze reality to fit a conceptual truth. The mind is clear open and sensitive. By aligning with these qualities we can recognize the truth just as when an object is brought before a mirror the mirror reflects the object.
6.How do you determine what is right and wrong?
By your deepest wishes. Explore your wishes and the why's for those wishes. At the bottom could be something like wish to be happy. Wisdom tells you how to accomplish right and wrong. Just trying to be happy doesn't succeed without wisdom right?
7.Does history have any purpose or theme? How does life have any significance?
We have a sensitive nature. A cup of tea has significance. A meeting with another person has significance. 'history' is too broad a generalization and I suspect usually people are caught up in an idea and clinging to it when they have a strong feeling what 'history' is about. For me history is about survival on one hand and wishing to be happy or progress on the other.
8.What are the pros and cons of your view?
Which view? All views cause suffering when you cling to them. The heart energy needs to move. A gap needs to exist where no view is there. So that you can recognize the truth like a mirror. In communication we need this gap so we don't jump to conclusions about what others have said. And we don't jump to conclusions about what we think. Instead a sensitive response bubbles up or else we just let there be a gap until it does.
9.Do you have problems with the Christian view of reality?
I am not responsible for anyone else's view of reality unless they ask me or unless we are sharing in a non-threatening way that we mutually agree on. Likewise they are not responsible for my view. I hope Christians find great happiness.
10.What do you appreciate about the Christian view of reality?
I find it wise to accept God's will. Because you cannot control the universe much less your own thoughts and feelings. Humbling.
In fact, the above may have already shed some light on harmony in this regads.
Shurangama sutra is a very enlightening sutra specifically on wisdom that provided all answers to the above questions. Buddhist and Christian are akin to the nationality of chinese and american where its nature is human
provide all facilities to develop the students WISDOM
they will find the right answers to all the 10 questions
The way the question is asked begs the question. It demands that something be responsible for the existence of the Universe which makes it a rigged question.
If you want to know what came before our Big Bang singularity point (aka Hubblesphere), then most cosmologists and my own reasoning suggests that our universe is just one amongst many bubble universes like our own.
(I know this isnt necessarily a Buddhist concept, just my own view. Though, isnt the term universe referred to in the plural in Buddhist scriptures?
2.Where did the world come from? How did it come into being?
Technically, the word "Universe" means "everything that exists." To ask where it came from and how it came into being is to contradict the meaning of the Universe as everything as a whole.
3.What is a human being?
One of the more evolved species of the animal kingdom. All beings are composed of the 6 aggregates (5 senses plus consciousness). No beings are a permanent self.
4.What happens to a human being when he or she dies?
There is no death. Your true self is all of existence which never dies.
5.How can we be sure that we have any true knowledge?
This is an epistemological question that doesn't necessarily concern religion, though the Buddhist theory of epistemology is that no words and no concepts can accurately describe reality.
6.How do you determine what is right and wrong?
Buddha taught the Golden Rule. If you wouldn't want it done to yourself, it would be "wrong" or unskillful to do it to others. Dalai Lama said to do what you can to help others, but if that's too much to ask, at least don't hurt them.
7.Does history have any purpose or theme?
There is no past or future, only the now.
How does life have any significance?
It doesnt. All existence is empty.
8.What are the pros and cons of your view?
Buddha had reached supreme Enlightenment and his Enlightened teachings (Buddha Dharma) have been preserved and taught to us through Buddhism. The teachings are a highly advanced and profound form of philosophy, or rather the ultimate philosophy.
The Cons are the paradoxes that arise that may confuse others, but these are also seen as its strenghts because it doesn't get trapped in duality and transcends contradictions.
9.Do you have problems with the Christian view of reality?
Accept this meek and mild savior as your God and if you don't like it, you can burn in hell for eternity. The concept of vicarious redemption. Dying on a cross cannot forgive the sins of the unborn and the unborn should not be born guilty and carry a burden.
10.What do you appreciate about the Christian view of reality?
It gives me something to debate about. If everyone agreed on one philosophy, the world would be boring. I hold my philosophies with conviction and they hold theirs with conviction and im glad they are there to provide contrasting views and im glad it makes them happy. Though i will still respectfully debate them til death.
I cannot simple put down what I think someone on this site would say, I actually need someone to respond. I appreciate your taking the time to answer.
No problem. Thanks for asking.