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I was a Christian at one time too. Does that undermine my atheism? No it doesn't. He was born an atheist and died an atheist. When he founded Buddhism, he was an atheist. His scriptures support that. Living long means nothing. You still don't have your facts straight.
I doubt that, a true Christian (which i don't even claim) would never leave their belief, you may have called yourself a Christian but then we can call ourselves anything we wish.
Well unless we want to turn this into a Buddhism thread, and be repremended for it, i think we disagree completly on the life of Saddartha, no one reaches enlightenment without the Enlightened ONE. Even God. Whether you call Him Brahma, or I AM or Father, or God Almighty, HE is the source for Enlightenment. Even Christ.
I doubt that, a true Christian (which i don't even claim) would never leave their belief, you may have called yourself a Christian but then we can call ourselves anything we wish.
Well unless we want to turn this into a Buddhism thread, and be repremended for it, i think we disagree completly on the life of Saddartha, no one reaches enlightenment without the Enlightened ONE. Even God. Whether you call Him Brahma, or I AM or Father, or God Almighty, HE is the source for Enlightenment. Even Christ.
godspeed,
freedom
You're forgetting the fact that he denied God's existence in his scriptures. My statements on his life are accurate.
You're forgetting the fact that he denied God's existence in his scriptures. My statements on his life are accurate.
If Buddha claimed there is no such thing as God, why is he discussing God with Brahmans?
The Two Brahmans
Here he is quoted as saying:
"Thus," replied the Buddha,
"the Tathagata knows the straight path
that leads to a union with Brahma.
He knows it as one who has entered the world of Brahma and has been born in it.
There can be no doubt in the Tathagata."
If Buddha claimed there is no such thing as God, why is he discussing God with Brahmans?
The Two Brahmans
Here he is quoted as saying:
"Thus," replied the Buddha,
"the Tathagata knows the straight path
that leads to a union with Brahma.
He knows it as one who has entered the world of Brahma and has been born in it.
There can be no doubt in the Tathagata."
godspeed,
freedom
Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold that...
'Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by a supreme being's act of creation,'
I said to them: 'Is it true that you hold that... "Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by a supreme being's act of creation?"'
Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.'
Then I said to them, 'Then in that case, a person is a killer of living beings because of a supreme being's act of creation. A person is a thief... unchaste... a liar... a divisive speaker... a harsh speaker... an idle chatterer... greedy... malicious... a holder of wrong views because of a supreme being's act of creation.'
When one falls back on creation by a supreme being as being essential, monks, there is no desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This shouldn't be done.' When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should & shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected. One cannot righteously refer to oneself as a contemplative. This was my second righteous refutation of those priests & contemplative who hold to such teachings, such views.
Titha Sutta AN 3.61
In Digha-Nikaya No. 13, Tevijja Sutta, Gautama recognizes Brama, but doesn't view as a deity, but as an enlightented person. He doesn't put Brama on the same level people put God.
Religion is based on faith alone, of course it is...the first thing they drill in your head at school. You have to have faith...That means you don't question, you accept what's being told and never dare question any of it. That's what turns people against religion.
Science is based on proof. On Logic. On reality
These are sweeping superficial statements.
There is a world of difference between religion and spirituality. Some never bother to make that distinction, so as the post above demonstrates end up sounding superficial and ignorant.
I had absolutely no faith in anything. And dismissed all religion as irrelevant.
It was my life experiences that led me into spiritual truths.
The only answers that made any sense to me, that were big enough to hold it all, had to embrace a spiritual framework.
Yes I do believe mankind will evolve to embrace each other's views, not just "tolerate" them. Afterall we are Divine Creatures made from the same "hand", regardless of how we define the hand.
When we evolve to our Higher Spirit the ego dies and therefore only goodness or Godliness exists. The ego is what drives people to debate, fight and attack. The voice of God lives in all of us and we hear it through the Holy Spirit. When we're attacking each other the voice of God cannot be heard.
When we are debating, arguing or fighting we are blocking our Divine guidance from entering our minds. We tend to puff ourselves up and try to prove each other wrong and what we're really doing is chasing each other around in a circle going no where. Once we embrace, accept and love our sisters and brothers we will live in our Higher Spirit or our Christ like self and that my friends is the second coming of Christ. This is my opinion and as I accept and embrace your opinion I will ask the same in return.
Peace and Blessings to All my sisters and brothers. You are ALL amazing people and are truely Divine Human Beings.
Yes I do believe mankind will evolve to embrace each other's views, not just "tolerate" them. Afterall we are Divine Creatures made from the same "hand", regardless of how we define the hand...
This is my opinion and as I accept and embrace your opinion I will ask the same in return.
Peace and Blessings to All my sisters and brothers. You are ALL amazing people and are truely Divine Human Beings.
You've certainly made a very good and optimistic start, Moonsavvy.
Having approached the priests & contemplatives who hold that...
'Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by a supreme being's act of creation,'
I said to them: 'Is it true that you hold that... "Whatever a person experiences... is all caused by a supreme being's act of creation?"'
Thus asked by me, they admitted, 'Yes.'
Then I said to them, 'Then in that case, a person is a killer of living beings because of a supreme being's act of creation. A person is a thief... unchaste... a liar... a divisive speaker... a harsh speaker... an idle chatterer... greedy... malicious... a holder of wrong views because of a supreme being's act of creation.'
When one falls back on creation by a supreme being as being essential, monks, there is no desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This shouldn't be done.' When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should & shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected. One cannot righteously refer to oneself as a contemplative. This was my second righteous refutation of those priests & contemplative who hold to such teachings, such views.
Titha Sutta AN 3.61
In Digha-Nikaya No. 13, Tevijja Sutta, Gautama recognizes Brama, but doesn't view as a deity, but as an enlightented person. He doesn't put Brama on the same level people put God.
He was correcting their false belief that God is responsible of evil. Which He is not. God did not create all things if evil is included in the mix. He created perfection, then darkness stained it.
This in no way says that Siddhartha believed there was no supreme being.
Yes, wouldn't it be grand if such optimistic thoughts and ideas of acceptance could be as contagious as the bickering, arguing, fighting, and warring over differences that seems to dominate us so much. We humans, (collectively-speaking), seem to have no problem with allowing ourselves to become "infected", when it comes to each trying to prove that our belief system is the best, and that others have little, or no, validity.
But, I do see glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel; I've seen it here on this forum. I think most of our folks on here are a pretty decent bunch, and although they don't necessarily embrace other people's different beliefs, or spiritualities, (that's a bit too much to expect, at this point), they are, at least, respectful, and that's a darn good beginning.
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