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I'm genuinely wondering about this. Why is buddhism such a "trendy" religion? Yoga, "free tibet" and its tremendous celebrity support? As far as I know Paris Hilton has never been concerned about the plight of Coptic or Iraqi Christians, but many celebrities are quite vocal about the plight of Tibetan buddhists?
I don't mean to underscore the very real suffering monks and nuns have suffered at the hands of chinese authorities, but I am puzzled why it has become a cause celebre, compared to the persecution of other religious groups. Buddhism is a very strict religion for those who study it seriously, in terms of sexual morality, avoiding alcohol & drugs, exercising self control and practicing meditation, so it's not necessarily an "easy" religion (so I don't think that is the appeal?).
Is there something special or different about buddhism that attracts the concern and attention of the secular & western world? If so, what?
Because it's primarily been embraced by people from the political left. Liberals, by their very nature, like novelty. Buddhism fills the bill because it's perceived to be different from Christianity. (It certainly is in many respects, although many core teachings about how to deal with the difficulties of life remain the same). Liberals also are the ones who dominate the entertainment industry and the media, so Buddhism is made trendy through the use of those vehicles; sometimes deliberately, and at others, it just reflects the biases of the people who dominate those media outlets.
Because it's primarily been embraced by people from the political left.
define "people from the political left" and show some statistics
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Liberals, by their very nature, like novelty. Buddhism fills the bill because it's perceived to be different from Christianity.
and yet the majority of liberals are non-hypocritical Christians, so much for novelty.
Quote:
(It certainly is in many respects, although many core teachings about how to deal with the difficulties of life remain the same). Liberals also are the ones who dominate the entertainment industry and the media, so Buddhism is made trendy through the use of those vehicles; sometimes deliberately, and at others, it just reflects the biases of the people who dominate those media outlets.
define "people from the political left" and show some statistics
and yet the majority of liberals are non-hypocritical Christians, so much for novelty.
There is no such thing as a non-hypocritical Christian because ideologies are imperfect, humans are imperfect. Best you can do is to strive to be the best person you can be, and extend kindness to others. Humility is a virtue. To view yourself as superior because of a political persuasion is not the Christian way.
define "people from the political left" and show some statistics
I think you know who I'm talking about when I refer to people from the left. You know, they voted for Obama, they believe in the welfare state. They think taxing the rich will solve all our government's financial problems, etc. As far as I know, there aren't any statistics on such a thing. It was my opinion, as your statement below is yours.
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Originally Posted by LuminousTruth
and yet the majority of liberals are non-hypocritical Christians, so much for novelty.
Ummm....not so fast. I don't deny conservative Christians can be hypocritical. But it's laughable to say the liberals aren't. I've experienced the intolerance of some liberals first hand. It's human nature to be hypocritical and to notice the hypocrisy of other people you perceive as different from you but not your own. It's pretty much the human story (unfortunately).
I might also add that hypocrisy is inevitable for anyone who holds any kind of high ideals. High ideals, by their very nature are difficult to achieve, and thus, invite hypocrisy, since humans are imperfect.
As to the OP. As an agnostic atheist, the only "religion" I have ever been interested in, even just on an intellectual level, is Buddhism. IMHO it has all the benefits of religion (sense of community, emphasis on compassion, etc) and none of its downsides (too long to list here).
I'm genuinely wondering about this. Why is buddhism such a "trendy" religion? Yoga, "free tibet" and its tremendous celebrity support? As far as I know Paris Hilton has never been concerned about the plight of Coptic or Iraqi Christians, but many celebrities are quite vocal about the plight of Tibetan buddhists?....
It certainly seems to me that Evangelical Christianity is far more trendy in the U.S., people getting born again all over the place and politicians running to embrace (literally) every televangelical preacher for an endorsement. I think it's EC that's that the rage in the U.S.
Buddhism is not necessarily an austere religion that is dificult to follow, not even Tibetan Buddhism, and many Buddhist countries are relatively libertine in their sexual morality (Thailand). I think Buddhism is popular because its essentially humanistic- inner peace, not worship, is the center of the religion.
To clairfy: Buddhism is about the self. It is an inward focused religion. As to self serving, there are tons of Catholic and Christian Organization based hospitals all over the place. How many Buddhist based hospitals does one find?
(I love how some folk keep demonizing Christians)
It's "inward" because you can only change the world for the good if you yourself are "changed"; that is, more enlightened.
This reminds of many Protestant Christian groups that cannot see the holiness in being a Christian monk or nun. The answer is quite simple: their radical denial of self is the greatest testament of faith in their god.
Demonizing Christians? No good Buddhist demonizes anything or anyone. They wish genuine happiness for all people. And they hate nothing, as one cannot have hate in one's heart for anything, even for "sin" or "defilement", should true happiness be sought.
Denial of self is key to ultimate happiness, whether you believe in god or not.
It's "inward" because you can only change the world for the good if you yourself are "changed"; that is, more enlightened.
This reminds of many Protestant Christian groups that cannot see the holiness in being a Christian monk or nun. The answer is quite simple: their radical denial of self is the greatest testament of faith in their god.
Demonizing Christians? No good Buddhist demonizes anything or anyone. They wish genuine happiness for all people. And they hate nothing, as one cannot have hate in one's heart for anything, even for "sin" or "defilement", should true happiness be sought.
Denial of self is key to ultimate happiness, whether you believe in god or not.
Peace.
I don't agree that "no good Buddhist demonizes anything or anyone". There are evil acts and there are evil people.
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