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Poll

Buddhism is...

...a philosophy
[ 1 ] (16.7%)
...a religion
[ 2 ] (33.3%)
...a science
[ 0 ] (0%)
...a problem
[ 0 ] (0%)
...tolerable as long as I get my beer
[ 3 ] (50%)

Total Members Voted: 6

Topic: The Problem with Buddhism (Read 31181 times)

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #25 –
In keeping with the attitude of scientific inquiry, I see no place for the notion that the proclaimer of some truth should be the embodiment of the same truth or be generally likable to hearers.

Truth is what it is, whether you like it or not. Just like at school you learn facts from teachers, but you don't have to like the teacher - and the teacher may be ignorant of other aspects of life, even of the other aspects of the subject she is teaching -, I don't understand how people demand anything more from religious teachers.

Truth is what it is, and personalities are entirely distinct from it. If you want truth, why let the teacher or preacher become an obstacle, rather than a stepping stone?

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #26 –
What exactly are you talking about?

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #28 –
well ..
not only Buddhis that have meditation things .

Hindi , Daoism   ,  etc .. also have meditation / relaxation things , blah blah ..


for some reasons , i donot believe religion  .

some Buddhis philosophy is sane .

but buddhis as religion is insane .

i maybe Wrong ,

but it seems ..
There is no Sane Religion , since religion it self is insane .

::)

"If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then leave Buddhism and follow the Science ."

-The Dalai Lama

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #30 –
Wally has reached Buddhist nirvana

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #31 –
Apparently Wally's a Tibetan monk.

Re: What's going on on MyOpera & opera.com

Reply #32 –
To the best of my knowledge [Pesala]'s a Buddhist living in the UK.

Re: Re: What's going on on MyOpera & opera.com

Reply #34 –
Quote from: Josh on

Russian Buddhist?:D
"Bhikkhu Pesala is an English monk, ordained at Oxford by Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw in 1979 during the Sayādaw’s missionary tour of the West."
His website http://www.aimwell.org/

In addition to having dedicated his life to Theravada Buddhism (as I have understood, he has an real organisation or community formed around his own person) he has also been a very prominent character on Opera forums. No traces of Russianism.

(Frenzie, is it possible to attach the last three posts - including this here - to Buddhism thread instead?)

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #35 –
China Bans Reincarnation Without Government Permission
Quote
At 72, the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since 1959, is beginning to plan his succession, saying that he refuses to be reborn in Tibet so long as it's under Chinese control. Assuming he's able to master the feat of controlling his rebirth, as Dalai Lamas supposedly have for the last 600 years, the situation is shaping up in which there could be two Dalai Lamas: one picked by the Chinese government, the other by Buddhist monks.
AFAIK, two lines of Lamas - Chinese in Tibet and Tibetan abroad - is already a reality, just not the case yet with Dalai Lama.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #36 –
China is a totalitarian, dictatorship regime with no respect soever for freedom of religion or anything else, including the human life.

Besides the Dalai Lama and the right of Tibetan people to chose their own destiny and spiritual leadership, Chinese authorities have created a false pseudo Catholic church, with pseudo bishops nominated by the Communist Party that was never recognized, it is not recognized and never will be recognized by His Sanctity, the Pope.

It's a shame what the western world accepts, in the name of money and profits to companies, respecting to China.
A matter of attitude.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #37 –
@Belfrager
What exactly makes the Chinese Catholic bishops pseudo? Just that the Pope hasn't acknowledged the church? Has the Chinese Catholic Church ever been recognised by Vatican? Pre-revolution perhaps? What are the Chinese authorities doing wrong? Does the bishops' reincarnation order need improvement? What I know about Soviet era churches, some say all priests had to serve as KGB snitches. Something similar going on in China?

Seriously, what do you think about the doctrine of reincarnation? Does it ring a bell? Move a nerve? Boggle the mind?

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #38 –
Quote from: ersi on
What exactly makes the Chinese Catholic bishops pseudo?

It's a political farce and an attempt by the Chinese authorities to manipulate the Catholic Church.
Quote from: ersi on
Just that the Pope hasn't acknowledged the church?

"Just" is a wrong adjective. Nothing happens in the Catholic Church without the Pope's admittance. And that's how you can manage one billion followers. We are not protestants, where any idiot can create a "church".
Quote from: ersi on
Has the Chinese Catholic Church ever been recognised by Vatican?

No, it's a false church without any liaison to Catholicism, an ambush made by the Chinese Communist Party to control Catholic followers.

This is enough so you can understand my position against the Chinese authorities.
Quote from: ersi on
Seriously, what do you think about the doctrine of reincarnation?

The soul is immortal and reincarnation it's a childish dream.
Whilst buddhism claims an endless  series of reincarnation so, supposedly,  the soul can evolve, Catholicism defends Forgiveness and that God is Love.
After physical death, God welcomes you and sets you free.
Free from everything, an endless state of spiritual existence. If it was not like this, God would not be God.

That's why Jesus Christ, God made human, the Son in the Catholic Holy Trinity - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - come to earth, to suffer this earthly living, to suffer by all our sins, and show to all of those that suffers that there is Hope.
A matter of attitude.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #39 –
Churches are permitted in that totalitarian nightmare but under close controls even when allowing new buildings. Outwiththose tight things you are in trouble so Belfrager does have a case.
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #40 –
Quote from: Belfrager on

Quote from: ersi on
Seriously, what do you think about the doctrine of reincarnation?
The soul is immortal and reincarnation it's a childish dream.
Whilst buddhism claims an endless  series of reincarnation so, supposedly,  the soul can evolve, Catholicism defends Forgiveness and that God is Love. After physical death, God welcomes you and sets you free.

As I have said earlier in this thread, there's no soul in Buddhism. Consequently, I don't know what the purpose of reincarnation is for Buddhists.

Reincarnation makes sense in conjunction with the soul, but doesn't make sense without soul. Reincarnation is not too different from resurrection. The concept of soul is necessary for resurrection too. Reincarnation is serial resurrection :)

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #41 –
Except that resurrection implies the same body and reincarnation implies a different body.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #42 –
So those whose body has completely decayed cannot resurrect? How does it work exactly?

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #43 –
Does it? Are you asking me? :left: :right:
Last time I checked, resurrection of adults wouldn't work on fetuses. That would be called reincarnation.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #44 –
You are from a Catholic country, not a heretical Protestant, so yes, I am asking you. You are the expert of the true papal faith today.

How does resurrection work when the body has decayed? Does it really have to be the same body or will it be okay when it's similar enough?

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #45 –
So call me a heretic Protestant atheist living in a Catholic country. You better ask Belfrager on that.
My answer is quite obvious: there's no such thing as resurrection. Neither reincarnation. This is not a problem to me. And, as I stated before, that was not a problem in ancient Judaism as well.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #46 –
Quote from: Barulheira on
So call me a heretic Protestant atheist living in a Catholic country. You better ask Belfrager on that.

He wants you. He wants to create you some difficulties. :)

And before he starts creating me the difficulties:
Quote from: ersi on
Reincarnation is serial resurrection :)

Nope, no it isn't.

Only Jesus Christ resurrected, due to his divine nature. To be the Son of God has some privileges.
It also takes some troubles, as Crucification...

Resurrection it's theological domain, using "theology" at it's true sense, which is not the "study of God" but the study, the interpretation of the Word of God. Theology has dogmas and the best we can aspire is to use philosophic and rational reasoning in order to understand what's the will of God - using his Gift to understand his Will.

For example, in theological terms, during the Middle Ages it was believed that the main meaning of God's will was punishment for sinners and suffering. Therefore, it was known as the "Theology of Crucification".
Later, theology has changed and definitively adopted the view that God's message and will was Forgiveness and Love and since then the actual Theology it's called the "Theology of Resurrection" (or redemption).

Everything relating the Mystery of Resurrection must be regarded under this Light and it reveals, at a very clear way, the importance and uniqueness of Jesus Christ's Resurrection .

All that to say that it is not possible to discuss resurrection as if we were speaking about some biological process or even if not charged with Catholic meaning and symbolism.

As for "reincarnations", please, be my guest... I'm all ears... :)
A matter of attitude.

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #47 –
Thanks! :)

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #48 –
And that period also seen the additional horrors of the inquisition. Enough to make one shudder.
"Quit you like men:be strong"

Re: The Problem with Buddhism

Reply #49 –
Quote from: Belfrager on

Quote from: ersi on
Reincarnation is serial resurrection :)

Nope, no it isn't.

Only Jesus Christ resurrected, due to his divine nature. To be the Son of God has some privileges.
It also takes some troubles, as Crucification...

All that about Christ's unique privileged trouble of the Mystery of Crucifixion is very fascinating, but naturally I meant resurrection in a more down-to-earth way, still completely theologically. Consider the resurrection of Jesus' friend Lazarus or Matthew 27:52. And also I mean the resurrection of the dead in the end days. What's the Catholic doctrine of that?

Quote from: Belfrager on

As for "reincarnations", please, be my guest... I'm all ears... :)

In my specified sense, reincarnation is the common recurrence of personal traits in individuals. From one point of view, every person is a unique character, but from another there's evolution from birth to death, and there is a common set of character traits that undergoes this evolution, and there is also a universal set of character traits that different individuals display to various intensity.

Now, suppose there's a certain known character that has been embodied and a similar character re-emerges elsewhere at another time, so similar that the distinction is impossible to make. This is said to be reincarnation, in theory.

Then for some people it goes beyond theory. People have a sense of identification, a sense of "I", which is a bundle of character traits and, when embodied, also bodily traits. Noticing the same traits in another person of the same era is said to be "twin soul". But those who have a solid memory of having lived elsewhere at another time with the same sense of "I", they testify to their own reincarnation.

Sorting out one's own memory is like reading a book. There are different characters in the book, but one may be so horribly similar the reader that the reader recognises himself. It's like "I" seeing "myself" in a mirror. You may shun the idea that it's you in the mirror, but when the mirror image is persistent, some conclusion must be drawn from this. When one recognises oneself in a historical character to a sufficient degree - and it's not just an illusion, because character traits are measurable - then reincarnation is the name for such occasions. Like deja vu, but in a bigger and more concrete sense.