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if someone is American; and they self-identify as Buddhist; and they support and promote the atheist activist group "Freedom From Religion." Then yes they are an American Buddhist. Regarding view expressed in post above, I wonder how many Thai Theravada Buddhists belong to American atheist activist groups such as "Freedom From Religion" which states it is "for those who are free from religion."
again, interesting to watch how someone (anyone) resolves a conflict such as that within.
talking about conflicting views and beliefs within and how we handle them.
not talking about any individual person. Using views expressed in post above as springboard for discussion.
You write about my post and then you say, "not talking about any individual person"???
See. You're wrong again. There is -- supposedly -- Buddhist hell. It is often depicted as a hell with various levels, often ten levels. However, Buddhist hell (at least in Theravada) is not a 'forever' place. Almost a little like purgatory. HOWEVER, many Theravadan teachers realize that this Buddhist hell is actually your own mind. Psychological hell, so to speak.
As i said, Buddhism does not believe in hell. That is a christian concept.
The Buddhist Study and Practice group offers this:
"The Buddhist concept of heaven and hell isentirely different from that in other religions.Buddhists do not accept that these places are eternal. It is unreasonable to condemn a man to eternal hell for his human weakness but quite reasonable to give him every chance to develop himself. From the Buddhist point of view, those who go to hell can work themselves upward by making use of the merit that they had acquired previously. There are no locks on the gates of hell. Hell is a temporary place and there is no reason for those beings to suffer there forever.
"The Buddha's Teaching shows us that there are heavens and hells not only beyond this world, but in this very world itself. Thus the Buddhist conception of heaven and hell is very reasonable. For instance, the Buddha once said, 'When the average ignorant person makes an assertion to the effect that there is a Hell (patala) under the ocean he is making a statement which is false and without basis. The word 'Hell' is a term for painful sensations. 'The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by god as heaven and hell is not acceptable to the Buddhist concept."
As i said, Buddhism does not believe in hell. That is a christian concept.
Yes.
"Buddhist never try to introduce Buddhism by frightening people through hell-fire or enticing people by pointing to paradise. Their main idea is character building and mental training. "
See. You're wrong again. There is -- supposedly -- Buddhist hell. It is often depicted as a hell with various levels, often ten levels. However, Buddhist hell (at least in Theravada) is not a 'forever' place. Almost a little like purgatory. HOWEVER, many Theravadan teachers realize that this Buddhist hell is actually your own mind. Psychological hell, so to speak.
Well, then...maybe that's it...**Buddhist Hell**, perceived by some Buddhists...that constrains all the Anti's to come here and rag on others about their Beliefs/Faith with such fervence & obvious emotional torment.
Thanx for the info.
The Buddhist Study and Practice group offers this:
"The Buddhist concept of heaven and hell isentirely different from that in other religions.Buddhists do not accept that these places are eternal. It is unreasonable to condemn a man to eternal hell for his human weakness but quite reasonable to give him every chance to develop himself. From the Buddhist point of view, those who go to hell can work themselves upward by making use of the merit that they had acquired previously. There are no locks on the gates of hell. Hell is a temporary place and there is no reason for those beings to suffer there forever.
"The Buddha's Teaching shows us that there are heavens and hells not only beyond this world, but in this very world itself. Thus the Buddhist conception of heaven and hell is very reasonable. For instance, the Buddha once said, 'When the average ignorant person makes an assertion to the effect that there is a Hell (patala) under the ocean he is making a statement which is false and without basis. The word 'Hell' is a term for painful sensations. 'The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by god as heaven and hell is not acceptable to the Buddhist concept."
I hope you noted what you related: "The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by god as heaven and hell is not acceptable to the Buddhist concept"
I hope you noted what you related: "The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by god as heaven and hell is not acceptable to the Buddhist concept"
She noted the difference already.
You should know...you are probably in it, based on how you described it.
What do you mean it is a christian concept? There is hell and heaven in Islam.
it started with Crstnty. Islam came after.
"In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations, the biggest examples of which are Christianity and Islam, whereas religions with reincarnation usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the dharmic religions. "
Crstnty and Islam don't recognize reincarnation, they have eternal punishment.
Buddhism (and other religions) have reincarnation, and no eternal punishment.
"The first real graphic descriptions of hell and its torments come outside of the New Testament canon in the Christian apocryphal texts of the second century C.E. One of the most colorful visions of hell is recorded in the Apocalypse of Peter, which was widely known in Christian circles at the time."
So Crstnty around year 200, Islam around year 600
"The first person to write about “eternal hell” was the Latin North African Tertullian (160–220 CE), who is considered the Father of the Latin Church. The main person responsible for making hell eternal in the Western Church was St. Augustine (354–430 CE), made Bishop of Hippo in North Africa. It is his misunderstanding of Greek that cemented the concept of eternal hell in the Western Church. Augustine not only said that hell was eternal for the wicked, but also for anyone who wasn’t a Christian. Most of what we believe about hell comes from Catholicism and ignorance of the Old Testament, not from the Bible. I [author] now believe that hell is the invention of Roman Catholicism. Early Christian doctrine remained unaffected by Hell until St. Augustine forcibly inserted it into orthodoxy, using a combination of power and violence to ensure it’s survival. Since that time, we’ve seen the gradual evolution of Christian doctrine in and around this concept, until today, the average believer has no idea that the concept of eternal torment isn’t even Biblical."
article"How & When The Idea of Eternal Torment Invaded [Christian] Church Doctrine"
Last edited by Tzaphkiel; 07-04-2022 at 05:20 PM..
From your link - According to this scheme, typical characteristics of pure consciousness seem to be, for example, the perception of silence, clarity, and an alert awareness without egoic self-consciousness.
Yes, once, looking up at the stars in Afghanistan, in a rare moment of absolute silence, I felt what I can only describe as if I was connected to everything. The act of trying to hold on to that moment destroyed it, and any attempt to try and recreate it was stopped when Abdul, one of our guides started what was to become a high volume series of flatulence.
I do not believe I was connected to everything, that was just what I thought at the time based on what I had read previously.
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