Is Anyone Here A Buddhist?

[cafetimes1991]

Just curious. I can't see much wrong with Buddhism. Though I have my doubts as usual...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/BuddhaTwang.jpg

[mephibosheth]

Just curious. I can't see much wrong with Buddhism. Though I have my doubts as usual...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/BuddhaTwang.jpg

I'd like to know what the alternate history of Buddhism is. That is, every other religion seems to have a number of different accounts of origin--it wasn't Mohammed, it was a team of people, it wasn't Jesus, it was the Romans...etc. Buddha, by all accounts, lived a long and fruitful life of peaceful teaching.

Its strange, but when I look inside Buddhism, it seems a little alien to me. Especially the Mahayana teachings, with its view of infinity. And yet at the same time, it seems one of the more sensible spiritual traditions.

8)

[comawhite015]

I'd like to learn more about Buddhism. If ever there's a religion which stayed out of everyone's face, it's Buddhism. That alone makes me .. respect it more than most others. I really know very little about it, though.

I heard this .. rather mad story from a friend of mine who went to India for a while, he met this monk who lived with an enourmous rusty chain tied around his waist. The chain had dug into his flesh and had created this ring of suppurating infection which was full of maggots. When one of the maggots fell off, he would pick it up and say to it 'Why do you flee, beloved?' and put it back.

I'm.. positive that that is pretty extreme, though. heh.

[pinkfreud]

I heard this .. rather mad story from a friend of mine who went to India for a while, he met this monk who lived with an enourmous rusty chain tied around his waist. The chain had dug into his flesh and had created this ring of suppurating infection which was full of maggots. When one of the maggots fell off, he would pick it up and say to it 'Why do you flee, beloved?' and put it back.

ewwwwww.


but then, i'd still say buddhism is (seemingly) the best of all religions, though i've heard the dalai lama is an illuminati puppet.

it is by far the most spiritual of all organised 'belief structures', and focus on the individual path rather than force people to conform to it's teachings. and buddhists as a whole are very peace loving.

[kasalt]

Just curious. I can't see much wrong with Buddhism. Though I have my doubts as usual...

You'll find lots to consider here:

http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm

Table of Links

Buddhism: Violence and War (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW)

General (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW1)
Buddhist Violence in Sri Lanka (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW2)
Buddhist Violence in Burma (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW3)
Buddhist Violence in Bhutan (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW4)
Buddhist Violence in Cambodia (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW4a)
Buddhist Violence in Laos (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW4b)
Buddhist Violence in Thailand (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW5)
Buddhist Violence in Kashmir (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW6)
Buddhist Violence in Korea (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW7)

The XIV. Dalai Lama (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL)

General (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL1)
Violence and War (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL2)
The Hindutva-Connection (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#Hindu)
Atomic Bomb (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL3)
Sexuality (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL3a)
Neuroscience (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#neuroscience)
Vegetarian? (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL4)

The Kalachakra Tantra (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#KALA)

The Shambhala Prophecy (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#SHAM)

Lamaist Warrior-Gods -Heroes and -Kings (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#WARRIOR)

The Grand Sorcerers (Maha Siddhas) (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#MAHASIDDHA)

Lamaist Warrior Monks (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#WARMONKS)

Buddhocracy (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BUDDHOCRACY)

Tantric Buddhism – a critical approach (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TANTRA)

Sexual abuse by Buddhist Monks (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#SEXABUSE)

Child-Monks, Child-Abuse (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#CHILD)

Ancient and Modern Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET)

General (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET1)
The Myths within History (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET2)
Social Reality in Ancient Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET3)
The CIA and Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET4)
The Making of Modern Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET5)
Tibet and World Politics (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET6)

Zen, Nechiren, Samurai and Fascism (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#ZEN)

Buddhism, Fascism and the Nazi-Tibet-Connection (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#NAZI)

Shoko Asahara: Making the Buddhist Apocalypse (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#ASAHARA)

Hollywood-Buddhism (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#HOLLYWOOD)

The Karmapa affair (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#KARMAPA)

The Dorje Shugden affair (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#Shugden)

Christian Critiques of Lamaism and Buddhism (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#CHRISTIAN)

Critiques from within (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#WITHIN)

[nirvana]

Yes buddhism is very positive the only draw back is that it has become very expensive these days. Down the road from me buddhism is £7.00 a lesson. Also when I lived at a tibetan buddhist place in scotland for a few months ,we were told one bad thought about a Lama can give you 1000 bad rebirths. This control mechanism is what I did'nt like.

I was even turned away from a buddhist place once beause I had forgot my money.



Peace:)

[size_of_light]

I'm a 'Buddhist', although a 'student of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy' is a much better way to describe me.

[shepard]

I'm a Buddhist...
For the short answer, Buddhism is NOT a religion... its labeled as one, and it is not. The Buddha himself, never actually referred to himself as Buddha because there is no actual set of rules or guidelines on "How To Be a Buddhist". In its simplest form, when you see chants or hums, the Buddhists of a long time ago knew that this existence was composed of vibrations, so they invented these Chants, which manipulate these vibrations and turn them into what we wish. So its kinda like, you chant while thinking hard on something, or meditating, and these vibrations that you are putting out manipulate the world around you.

But it does take some getting used to, it may seem strange at first, but remember nothing in Buddhism is set in stone, every story is a representation of a meaning or truth. The answer to all lies within, Buddhism helps you to find it.

[mephibosheth]

For the short answer, Buddhism is NOT a religion... its labeled as one, and it is not.


Let's see. It contains rigorous rituals, esoteric teachings, a body of venerated scriptures, a collection of deity-like individuals, a promise of salvation. Say what you will. As far as human activities go, Buddhism is a religon.



The Buddha himself, never actually referred to himself as Buddha


Well, he constantly refers to the Tathagata, and his disciples are always calling him World-Honoured-One. And he mentions he has the Buddha-eye, though he cautions his disciples from identifying his physical form with Buddha nature.



...because there is no actual set of rules or guidelines on "How To Be a Buddhist".


However, there are numerous sutras that list guidelines and rules on how devotees ought to conduct themselves. The eightfold path itself is a guideline on how to practice 'buddhism' as we know it.



In its simplest form, when you see chants or hums, the Buddhists of a long time ago knew that this existence was composed of vibrations, so they invented these Chants, which manipulate these vibrations and turn them into what we wish. So its kinda like, you chant while thinking hard on something, or meditating, and these vibrations that you are putting out manipulate the world around you.


Its interesting that you put it this way. OTOH, not all forms of Buddhism rely on mantras.

Two prominent widespread sects are Pure Land Buddhism and Nichiren Buddhism.

Pure Land bears some interesting similarities to Christianity. It places faith in 'other power' of the Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. This Buddha is said to have created a Buddha-land through sheer effort and purity of practice over countless lifetimes. It is said that if a person sincerely recites the name of Amitabha Buddha only as many as ten times, that rebirth in his pure-land at the moment of death is assured. There one can spend unlimited time studying with buddhas, and delighting in the splendor of the land, all the while continuing practice. It is said that such a person will only have one more rebirth in this world before attaining nirvana. The practioner of Pure Land chants the name of the Buddha of Infinite Light, Namo Amitabha, and attempts to keep this Buddha and the pure land in mind at all times. This practice leads to purification of manner and behaviour, and various other benefits.

Nichiren Buddhism takes a slightly different tact, and uses a different mantra. Taking the Lotus Sutra as the supreme essence of the Buddha's teachings, it chants the title of the Lotus Sutra--Nam Myho Renge Kyo (japanese). This practice, in constrast to Pure Land, is focussed on attaining liberation in this lifetime (rather than attaining pure-land rebirth and then liberation later). Although the Lotus Sutra itself doesn't recommend this chanting practice, Nichiren Buddhists are convinced that chanting this mantra is the whole meaning and purpose of the Lotus Sutra.

OTOH, one can gain benefit from chanting 'Pepsi-Cola' with single-minded intent. Try it. I guarantee after some weeks of practice, chanting this mantra for 10-20 minutes a day, you will begin to feel bubbly and refreshed, and see the world in a new light, and speak with the voice of a new generation.

The similarity of these mantra-based practices to theistic prayer is obvious, just as is their connection to traditional magic.

The question remains whether the words themselves contain a 'secret power' or whether the words merely are a means for the devotee to focus and manifest their own internal power. The latter is the most likely, especially since other meditation practices bring about this transformation through single-minded focus on a point on the wall or a paradoxical concept.

Expedient means, all.

8)

[rhydra]

There is Buddhism and there is Buddhist sorcery, which strikes me as intriguing. It was apparently started by the Naga Apalala after he incarnated as a human. He set up a school of sorcery around the area known as Afghanistan and the Swat Valley.

There is also Bon, which is the religion which Buddhism superseded in Tibet, Bon may well be the official practise of Shambhala.

[mephibosheth]

I think one of the interesting aspects of Buddhism is that is basically accepts that there exist all manner of nagas, demons, devas, and such, spread throughout the universe, but it doesn't say much about them. They were all interested in the Buddha's teaching, to one degree or another.

8)

[mephibosheth]

Simple intro to Pure Land:

http://www.cloudwater.org/pureland.html

http://www.tonglen.oceandrop.org/buddhapix/tibetan01.jpeg

[lightgiver]

Just curious. I can't see much wrong with Buddhism. Though I have my doubts as usual...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/BuddhaTwang.jpg

DOUBT

Defined as: deluded indecisive wavering - being in two minds about reality; usually leading to negative actions. Examples are, once one has decided to be a Buddhist, doubting karma, rebirth etc. In fact, one should be clear about these fundamental aspects prior to becoming a Buddhist.

TRANSFORM: lack of self-confidence or ignorance
WITH: study, critical analysis, reflection, enthusiasm, meditation.
INTO: clarity, self-confidence and conviction.

"There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts, it is a sword that kills."
The Buddha

"Although individuals may be highly intelligent, they are sometimes dogged by scepticism and doubts. They are clever, but they tend to be hesitant and sceptical and are never really able to settle down. These people are the least receptive"


"If we were to put our minds to one powerful wisdom method and work with it directly, there is a real possibility we would become enlightened.
Our minds, however, are riddled with confusion and doubt. I sometimes think that doubt is an even greater block to human evolution than is desire or attachment. Our society promotes cleverness instead of wisdom, and celebrates the most superficial, harsh, and least useful aspects of our intelligence. We have become so falsely “sophisticated” and neurotic that we take doubt itself for truth, and the doubt that is nothing more than ego’s desperate attempt to defend itself from wisdom is deified as the goal and fruit of true knowledge.
This form of mean-spirited doubt is the shabby emperor of samsara, served by a flock of “experts” who teach us not the open-souled and generous doubt that Buddha assured us was necessary for testing and proving the worth of the teachings, but a destructive form of doubt that leaves us nothing to believe in, nothing to hope for, and nothing to live by."

"Doubts demand from us a real skilfulness in dealing with them, and I notice how few people have any idea how to pursue doubts or to use them. It seems ironic that in a civilization that so worships the power of deflation and doubt, hardly anyone has the courage to deflate the claims of doubt itself-to do as one Hindu master said: 'turn the dogs of doubt on doubt itself, to unmask cynicism, and to uncover what fear, despair, hopelessness, and tired conditioning it springs from'. Then doubt would no longer be an obstacle, but a door to realization, and whenever doubt appeared in the mind, a seeker would welcome it as a means of going deeper into the truth.":)

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3593/artgk1qc5.jpg (http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=artgk1qc5.jpg)

[metacomet]

Buddhism is alot like Christianity...

Buddha and Christ both stepped into the world with the un-fettered truth.

Stop looking beyond yourselves - recognize the light within - you are God, I am God etc.

Letting go of 'sin' or attatchment to illusion and the physical world...


Buddha and Christ taught all of these things and what happened?

People idolized them. Now we 'pray to Christ' or 'pray to Buddha'. Now we have 'religions' based on Christ AND Buddha...

Christ and Buddha are the pointing finger in the Buddhist analogy...

If you point at an object and someone stares at your finger... they don't 'get it'. They don't see the object your pointing to.

They obsess on the finger. Religion is a finger. The 'point' is beyond the physical and cannot be embodied in Christ, Buddha, or the finger :)

Buddhism taught me this. It's so ironic.

[lightgiver]

A lot of people want the take off before they have even mastered the controls,Enlightenment takes effort ;)


First I would like to lead meditation on bodhicitta. And this moment I would like to ask you to visualize white light, like a full moon. Beautiful white light like a full moon. You visualize that on your chest. And think, "This white light is my mind. This white light is loving-kindness. This white light is my mind of loving-kindness, my mind of love, my mind of compassion." So you visualize this beautiful white light, like a complete circle, like a moon. Then light shining, white light shining from here, radiating, shining, radiating. Light shining, radiating to ten directions: to the east, to the west. Light going to the south, to the north. And to the four cardinal directions, and to up, and to down. Light goes to all over, and goes first light goes to this earth, to everywhere on this earth. Then beyond the earth.

So this light reaches, it reach six realms. And this light reach all sentient beings, the light of love. I send my love and compassion, my pure thought, my pure wish, sincere thought. My wish: "May all beings have happiness. May all beings have cause of happiness. May all beings have no suffering. May all beings have no cause of suffering. May all beings have peace and bliss. Enlightened mind -- the mind of Buddha." So I send this light -- every, all sentient beings touched by this light. This light reach all beings, and all beings experience the mind of loving-kindness.

The subject of the talk to night is meditation on, meditation on bodhicitta, precious bodhicitta. So the subject of talk is meditation on bodhicitta, and this meditation is the essence of the path, and essence of the practice of the final scope, the final scope of Lam Rim, the Great Scope of the Lam Rim.

Try it out :) [Meditate.]

A Lamp For The Enlightenment Path. LAMRIM.

http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/A%20-%20Tibetan%20Buddhism/Authors/Atisha/A%20Lamp%20For%20The%20Enlightenment%20Path/A%20Lamp%20For%20The%20Enlightenment%20Path.htm

[thirdwave]

I think Buddah is a more mature religion than Christianity... and is closer to a science...

Though of course like all religions it will have lots of infiltration within it and there are many kinds of Buddism..

Genraly yeah I do warm to it more.. but it still turnes onto a Dogma.. and you can still get hung up on concepts...

The thing is any true spiritual knowledge IMO would assist you in your own path ..and your own reality.... these pathways to reality and "light" for me can turn bitter and just become something for people to lean on...

it is basically what Jesus would have been banging on about if he was a real chap... In fact it would not shock me if his wiser texts are texts from Buddha.

But I think all Gurus make mistakes when they try to teach them the path they went through... as that was theirs not others... this is what I think is the big mistake many have made..

At least if I met a Buddist and did not agree with their beliefs they would not secretly be feeling sorry for me and hoping I change so I wont go to hell...

[lightgiver]

I think Buddah is a more mature religion than Christianity... and is closer to a science...

Though of course like all religions it will have lots of infiltration within it and there are many kinds of Buddism..

Genraly yeah I do warm to it more.. but it still turnes onto a Dogma.. and you can still get hung up on concepts...

The thing is any true spiritual knowledge IMO would assist you in your own path ..and your own reality.... these pathways to reality and "light" for me can turn bitter and just become something for people to lean on...

it is basically what Jesus would have been banging on about if he was a real chap... In fact it would not shock me if his wiser texts are texts from Buddha.

But I think all Gurus make mistakes when they try to teach them the path they went through... as that was theirs not others... this is what I think is the big mistake many have made..

At least if I met a Buddist and did not agree with their beliefs they would not secretly be feeling sorry for me and hoping I change so I wont go to hell...

Jesus was a Bodhisattva;):D

You appear to have all the answers oh great oracle.Buddha was around a long time before jesus.

So i suppose Buddha did not exist also.

everyone as Buddha nature<you need to study and research more and rid the doubt out of your mind.

[thirdwave]

Jesus was a Bodhisattva;):D

You appear to have all the answers oh great oracle.Buddha was around a long time before jesus.

And I take it you are the teacher of oracles ?.

and no shit.

So i suppose Buddha did not exist also.
Im not sure, it would not shock me... allthough he seems more believable than one man who was sent down by god, walked on water, fed thousands with a small basket of fish and bread... turned plane water into wine and rose from the dead after being dead for three days after letting people smash the shit out of him and nail him to death to some how save us from OUR sins..


everyone as Buddha nature<you need to study and research more and rid the doubt out of your mind.

what is Buddha nature?

[lightgiver]

And I take it you are the teacher of oracles ?.

and no shit.


Im not sure, it would not shock me... allthough he seems more believable than one man who was sent down by god, walked on water, fed thousands with a small basket of fish and bread... turned plane water into wine and rose from the dead after being dead for three days after letting people smash the shit out of him and nail him to death to some how save us from OUR sins..



what is Buddha nature?

well by the sounds or your posts you appear not to look at the bigger picture,maybe the bible was tainted by people with their own agendas.

Buddha nature is what you have, i have and every living conscious being in this universe as,you need to research.

I have already done mine a long time ago.

Do not take everything you read to be as it was.

I suppose 911 was carried out by a bunch of Muslim fanatics and the rest of the false flags going on.

You need to loosen your mind it is pretty rigid.

"About this mind... In truth there is nothing really wrong with it. It is intrinsically pure. Within itself it's already peaceful. That the mind is not peaceful these days is because it follows moods. The real mind doesn't have anything to it, it is simply (an aspect of) Nature. It becomes peaceful or agitated because moods deceive it. The untrained mind is stupid. Sense impressions come and trick it into happiness, suffering, gladness and sorrow, but the mind's true nature is none of those things. That gladness or sadness is not the mind, but only a mood coming to deceive us. The untrained mind gets lost and follows these things, it forgets itself. Then we think that it is we who are upset or at ease or whatever.
But really this mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful... really peaceful! Just like a leaf which is still as long as no wind blows. If a wind comes up the leaf flutters. The fluttering is due to the wind -- the 'fluttering' is due to those sense impressions; the mind follows them. If it doesn't follow them, it doesn't 'flutter.' If we know fully the true nature of sense impressions we will be unmoved.
Our practice is simply to see the Original Mind. So we must train the mind to know those sense impressions, and not get lost in them. To make it peaceful. Just this is the aim of all this difficult practice we put ourselves through."

[thirdwave]

You need to loosen your mind it is pretty rigid.


lol... One thing I learnt a long time ago is when someone tells you what you should be doing with your mind you should swiftly tell them where the sun don't shine :).

I do feel there is lots more I can learn but judging by your claims and outlooks I wont be visiting your library any time soon!! ;)

The only Religion I practice is thirdwavanity..

a quote for you to dwell on..

""Believe nothing. No matter where you read it, or who said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
~ Buddha "

[metacomet]

At least if I met a Buddist and did not agree with their beliefs they would not secretly be feeling sorry for me and hoping I change so I wont go to hell...

hahaha, so true!

So true...

The Buddhist assumes your soul isn't yet tired enough of the great illusion... run along soul, play on with the illusion! You will tire of it soon enough and see the truth.

Some Christians are like... 'Bad soul! BAD! You come home right NOW!'

You cannot force enlightenment eh? I like Buddhism for that.

[mephibosheth]

So i suppose Buddha did not exist also.


Does a Buddha really 'exist' in the first place? Do not say 'a Buddha exists'. Do not say 'a Buddha does not exist'. Do not say 'a Buddha neither exists nor does not exist'.

Either way, the actual physical corporeal existence of Siddhartha Guatama is irrelevant to Buddhism. Unlike Islam and Christianity, the source of the teachings isn't important. Only their practice is, and whether that practice yields results.




well by the sounds or your posts you appear not to look at the bigger picture,maybe the bible was tainted by people with their own agendas.


Like maybe the Tripitka was tainted by people with their own agenda? Probably by nagas.



Buddha nature is what you have, i have and every living conscious being in this universe as,you need to research.


How does one 'research' Buddha-nature? :confused:

8)

[thirdwave]

You cannot force enlightenment eh? I like Buddhism for that.

spot on..

[lightgiver]

Does a Buddha really 'exist' in the first place? Do not say 'a Buddha exists'. Do not say 'a Buddha does not exist'. Do not say 'a Buddha neither exists nor does not exist'.

Either way, the actual physical corporeal existence of Siddhartha Guatama is irrelevant to Buddhism. Unlike Islam and Christianity, the source of the teachings isn't important. Only their practice is, and whether that practice yields results.





Like maybe the Tripitka was tainted by people with their own agenda? Probably by nagas.




How does one 'research' Buddha-nature? :confused:

8)

Well a lot of questions,seek and ye shall find,

i will give you some pointers,

Nothing truly exists from its own side.

Everything is just a label.

Buddha nature is in everyone,if i give you all the answers than that means you have done no work to find,i had to work on it,and so will you.:)

Whatever path is right for you is the answer,no one is forcing anything upon you,as long as you do not harm others then you will be fine.;)

I follow the teachings of the Buddha(label empty of inherent existence)and Christ they all lead to the same home.

"Hundreds of stupid flies gather
On a piece of rotten meat,
Enjoying, they think, a delicious feast.
This image fits with the song
Of the myriads of foolish living beings
Who seek happiness in superficial pleasures;
In countless ways they try,
Yet I have never seen them satisfied."

[kitchenmatt]

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3593/artgk1qc5.jpg (http://img88.imageshack.us/my.php?image=artgk1qc5.jpg)

I have been a practicing buddhist for about a year and from what I have learned so far, I can only see good in it. Originally I just wanted to find out how to relax using meditation but the teachings really began to make a lot of sense to me. There was absolutely no pressure on me to `join` in any way and I have never been asked or had any pressure put on me to conform or to obey any particular set of rules. It is all left up to the individual to find their own way. Wow, I think it is sooo cool.

Buddhism is just a different way of looking at the world and it is a way that promotes peace love and understanding universally and without exception. No living being is excluded.

I hope it doesnt sound like I am preaching, its just that I am quite into it at the moment:o

There are so many different sects etc that it can be a bit confusing but the one I happened upon was the New Kadampa Tradition. Man, I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvzrY6TxQII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj_i7YqDwJA

[ie11]

At least if I met a Buddist and did not agree with their beliefs they would not secretly be feeling sorry for me and hoping I change so I wont go to hell...
hahaha, so true!

So true...

The Buddhist assumes your soul isn't yet tired enough of the great illusion... run along soul, play on with the illusion! You will tire of it soon enough and see the truth.

Some Christians are like... 'Bad soul! BAD! You come home right NOW!'

You cannot force enlightenment eh? I like Buddhism for that.

nice. So do I. so true

Question: but the road in which you travel where you may find or stumble upon a/the path of enlightenment, can be forced upon you by life in a way ... like events out of your control and 'unfortunate-fortunate' events and so on .... ?

[zero1]

All Emancipates are technically Buddhist - we do not distinguish ourselves as adherents of one particular school or other usually, though if asked we will always say "Zen". The reason for this is that Zen is compatible with all other religions, philosophies and ideologies; and since most of us live in countries where Abrahamic religions are practiced, it's easier to retain the aspects of the Buddhist discipline necessary for spiritual nourishment without neglecting or ignoring local religious observance and places of worship.

[hellosatellites]

I like large bits of zen. The no-nonsense approach to meditation - zazen - the haiku, and especially the core focus of zen which in my understanding is: Be prepared to die with full awareness any moment.

I don't see zen as compatible with any ideology, religious or otherwise, that has it's roots in temporary material fixations. Religions are centered around concepts related to time, especially past (like sin and dogma) and future (like paradise and initiations). Zen is always 'Now'. How anyone can live fully in the Now with constant awareness of death, and still have time for the trappings of dogmatic abrahamic religion is beyond me :D

To Nirvana: the different schools of buddhism follow different precepts - codes of conduct - usually 5, 8 or 10 precepts.
If you find a school that follows the 10 precepts there will be no money asked for teaching (not directly anyway - they work on basis of donations) as precept number 10: Do not accept gold or silver (money)

[kitchenmatt]

Everyone wants to be happy and no one wants to suffer, but very few people understand the real causes of happiness and suffering. We tend to look for happiness outside ourself, thinking that if we had the right house, the right car, the right job, and the right friends we would be truly happy. We spend almost all our time adjusting the external world, trying to make it conform to our wishes. All our life we have tried to surround ourself with people and things that make us feel comfortable, secure, or stimulated, yet still we have not found pure and lasting happiness.......

more:http://aboutdharma.org/index.php/

[lightgiver]

I have been a practicing buddhist for about a year and from what I have learned so far, I can only see good in it. Originally I just wanted to find out how to relax using meditation but the teachings really began to make a lot of sense to me. There was absolutely no pressure on me to `join` in any way and I have never been asked or had any pressure put on me to conform or to obey any particular set of rules. It is all left up to the individual to find their own way. Wow, I think it is sooo cool.

Buddhism is just a different way of looking at the world and it is a way that promotes peace love and understanding universally and without exception. No living being is excluded.

I hope it doesnt sound like I am preaching, its just that I am quite into it at the moment:o

There are so many different sects etc that it can be a bit confusing but the one I happened upon was the New Kadampa Tradition. Man, I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvzrY6TxQII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj_i7YqDwJA


wonderful,for the benefit of all :)
Peace,i know were gonna make it :):D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2SIyNgfHF8

Thanks for the vids.

http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53693&page=2 check post 15.

Do not get concerned about the dorje shugden issue ,just do you practise for the benefit of all.

Heart jewel is a wonderful and powerful practise.:)

Geshe la a wonderful and accomplished Tantric master,what more does one need what great good fortune.

I remember over 10 yrs going to a offering for the spiritual guide with geshe la and he blessed me with belly ache laughter all way through it very powerful,even though at the time i felt a little embarrassed :o

But Dharma should be done with a happy heart ;)

So glad you have found the joyful path of good fortune,i rejoice in your merit and happiness.:D

[lightgiver]

Everyone wants to be happy and no one wants to suffer, but very few people understand the real causes of happiness and suffering. We tend to look for happiness outside ourself, thinking that if we had the right house, the right car, the right job, and the right friends we would be truly happy. We spend almost all our time adjusting the external world, trying to make it conform to our wishes. All our life we have tried to surround ourself with people and things that make us feel comfortable, secure, or stimulated, yet still we have not found pure and lasting happiness.......

more:http://aboutdharma.org/index.php/

So true:)

Love the avatar BTW ;)

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6000/dkalarupaff5.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dkalarupaff5.jpg)

You will have to excuse me sometimes, i turn into kalarupa on the forum and in the illusion,for the benefit of all though,some just cannot see it.;)
and they mistake it for anger.

[kitchenmatt]

I remember over 10 yrs going to a offering for the spiritual guide with geshe la and he blessed me with belly ache laughter all way through it very powerful,even though at the time i felt a little embarrassed :o



So glad you have found the joyful path of good fortune,i rejoice in your merit and happiness.:D


THAT must have been a bit of a memorable experience! Any thoughts as to why he would have done this? I would really like to see the guy so I`m thinking about going to the spring festival at the end of May this year. Here`s hoping he`ll laff his tits off at me too.......maybe:)

Thanks for all the info and rejoicin`:D

[mephibosheth]

There are so many different sects etc that it can be a bit confusing but the one I happened upon was the New Kadampa Tradition. Man, I love it.


FYI, according to some, NKT isn't exactly the best visage of Buddhism. Of course, experiences may vary.



http://www.newkadampa.com/


http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/links.html


http://www.csj.org/infoserv_groups/co_jr.htm



So, word to the wary, there is Buddhism and there is buddhism.


Amituofo! (http://www.amitabha-gallery.org/chants.htm)

[mephibosheth]

I don't see zen as compatible with any ideology, religious or otherwise, that has it's roots in temporary material fixations. Religions are centered around concepts related to time, especially past (like sin and dogma) and future (like paradise and initiations). Zen is always 'Now'. How anyone can live fully in the Now with constant awareness of death, and still have time for the trappings of dogmatic abrahamic religion is beyond me :D


Well said!

Amituofo

[kitchenmatt]

FYI, according to some, NKT isn't exactly the best visage of Buddhism. Of course, experiences may vary.



http://www.newkadampa.com/


http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/links.html


http://www.csj.org/infoserv_groups/co_jr.htm



So, word to the wary, there is Buddhism and there is buddhism.


Amituofo! (http://www.amitabha-gallery.org/chants.htm)

Each to their own, dude:)

[lightgiver]

THAT must have been a bit of a memorable experience! Any thoughts as to why he would have done this? I would really like to see the guy so I`m thinking about going to the spring festival at the end of May this year. Here`s hoping he`ll laff his tits off at me too.......maybe:)

Thanks for all the info and rejoicin`:D

Blessings that's why he did this,a true practitioner is recognised by their laughter if you watch the DVD the message of the Tibetans,with some great masters on it including Trijang rinpoche he states this,laughter and a happy practise is important, to many in Buddhism(label)have to big egos and do not know how to laugh and are to serious, and is an obstruction to your practise straight away in itself,i was not aware at the time only on reflection and experience i now understand,but wisdom is knowing how little we do know;):)

Its on one of these somewhere,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOSjCrT4jdA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUPb2gM3Cdg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWP8FWEqmGE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY-faV6zAxg

You will have to go to u tube to watch the rest,Realisations come with time and effort ;):)

BTW he was not laughing it was me and my girlfriend,it used to happen all the time but the puja was private,and all way through i had my hand in my mouth due to uncontrollable laughter,just a bit of fun i imagine on gesh la,s part,and yes i would advise you to go to the festival ,my 1 st one was Tara empowerment(around 12 yrs to 14 yrs ago spring festival also) very beautiful,do not rush it and take your time,and also where ever you go you will always get ego and the 3 poisons, even in a dharma centre, life is not fluffy always be aware of that and stay out of any conflicts and disputes just do your practise and use your wisdom.
I choose to live in the sticks in a semi permanent retreat, i find it easier on ones own and my girlfriend visits in the summer months.

Ah Bliss and Emptiness.:)

I will not be here long so enjoy your self and make your practise a happy one.

Just because some call them selves Buddhist does not necessarily mean they are doing the practise,it is all just labels,Mother Theresa was a bodhisattva and so was Jesus and many non Buddhists also are Bodhisattva s.

They are all just labels imputed by mind :)

For the benefit of all,self sacrifice is the hardest thing to do;)

Many talk the walk but very few actually walk the talk :D

[arten]

Here is a very interesting interview with ex Buddhist Monk Allan Wallace talking about the Brain, Mediatation and Reincarnation:

http://www.salon.com/books/int/2006/11/27/wallace/index.html

[lightgiver]

Here is a very interesting interview with ex Buddhist Monk Allan Wallace talking about the Brain, Mediatation and Reincarnation:

http://www.salon.com/books/int/2006/11/27/wallace/index.html

Cheers arten,

I, who do not exist from my own side have bookmarked that and will read it later at my short time on this earth leisure :)

[zero1]

I don't see zen as compatible with any ideology, religious or otherwise, that has it's roots in temporary material fixations. Religions are centered around concepts related to time, especially past (like sin and dogma) and future (like paradise and initiations). Zen is always 'Now'. How anyone can live fully in the Now with constant awareness of death, and still have time for the trappings of dogmatic abrahamic religion is beyond me :D

Nothing is not "Zen". And "Zen" is nothing. ;)

[hellosatellites]

Well said!

Amituofo

:)

[hellosatellites]

Nothing is not "Zen". And "Zen" is nothing. ;)

I agree wholeheartedly. Zen is all that and a packet of crisp ;)

[metacomet]

'Zen' was an awesome realization. I don't know how I stumbled into it around the age of 16 but I did... I became allergic to the confines of the school building and had to escape daily to do some zazen in private. Buildings and organizations, other people, all feel easily explained away when you spend time breathing in the shade, grass sighing, birds whistling.

[hellosatellites]

'Zen' was an awesome realization. I don't know how I stumbled into it around the age of 16 but I did... I became allergic to the confines of the school building and had to escape daily to do some zazen in private. Buildings and organizations, other people, all feel easily explained away when you spend time breathing in the shade, grass sighing, birds whistling.

Hey that's great that you 'got it' so early in life, Metacomet.
I was way into zen literature and poetry around the same age 16/17 but i didn't 'get it' :rolleyes: :p When zen masters was saying stuff like 'this is all there is' 'there are no secrets' etc...i felt certain that the *this* they were referring to was some fantastic otherdimensional *this' that i just wasn't yet enlightened enough to grasp lol - and to me it was logic that they must have some secret insights to say there was no secret bla bla...so many mind games :D i really didn't get it and it was driving me bonkers at the time - i can safely say alan watts and suzuki destroyed my youth :D always thinking wtf do they mean, Nothing, like?? - because i knew there was something there. I had no idea it really was that simple tho.

[mephibosheth]

Funny. I got into zen around the same time, age 16-17. The first influential books were Watts Way of Zen (borrowed from the school library) and then the more down to earth Zen Flesh, Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps. The most interesting thing was that reading these works and thinking about 'zen' concepts gave me a language to finally express ideas that had always been native to me, but which I had no means of expressing before.

Ultimately, my own path led me through the Gospels and western philosophy, but through it all I always referenced the basic ideas of zen, such as I understood them. That fundamental idea of the inexpressable essence of being has stuck with me and grounded all of my subsequent explorations.

8)

[hellosatellites]

Funny. I got into zen around the same time, age 16-17. The first influential books were Watts Way of Zen (borrowed from the school library) and then the more down to earth Zen Flesh, Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps. The most interesting thing was that reading these works and thinking about 'zen' concepts gave me a language to finally express ideas that had always been native to me, but which I had no means of expressing before.

Ultimately, my own path led me through the Gospels and western philosophy, but through it all I always referenced the basic ideas of zen, such as I understood them. That fundamental idea of the inexpressable essence of being has stuck with me and grounded all of my subsequent explorations.

8)

:D i'm just chuckling here...i also got Watts's Way of Zen out of the library!
Seems Watts has a lot to answer for ;)

Because i didn't get it at the time, zen initially gave me yet another tool to question absolutely everything. A persistent one, that i've carried with me and used to examine spiritual philosophies, religious groups and cults i've since come into contact with. Zen has been there as an invisible companion all along. About a year ago, i 're-discovered' zen - and it's been such fun going over some of the same stuff i did as a teenager - like re-reading suzuki, and practising zazen - but now from a grown up and humbled perspective.

[fromthatshow]

I like a lot of their teachings.

[arten]

To talk of Zen is to stink of Zen.

[mephibosheth]

Zen don't say anything at all! We chan find something else to discuss!

:D

[hellosatellites]

:D

(chan) ;)

[octopusrex]

Are there any buddhists here?

NO!!!

[decode reality]

You'll find lots to consider here:

http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm

Table of Links

Buddhism: Violence and War (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW)

General (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW1)
Buddhist Violence in Sri Lanka (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW2)
Buddhist Violence in Burma (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW3)
Buddhist Violence in Bhutan (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW4)
Buddhist Violence in Cambodia (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW4a)
Buddhist Violence in Laos (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW4b)
Buddhist Violence in Thailand (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW5)
Buddhist Violence in Kashmir (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW6)
Buddhist Violence in Korea (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BVW7)

The XIV. Dalai Lama (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL)

General (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL1)
Violence and War (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL2)
The Hindutva-Connection (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#Hindu)
Atomic Bomb (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL3)
Sexuality (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL3a)
Neuroscience (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#neuroscience)
Vegetarian? (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#DALAIL4)

The Kalachakra Tantra (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#KALA)

The Shambhala Prophecy (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#SHAM)

Lamaist Warrior-Gods -Heroes and -Kings (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#WARRIOR)

The Grand Sorcerers (Maha Siddhas) (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#MAHASIDDHA)

Lamaist Warrior Monks (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#WARMONKS)

Buddhocracy (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#BUDDHOCRACY)

Tantric Buddhism – a critical approach (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TANTRA)

Sexual abuse by Buddhist Monks (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#SEXABUSE)

Child-Monks, Child-Abuse (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#CHILD)

Ancient and Modern Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET)

General (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET1)
The Myths within History (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET2)
Social Reality in Ancient Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET3)
The CIA and Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET4)
The Making of Modern Tibet (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET5)
Tibet and World Politics (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#TIBET6)

Zen, Nechiren, Samurai and Fascism (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#ZEN)

Buddhism, Fascism and the Nazi-Tibet-Connection (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#NAZI)

Shoko Asahara: Making the Buddhist Apocalypse (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#ASAHARA)

Hollywood-Buddhism (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#HOLLYWOOD)

The Karmapa affair (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#KARMAPA)

The Dorje Shugden affair (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#Shugden)

Christian Critiques of Lamaism and Buddhism (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#CHRISTIAN)

Critiques from within (http://www.trimondi.de/EN/links.htm#WITHIN)


Thanks for this!

[hellosatellites]

Are there any buddhists here?

NO!!!

there may be buddhists here :)

[kasalt]

Thanks for this!

You're welcome. I'm glad somebody noticed it!

Buddhism is idealized and romanticized in the West, but its history appears to be no better than that of any other religion.

[muzzled]

Just curious. I can't see much wrong with Buddhism. Though I have my doubts as usual...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/BuddhaTwang.jpg

I like Buddism, a true buddhist reverend will claim Buddhism transcends religion, which I take to mean they are stating it is not a religeon. They welcome people of all faiths and beliefs into there temples, and I have taken advantage of that to learn more on meditation technigues to assist me in the application of my own faith, which is not buhhdism. However it is not in conflict with most of it.

I picked up a Dharma word from the temple this is what it said.

Should not hurt and infringe upon others.

1. Dont infringe upon others for the purpose of ones own advantage
2. Dont tease others for ones own pleasure
3. Dont attack others out of ones jealousy over their better conditions
4. Dont hurt others to protect ones own selfish desires.

The word dharma literally translates as that which upholds or supports, and is generally translated into English as law. The word "dharma" can also be translated as "the teachings of the Buddha

[octopusrex]

there may be buddhists here :)

I´ll drink to that.

[octopusrex]

I'm a 'Buddhist', although a 'student of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy' is a much better way to describe me.

I´m a Peyote Shaman, Buddhist: Does this thread have buddha nature?

[size_of_light]

I´ll drink to that.

I´m a Peyote Shaman, Buddhist: Does this thread have buddha nature?

Are you drinking Peyote now? :eek:

What the hell are you talking about? :p

[octopusrex]

Are you drinking Peyote now? :eek:

What the hell are you talking about? :p

Hell has nothing to do with it.

[size_of_light]

Hell has nothing to do with it.

You're just in a cryptic riddle mood, I see.

[arten]

I have read a lot about Buddhism the Diamond Sutra is my favourite discourse by Buddha.
I have a couple of interesting books that show Buddhism in all things:

The parrallel sayings of Jesus and Buddha by Marcus Borg to me shows that those who wrote of Jesus took it from the Source we call Buddha.
Funnily enough mad Christians will claim in their ignorance that Buddha was a copy cat :rolleyes:

The other book is aptly titled (Syncrhonicity at work ) The Parralel sayings of Einstein and Buddha. This book shows that introspection will lead to the same conclusions held by the great Mystic Albert Einstein.

[runciter]

the great plagiarist zionist kabbalist albert einstein?

[hellosatellites]

Or the asperger syndrome good-for nothing lay-about and wifebeater turned physics phenomenon and co-parent of atomic bomb Albert Einstein?
Apparantly, there are more Albert Einsteins than i was previously aware of.
Great! I love surprises.:rolleyes:

[synergy777]

Or the asperger syndrome good-for nothing lay-about and wifebeater turned physics phenomenon and co-parent of atomic bomb Albert Einstein?
Apparantly, there are more Albert Einsteins than i was previously aware of.
Great! I love surprises.:rolleyes:

i'm an aspie too, aspies suffer from ADD, unless they are totally captivated/challenged by their study subject, they will get bored easily.

[synergy777]

http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/4692.html


Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious. books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

The Buddha


this too me sums things up very nicely and precisely.

[lightgiver]

http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/4692.html


Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious. books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

The Buddha


this too me sums things up very nicely and precisely.

:)

[hellosatellites]

i'm an aspie too, aspies suffer from ADD, unless they are totally captivated/challenged by their study subject, they will get bored easily.

Hello - that's interesting. Do you think being an asperger affects your relationship with religion/spirituality in any way? I'm asking because i know 2 people with asperger, and they are both very interested in religion and philosophy - anything that involves abstract concepts really. incl. music.

Ps. i also get easily bored, and i'm not an asperger :)

[synergy777]

Hello - that's interesting. Do you think being an asperger affects your relationship with religion/spirituality in any way? I'm asking because i know 2 people with asperger, and they are both very interested in religion and philosophy - anything that involves abstract concepts really. incl. music.

Ps. i also get easily bored, and i'm not an asperger :)

it does make go into logic override, eg i discount many spiritual things, and look for ther rational/scientific answer

i guess i need to be more balanced and develop my right hemisphere/heart chakras, eg emotions, spiritual stuff. its just all that often feels too wishy washy, tree hugging, women stuff, you know, all touchy feely, far too irrational, too many variables lol.

i prefer the more religous, historic, scientific and military stuff.

[hellosatellites]

it does make go into logic override, eg i discount many spiritual things, and look for ther rational/scientific answer

i guess i need to be more balanced and develop my right hemisphere/heart chakras, eg emotions, spiritual stuff. its just all that often feels too wishy washy, tree hugging, women stuff, you know, all touchy feely, far too irrational, too many variables lol.

i prefer the more religous, historic, scientific and military stuff.


hey, i think we all do - need to be more balanced i mean. wonder what the world will be like when we develop that left/right balance, and can access both with more fluidity and grace? Sounds like aspergers is an exaggeration of masculine traits/left brain? curious thing is, the 2 aspergers i know are very accomplished musicians and also quite tactile, so that's quite right brained i think. One of them is my dance partner, and though he is like Mr. Super Nerd in his normal everyday life, he is totally intuitive and emotionally *there* in the music and the dance.

I'd love to try logic override - that sounds like quite a trip lol

*disappears into daydreams, wondering what my paintings would look like if they came from a place of logic override..*

[size_of_light]

it does make go into logic override, eg i discount many spiritual things, and look for ther rational/scientific answer

i guess i need to be more balanced and develop my right hemisphere/heart chakras, eg emotions, spiritual stuff. its just all that often feels too wishy washy, tree hugging, women stuff, you know, all touchy feely, far too irrational, too many variables lol.

i prefer the more religous, historic, scientific and military stuff.

Just be sane.

Ditch all ideas of going 'chakra, emotional, wishy-washy, tree-huggy, women-stuff' etc. because that's the baggage you're carrying that's making you EXACTLY all those things that you don't want to be.

If you want to be a man and go into that depth of the spiritual side of things, knock aside all those fucking handbag concepts that get dangled in your face and move forward, mate. There is something that looks like a path up ahead.

[arten]

Or the asperger syndrome good-for nothing lay-about and wifebeater turned physics phenomenon and co-parent of atomic bomb Albert Einstein?
Apparantly, there are more Albert Einsteins than i was previously aware of.
Great! I love surprises.:rolleyes:

I think the denigration of a dead man who cannot defend himself is both disgraceful and pure crap.
I have had this conversation before on another forum and the guy doing all the denigration claimed to hold professorships in three different disciplines. I knew he was lying and without trying to hard I proved it. He then had only one recourse and that was to ban me from the forum because he was the manager and a jumped up Nazi.
People are often amazed when I point out that Einstein wrote essays on Mysticism as did Eddington, Pauli et al. These essays can be found on line but I first came across them in Ken Wilber's excellent book Quantum Questions.
So what if Einstein was a bad husband how does that in anyway detract from his work has a Physicists. In my opinion it don't and I see a humble man whenever I read what he said. He never ever claimed his work was the be all that end's all, he said others would come along and find holes in his theory and that is happening.
Without Einstein it is possible that we would all be sitting here thinking we live in a Newtonian clock work universe. Yet we live in a place that is so mysterious no words can describe it.

[runciter]

Yet we live in a place that is so mysterious no words can describe it.


a hell, thanks to kabbalist psychopaths.

[hellosatellites]

I think the denigration of a dead man who cannot defend himself is both disgraceful and pure crap.
I have had this conversation before on another forum and the guy doing all the denigration claimed to hold professorships in three different disciplines. I knew he was lying and without trying to hard I proved it. He then had only one recourse and that was to ban me from the forum because he was the manager and a jumped up Nazi.
People are often amazed when I point out that Einstein wrote essays on Mysticism as did Eddington, Pauli et al. These essays can be found on line but I first came across them in Ken Wilber's excellent book Quantum Questions.
So what if Einstein was a bad husband how does that in anyway detract from his work has a Physicists. In my opinion it don't and I see a humble man whenever I read what he said. He never ever claimed his work was the be all that end's all, he said others would come along and find holes in his theory and that is happening.
Without Einstein it is possible that we would all be sitting here thinking we live in a Newtonian clock work universe. Yet we live in a place that is so mysterious no words can describe it.

Hey. I didn't say Albert einstein was not a great physicist. You misconstrued that.

And i'll talk trash about any goddamn wife-beater, regardless of their profession or social standing. Though Einsteins misogany wasn't the main point of my post.

[arten]

Hey. I didn't say Albert einstein was not a great physicist. You misconstrued that.

And i'll talk trash about any goddamn wife-beater, regardless of their profession or social standing. Though Einsteins misogany wasn't the main point of my post.

I was not talking about you I was talking in general what he did in private should not detract from his professional life. Yet to many idiots who are not fit enough to carry his books want to denigrate him for some odd reason.
I usually find this happens when arguing with materalist about the nature of reality and I have dropped in some Einstein quotes about the illusionarary nature of time and matter. They cannot begin to dispute Einstein so recourse to calling a dead man childish names. Which is pathetic in my book.

[hellosatellites]

I was not talking about you I was talking in general what he did in private should not detract from his professional life. Yet to many idiots who are not fit enough to carry his books want to denigrate him for some odd reason.
I usually find this happens when arguing with materalist about the nature of reality and I have dropped in some Einstein quotes about the illusionarary nature of time and matter. They cannot begin to dispute Einstein so recourse to calling a dead man childish names. Which is pathetic in my book.

Oh. Ok.

on a side note: probably good to keep in mind that our cultural and spiritual heroes are human, and consequently flawed. I guess when the glamourization of a person is sort of at glaring odds with the actuality of that person, it's akin to hypocracy, pretentiousness - and some people naturally to want to expose that, i think.

And sometimes it should detract from their professional lives, if that professional life/succes/reputation is built on the exploitation of other peoples work. As is the case with many revered artists/intellects. And sadly also some beloved spiritual people, like paramahansa Yogananda who has touched so many people with his An autobiography of a Yogi. His entire success and international following was built on the strength and sheer artistic beauty of that book, qualities that was then tranposed onto Yogananda himself. However the book was not written by him, but by one of his loyal devotees and personal secretary. This is never mentioned, and yoganada has enjoyed the full credit of her genius. That sort of thing doesn't sit well with me at all.
I think it's fair to expose things like that.

Anyway, back to buddhism? :)

[druggalo]

hindu and buddist are tha only religions eye favor, cuz they are truly about peace. they say "lyfe is about suffering and overcoming it." and that we are all the same person so there iz no reason for hate but tah consume yourself.
there iz definatinly aton of suffering and opression yet we still find tha ways tah make it out of hell and transform tha prison into paradise, via turtle wax.
its knot ah murder condoning religion to its dissbelivers- liek the rest.

it iz knot wize tah follow any 1 tellin us how tah live lyfe 2 da teeth

take in all tha information & aspects
and decide that 4 ourselvez

[runciter]

I was not talking about you I was talking in general what he did in private should not detract from his professional life. Yet to many idiots who are not fit enough to carry his books want to denigrate him for some odd reason.
I usually find this happens when arguing with materalist about the nature of reality and I have dropped in some Einstein quotes about the illusionarary nature of time and matter. They cannot begin to dispute Einstein so recourse to calling a dead man childish names. Which is pathetic in my book.

How Einstein Helped Hitler

Christopher Jon Bjerknes

http://www.jewishracism.com

http://www.jewishracism.blogspot.com

Albert Einstein was a racist Zionist. He believed that anti-Semitism was good for the Jewish "race" because it promoted segregation and separated Jews from the, to use his word, "Goyim". John Stachel wrote,

"While he lived in Germany, however, Einstein seems to have accepted the then-prevalent racist mode of thought, often invoking such concepts as 'race' and 'instinct,' and the idea that the Jews form a race."— J. Stachel, "Einstein's Jewish Identity", Einstein from 'B' to 'Z', Birkhaeuser, Boston, Basel, Berlin, (2002), pp. 57-83, at 68.

Einstein helped Hitler and the Zionist Nazis by promoting the belief among Jews that anti-Semitism was the Jews' salvation. Einstein stated,

"I am neither a German citizen, nor is there in me anything that can be described as 'Jewish faith.' But I am happy to belong to the Jewish people, even though I don't regard them as the Chosen People. Why don't we just let the Goy keep his anti-Semitism, while we preserve our love for the likes of us?"—A. Einstein quoted in A. Foelsing, English translation by E. Osers, Albert Einstein, a Biography, Viking, New York, (1997), p. 494; which cites speech to the Central-Verein Deutscher Staatsbuerger Juedischen Glaubens, in Berlin on 5 April 1920, in D. Reichenstein, Albert Einstein. Sein Lebensbild und seine Weltanschauung, Berlin, (1932). This letter from Einstein to the Central Association of German Citizens of the Jewish Faith of 5 April 1920 is reproduced in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 9, Document 368, Princeton University Press, (2004).

Einstein also stated,

"The way I see it, the fact of the Jews' racial peculiarity will necessarily influence their social relations with non-Jews. The conclusions which—in my opinion—the Jews should draw is to become more aware of their peculiarity in their social way of life and to recognize their own cultural contributions. First of all, they would have to show a certain noble reservedness and not be so eager to mix socially—of which others want little or nothing. On the other hand, anti-Semitism in Germany also has consequences that, from a Jewish point of view, should be welcomed. I believe German Jewry owes its continued existence to anti-Semitism."—Albert Einstein, A. Engel translator, "How I became a Zionist", The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 7, Document 57, Princeton University Press, (2002), pp. 234-235, at 235.

Einstein stated,

"Anti-Semitism will be a psychological phenomenon as long as Jews come in contact with non-Jews—what harm can there be in that? Perhaps it is due to anti-Semitism that we survive as a race: at least that is what I believe."—Albert Einstein, English translation by A. Engel, The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, Volume 7, Document 37, Princeton University Press, (2002), p. 159.

Einstein was not an original thinker. In fact, Einstein was an habitual and psychopathic plagiarist. His dreadful views on "race" and segregation were first iterated by such prominent Jews as Spinoza and Theodor Herzl. They were cliches among racist Zionists.

(...)

http://jewishracism.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-einstein-helped-hitler.html

[arten]

How Einstein Helped Hitler

What he did in his personal life and what his political views were is a moot point as far as I am concerned. He wrote to Trueman or Rosevelte warning that if the Nazis get the bomb they would use it on everyone else. So I don't believe for one minute that Albert was pro Nazi, he was in fact persecuted by them which is why he left the country of his birth.
When people have problems with Einstein it is usually down to something he said about the nature of reality, I have seen that so many times so we get this denigration of a great and humble Scientist.

[detroit313]

Bodhidharma and Dogen Zenji are easily the greatest of all time!

Now one word of advice, if you cannot look directly into the sun your Zen training has been worthless.

Can you look directly into the sun?

[detroit313]

There is no up or down.
The sun shines everyday.
The universe is the only master.

[felakuti]

Buddhism is just a form of African religion transported to China by the Buddha, a travelling Egyptian priest, at a time when Egypt was mostly African, and not Muslim Arab.

Just looking at the various historical scupltures of the Buddha, including the image at the start of this thread, we can see the black wooly hair, and the East African type stretched earlobes..


http://www.omnia.nl/worldtravel/pictures/kenya%20part%202%20022.jpg

[lightgiver]

Buddhism is just a form of African religion transported to China by the Buddha, a travelling Egyptian priest, at a time when Egypt was mostly African, and not Muslim Arab.

Just looking at the various historical scupltures of the Buddha, including the image at the start of this thread, we can see the black wooly hair, and the East African type stretched earlobes..

http://http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xUa6VBgYB_Q/SYsr9aSpVuI/AAAAAAAAAQU/8FVO9o6a5Co/s320/Maasai+ear+lobe+holes+A.jpg

I Like to keep an open mind ;):D

Shakyamuni Buddha

The specific iconography of Shakyamuni Buddha is subtle and difficult to differentiate from the Dhyani Buddhas and Amida Buddha. Certainty of the identity is aided when the particular statue represents an event in Shakyamuni's lifetime or, in the case of historical pieces, the statue was produced within a sect or in a region where historical references have maintained the identity. Differentiating this Buddha from bodhisattvas relies on the presence of the ushnisha, top knot and symbolic vessel of wisdom, and the rahotsu. The rahotsu was formed when Shakyamuni pulled his hair into a top knot and cut it off, thereafter it receded into tight curls which never needed to be cut again. (Note: Rohatsu, as opposed to "rahotsu", is the day, December 8th, that Zen Buddhists celebrate as the day of Siddhartha Gautama's enlightenment.)

[cafetimes1991]

http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20070302.gif

[rhydra]

I'm more drawn to something with a non theistic base than anything which aggressively forces people not to think for themselves. it is more of a teaching system than a path which compliance is expected.

[danceswithbunnies]

I checked out many different forms of Buddhism on my way out of christianity.
Checked out a couple of types of Tibetan, different types of Zen...a few others.

The thing that fascinates me about Buddhists is that their "religion" (in many ways it is more of a philosophy) understands how the mind operates. It is amazing.

If you get into it far enough there appears to be a core within yourself of despair that has to be overcome...that takes a huge amount bravery.

[asahi]

Buddhism has alot of strengths. I feel some of the same ideals when looking at Buddha and Jesus although when I meet believers/practitioners of the former and latter...not saying Christianity has become extremely obnoxious at some point way down the line BUT

[gemgem]

[QUOTE=nirvana;794498]Yes buddhism is very positive the only draw back is that it has become very expensive these days. Down the road from me buddhism is £7.00 a lesson. Also when I lived at a tibetan buddhist place in scotland for a few months ,we were told one bad thought about a Lama can give you 1000 bad rebirths. This control mechanism is what I did'nt like.

I was even turned away from a buddhist place once beause I had forgot my money.


Buddhism is not in any way about money, I am sorry to read you had that experience. I am a Buddhist practitioner for a number of years now, and all of the above that you have said happened is an outrage, and again I am sorry.

Enlightenment is not an end goal, but a journey. Those people that you mention brought money into the Religion and told you such preposterous things are on a journey too, and they will have many faults, as we all do.

All you can do is send your love and thoughts to them, to help them alongxxx

:)

[synergy777]

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.

Conquer the angry man by love.

Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.

Conquer the miser with generosity.

Conquer the liar with truth

The Buddha

[runciter]

How Einstein Helped Hitler

What he did in his personal life and what his political views were is a moot point as far as I am concerned. He wrote to Trueman or Rosevelte warning that if the Nazis get the bomb they would use it on everyone else. So I don't believe for one minute that Albert was pro Nazi, he was in fact persecuted by them which is why he left the country of his birth.
When people have problems with Einstein it is usually down to something he said about the nature of reality, I have seen that so many times so we get this denigration of a great and humble Scientist.

now he would warn obama that if iran gets the bomb... :)

he helped hitler by promoting racist ideas, nazism and zionism are two faces of the same coin.

his views on the "nature of reality" were based on the assumption that gravity rules the universe.

[runciter]

thank god the nazis didn't get the bomb :)

http://www.davidicke.com/images/stories/May_2009/historyjapan.jpg

(not to mention nagasaki)

[mauviene]

Ah yes..I've been suckered into the loving kindness of Buddhism..and am still interested in it also.

Thing being..the Buddhist scriptures talk much bout the dragon kings and how they stored the prajnaparamita sutras in their kingdom for a awhile..So I have much to speculate that Buddhism might be another reptilian religion..although they say there are buddhas in multiple world systems...so I'm not sure.

There has been wars over buddhism..and oriental leaders have favored it because it puts people into complacency..

It really might just be the mark that Buddhism left in the collective unconscious that makes it so appealing..

That being said..personally I think sticking to one tradition limits the knowledge you can attain from all the traditions.

[watson_k]

Ah yes..I've been suckered into the loving kindness of Buddhism..and am still interested in it also.

Thing being..the Buddhist scriptures talk much bout the dragon kings and how they stored the prajnaparamita sutras in their kingdom for a awhile..So I have much to speculate that Buddhism might be another reptilian religion..although they say there are buddhas in multiple world systems...so I'm not sure.

There has been wars over buddhism..and oriental leaders have favored it because it puts people into complacency..

It really might just be the mark that Buddhism left in the collective unconscious that makes it so appealing..

That being said..personally I think sticking to one tradition limits the knowledge you can attain from all the traditions.

Do you think the modern Religion of Buddhism is the same one as was taught by the one who professed the middle way? I could imagine both Jesus and Buddha appearing one day, Seeing the Pope and the Dali Lama claiming they're the heads of their various religions. Worst of all people actually believe them.

They'd probably head straight for the pub and say, "for f*** sake, why did I bother?"

[mauviene]

Do you think the modern Religion of Buddhism is the same one as was taught by the one who professed the middle way? I could imagine both Jesus and Buddha appearing one day, Seeing the Pope and the Dali Lama claiming they're the heads of their various religions. Worst of all people actually believe them.

They'd probably head straight for the pub and say, "for f*** sake, why did I bother?"

I don't know..I have only read a book about the essence of Buddhism, in no way can I say I know about every sect of Buddhism and all their knowledge because they have such a vast collection of teachings..almost as big as the Hindus (or bigger, I'm not sure). But the middle way is the same in every tradition really..I'd say if your not interested in the esoteric aspect of the eastern religions read some Schopenhauer or Nietzsche..those guys read a lot of eastern philosophy and probably summarized the middle way better than any Buddhist..philosophically only of course..