The truth about Buddhism

[sky dancer]

I'm starting this thread because many people don't understand Buddhism any more than they understand LDS or Judaism.

Is Buddhism even a religion? Isn't it more a philosophy or way of life?

 

[eots]

little Lisa Simpson is a Buddhist

 

[chloe]

I like the buddhists.

 

[sky dancer]

Me too. I liked Buddhists so much, I started to study Buddhism.

 

[editec]

I'm starting this thread because many people don't understand Buddhism any more than they understand LDS or Judaism.

Is Buddhism even a religion? Isn't it more a philosophy or way of life?

It's both, I think.

There is more than one sect of Buddhist thinking.

 

[xsited1]

One of my favorite books is Siddhartha, although my all-time favorite is Illusions. Buddhism is a wonderful set of beliefs and practices to live by most of the time. For self-preservation and liberty, I recommend 3 things: a 9mm handgun, an assault rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

 

[eots]

my brother was big into Buddhism for years before he found god..monks would come and stay at his place when in the country..they were cool people..to my surprise they all appreciated some good smoke which was the extent of my involvement

 

[sky dancer]

It's both, I think.

There is more than one sect of Buddhist thinking.

Yes. Buddhism spread throughout Asia. There are numerous forum of Buddhism.

They all share some of the basics.

 

[jillian]

Yes. Buddhism spread throughout Asia. There are numerous forum of Buddhism.

They all share some of the basics.

The beauty of Buddhism is that it actually doesn't interfere with whatever other religious beliefs one has. It just reinforces the "do unto others" part of those other belief systems.

 

[sky dancer]

The beauty of Buddhism is that it actually doesn't interfere with whatever other religious beliefs one has. It just reinforces the "do unto others" part of those other belief systems.

That's true in many respects. I have friends who are devoted students (I would say, some of our best students) and accomplished Buddhist meditation practitioners but who would identify also as Jews. They list their religion as Jewish--even though they are not practicing Jews.

 

[jillian]

That's true in many respects. I have friends who are devoted students (I would say, some of our best students) and accomplished Buddhist meditation practitioners but who would identify also as Jews. They list their religion as Jewish--even though they are not practicing Jews.

Exactly! I know people like that, too.

 

[sky dancer]

Exactly! I know people like that, too.

We have open meditation at our Buddhist center. Many people from the community come and meditate with us. It's not a requirement to consider yourself Buddhist to take up meditation.

We also have 'peace training' for social activists. At those trainings we deal with every kind of 'ism' that arises.

I practiced Buddhist meditation for many years and didn't consider myself 'anything'.

I no longer have any problem with the label 'Buddhist'.

 

[editec]

Peace training.

That's something I desperately need.

I am, without a doubt, one of the world's least successful pacifists.

 

[chloe]

Here is a Zen Story a dude once gave me: Im sure everyone has heard this one before. Is Zen the same as Buddhist, and are there different versions of Buddhist?

A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her.

The senior monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her down on the other bank. The junior monk was very upset, but said nothing.

They both were walking and senior monk noticed that his junior was suddenly silent and enquired “Is something the matter, you seem very upset?”

The junior monk replied, “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”

The senior monk replied, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.”



The older monk, his mind free, saw the situation, responded to it, and continued to be present to the next step after letting the woman down.

The younger monk was bound by ideas, held on to them for hours, and, in doing so, missed the experiences of the next part of the journey.

Mental attachment to an idea or earlier experience blocks the full experience of the present here and now. Attachments slow the mind, interfering with appropriate responses to the immediate situation.

In order to evaluate a situation requiring a decision, the mind must be open to the possibilities. Being anchored in the past restricts the choices. Examples of holding on, outlined in the Mental Bias post, are favoring current conditions and giving disproportionate weight to old information.

The mind cannot will itself to be free. There are methods to calm the activity of the mind in order to be more open. The first step is to develop awareness.

 

[sky dancer]

Peace training.

That's something I desperately need.

I am, without a doubt, one of the world's least successful pacifists.

I hear you. I'm another. I have a temper and a feisty nature.

 

[sky dancer]

Here is a Zen Story a dude once gave me: Im sure everyone has heard this one before. Is Zen the same as Buddhist, and are there different versions of Buddhist?

A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her.

The senior monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her down on the other bank. The junior monk was very upset, but said nothing.

They both were walking and senior monk noticed that his junior was suddenly silent and enquired “Is something the matter, you seem very upset?”

The junior monk replied, “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”

The senior monk replied, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.”



The older monk, his mind free, saw the situation, responded to it, and continued to be present to the next step after letting the woman down.

The younger monk was bound by ideas, held on to them for hours, and, in doing so, missed the experiences of the next part of the journey.

Mental attachment to an idea or earlier experience blocks the full experience of the present here and now. Attachments slow the mind, interfering with appropriate responses to the immediate situation.

In order to evaluate a situation requiring a decision, the mind must be open to the possibilities. Being anchored in the past restricts the choices. Examples of holding on, outlined in the Mental Bias post, are favoring current conditions and giving disproportionate weight to old information.

The mind cannot will itself to be free. There are methods to calm the activity of the mind in order to be more open. The first step is to develop awareness.

I love that story. It really points out that the path of meditation is one of letting go. Easy to understand--simple really--difficult to do. It also illustrates the disadvantage of rigid fundamentalism--which can cause to to miss wisdom by judging others.

It's not easy to let someone insult you and to not respond in kind, for example.

That's the value of posting in a forum. Plenty of opportunity to practice 'letting go'.

Zen is Buddhism.

 

[Old Rocks]

One of my favorite books is Siddhartha, although my all-time favorite is Illusions. Buddhism is a wonderful set of beliefs and practices to live by most of the time. For self-preservation and liberty, I recommend 3 things: a 9mm handgun, an assault rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

Really? I would reccommend a good store of seeds, a good source of water, and working cooperation with the people arround you. You have to sleep sometime.

 

[Missourian]

Really? I would reccommend a good store of seeds, a good source of water, and working cooperation with the people arround you. You have to sleep sometime.

My wife is a crack shot and a night owl. We've got our bases covered. The seeds and water is good advise tho.

 

[sky dancer]

When everyone around you makes certain unspoken assumptions, it's hard to keep from making them yourself. That's one of the greatest problems we Buddhists have in western society.
The assumption I'm concerned about is "literal truth". People may argue over whether the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran, or even the Book of Mormon is literally true, but they all make the assumption that "literal truth" is possible.

I say it's not.

Look at the nature of language. A word, for instance "dog", is a pattern of air vibrations, ink on paper, electronic on-off signals or whatever, that 2 or more entities have agreed to use to represent something else.

Incidentally, since all this is needed before there can even be words, you can see how I might be a bit skeptical about "In the beginning was the word".

A dog has four legs and chases cats. The WORD "dog" has three letters and never changes. Since words don't act the same as the things or actions they represent, they can never represent them perfectly. Truth, as the Buddha said, is not expressed by words.

Fortunately, in Buddhism, the goal is not to memorize an accurate expression of truth, but rather to perceive reality. In Buddhist writings, truth is likened to "the finger pointing to the moon". The finger is NOT the moon. At best, when understood correctly, it is an aid in seeing the moon, but only if we're willing to turn away from the finger and look instead where it's pointing.

Of course, a finger pointing in the wrong direction wouldn't help us see the moon at all. I guess you could say that, even if "truth" doesn't exist in any absolute sense, falsehood does.

In The Snake Simile the Buddha said the teachings are like a raft. A traveler may come to a river and gather reeds to bundle together to make a raft. But once he gets to the other side, would he carry the raft on his back the rest of the way? "Truth" is to help us see reality. But it's seeing and dealing with the real world that's important, not blind faith in any doctrine.
If you were driving along and the road takes a jog to the left that wasn't on your map, would you drive straight ahead into a tree, or follow the road like the rest of us skeptics?

Or if you come to visit me for the first time, and you're driving along looking for street numbers when you suddenly recognize me in front of a house waving to you, do you ask me to move aside so you can read the number? Once you reach a perception of reality, you don't need "truth" any more.

The Nature of Truth in Buddhism

 

[ABikerSailor]

First off.....no.....Zen is not Buddhism. However, Buddhism is a part of Zen.

Buddhism was started by an Indian prince named Siddhartha, who sneaked out of his castle on 3 occasions. One time, he saw a poor man, one time he saw a dead body, and on a third occasion he saw a sick man. He came up with the philosophy that all life is suffering, and thereupon left the castle to become an ascetic.

He'd wandered around, studying all sorts of different types of philosophy, and after 10 years, decided to sit under a banyan tree and figure out how to tie everything together that he'd learned. 40 days later, he reached enlightenment (a eureka moment if you will), and decided that living as only a prince or only as an ascetic, was wrong, because one needs to strive for the middle path or balance.

Lao-Tzu eventually created his own philosophy also, and called it Tao, which borrows from Zen and Buddhism.

Personally? I look at Tao and Buddhist philosophy as a compass to help me separate the true from the false in other theologies.