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The belief is that when a man dies, he is automatically born again, or appears in a new shape, consistent with the merit or lack thereof that he achieved in his life. These forms range from the most despicable inanimate object to being a veritable god. He could be born in any of 136 hells in the interior of the earth, or in a happy position on earth, or as a spirit in one of many heavens. There is never any end to these rebirths because no matter what form you end up in, it has a limited life span, though it may be billions of years.
Exactly, im in full agreement with you. But would you be so kind as to explain your religious prethenses of atheistic Buddhism. For example, I am a Buddhist, but not an atheist.
This is strictly a Christian viewpoint. The Hebrew bible has a completely different viewpoint of who and what the Messiah is supposed to be and what he is supposed to accomplish in his lifetime....Jesus didn't qualify in the first century and he doesn't qualify now...that is why the Jews reject him to this day. The Hebrew bible specifically states, in many areas, that the only thing one need do for salvation is return to God....END OF STORY.
Christianity/Paulianity is a NEW religion...that is a fact that cannot be denied no matter how you mangle the Hebrew bible to fit the Christian agenda. Christianity has also syncretistically espoused many concepts of Buddhism and reworked them to make them their own the same way Christianity also syncretistically espoused many concepts of Paganism....it's happened throughout the centuries and I'm sure it will continue to happen until we all become fully enlightened.
To the contrary. The Jews of Jesus' day rejected Christ as the Messiah because they expected a political Messiah and didn't understand that Jesus first had to go to the Cross.
The animal sacrifices which were instituted as soon as Adam fell, and which were expanded upon during the the age of Israel all pointed to the future Messiah who was Jesus Christ.
Speaking as an EX-atheistic Buddhist of 18+ years:
The belief is that when a man dies, he is automatically born again, or appears in a new shape, consistent with the merit or lack thereof that he achieved in his life. These forms range from the most despicable inanimate object to being a veritable god. He could be born in any of 136 hells in the interior of the earth, or in a happy position on earth, or as a spirit in one of many heavens. There is never any end to these rebirths because no matter what form you end up in, it has a limited life span, though it may be billions of years.
Those are traditional Buddhist beliefs. Sources from the spirit world explain the humans never reincarnation into non human animals. All souls are created with a certain type of energy. The human soul is more complex than the soul of a frog. Humans will always reincarnation into either a human or another being on a different planet with a similar level of complexity. A cat may only reincarnate into either a cat or a creature who's body is created to exist with a similar type of soul/energy in it.
Exactly, im in full agreement with you. But would you be so kind as to explain your religious prethenses of atheistic Buddhism. For example, I am a Buddhist, but not an atheist.
The idea of a god creating or ruling the world is completely absent from Buddhism. God is not denied, He is simply not known or recognized in that sense. Buddhism does not conceive of any god or gods as being pleased or displeased by the activities of the individual souls and dispensing either reward or punishment in accord with those activities. It is the activities themselves which determine the fate of the individual souls.
The only salvation from the perpetuity of reincarnation is the development of the proper frame of mind, and this represents Gautama's special "tour de force." In one stroke, he becomes noncommittal on the existence of Brahman and avoids considering Atman, while retaining Karma as some cosmic quality akin to gravity or magnetism, which ceases to be only when it stops wanting or needing to exist. This is Nirvana, the end of all desire.
In sum according to Gautama, God is not known; only the character of what we term soul is considered; belief in immortality is treated as a mistake, and the hope of it a sin by virtue of the fact that it represents the existence of desire; prayer is eliminated; and lastly, men must look to their own efforts to end this miserable and meaningless existence by refusing to want it (or anything else for that matter!).
Amazingly enough, with all this apathy and elimination of desire going on, love is the cardinal virtue of Buddhism, with charity and benevolence the most characteristic manifestation of that virtue. It is a charity that extends to all life without undue preference for one object over another. This love is called Maitri. It, along with purity, patience, courage, contemplation, and knowledge are the methods of perfection that tend directly to "conduct to the other shore." In his perfect peace of mind, the enlightened man is indifferent to the pain and pleasure of this world.
In the final analysis, the end described by Gautama and the end described by Sankara Acharya are identical. The specifics of getting there and what comprises the intervening states are the points on which they differ. Sankara claims that the freed individual Atman will lose itself in the universal Brahman with a cessation of all desire. Gautama contends that it, whatever it is that constitutes Karma, diffuses and loses the characteristics of desire and activity that constitute its separate existence. These are two ways of saying the very same thing.
In reality, probably the only reason Gautama had for ignoring Brahman, or the existence of a permanent entity, is the fact that an admission that any permanent substance whatever exists as an entity contains the implicit danger that things could conceivably start all over again, even after Nirvana, and this prospect was unacceptable. In short, Gautama sought to annihilate any chance of permanent existence because he didn't trust God.
Allow me to clarify that although rlarson21 says that he includes Buddhism in his religious beliefs. Some of the things in this post are not of Buddhist origin. Just to make sure people know which is which (; Buddhists such as myself believe that 'souls' have no beginning and they never end. Much as the world had no beginning and will never end. However, if one reaches enlightenment, his/her 'soul' is no longer subject to reincarnation and therefore goes to nirvana. -Many Blessings-
I have some Buddhist beliefs but I am not a strict Buddhist. I believe there are certain aspects of various religions and worldviews that are correct. I choose to believe what makes sense to me and also what comes from those who have had contact/remember their lives IN BETWEEN lives and those who have had glimpses into the spirit world. I also believe that the soul has no beginning and end IN A SENSE. our soul starts from a mass of energy that itself comes from the SOURCE (the closes thing to what you can call God). Before this happened what is OUR SOUL existed IN THIS SOURCE. After we are done reincarnating and done growing in the spirit world we are once again reunited with this source.
Exactly, im in full agreement with you. But would you be so kind as to explain your religious prethenses of atheistic Buddhism. For example, I am a Buddhist, but not an atheist.
I have a question. I thought that in Buddhism, it is believed that eventually you do not experience re-birth--you merge with all that is, and lose your individuality (respective ego). This would occur after full enlightenment. Am I mixing up the Buddhist reincarnation belief with another?
I have a question. I thought that in Buddhism, it is believed that eventually you do not experience re-birth--you merge with all that is, and lose your individuality (respective ego). This would occur after full enlightenment. Am I mixing up the Buddhist reincarnation belief with another?
If you had read and understood my post#64 in this thread . . . you would have your answer. It is in the second paragraph.
To the contrary. The Jews of Jesus' day rejected Christ as the Messiah because they expected a political Messiah and didn't understand that Jesus first had to go to the Cross.
The animal sacrifices which were instituted as soon as Adam fell, and which were expanded upon during the the age of Israel all pointed to the future Messiah who was Jesus Christ.
Yeah....no they didn't....that is strictly a "Christian" viewpoint. The Jews, you know...the ones who actually wrote the Hebrew scriptures, interpret them quite differently from the way Christians do. Sorry....but I think they know how to interpret THEIR scriptures a might better than your Christian Apologists do.
The Jews of Jesus day rejected him for good and sound biblical reasons...he just didn't qualify biblically in any way, shape or form nor did he accomplish anything the actual Jewish Messiah is prophecied to accomplish during his lifetime. Perhaps you should actually have a conversation with a Jewish person to find out which scriptures in the Hebrew bible are ACTUAL Messianic Prophecies....you will find that they differ greatly from the Christian ones.
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