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Speaking for all atheist and Buddhist will be.....CB and Tz.
It is discussion about Buddhism and the concept of divinity.anyone with interest can contribute, one need only to speak for oneself. It is surprising that this needs to be stated.
Buddhism actually does not recognize an eternal soul/atma within. Yet it believes in rebirth/reincarnation. There is no clear answer to what survives that reincarnates in Nagarjuna’s treatise on Buddhism. This is the reason Western Buddhism is a bit obscure on that issue. But there is nothing obscure in the mind of Buddhists of south asia and elsewhere who do worship that which is transcendental.
Thank you for clarifying that. I have edited my post to reflect this.
"Buddhism does say we have an essential nature that transcends conditioned or material existence. In the Mahayana, this is called buddhanature, the open expanse of awakeness."
"Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche defined Buddha Nature as: “… our fundamental nature of mind is a luminous expanse of awareness that is beyond all conceptual fabrication and completely free from the movement of thoughts. It is the union of emptiness and clarity, of space and radiant awareness that is endowed with supreme and immeasurable qualities.”
this article discusses a distinction: "Buddha Nature is not similar to the soul. (Not referring to Hindu Atman, but rather Judeo Christian soul.)" Yes, i was referring to the unchanging, universal spirit or consciousness which underlies everything.
Speaking for all atheist and Buddhist will be.....CB and Tz.
Interesting. Neither of them is an atheist or a Buddhist. The one regular we have who is a Buddhist is also an atheist. He tells us there are several basic types of Buddhism. Apparently, his type is OK with followers being atheists.
Interesting. Neither of them is an atheist or a Buddhist. The one regular we have who is a Buddhist is also an atheist. He tells us there are several basic types of Buddhism. Apparently, his type is OK with followers being atheists.
It is true i am neither. But i am interested in Buddhism and i can read, i can understand, able to find resources that are authored by scholars whose credentials i trust. That is also called research. Like the article in the link i posted. Instead of commenting on me, and my comments, what would be educational for you is to read the article and share your thoughts here. You may learn something.
The resident Buddhist Atheist in my opinion lacks both wisdom and knowledge. I am selective about my sources.
I am not sure one can be an atheist and still call himself as belonging to a religion, unless one means the culture the religion is grounded in. The very definition of religion centers around a deity/divinity, worship that is grounded in the culture. One can celebrate the culture and also be atheist. Culture is not religion, but religion, the practice of it, is grounded in its culture.
Anyway this is off topic. Best to respond to posts and not attack the poster.
Former Buddhists can be atheists, Godless. But Buddhism is not without Divinity, it is not atheism. I know this is logic that is hard to grasp. But you will get there, by God’s grace.
I would rather let a Buddhist explain than someone who constantly gets even the most simple of concepts wrong.
Interesting. Neither of them is an atheist or a Buddhist. The one regular we have who is a Buddhist is also an atheist. He tells us there are several basic types of Buddhism. Apparently, his type is OK with followers being atheists.
And within Buddhism, deities and divine beings are recognized. So Buddhism is not atheism, because atheism is a lack of belief in any deities.
"Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts. Initially they included mainly figures such as devas, asuras and yakshas, but later came to include other spirits and local gods. Buddhist deities range from enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits."
And within Buddhism, deities and divine beings are recognized. So Buddhism is not atheism, because atheism is a lack of belief in any deities.
"Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts. Initially they included mainly figures such as devas, asuras and yakshas, but later came to include other spirits and local gods. Buddhist deities range from enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits."
The gods like every other being must strive to achieve enlightenment. They are a dimension of the 6 paths of existence through which sentient beings transmigrate until they gain enlightenment and enter Nirvana. Any particular god became a god because of his good karma. Though a god might have an extremely long life compared to a human, it is determined by karma and will eventually come to an end with the rebirth of the god into another life form. This understanding differs from Indian views where the gods are always gods. In Buddhism the gods are part of the worlds of form and desire and therefore essentially finite. While they are in the position of gods, they can benefit human life.
Actually the Indian view is not different. Brhman is existence and is transcendental. But the gods, the multitude of them will be destroyed along with the phenomenal world at Pralaya, the end of the world, and a new world will be born with new gods. And this is only natural because the world and the gods are creation of the mind, of faith. They represent forces that are not material but exist.
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