Ask a Buddhist

[Eran of Arcadia]

@Elrohir: Yes, as far as killing goes. But not something so subjective as this. And certainly I prefer my view of the ultimate destination of the righteous to Nirvana. But the real catch is, Nirvana is either true, or false, independent of whether you or anyone else likes it.

(For my part, I actually thinks like it doesn't sound so bad.)

 

[Elrohir]

@Elrohir: Yes, as far as killing goes. But not something so subjective as this. And certainly I prefer my view of the ultimate destination of the righteous to Nirvana. But the real catch is, Nirvana is either true, or false, independent of whether you or anyone else likes it.

(For my part, I actually thinks like it doesn't sound so bad.)

I didn't say that Nirvana doesn't exist simply because I don't like the concept. But judging from how difficult it apparently is to attain it, I'm hoping that if it does I can stay out of it indefinitely without having to live terribly.

I just realized that I'm debating a Mormon about Buddhism. That's....pretty weird.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Welcome to CFC . . .

That is why I love it here.

 

[Birdjaguar]

That seems like a western misunderstanding. From what I've read in Qing and modern literature, neither Buddhists nor Daoists normally took efforts to convert people. In imperial China people usually already believed in a mixture of Buddhism, Daoism and Chinese folk religion, which coexisted peacefully barring a few top-down attempts to either banning or over-promoting by some psycho emperors. There is little mention of rejecting one of those religions in favour of another, nor has there been any significiant atheist groups that need to be converted.

Buddhism is thought to have first migrated into China during the Han dynasty and grew in popularity at its collapse. Buddhism had a thousand years of history in China prior to the Imperial period. My reference is to the first 500 years or so of Buddhism in China. Buddhism recruited both monks and believers in the early days.

The direct experiential impact of contact with practicing monks should not be underestimated. Confucianism had no equivalent to holy men — the archetypical best and brightest was a wise government minister, not a saint. Daoist priests were more immediate, but given to relativism...Through the actions and example of monks, Buddhists successfully laid claim to the high moral ground in society.

In this way Buddhism grew to become a major religion in China. By the start of the 6th century, Buddhism had grown in popularity to rival Daoism.

 

[Elrohir]

Welcome to CFC . . .

That is why I love it here.

Yeah. Always interesting discussion.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Spoiler :

??

Spoiler :

Edit: nm, He's a Taoist.

 

[Tee Kay]

Is it true that I myself am Buddha conscious, but I just don't know it yet?

How can one become a Buddhist?

Anyone can become a Buddhist, all you need is a little commitment (same as if you're following any other religions)

why are white people who become Buddhist so nerdy/lame/outcasty

No comment.

Additional comments for ParkCungHee: Although Buddhism is fundamentally a pacifist religion that does not mean all Buddhists are pacifists. It's like how Christianity teaches compassion but still some Christians have no trouble killing other human beings. After all, Buddhists are human beings.

 

[GenMarshall]

How can I apply the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path in my life if I am already from another tradition since I do plan to adopt Buddhist Philosophy into my life (More so of the Zen or Mahayana flavor)?

 

[mrt144]

Richard Gere is hella minus points!

It's like using Tom Cruise as the example of why Scientology is cool.

 

[Tee Kay]

How can I apply the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path in my life if I am already from another tradition since I do plan to adopt Buddhist Philosophy into my life (More so of the Zen or Mahayana flavor)?

Apply them as long as you don't think they are in conflict with your own beliefs, that's what I say.

 

[GenMarshall]

Apply them as long as you don't think they are in conflict with your own beliefs, that's what I say.

Thats good to hear
I feel that it does not conflict with my own beliefs. Though the School I would chose would be more in the Zen/Mahayana flavor.

 

[Bill3000]

I'm not an expert but there's no such thing as a creation story in Buddhism AFAIK. Life, the Universe and Everything are subjected to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth (think “Big Bang” theory). We believe this to be a natural phenomenon.

Big bang clearly implies a beginning to the universe by the definition of what a universe is as well as the definition of time. As well, most big crunch models generally have the problem of not being stable; the process of recreation will eventually end. Of course, there's a problem that the Big Crunch doesn't look very promising as the universe is accelerating, not decelllerating. But even the ekpyrotic model of M-theory has the same problems; a finite amount of the cycle.

To put it more bluntly, current scientific consensus says that the universe has a beginning, and will most likely have an end, without any real possibility of infinite recreation. How does this fit within Buddhism?

 

[Tee Kay]

To put it more bluntly, current scientific consensus says that the universe has a beginning, and will most likely have an end, without any real possibility of infinite recreation. How does this fit within Buddhism?

Well in Buddhism we believe that nothing is here forever: everything that exist must end at some point or another, but we also hold that everything including the universe is in a cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

 

[GenMarshall]

Are there any guides and tips on how to meditate properly as well as Buddhism for newbies?

 

[Plotinus]

Somehow, I found that Buddhism is a bit more agreeable with my line of thought instead of turning people away (and harming my Karma) and offending people with evangelicalism and threats of Hell found in Christianity.

I hope you don't think that all Christians are evangelicals or believe in hell...

 

[aneeshm]

I'm not a vegetarian (the Buddha didn't said anything specific against eating meat)

"Meat eating kills the seeds of great compassion."

 

[aneeshm]

Can anyone become a Buddhist?

Is it possible for a Christian to adopt Buddhist Philosophies such as the Eight Fold Path, etc?

Just say,

Buddham Sharanam Gachchami.
Sangham Sharanam Gachchami.
Dhammam Sharanam Gachchami.

(Apologies if I messed up the order.)

That, AFAIK, IIRC, is the normal procedure. You have to mean it, though.

 

[Tee Kay]

You swapped Sangha and Dhamma

Are there any guides and tips on how to meditate properly as well as Buddhism for newbies?

Find a quiet place, sit crosslegged, clear your thoughts and concentrate.

 

[aneeshm]

Never heard of this. Explain it in more detail and I'll answer your question.

Ask, and ye shall receive.

Link

From that (the 18th), till the 32nd.

But maybe this is not the best question to ask a person who has just begin to take an interest. Hell, even I find that a bit difficult to follow.

 

[aneeshm]

You swapped Sangha and Dhamma



Find a quiet place, sit crosslegged, clear your thoughts and concentrate.

He can always join one of those Vipassana retreats.

You have to live like a total monk for a period of a week (or a month). No speech. No reading. No communication. No input/output to your brain AT ALL. No contact with the outside world. Simple and regular meals. Daily meditation. Doing absolutely nothing for hours together (builds patience and concentration, leads to the mind focusing on what is inside instead of what is outside). Introspection.

If you can complete an entire week of that, you'll come out a changed man. If you go for the entire month, then you'll wonder how you could have lived your old life the way you did after you come out.