Buddhists

[LucyDuke]

Okay, well if I can't trust the Thais on how they practice Buddhism and view Karma and reincarnation... I'm pretty sure you are right, mind you, but I tend to judge a religion by what most of its followers do. If the vast majority of Thais, which represent a good number of Buddhists, can't even get a proper grip on true Buddhist principles, but Westerners understand it better than them, something's wrong (and same goes for other religions, it's just that we're discussing Buddhism here).
Because all I can tell you is that the whole birds-in-a-cage thing was everywhere in Thailand, and not limited to a couple of guys. Oh you also had fishes-in-a-bowl, that kind of thing.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying they're wrong by any stretch, I'm just saying that that stuff is not integral. Perhaps they use the label to justify what they're doing, but they don't have to do it to be true to the core.

It's also easier to view something with a critical eye if you haven't been raised with it. When you get so caught up in something... you start catching birds so people can be kind by paying to release them. It's just like payoff indulgences. It's losing sight of what is clear to an outsider.

 

[Shadylookin]

It is subject to that trendy false bullspit, but it's rather narrow-minded of you to dismiss all young Westerners who embrace Buddhism as wannabe fashion followers. Would you apply the same judgment to those who adopt Christian beliefs? Perhaps I'm just a little offended by your casual disdain. It doesn't have to be a religious thing.

I said it was a generalization.

as much as I may not like it Christianity is here culturally and many are indoctrinated into it(myself included). It's not exactly the flavor of the month or something all the cool kids on the block are doing. but if "easterners" started adopting western religion because it was fashionable without understanding the substance of it I would find them just as annoying.

It isn't a religion thing either, I dislike people that claim to be atheist just to rebel against mommy and daddy.

and disdain should always be casual because that's how the cool kids do it

 

[Truronian]

Champagne Buddhism is an unlikable trend at the moment... make sure you know what you're converting to.

 

[Masquerouge]

The main problem with the Buddhism is that it intrinsically rejects tradition. For example, in his book Buddhism is not what you Think, Steve Hagen discusses how, at his temple (which I am think is in Ohio, but I may be wrong), they decided to simply have a nice stone to sit around for a meditation-piece, rather than a Buddha, since he did not want people to think his practice was about idol-worship. Now, let's say his particular temple gains great popularity and notoriety; even, perhaps, several great masters gain enlightenment there. Then people, by their natural inclination, will take this stone as a great symbol, rather than the simple ideology breaker it was meant to be. Now, say, in order to counteract this, he begins changing his meditation-piece every five years. Then people will associate enlightenment with a regularly-changing meditation-piece, and so on ad infinitum. Such is the nature of the human mind, as Buddhism teaches: trying to find permanence where there is none.

So basically Buddhism kicks ass because it's whatever you want it to be?

Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying they're wrong by any stretch, I'm just saying that that stuff is not integral. Perhaps they use the label to justify what they're doing, but they don't have to do it to be true to the core.

It's also easier to view something with a critical eye if you haven't been raised with it. When you get so caught up in something... you start catching birds so people can be kind by paying to release them. It's just like payoff indulgences. It's losing sight of what is clear to an outsider.

I totally agree. And I think I have to say here that I do not think Buddhism is a sucky religion, I think that some aspects of it I'm not too fond of.

 

[punkbass2000]

So basically Buddhism kicks ass because it's whatever you want it to be?

Well, yes, though that's nothing to do with what I said. Any good religion is whatever you want it to be, really.

I totally agree. And I think I have to say here that I do not think Buddhism is a sucky religion, I think that some aspects of it I'm not too fond of.

May I inquire as to which?

 

[Bill3000]

but if "easterners" started adopting western religion because it was fashionable without understanding the substance of it I would find them just as annoying.

It already exists. It's called Neon Genesis Evangelion.