This goes out to everyone. My uncle, who is a very zealous Christian, sent me this email, as he realizes I am agnostic. Please, I'd like you to give your thoughts and opinions on this. I've thought deeply on what he's said but I'd still love to hear the thoughts of the city. Here is the email (I'm Peter...and the one who is embracing Buddha understanding) Peter, Read this. I know you've learned to Buddha in the past. I wonder if this will help you sort out what path you are on. "Christianity believes there is truth. Buddhism believes there is no truth. One believes there is a completely other God who exists. The other believes there is nothing that ultimately exists,” he said. The differences go on. Christianity believes a loving God created the world, and the world, for all its brokenness, continues to reveal love and goodness. Buddhism rejects the world as evil and the source of suffering. Christianity teaches its adherents to embrace suffering, as Christ did. Buddhism teaches its adherents that the escape from suffering is the goal of life. Christianity teaches that salvation, sanctification and even contemplative prayer are made possible by God’s grace. Buddhism teaches that disciplined practice of the “Eight-fold Path” will lead to nirvana.</pre> EDIT: whoops thought i was browsing S&P my bad folks
Buddhism focuses on the betterment of the self in harmony with the rest of the world. Christianity makes a slave of the mind and separates man from the most basic of things that make him human.
If they were complete opposites then there would be a religion that was exactly halfway between the two... but we are dealing with categorical variables here... so, no such luck... subjectivity...it's a bitch.
Religions just seem kind of like mild cults to me. I think it's a form of mind control and it's a way of telling someone to live their life. I think some people need that though to get through their daily lives. I feel, however, that I am strong minded enough to not need some kind of hope of a grand afterlife to get through my life. I just respect the Earth and what is here and what I can see and I know that when I die my body will become part of the Earth which is kind of like living on forever because I will be absorbed by the earth. I don't necessarily rule out the thought of their being a higher power though because it is completely possible. It's also possible that there is no higher power though either. I just like to be open minded on the subject of religion. The only thing that bothers me about Christians or any other religion is that they feel the need to preach and recruit others and judge others that don't partake in their beliefs which is kind of shitty. I think people should be entitled to believe in whatever they want and not be judged for their beliefs.
From an objective standpoint I understand what you are saying. I agree that to each opposite there is a median, I.E. day and night, sunset/sunrise being the median. Subjective wise, though, to break down the relationships as formed in each of the Religions is tough. I think that they are different in that one encourages blind faith and the other opposes it as blind faith ultimately is suffering. That then is where in becomes circular, because Jesus teaches to embrace suffering and consequently this leads to an embrace of blind faith. The Middle Way is something I think my uncle doesn't understand though, that there is a middle ground between of all views: that things ultimately exist or do not exist. It does not say that ultimately God does not exist, but rather that there can be no other way. Either something exists, or it doesn't. The path to enlightenment is the mutualism of everything where dualities no longer exist. To say that this is the Buddhist understanding that nothing exists is wrong. Everything exists, together, and as such nothing exists apart from that singularity.
Wow man im about to save that somewhere and whenever i need to reply to a thread like this im going to use what you said. Seriously man i couldnt have expressed my opinions of religion any better than you said it right there. I love you? lmao.
I agree for the most part... although...what about things that exist in the mind?... they are quite real. only don't fit in with the continuity of reality... does that mean that reality is some combination of real and unreal?... and thus reality is a fabrication?...
Everything exists in the mind. Without our senses we would not mentally comprehend the existence of substance. Everything that exists outside the mind exists only because the mind knows it to truly exist. Understand reality as it is, not as it appears to be.
But if our mind cannot be separated from reality... does that make it impossible to understand reality as it is?...
Buddists just seem alot more chill. The evangelicals are always trying to hate on gay people and ban anything they dont like, and trying to shove there religion down your throat.
Our mind is actually separated from reality most of the time, to some all of the time. The mind is only part of reality 100% when a person meditates. So yes and no, sort of. Reality is something everyone perceives differently, but that does not change the understanding of reality. The sun is yellow, but if in my reality I think it's purple that doesn't change the reality that it's yellow.
Most organized religion is bullshit. I mean, everyone is entitled to their beliefs, and I, myself, strongly believe in a higher being, or at very least, a higher force, but ORGANIZED religion is up there with tobacco companies for the title of "Multi-National Conglomerates Who Deceive You for Profit". Say what you will about me but there is a lot of truth in what I'm saying. The Roman Catholic church has been, at times, the biggest corporation in the world. While they aren't right now, they certainly have more power than most of the conglomerates around the world. They make a tremendous amount of money through "donations", which I'll tell you, having been a part of that church for many years, aren't donations so much as they are "give us any money you have and you might be saved fees". They also lie and deceive to keep their members numb (most religions do this though, look at the mormon church and the christian scientists. Now, I love god, and I think that's all you need (a personal recognition that there is a god, however that god is presented, be it god, allah, etc. it's all the same...one deity, and a certain amount of devotion to that god). For me "devotion" is praying when im in tough situations and trying to revitalize faith sometimes, but with my current smoking tendencies, I feel hypocritical practicing my faith, and that's wrong. It's all the catholic church's fault. I grew up thinking marijuana was evil (among other things), and it clearly is not, but after so many years of them telling you something it sticks almost permanently. The pope came out a few months ago and said purgatory was made up. OF COURSE IT WAS MADE UP! But the worst part is that they made it up as another step to make money. Anyways I got way off topic, yes the religions are different, but neither is better than the other from an objective point of view. That EMAIL IS WRONG AND MISLEADING, but at the same time you must realize they are different, but christianity is not a better religion for those reasons, that sounds like it was written by a poorly informed right wing christian.
"Christianity believes there is truth. Buddhism believes there is no truth. One believes there is a completely other God who exists. The other believes there is nothing that ultimately exists,†he said. No, Buddhism believes that ultimate truth is ineffable and inexpressable in exactly the same way that Chrsitianity does. The only difference is that Christianity gives it's ultimate truth personality and a divine plan. Buddhism doesn't. Reality just is. The differences go on. Christianity believes a loving God created the world, and the world, for all its brokenness, continues to reveal love and goodness. Buddhism rejects the world as evil and the source of suffering. This is a common misinterpretation of the statement that 'samsara is dukka' (our reality is impermanent/dissatisfactory). It simply means that because of the impermanent nature of our lives and through desires for things we don't have, existence itself is stressful to us. It's saying that our desires are the source of many of our problems. It doesn't mean that this reality is a horrible place to be, and that we should reject it because of its unsatisfactory aspects. Samsaric reality is an manifestation of ultimate nature, an expression of it, not really a thing in its own right - so to reject it and think of it as evil and separate from ourselves would be wrong and inaccurate. Christianity teaches its adherents to embrace suffering, as Christ did. Buddhism teaches its adherents that the escape from suffering is the goal of life. No, Buddhism teaches that there are ways to escape from suffering/desires now, without needing to die and go to heaven. This way also offers complete spiritual understanding, desirelessness, and contentment. It is entirely up to the individual whether or not it's their goal in life - but as it offers complete freedom and harmony with others, I wouldn't sy it was a bad goal Christianity teaches that salvation, sanctification and even contemplative prayer are made possible by God's grace. Buddhism teaches that disciplined practice of the “Eight-fold Path†will lead to nirvana. Buddhism says that we are responsible for the morality of our own actions and the happiness of our own lives. If we are lucky and reach enlightenment we haven't done so by anyone's grace other than that of our teachers, and we revere (not worship) them for it. There's no higher power in a christian sense for us to be beholden to if it happens. The eight fold path has, according to Buddha, 84,000 variations, each one to suit the mind and intellect of a particular kind of student. Many traditions in Buddhism are austere,there's no doubt, but many aren't. The discipline that many imagine every student to go through isn't always present, it depends on what kind of thing you're practising. Buddhism and christianity share moral values, but the similarities stop there. Buddhism doesn't beleive in a personal self, let alone a soul. MelT
mathematically that doesn't sound right I'm not so sure the similarities do end there... but I know very little about Buddhism and not much about Christianity either...
Bhuddism promotes tolerance of other religions. Historically, christianity has done the exact opposite.