Hey everyone I'm Theravada Buddhist, and I was wondering who else on here is Buddhist/has Buddhist beliefs. I'm not entirely Buddhist...of course it's complicated, I have Buddhist beliefs as well as Daoist. I think both are great philosophies depending on which of the sects of Buddhist you are talking about. I don't really believe in reincarnation, although that would be cool. Theravada is known as the "athiest" religion...basically you accept whatever will happen in life...for what it is. It is the oldest form of Buddhism. So post your thoughts =) Peace ,ll,,
I follow some Daoist beliefs. Buddhism is a little to strict for me. I dont know how you are following it when one of their things is no intoxicating substances
No, monks have to pick to follow all of the rules, Lay Buddhist (aka. anyone else who follows Buddhism) are allowed to pick a pillar or two of the beliefs to follow. Intoxicating substances was not one of the ones I picked =) I picked never to harm...and never to kill. (I'm vegetarian/vegan (only eat dairy if it's local free-range, I would never eat meat). I would never harm another person....as best I could, I would never kill, (yes even if that meant I would die, since a lot of people ask that as a comment haha.) Actually...if you look at older Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, they thought over indulgence in these "intoxicating substances" was the only way to free yourself of them. (But I'd rather not get into that because it exposes a deep flaw in one part of Buddhism...especially the "sexual vampirism".) Also...as I said I am Theravada, the oldest form...Opium was widley spread, as well as herb. It came out of China in trade originally. A lot of the "oracles" would achieve their visions via. opium along with other "intoxicating" substances. I said I am not strictly buddhist however I believe in alot of there staple beliefs, such as selflessness (which is hard to achieve I do not claim to be that although I am trying), mindfullness, ect. Daoists....that gord they held? Was to hold certain types of mind-altering drugs. I was a religions double major, but had to drop it as a double, I got what I needed out of it you know....something spiritual, which was what I was looking for. I studied in China, and at one of the temples, they handed us the inscense as well as a opium bottle...to offer as gifts to the statue. there are SO many forms of Buddhism...once again this was a tibetan form.
I'm Buddhist, somewhere between Theravada and Mahayana. Also, I am an atheist, which actually kind of helped with anatta I'm kinda iffy on the whole reincarnation thing, and I don't believe in the supernatural aspects of Buddhahood, I personally believe that the supernatural aspects were allegorical.
yea I hear ya...me too. You can say as far as anything "mystical" I don't really believe it...philosophically if it can make sense than alright I can possibly accept it. If you declare that someone cannot be Buddhist because they drink or smoke the old ganja weed than that brings about as many faults as Christianity is viewed with. I see Buddhism more openly...I can't be Christian because I don't see any purely philosophical part behind it, sure good-will, ect. be a good person...but in the end this is mainly to get to Heaven...and they will always push a God existing...which I don't believe in. I can dig the whole universe working together, or all things are connected, but not some supernatural god who will judge me. Buddhism has a enormous purely philosophical side, which is why I can say I try to follow that and why I say I am lay Buddhist
Everyone is a Buddha. Ordinary life and Buddahood have no distinction. Buddhahood and ordinary life are onekind; ordinary beings are themselves Buddhas. When perfectly known, ordinary and sage are on the same road. The common man creates arbitrary distinctions, clinging to the existence of what has none, rushing in confusion. Great Knowledge is not different from ignorance. There is no separation until you divide things with labels/categories and names created by self. You give names for what has none.
i love the teachings of buddhism and the life of The Buddha himself is very inspiring to me the Prince who had everything one could want in life , money , women , power , but he threw it all aside and dedicated his life in the search of somthing more , then once he discoverd it he dedicated his life to teaching it. a model for all of mankind
yea...that... haha anyways, i am EXTREMELY undereducated in eastern history. besides a ghengus kahn exhibit and temporary infatuation have buddhists, in history, ever started a war oh behalf of their religion? i ask because this is my MAIN issue with religions. so many of them seem to warrant committing violence and murder. yuck. i also love the philosophical aspect of buddhism, and yoga is a hobby i've had for years as well. the philosophical aspect makes it so much deeper than a religion that fears its creator. to me that is not religion, it's control. i am an atheist currently, but i would say i am of buddhist philosophy.
I dont really pertain to any believe/religion but a lot of my basis of way of life comes from Buddhism and the other beliefs it has spawned.
Reincarnation in the fullest sense is Hindu, not Buddhist. Buddhism isn't spiritual, we have no spiritual plane, only a continuing reality with nothing holy or hidden. In Buddhism there is no soul, so there is nothing to be reborn. What we believe is that the habits and propensities of a person leave a temporary imprint on the background reality. Sometimes it helps kick-start a new person, sometimes it doesn't, but when it does it isn't the previous person that is born again, it's just that some of the imprinted energy from one person may go on to help imprint another. It doesn't mean that the full person is born again. In some Buddhist traditions though, you're right, it is more like the Hindu idea, but even in those traditions (mainly Tibetan) it's thought of as very rare, and usually only part of a person (ie, some of their thoughts and memories) that is reborn in another. Usually the 'donor' will be enlightened. Hindu traditions believe in a few different forms of reincarnation, more what people expect when the term is used. But the idea of a localised being, independent from reality as a whole doesn't exist in Buddhism either. What is born, what goes on, and what dies, is purely relative. MelT
^That is how I've thought of reincarnation. Basically every thing one does has an affect, however large or small, on everyone they interact with. More than likely some of the people they have affected will survive after their death, thus they still affect things/"exist" after they are dead. Obviously, that's just a relative way to put it... but that's the logic behind reincarnation, to me... no need for anything supernatural or divine. To me, reincarnation and karma are quite interlinked.
What you should do is ask yourself why anyone should do anything. It doesn't really matter... if making yourself known brings peace and happiness, then go for it... just don't base your peace and happiness on how well known you become (or on anything for that matter.)
Things like replicating himself until the sky is filled with a multitude of Buddhas, shooting rays of fire and water out from his body, causing earthquakes, etc.