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4 questions
1 - Do Buddhist believe in suicide? if not how do they condone ritual suicide like the burning monks
2 - Do you fear death?
3 - Tattoos?
4 - What is the deal with rubbing a statue of Buddhist belly and leaving money by it if Buddha does not feel the need for items such as money
And another....
So if Siddhartha Gotama is head of Buddhism, is he your god? Can anyone reach the title of Buddah? if it means the enlightened one, is this a buddhists goal, to reach this state and be classed as a buddah? If this cannot be achieved what is the point???? How does one be given the title of Buddah?
I really would like to talk to a long term Buddhist as I have some really issues I would like to talk about, which I dont really want to do on here.
If anyone feels they could tank and help me please feel free to email me via my contact page
2 - Do you fear death?
3 - Tattoos?
4 - What is the deal with rubbing a statue of Buddhist belly and leaving money by it if Buddha does not feel the need for items such as money
And another....
So if Siddhartha Gotama is head of Buddhism, is he your god? Can anyone reach the title of Buddah? if it means the enlightened one, is this a buddhists goal, to reach this state and be classed as a buddah? If this cannot be achieved what is the point???? How does one be given the title of Buddah?
I really would like to talk to a long term Buddhist as I have some really issues I would like to talk about, which I dont really want to do on here.
If anyone feels they could tank and help me please feel free to email me via my contact page
0
Comments
1: "believe" in suicide, doesn't make sense. What do you mean?
2: Yes I do.
3: None, but many buddhists have them including monks.
4: Rubbing the belly is a cultural thing and not part of Buddhist teaching. The money is not for Buddha but for the temple/sangha or charity or both.
5: Buddha is not a god, and yes, the goal of buddhism is to become a buddha yourself. This can be achieved by following the 8 fold path.
How long is long term??
Nios.
-No. Were these the burning monks from the Vietnam war? I cannot speak to their intentions but this clearly goes against the precept against klling.
"2 - Do you fear death?"
-Yes and no. I look at dying as normal and as natrual as being born, I like all creatures have an inherent drive to survive and to be, so of course I don't want to die but I will. I can't speak for all Buddhist, but my practice has put me at a greater peace and acceptance of this idea of death. I have detached greatly from this idea and it is something that does not bother me. Maybe one day I can view it as I view the setting sun, the clouds in the sky or my children playing, I am just not quite there yet.
"3 - Tattoos?"
- Why not?
"4 - What is the deal with rubbing a statue of Buddhist belly and leaving money by it if Buddha does not feel the need for items such as money
-Not really Buddhist or Buddhist practice. These are more like good luck/cultural things. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
5- What Nios said.
Yours in the Dharma,
Todd
Nios - in regards to #1 - How to you feel about Suicide?, what will happen to you after death if you commit suicide? Is it right or wrong?
some more questions.
What are Buddhists views on murder, rape, child abuse? Do they eat meat? How do they feel about animal abuse, hunting, whaling etc
Thanks
Buddha spoke about skillful and unskillful actions and thoughts. Does killing yourself benefit anyone? How much suffering will it cause to yourself and others? Is it selfish or selfless?
Nios.
Edit: Oh yes, and as the yellow swing said, it goes against the precept of killing.
See the 5 precepts...
"There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking life (1), abstains from taking what is not given (2), abstains from illicit sex (3), abstains from lying (4), abstains from distilled & fermented drinks that cause heedlessness (5).
These are the five training rules in terms of which he is restrained"
Gihi Sutta
I think what is important to remember is that many things in Buddhism are relative and contextual, that is, the karmic considerations for the individual are taken in the context of the act or the situation.
Regarding the self-immolation of monks in Vietnam, I would guess that it was thought in that case that the strong intention of the monks involved, to make a statement about the war, or war in general, counterbalanced the supposedly bad karma of suicide.
(A word about karma- in this context I am using the word to describe the strength of the continuum of consciousness or degree of mindfulness that is brought to the act or situation. One might guess that the monks who self-immolated in Vietnam believed that the strength or momentum of their continuum of consciousness was sufficient to bring about a rebirth that would have been either higher or at least equal. So committing suicide with such a strength of intention, coupled with the possible increase in merit of calling the attention of others to the horror of that war, could be considered more beneficial than suicide committed out of depression or despair.)
So it's relative and contextual. And it's impossible for me to know in a final sense.
Fear of death depends on the degree of either discipline of the continuum of consciousness or the degree of liberation of the continuum of consciousness. If a person feels free and trusts that the Buddha-nature is such that "death" is just another transition, then the fear is less. For example, in my own case, I am 58 and have studied Buddhism since I was 13 and am a so-so practitioner. I want to be able to feel like my 14-year-old son is in a good space before I die, so to that extent I fear death. Fear of death is an individual thing based on how attached a person is to things in this life.
If a tattoo is a pride-oriented thing, then it just perpetuates that pride. If it's a reminder of Dharma and it works well for the person in that sense, it is probably ok. Again, it's individual and contextual. One has to remember that tattoos tend to be pretty permanent, and a person may later regret having it, or may notice that it has drifted southward with age and have regrets over that.
Rubbing a Buddha's belly is more of a folk-religious thing or maybe even a magical-thinking thing- it's like praying to Jesus that you win the lottery. This is not a usual thing for serious Buddhists. Then again, if a person is in a folk-religion or magical-thinking frame of mind but has a tendency toward strengthening their continuum of consciousness, then, for instance, if the person knows that the money is actually given to poor people, then maybe their continuum of consciousness will drift toward directly charitable acts.
I think there are three things to be considered: intention, outcome, and effect on the continuum of consciousness. If there is good intention and either no harm or beneficial effect on other people or the individual continuum of consciousness, then it's probably a good thing. But real-world situations are often so complex that there is no cookie-cutter solution.
The bottom line is that I really don't know. I know that there are factors to be considered, but these are all decisions that a person has to make for themselves mindfully and it's the mindfulness that counts.