Buddhists

[The Yankee]

Buddhism technically can be considered Atheist, because it denies existence of a forever and forever kind of god. in Buddhism, you can theoretically believe in gods... as long as they die.

Are you referring to bodhisattva? IIRC, they return to this world to help others achieve Enlightenment.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Are you referring to bodhisattva? IIRC, they return to this world to help others achieve Enlightenment.

i meant the Western concept of gods.

 

[ohcrapitsnico]

i am one of those. and, apparently, i have a compueter and internet access.

many Westerners who come across Buddhism, many of them only come to it when they are not doing so well, and they kind of fade away once they are doing better... kind of like a new year's resolution.

QFT

Buddhism technically can be considered Atheist, because it denies existence of a forever and forever kind of god. in Buddhism, you can theoretically believe in gods... as long as they die.

and a final tohught: you can have Buddhist beliefs, and not be a true Buddhist. that may be good or bad, though.

You're right, it just proves that eastern religions are so different from western religions. They are almost borderline religions in comparison with the western concept of religion.

 

[cybrxkhan]

You're right, it just proves that eastern religions are so different from western religions. They are almost borderline religions in comparison with the western concept of religion.

eastern religions naturally blend together, for another thing... most Chinese in the old days were a combination of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucianist, and ancestor worship... wait, im like that too.

 

[Fruidoc]

This just shows that those in the east have a bit more of a liberal concept of 'religion.' It's not - you must believe this, this, this and this, and if you don't, eternal damnation is your doom. It's more like (am I correct here?) believe what you think best so that you can acheive your own spiritual fullfillment.

 

[Ramius75]

The great thing about Buddhism is that one does not need to be a Buddhist to practice it.



There is nothing to begin with,
So there is nothing to fight for.

 

[cybrxkhan]

This just shows that those in the east have a bit more of a liberal concept of 'religion.' It's not - you must believe this, this, this and this, and if you don't, eternal damnation is your doom. It's more like (am I correct here?) believe what you think best so that you can acheive your own spiritual fullfillment.

pretty much. my father once told me, the Buddha once said something like this: "This [my teachings] is what I have learned is best. Try it out yourself; if it doesn't work, screw it and try something else."

 

[Fruidoc]

pretty much. my father once told me, the Buddha once said something like this: "This [my teachings] is what I have learned is best. Try it out yourself; if it doesn't work, screw it and try something else."

haha, seems similar to my Signature.

 

[cybrxkhan]

^interesting... speaking of which, let me introduce my signature quote as a warning to all and Buddhists too...

"If you meet the Buddha, kill him." --> means you must kill the attachment. some Buddhists, a good number, get too into "the Buddha" or "the prayers" or the whatever, and they forget the true meaning of Buddhism. but this doesn't apply just to Buddhism, but anything one gets attached to.

 

[GenMarshall]

Also, there are different flavors of Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhism

The one particular form of Buddhism I am looking into is of the Zen school (Which falls in the Mahayana category).

 

[Fruidoc]

^interesting... speaking of which, let me introduce my signature quote as a warning to all and Buddhists too...

"If you meet the Buddha, kill him." --> means you must kill the attachment. some Buddhists, a good number, get too into "the Buddha" or "the prayers" or the whatever, and they forget the true meaning of Buddhism. but this doesn't apply just to Buddhism, but anything one gets attached to.

I seem to remember reading that, or some verse similar to it in the Dhammapada...I've been skimming through but I can't find it....it's a curious little book, I must admit.

 

[Communisto]

buddhism is a huge trend in north america.

 

[Mango]

My girlfriend is Buddhist and I'm agnostic, so I suppose that makes me a prime candidate for converting aside from the fact that we're both pretty apathetic about the whole religion thing. I find it thoroughly fascinating though.

I base my morale values on my own personal philosophy and not the teachings of any particular faith.

 

[punkbass2000]

The one particular form of Buddhism I am looking into is of the Zen school (Which falls in the Mahayana category).

Personally, I would recommend the "Shi Shim Ma" school, if you're interested.

@OP: Personally, I rather like Buddhism and much of its teachings.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Also, there are different flavors of Buddhism.

Theravada Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhism

The one particular form of Buddhism I am looking into is of the Zen school (Which falls in the Mahayana category).

all the schools of Buddhism are essentially the same, with the same core teachings, its just how they go about doing it that is different. Theravada is what you can call conservative Buddhism, Mahayana liberal Buddhism, and Vajrayana Buddhism is a fanciful ceremonial magicalized version of Buddhism.

throughout my life, i have mostly been in either Zen (part of Mahayana) or Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana). Zen appeals to me often because of the funny things they say that make no sense but make sense anyhow. I came over to Tibetan Buddhism when my parents began to take interest in it, but its also very interesting and nice as well.

 

[Shaihulud]

Just another religion, its more prevalent where i am from and practised in more varied froms. Different people would have different views about things depending on their prior experience, for a person living in an eastern culture, it will be very different. Buddhism is a less pushy religion, very wishy washy, no missionaries, no tithing and not much fighting.

 

[Swedishguy]

I really don't care if a religion is western or eastern. I my opinion Buddhism is contradicting itself.

 

[The Yankee]

I really don't care if a religion is western or eastern. I my opinion Buddhism is contradicting itself.

Now I'm curious. Do explain.

 

[Phlegmak]

I am curious about the public opinion here about Buddhism in general. I've been considering adopting Buddhist beliefs (I like what the Buddha initially taught, not the various schools that came out of it) and I'd like to know what people think of it.

Thanks!

I think that Buddhism and any kind of spirituality is worthless.

 

[brennan]

I've always liked the general premise of it, and people who follow it tend to be happier (or rather, more at peace) than those without something to believe. My only qualm with it is that I don't really see it as a religion but rather a philosophy. If you find yourself without religious belief, it can't hurt, as it discourages self-destructive behaviors and encourages healing ones.

What he said.