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at the heart of the matter is the fact that I don't believe that God exists so that rules out most religions for me personally but as a philosophy of life the little I know about Buddhism does sound somewhat appealing.
the point of any religion or spiritual path is less about "what you believe" or "philosophy of life"......and more how you put those beliefs into action in how you live your life, how you walk the talk
I plan on seeing everyone again when my physical form passes because we (our souls/energy) are all part of the energy called God/Buddha/Divine Spirit....whichever name you call it. Going to Heaven/joining God/merging your energy.......whatever it is you feel you do when you soul checks out of your physical form isn't a contest......OK?! I plan on meeting up again with my Christian friends, Buddhist friends, Jewish friends, Catholic friends, Wiccan friends. We are all one in the same.....just heading down different paths during the journey.
I don't believe that God exists so that rules out most religions for me personally but as a philosophy of life the little I know about Buddhism does sound somewhat appealing.
I don't have all the answers, but what do you believe exists, what's reality for you?
While Buddhism doesn't have a "God" per-se in the Western concept (an all powerful being with a personality and emotions), many forms of Buddhism do have similar ideas of eternal, deathless ideas- Emptiness, the Dharma (Law), the Buddha-nature, the Mind (Yogacara asserts everything is made of the Mind), etc. Many forms of Buddhism worship Buddhas and deities to cultivate attributes of the Buddha. Faith can also be an important part of Buddhism.
In Theravada cosmology- one of the heavens contains a being whose delusion is that he created everything... hmmm....
The base question is difficult to answer because my soul does not have a passport (but I'll assume heaven and moksha are meant the same way). I have no idea how many countries I've been a citizen of after each reincarnation. Korean? Namibian? Chilean? Dutch?
I don't have all the answers, but what do you believe exists, what's reality for you?
I believe in the physical universe that is governed by the laws of physics (which unfortunately we don't truly understand), I believe that there are no supernatural forces in the universe such as a God who is conscious of his own existence and that life is the result of natural processes. I also believe that our self awareness and everything that makes us human is the result of the functions of the brain. I realize that rules out any religion like Christianity but I've heard people describe Buddhism as more of a philosophy than a belief in a higher power of some sort so that's why I mentioned it sounded kind of interesting.
Magnulus wrote:
I believe in the physical universe that is governed by the laws of physics (which unfortunately we don't truly understand),
Science is just another story, Grasshopper A really neat story, but ultimately it won't tell you why a sunset is beautiful, or what the path is for you in life. You have to find that out on your own.
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I realize that rules out any religion like Christianity but I've heard people describe Buddhism as more of a philosophy than a belief in a higher power of some sort so that's why I mentioned it sounded kind of interesting.
In Theravada Buddhism, which prides itself on being the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism, you must have faith. All Buddhism is about faith. In Theravada you must have faith in the Dharma (the Law), the Buddha, and the Sangha (the "church" of Buddhism). In other forms of Buddhism, you can have faith in the path of other Buddhas and protector deities, or faith in your own innate discernment (Zen/Chan Buddhism), or even scriptures (Nichiren's vow is " Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" ; "I seek refuge in the Lotus Sutra"). And, alot of Buddhist follow many teachings. To quote Big Trouble in Little China: "It's like your salad bars, we take what we want...".
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I plan on meeting up again with my Christian friends, Buddhist friends, Jewish friends, Catholic friends, Wiccan friends. We are all one in the same.....just heading down different paths during the journey. 
