Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

With a simple YES or NO! Do you believe buddhism is the ONLY path to the Cessation Of Suffering??

If your answer is NO (please state briefly what other paths you may think could lead the way)

PLEASE NOTE:
(I am simply asking out of interest only, so please dont get offensive or make sarcastic comments)

:)

federica
«13

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Yes.
    And
    No.
    SabreBonsaiDougericcris10sensova
  • zenmystezenmyste Veteran
    edited June 2013
    My answer: NO

    Brief reason;
    I believe to practice Taoism (to live in accordance with nature) could also be a path to the cessation of suffering!
  • federica said:

    Yes.
    And
    No.

    Care to give a 'little' elaboration.. :)
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    But not on its own.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    ^^My point exactly^^.

    :)
    Sabre
  • Fair do's!
    I hear what ya sayin!
    Thanks for comment!
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Cessation, yes

    Relief, no
    zenmyste
  • TheEccentricTheEccentric Hampshire, UK Veteran
    Yes, it's pretty much the only path that even has the aim of the cessation of suffering.
    sndymorn
  • The Dharma is the only path to the elimination of suffering. Buddhism contains the clearest and most direct path to the Dharma. That does not make it the only path.
    Invincible_summerriverflowKundo
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    No.
    There is nothing magic about the Eightfold Path. The stuff within it is laid out as a good path of life in many other traditions. If people stop getting deluded with the stories and details and stop listening to the talking heads and just dig deep in their own minds to come up with how to follow that path, they'll get to the same place. You don't have to be a Buddhist to meditate. And you don't have to be a Buddhist to follow the things laid out in the eightfold path.
    riverflowsndymornJohn_SpencerDaftChris
  • Lazy_eyeLazy_eye Veteran
    edited June 2013
    I don't know. :)

    I think first we have to decide if the second and third noble truths are correct. It's possible that the Buddha was wrong about the causes for suffering, or only got it partly right, or that there are other explanations.

    If he's right about the second noble truth, then the third logically follows and we know how to end suffering: get rid of tanha (craving) born of ignorance. So then it becomes a question of whether the Eightfold Path is the best or only way to do that.

    The answer also depends on whether concepts of self/soul must be abandoned in order to root out the ignorance that drives tanha (and hence leads to suffering). Anatta/emptiness is a distinctively Buddhist teaching, though of course it's possible that another seeker could find it. In which case that seeker would be a Buddha!
    zenmystesndymornperson
  • upekkaupekka Veteran
    Beyond Yes or No :)
    riverflow
  • Which Buddhism?
    Lazy_eye
  • fivebells said:

    Which Buddhism?

    The 8 fold path (which is supposed to be the path that leads to the cessation of suffering!
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    No
    riverflowzenmysteJohn_Spencer
  • Paul Tillich wrote, "God is greater than the religion in which God is manifested." Which could be another way of saying "Reality is greater than the religion in which reality is expressed."

    As if any of this were something that could be tied down to a concept! If only it were as easy as that, there would be no need to practice...
    karastizenmysteInvincible_summerKundo
  • No, buddha said so.
    zenmyste said:

    If your answer is NO (please state briefly what other paths you may think could lead the way)

    PLEASE NOTE:
    (I am simply asking out of interest only, so please dont get offensive or make sarcastic comments)

    :)

    lobsterzenmyste
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    Buddhism rings true for me.
    I cannot speak for the whole of humanity. A Sufi mystic, a Hindu, a Hassidic Jew, a Christian, a follower of the Tao or a pagan, if their path help them to lay down this burden and find peace, how can one speak of just one path.
    I love to read the writing of Sufi poets, one can see the heart, the essence of something they have touched- it's love, the divine if one wants to say so. I cannot read such things and claim my way is only one way.

    riverflowlobsterkarastiKundo
  • misecmisc1misecmisc1 I am a Hindu India Veteran
    No.
    John_Spencer
  • DaftChrisDaftChris Spiritually conflicted. Not of this world. Veteran
    Absolutely not.

    For one to claim that Buddhism is the only way to end suffering is akin to someone saying that Christianity or Islam is the only one true religion.
    vinlynJohn_SpencerriverflowKundo
  • No.

    I believe Hinduism and Taoism could also lead to the cessation of suffering. Probably paths such as Sikhism and Sufism as well but I don't know much about these.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    How should I know?
    riverflowKundo
  • Jeffrey said:

    How should I know?

    How should I no?

    Kundo
  • I think the following is worth considering:

    1) According to both Theravada and Mahayana tradition, one does not attain the cessation of suffering in one lifetime, but rather we are to develop the perfections over innumerable lifetimes. This means that along this path, we will be at times be following a Buddha's teachings, but at other times we will be following other paths as well especially since during certain aeons the Buddha's teachings are said to be non-existent. But whatever the path we happen to be following, we are still developing the perfections which will eventually allow us to end our suffering.

    2) The Buddha while he was developing the perfections was not always a Buddhist. Even when teachings of the Dhamma existed in the world, he was in certain lifetimes following asceticism. He was also born into the animal kingdom many lifetimes such as once when he was a monkey king.

    3) Several people who were not following the Buddhist path were able to attain full enlightenment or one of the stages of enlightenment through hearing just a verse of the Buddha's teachings. So even in the final lifetime when one attains the cessation of suffering, it is possible to do so by following a non-Buddhist path. (Although perhaps technically we can say that they followed the Buddhist path for a few seconds when they heard the single verse of the Buddha before they became enlightened).

    So the answer is, if we look at the entire journey towards the cessation of suffering which encompasses countless lifetimes, we see that there can be many paths to reaching the cessation of suffering because it is possible to develop the perfections through following a non-Buddhist path. Nonetheless, it is still arguable that at the very final moment of liberation, it is the eightfold elements that come together to open one's eye to the Dhamma.

    person
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    No.
    The important thing is to go so deeply in that you reach the place, the motherlode, where all streams have their origin.
    riverflowKundo
  • No, but I think it's the best laid out path. The other paths tend to have lots of side-paths branching off that can easily distract you into focusing on less important goals/aspects of belief. Buddhism has those to, but less of them.
    riverflow
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    zenmyste said:

    fivebells said:

    Which Buddhism?

    The 8 fold path (which is supposed to be the path that leads to the cessation of suffering!
    The 8fp is a late addition, and it is not clear that the Buddha taught it.
    Various Vajrayana schools barely acknowledge it. And many Dzogchen teachers see such an idea as unhelpful.
    The point being that you are going to need to look elsewhere for a universal commonality.
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    Chrysalid said:

    No, but I think it's the best laid out path. The other paths tend to have lots of side-paths branching off that can easily distract you into focusing on less important goals/aspects of belief. Buddhism has those to, but less of them.

    Oh boy...

  • Citta said:


    The 8fp is a late addition, and it is not clear that the Buddha taught it.
    Various Vajrayana schools barely acknowledge it. And many Dzogchen teachers see such an idea as unhelpful.
    The point being that you are going to need to look elsewhere for a universal commonality.

    Hmmm, kinda ironic since Vajrayana was the last form of Buddhism to develop and incorporated extensive aspects of the native sharmanic Bon religion, don't you think?
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited June 2013
    Ironic ? I don't know.
    A fact ?
    Many Vajrayana schools do not teach either the 8fp or 4nt at all...They dont deny them...they simply ignore them..check it out. Other Vajrayana schools like the Gelug teach them in much the same way that a Theravada teacher would....The point being a lack of Universality.
    And for many Dzogchen schools the 8fp and 4nt. would indicate would a position which reinforces Duality.
  • Citta said:

    Ironic ? I don't know.
    A fact ?
    Many Vajrayana schools do not teach either the 8fp or 4nt at all...They dont deny them...they simply ignore them..check it out. Other Vajrayana schools like the Gelug teach them in much the same way that a Theravada teacher would....The point being a lack of Universality.
    And for many Dzogchen schools the 8fp and 4nt. would indicate would a position which reinforces Duality.

    I'm not denying what they teach, just saying it's ironic to say the 8fp is a late addition and cite the latest developing Buddhist tradition as evidence, that's all.
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    The 8fp is a later addition to the corpus of teachings that are identified with the Pali Canon.
    But the Vajrayana takes it's origin in another and different schema.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    Buddhadharma is the only method in the world that leads to liberation and great enlightenment, Many others train their selves to the peak of Samsara but lack the tools to break through.
    person
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran
    Dukkha lessening is the goal. Other paths think suffering, such as god sacrificing is a 'good' thing - in fact their gods recommend it for their children.

    If you want to overcome dukkha then other religions might give you a breadth and diversity of knowledge, just as you can study carpentry without being the adopted son of Joseph.

    As for simple no's and yeah's - I think you have us confused with slot machines . . .

    "I teach suffering, its origin, cessation and path. That's all I teach" Buddha
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    One of the things I often hear on this forum is that it doesn't really matter whether Buddha actually taught a particular concept, but whether the concept/teaching is wise or not.

    But, guess not.
    Jeffrey
  • misecmisc1misecmisc1 I am a Hindu India Veteran
    caz said:

    Buddhadharma is the only method in the world that leads to liberation and great enlightenment, Many others train their selves to the peak of Samsara but lack the tools to break through.

    @caz: Mahavira was also enlightened and the teachings of Mahavira formed the religion of Jainism.

    moreover, Hinduism also states that initially there was sunyata - from this sunyata, arose Universal Consciousness (Shiva) as a manifestation - something like sunyata and Shiva are the two aspects of the same thing - from Shiva, arose matter(Shakti or Prakriti) through manifestation, which lead to the creation of Samsara - in the end, everything dissolves back to Shiva or shunyata. Also, Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali contains 8 steps to follow to realize True Self. Also, Lord Krishna taught that the ultimate goal of human life is Self-Realization.

    Christ and Mohammad became one with God - now, the question comes what you can call God? is God the same as a ruler of heaven, as Hinduism or Buddhism states - or - is God another name for the ultimate reality. how can we know if it is not the later thing? So if God is another name for the experience of ultimate reality or peace, which can be seen through ending of ignorance, then the paths of Christ and Mohammad can also lead to ultimate reality - provided, we leave the rites and rituals and put things in correct perspective.

    so all these religions also have the path for ending of suffering and leading to ultimate reality.
    John_SpencerJeffreyKundo
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited June 2013
    @misecmisc, I dont think introducing the Hindu view of the origin of religious forms does anything but muddy the water even more.
    Buddhadharma must be understood by its own lights. As must Christianity.
    If we fully enter either we may find that at depth they have a common source.
    But to simply draw a veil of 19th century Hindu universalism over both is to misunderstand both.
    The idea that The Buddha and Jesus are manifestations of Visnu is equally offensive to most Buddhists and most Christians.
    cazJeffrey
  • poptartpoptart Veteran
    Frankly, I think there are as many paths as there are people. The point of Buddhism is finding your own.
    riverflowvinlynKundo
  • misecmisc1misecmisc1 I am a Hindu India Veteran
    @Citta - may be different perspectives of different religions to depict the ultimate reality in conventional terms for telling/understanding that there exists something beyond material world.
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    Maybe ..but introducing elements of other mythologies as ontological truth may not be helpful.
  • FlorianFlorian Veteran
    No.

    Don't get me started.

    riverflow
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited June 2013
    The letting go of clinging/craving is the one and only way, yes!
  • Citta said:

    @misecmisc, I dont think introducing the Hindu view of the origin of religious forms does anything but muddy the water even more.
    Buddhadharma must be understood by its own lights. As must Christianity.
    If we fully enter either we may find that at depth they have a common source.
    But to simply draw a veil of 19th century Hindu universalism over both is to misunderstand both.
    The idea that The Buddha and Jesus are manifestations of Visnu is equally offensive to most Buddhists and most Christians.

    No, it really isn't.


  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited June 2013
    OK John, try popping into Dhamma Wheel or Dharma Wheel and suggesting that the Buddha is an avatar of Visnu..
    ( others have btw...there was blood all up the walls )
    Then try popping into a Catholic or Orthodox or Southern Baptist website and suggesting that Jesus is an avatar of Visnu.

    Let us know how it goes.
    riverflow
  • FlorianFlorian Veteran
    Hmm. Freke and Gandy propose something very like this in The Jesus Mysteries., in relation to Dionysius, Orpheus and other archetypes. But you're right, I wouldn't want to mention this on a Christian website.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Citta said:

    OK John, try popping into Dhamma Wheel or Dharma Wheel and suggesting that the Buddha is an avatar of Visnu..
    ( others have btw...there was blood all up the walls )
    Then try popping into a Catholic or Orthodox or Southern Baptist website and suggesting that Jesus is an avatar of Visnu.

    Let us know how it goes.

    Ah, but why is it necessary to throw something controversial up in someone's face?





    Kundo
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited June 2013

    Citta said:

    @misecmisc, I dont think introducing the Hindu view of the origin of religious forms does anything but muddy the water even more.
    Buddhadharma must be understood by its own lights. As must Christianity.
    If we fully enter either we may find that at depth they have a common source.
    But to simply draw a veil of 19th century Hindu universalism over both is to misunderstand both.
    The idea that The Buddha and Jesus are manifestations of Visnu is equally offensive to most Buddhists and most Christians.

    No, it really isn't.


    The suggestion that Buddhists and Christians would be OK with the idea of the founders of their religion actually being Hindu avatars was not mine.
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran

    caz said:

    Buddhadharma is the only method in the world that leads to liberation and great enlightenment, Many others train their selves to the peak of Samsara but lack the tools to break through.

    @caz: Mahavira was also enlightened and the teachings of Mahavira formed the religion of Jainism.

    moreover, Hinduism also states that initially there was sunyata - from this sunyata, arose Universal Consciousness (Shiva) as a manifestation - something like sunyata and Shiva are the two aspects of the same thing - from Shiva, arose matter(Shakti or Prakriti) through manifestation, which lead to the creation of Samsara - in the end, everything dissolves back to Shiva or shunyata. Also, Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali contains 8 steps to follow to realize True Self. Also, Lord Krishna taught that the ultimate goal of human life is Self-Realization.

    Christ and Mohammad became one with God - now, the question comes what you can call God? is God the same as a ruler of heaven, as Hinduism or Buddhism states - or - is God another name for the ultimate reality. how can we know if it is not the later thing? So if God is another name for the experience of ultimate reality or peace, which can be seen through ending of ignorance, then the paths of Christ and Mohammad can also lead to ultimate reality - provided, we leave the rites and rituals and put things in correct perspective.

    so all these religions also have the path for ending of suffering and leading to ultimate reality.
    The problem with other paths is they are Samsaric, Liberation is literally the peak of the formless realm of Samsara for them because of Incorrect views particularly that of conceiving phenomena to exist as independent they can never really abandon Self grasping let alone the subtlest levels of this delusion. Those who achieve this distinct accomplishment usually belong to the Jain's or Hindu following but it is not actual liberation.

    The Abrahamic faiths get no where near this accomplishment at the most they could accomplish would be rebirth within the Desire realm of the Gods, Some of what is practiced amongst them they would be lucky to reach a higher realm at all.
Sign In or Register to comment.