Buddhism

[TheComrade]

Buddism is often considered an athesist religion. There is no god to worship. I believe Buddah recognised the Hindu gods but he stated that they were irrelevant. Personally I find Buddism attractive, what do you think? Is it a more 'acceptable' religion?

[Ownthink]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2005, 03:21 PM
Buddism is often considered an athesist religion. There is no god to worship. I believe Buddah recognised the Hindu gods but he stated that they were irrelevant. Personally I find Buddism attractive, what do you think? Is it a more 'acceptable' religion?
No. If it is a religion, it is bad.

Free yourself from worshipping stupid things, like old fat guys with huge tits.

[Free Palestine]

I wouldn't call it a religion. I respect that there is not the unquestioning belief in Indus Valley religions that is present in Aryan religions. In Indus Valley "religions" such as Buddhism and Jainism knowledge comes from meditation and own experience, not from what a book (scripture) tells you.


Originally posted by Siddharta
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.

[Noah]

I guess Buddhism is more of a lifestyle than a religion.

You live your life in a way that is best for you and allows you to be 'pure' and like stronger minded.

My next door neightbour is Buddhist and she is quite leftwing

She also smokes loads of pot, I mean she probably takes in a day what I do in a year. Supposedly Weed is okay to smoke in Buddhism because it induces you into a hypnotic state of mind, along with Shrooms.

I do not agree with the reincarnation side of buddhism and nirvana and stuff but didn't a scientist prove reincarnation or something....?

I tend to steer away from religion due to the problems it creates.

[violencia.Proletariat]

"suffering is a part of life"

meh no thanks. sounds reactionary to me.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Buddhism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it's "different".

It isn't. Buddhist religious leaders were just as much assholes as their Christian counterparts.

[TheComrade]

"suffering is a part of life"

meh no thanks. sounds reactionary to me.

Yeah, thats the reservation I hold about it - why should life all be about suffering? I think Buddah had a problem because he thought that death and the every day life of the poor was total suffering, but even the poorest people can be happy - just he didn't stick around to see it.



Buddhism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it's "different".

But it has exsisted for over 1500 years - it has over 520 million followers to denounce it as a 'trend' is simply a wrong.



Free yourself from worshipping stupid things, like old fat guys with huge tits.

Come on, that doesn't persuade me - in fact it just makes me think you are immature (which I am sure you are not.) Just give me a reason - Buddahs appearence isn't one! But then again - if he talked about not holding on to things why did he eat so much?!?!

[Red shine´y]

Even though Buddhism often is addressed as non-religion, it certainly is. Prince Siddartha couldnt prevent it even if he spoke against it; he himself became an idol, an object of worship.
We musnt consider Buddhism to be a social movement neither. According to Myanmar dissidents, Buddhist priests colaborate with the junta , fearing persecutions.

However, its not impossible to find comfort in Buddhist teachings, but nothing that intend to solve our earthly problems. And when it comes to transcendent solutions, Im out. :/

[Mr Brightside]

Buddhism is certainly distinct from most other major religions in that it has no God(s). However, as with most religions there are many strands of Budhism. Off the top of my head I can remember Therevaden, Mahayana, Tibetan, Zen, and the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, who do not regard themselves as proper Buddhists but believe the teachings and practices of Buddhism are beneficial in their lives.

I learned a lot about Buddhism at school last year and done a lot of research for that part of the course I was doing as it was very interesting. In class we were allowed to try different meditation techniques, which were very effective in focusing the mind and so on. I think a lot can be learned from the techniques used in Buddhism for using the mind, although I do not believe in the spiritual side of it, such as Bodhisatvas (enlightened beings that are prayed to) and Arhats (enlightened beings who have returned to the Earth to assist others in achieving enligtenment - one of which is the Dalai Lama if my memory serves me well).

[farleft]

This is rediculous, I have a work mate who is bhuddist and a Marxist, well thats what he says, in reality he is just a liberal reformist twat.
What makes him a liberal reformist twat? Bhuddism does!

Religion and/or God(s) cannot be handcuffed to Marxism.
Why do I say this? because thats what MARX says! you cant be marxist if you disagree with what marx said. and it is quite a fundamental issue.

All religions are as bad as each other, no exceptions.

[Red shine´y]

Originally posted by Mr [email protected] 5 2005, 10:16 PM
Western Buddhist Order, who do not regard themselves as proper Buddhists but believe the teachings and practices of Buddhism are beneficial in their lives.

Do they, really? I think Buddhism helps them to overcome their dissapointments and shortcommings... Its not really about life, its about its defects :D

[Red Leader]

Free yourself from worshipping stupid things, like old fat guys with huge tits.

Buddhists do not worship anything. It is based on meditation, self reflection and enligtenment. I am not a buddhist, nor do i believe in some of the stuff it talks about, however your comment was just plain insulting and ignorant.

About the issue of it being an acceptable religion, no religion can be called acceptable because they all want everyone to conform to that particular belief and all are controlled by huge institutions that support the class system and holding some people higher than others, regarding individuls as superior than others. (be it buddha, jesus, the pope, mohammud, moses, etc)

[Red shine´y]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2005, 10:20 PM
Religion and/or God(s) cannot be handcuffed to Marxism.
Why do I say this? because thats what MARX says! you cant be marxist if you disagree with what marx said. and it is quite a fundamental issue.
My choice is to leave the fundamental brood to fundamentalists :D

[Ownthink]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2005, 05:11 PM
Buddhism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it's "different".

It isn't. Buddhist religious leaders were just as much assholes as their Christian counterparts.
Well, NoXion said it best.

[Red shine´y]

Originally posted by Red [email protected] 5 2005, 10:29 PM
About the issue of it being an acceptable religion, no religion can be called acceptable because they all want everyone to conform to that particular belief and all are controlled by huge institutions that support the class system and holding some people higher than others, regarding individuls as superior than others. (be it buddha, jesus, the pope, mohammud, moses, etc)
Agreed. There are always some patriarch, trying to patronise someone. In secular hierarchy there are certain rules, but in religious structures everything is arbitrary.

[Mr Brightside]

Do they, really? I think Buddhism helps them to overcome their dissapointments and shortcommings... Its not really about life, its about its defects

The 'suffering' of life :P

Yeah perhaps it does, I don't know why they meditate and so on, but they do it without holding the beliefs of the Buddhist religion.

I think another point that puts a lot of people off and raises a lot of questions is the Buddhist belief in impermanence. They believe everything is impermanent, even the grandest cliffs slowly erode and even the longest human life is not much longer than 100 years. However there are inconsistencies such as, if everything is impermanent then suffering is not impermanent, enlightenment is not permanent, and Nirvana is not permanent. One of the most commonly used phrases when studying Budhism, and in fact all the religions we studied was "this shows a lack of internal logic" i.e. within the religion there are many, many contradicitions. You could spend a lifetime combing through the scriptures of Buddhism and find many, many inconsistencies and contradictions. However, I think it is also important to learn from these as well.

[Xvall]

I find Buddhism mildly attractive, and although more realistic and sensical than most religions, Buddhism is a religion nonetheless. There's pleanty of stuff in Buddhism, (Seven Realms of Existance, The Cycle of Samsara, Reincarnation, Relics) that make no scientific sense. I generally don't have a problem with Buddhists because they are usually ok people who keep their beliefs to themselves and don't try to convert me. History has had it's share of Buddhist leaders who have done otherwise, though.

[Free Palestine]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2005, 10:11 PM
Buddhism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it's "different".

It isn't. Buddhist religious leaders were just as much assholes as their Christian counterparts.
Really weak argument. <_< Does this sound familiar?

"Communism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it&#39;s "different".

It isn&#39;t. Communist leaders were just as much assholes as their Capitalist counterparts."

At least offer some substantiation.

[Ownthink]

Is Buddhism "Better"? (http://www.redstar2000papers.com/theory.php?subaction=showfull&id=1101245436&archive=&cnshow=headlines&start_from=&ucat=&)

[Xvall]

More stuff . . .


Yeah, thats the reservation I hold about it - why should life all be about suffering? I think Buddah had a problem because he thought that death and the every day life of the poor was total suffering, but even the poorest people can be happy - just he didn&#39;t stick around to see it.

It is really more of a focus on desire than suffering. Buddhist teachings acknowledge that although happiness exists, it is temporary and evenentually everyone, regardless of their life (for the most part) will have to deal with the suffering of not getting what they want, sickness, old age (assuming they live that long), and the death of yourself and others. Blah, Blah. He didn&#39;t think death was suffering so much as he thought life was.


But it has exsisted for over 1500 years - it has over 520 million followers to denounce it as a &#39;trend&#39; is simply a wrong.

Indeed, though he was probably referring to what he believs a good deal of many modern first-world buddhists are - which isn&#39;t necessarily untrue - a lot of people do find it trendy and attractive.


Come on, that doesn&#39;t persuade me - in fact it just makes me think you are immature (which I am sure you are not.) Just give me a reason - Buddahs appearence isn&#39;t one&#33; But then again - if he talked about not holding on to things why did he eat so much?&#33;?&#33;

He wasn&#39;t fat, nor did he have "big tits". The little buddha statues are pretty much just gimicks to get tourists to rub them for good luck or by them as souveniers, both of which Siddhartha would probably find somewhat disheartening. They might say it&#39;s what he "looks like in nirvana", but that&#39;s also total BS. The man himself was allegedly a very scrawny, lean indian man who rarely ate as part of his devotion as a wandering renunciant. (He did die from eating bad pork, though) I say allegedly because the fact was that all of the "buddhist scriputres" were written hundreds of years after his death. It&#39;s likely that many of the details were exaggerated, altered, or skewed; assuming they were even true to begin with, which is also questionable.


All religions are as bad as each other, no exceptions.

I don&#39;t know about that. I&#39;d pick hanging out with Buddhists or Wiccans to Catholics any day of the week.

In fact, I&#39;ll elaborate on this..

What do you think of the Christians?

[ReD_ReBeL]

hmm i dont see a problem with religion, im not religious but i dunno why everyone here is against it, i dont care if Marxism said its slows down the progression or whtever, you people are not karl Marx and u should form your own opinions and well as taking from other people, we dont want another repression Soviet state which bans religion and puts other retrictions on our everyday life

[Xvall]

hmm i dont see a problem with religion,

Go to a Catholic school for a few years. Your opinion might change.


we dont want another repression Soviet state which bans religion and puts other retrictions on our everyday life

We&#39;re not going to ban it. We&#39;re just making sure that it doesn&#39;t intrude on public life. Sexual intercourse is a perfecty natural and acceptable aspect of society - but it is something that is done in private, and it is not acceptable to do it in front of a bunch of strangers. Would you say, then, that sex is "banned" in America?

[ReD_ReBeL]

yes i dont like religion thats preferabley why im not religious but if other ppl want to be religious let it be, its nothing to do with me. and go to a catholic school? no thnks, the name clearly states &#39;catholic&#39; as in if ur a catholic and want to go to caholic schooling thn its welcome for you, no point in going if your not catholic is it?. And no i wouldent say sex is banned in America becoz there is pornography and cinema&#39;s to watch Sex Movies if u plz, just like a church is for praying if u plz

[Ownthink]

What do you think of the Christians?
I think they suck. I have lived with them and been around many for my entire life. I don&#39;t like their views or their "morals", and I certainly don&#39;t like their politics.

I did go to a Catholic school. It was pure hell (Pun intended, kick ass), and it probably has a little to do with my hatred of Religion.

Although I would rather hang out with Buddhists or Wiccans as well (as would any sane person who knows the evils or Christianity and the majority of the views of it&#39;s followers&#33;), I know many a people who are into that "whatever is the latest trend" like "new Religions", and although they can be annoying, they are certainly better than most Christians.

And the old fat guy with tits was a joke, albeit a bad one. My bad.

I just don&#39;t like any Religion for a few reasons:
Class nature and holding up of Hierarchies of Religion
Rejection of Science ("Reincarnation"? No. Sounds like a cool idea, though.)
History of being total pricks
Belief in outrageous things without any evidence (I guess this could go under number 2)

And certain aspects Buddhism, like you stated, does certainly reject Science.

I don&#39;t like any Religion at all, and believe they have no place in Society, but if I HAD to choose, I would choose a Buddhist over a Christian (or any other major organized Religion of the West) any day.

Hope this explains my views ;)

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Originally posted by Free Palestine+Dec 5 2005, 10:58 PM--> (Free Palestine @ Dec 5 2005, 10:58 PM)
[email protected] 5 2005, 10:11 PM
Buddhism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it&#39;s "different".

It isn&#39;t. Buddhist religious leaders were just as much assholes as their Christian counterparts.
Really weak argument. <_< Does this sound familiar?

"Communism is one of those things that trendy pretentious hipsters like to follow because it&#39;s "different".

It isn&#39;t. Communist leaders were just as much assholes as their Capitalist counterparts."

At least offer some substantiation. [/b]
Please offer some substantiation that there is a world Jewish hierarchy controlling everything.

You&#39;re one to talk.

[Xvall]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2005, 11:34 PM

What do you think of the Christians?
I think they suck. I have lived with them and been around many for my entire life. I don&#39;t like their views or their "morals", and I certainly don&#39;t like their politics.

I did go to a Catholic school. It was pure hell (Pun intended, kick ass), and it probably has a little to do with my hatred of Religion.

Although I would rather hang out with Buddhists or Wiccans as well (as would any sane person who knows the evils or Christianity and the majority of the views of it&#39;s followers&#33;), I know many a people who are into that "whatever is the latest trend" like "new Religions", and although they can be annoying, they are certainly better than most Christians.

And the old fat guy with tits was a joke, albeit a bad one. My bad.

I just don&#39;t like any Religion for a few reasons:
Class nature and holding up of Hierarchies of Religion
Rejection of Science ("Reincarnation"? No. Sounds like a cool idea, though.)
History of being total pricks
Belief in outrageous things without any evidence (I guess this could go under number 2)

And certain aspects Buddhism, like you stated, does certainly reject Science.

I don&#39;t like any Religion at all, and believe they have no place in Society, but if I HAD to choose, I would choose a Buddhist over a Christian (or any other major organized Religion of the West) any day.

Hope this explains my views ;)
It was intented towards him, but your answer works just as well.

Alright;

Now what do you think of the Jews?

I don&#39;t want you to actually answer that, it&#39;s just going to show that obviously, even among athiests and irreligious people like us, there are certain religions we have prefrence to, or for lack of a better term, just "don&#39;t hate as much".

[Free Palestine]

I don&#39;t tend to offer substantiation for things I didn&#39;t say. Furthermore, I have already explained this quote time and time again. over and over... both to you, and others. More importantly, this issue has absolutely no relevance to the thread or subject in question. I think it is obvious you are just diverting the issue because you are unable to put forth a convincing counter-argument... further proving the intellectual bankruptcy of your idiotic blatherings.

[TheComrade]

Often all the monotheistic religions are extremely self promotative - they always try and convert other people (not that that is the case for all followers of that religion - I have christian friends and they do not wish to &#39;convert&#39; me.) The polytheistic tend to be less about &#39;spreading the word&#39; - that is often why they appeal to me more. It seems that many of the eastern religions are far less violent than those of the west (Christianty, Judaism spring to mind.) Am I ignorant? &#39;Enlighten&#39; me&#33;

[Ol' Dirty]

This is possibly the fourth time that I&#39;ve responded to a thread like this, and its getting really annoying&#33; There are those (including me) who don&#39;t particptate in the religion, only the philosophy.

[LA GUERRA OLVIDADA]

Originally posted by [email protected] 6 2005, 05:12 PM
Often all the monotheistic religions are extremely self promotative - they always try and convert other people (not that that is the case for all followers of that religion - I have christian friends and they do not wish to &#39;convert&#39; me.) The polytheistic tend to be less about &#39;spreading the word&#39; - that is often why they appeal to me more. It seems that many of the eastern religions are far less violent than those of the west (Christianty, Judaism spring to mind.) Am I ignorant? &#39;Enlighten&#39; me&#33;
Buddhism is an atheist religion and the typical western view of what "Christian Missions" are is not allowed in Buddhism.. aka Buddhists can&#39;t go to third world countries and indoctrinate people.

[Xvall]

Buddhism is an atheist religion and the typical western view of what "Christian Missions" are is not allowed in Buddhism.. aka Buddhists can&#39;t go to third world countries and indoctrinate people.

But sometimes they do. As a matter of fact, your statement is completely wrong. Of course you can try to prove me wrong, by stating exactly which Buddhist text states that you&#39;re not allowed to go to other countries and convert people - though I doubt you can since this text doesn&#39;t exist. Short of the Noble Eighfold Path I don&#39;t think there are any buddhist "rules" whatsoever. There is no central text or "Bible" in Buddhism.

According to Christian religion followers aren&#39;t supposed to kill either - So obviously we can never state that Christianity has aided in the murder of anyone&#33;

Buddhism is not an athiest religion. The entire notion of an "athiest religion" is absurd. An athiest denies the existence of "god" or "gods". Buddhism accepts the existance of "gods" (devas). It doesn&#39;t matter if they "created the universe" or not - they&#39;re still Gods. This is like saying that the worship of Zeus counts as "athiesm" because he didn&#39;t create the universe according to the Roman Pathenon.

[Chicom]

Im Buddhist/Taoist/Confucian but I dont go to temple much.

[Ol' Dirty]

You might say that it is an agnostic philosophy (the whole idea of an atheist religion is contradictory, no offense meant, of course), but not an atheist one.

Personally, the only time I have ever prayed in my life was when I was a stupid seven year old. I once cursed god (the Cristian one) for "killing" my grandfather before I was born, but I was just being melodramatic.

Peace.