Buddhism, without Christ?
612774
Hi, and thanks for your thoughtful posting. It would be nice if we could all be depended upon to live in peace together. However, bad things happen to good people, and good acts get repaied by evil ones. This is the fallen nature of human beings, we are imperfect and can never be completly "good." \n\nTherefore, if there was an after-life, then were it to be filled with fallen beings like ourselves, it would not be any beter than our world today where genocide, rape, bigotry and the like are regular occurances. \n\nAll world religions except christiantiy have one thing in common. They require the beliver to work for their "redemption" and usually have no assurance of salvation after their death. Bhuddhism is no exception. The eight-fold path to enlightment requires one to act in the example Bhudda set, but give no assurance that this will lead to nirvana or life after death.\n\nChristianity acknowledges we have all fallen short. However, our Lord loved us so much that while we still did not know him, Christ humbled himself and became man. His life was perfect and sinless and his death was a sacrifice for the rest of us. His ressurection is proof that by simply "beliving in him" we can receive the assurance of salavation and life after death.\n\nPerhaps one reason that some Christians are so confrontational is becuase our way does not require the acts or works or sacrcifices that other religions do. We have a tremendous amount of freedom which may lead to hipocracy and poor behaviou. However, do not let the few bad apples turn you away from exploring the truth for yourself.
812253
Well if you want to follow that logic, than why is there Buddhism?  Why are atheists not destroyed or better yet, why doesn't God appear before us all and prove that He exists?\n\nI admit when I saw this question, my first thought was. What an idiot.  LOL
858084
It's not Buddhism because there are Buddhist warriors. Look it up. I would have to say the most peaceful religion is the one that no one practices.
975544
Have you spent much time looking into Buddhism? Since it is a Way or Path, and not a religion, it does not (according to many Buddhists) conflict with religious beliefs you may have. It's more about a way of living in order to achieve a goal (enlightenment). It stresses things like compassion and denial of the flesh (as opposed  to the spirit or true self), which I believe it has in common with Christianity, Judaism, and probably Islam (which I know little about).  It teaches many of the same core values from a perspective many of us brought up in western cultures are not familiar with.  Try reading The Art of Happiness by the Dali Lama or Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das. \n\nMany Christians and Jews will argue that the differences between their faiths and Buddhism are crucial and irreconcilable. I'm not attempting to argue with that, and I'm sure they have excellent points, I'm just working off your statement that you are coming from a liberal ideology.\n\np.s., the notion, mentioned by another poster, that only one is correct is by no means universally held. In fact, it's largely due to the big three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).
524529
Buddhism doesnt compete with anything. It is compatible with all the religions because there is no dogma to follow. It just says be yourself, be the best person you can and become selfless. Who can disagree with that?
530338
Well i seriously  would have to argue the whole hinduism buddhism thing. But none the less... Christains spread there relegeon not only because  they feel the need to share the truth with people. but also scripture teachs that if you love Christ you will feed his sheep which is to say share his word with those who do not know him.I pray someday you too will come to know Jesus. May God bless you
1182207
Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible.\nthe 'devotion' used in Buddhism is not one based on emotion, but one based on reason.\nA Buddha is not omnipotent or all-powerful; otherwise the Buddha would have ended all suffering in the universe....\nHe did not claim that he was a god, the child of a god or even the messenger from a god.\nWhen we bow, we express our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.\nWhen someone worships a god, they praise him or her, making offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Real Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship.\n\nhence, the benefits of heart sutra is to understand our realities, not to 'pray' or 'worship' the words in the sutra.
85837
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life.\nA Different Way of Faith \nThis makes Buddhism different from many other faiths for it is not centred on the relationship between humanity and God. \nBuddhism doesn't fit the pattern of other faiths and needs to be seen in its own terms to be understood properly.\nBuddhists do not believe in a personal creator God.\nIt does not have the concept of a Saviour, nor of Heaven and Hell in the popular sense. \nBuddhism doesn't demand blind faith or belief, and says that people should test its teachings against personal experience.\nThe Bare Essentials of Buddhism \n\n2,500 years old \n\n\n350 million Buddhists worldwide \n\n\nFounded by Siddhartha Gautama in India\n\n\nThe path to Enlightenment or Buddhahood is through the practice and development of morality, meditation, and wisdom.\n\n\nBuddhists do not believe in a creator God nor a personal God, but Buddhists are tolerant of those whose beliefs are different from theirs.\n\n\nBuddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent — change is always possible.\n\n\nBuddhism teaches that all life is interconnected, so compassion is natural and important.\n\nBeliefs\n\n  \n \n \n Tibetan monks use prayer wheel  \n \n \n\nSummary of the Teachings of Buddha\nAdmission to the monastic sangha involves two rites of passage: \n\nKarma: Actions have consequences; so our lives are conditioned by our past actions\n\n\nRebirth: Consciousness continues after death, and finds expression in a future life\n\n\nLiberation from karma: By following the Buddha's path one escapes the cycle of craving and suffering\n\n\nThe Four Noble Truths: The essentials of Buddhism\n\n\nEnlightenment:The highest goal of life is to reach Enlightenment; a state of being that goes beyond suffering\n\n\nDharma: The teachings and hence the way to nirvana\n\n\nThe Core of Buddhist teaching\nAt the heart of the Buddha's teaching lie The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path which lead the Buddhist towards the path of Enlightenment.\n\nFacing the Truth\nThe Buddha taught that the human tendency is to avoid the difficult truths of life and this in turn leads to suffering. \nBy enabling the mind to be at peace through meditation a human being can confront reality and overcome hatred and craving. \n\nfor more information visit :
789040
You are right. You don't need religion. At the end of the Book of Revelation in the Bible it says that in new heaven and new earth, God lives in the midst of people, and there is no temple.
1063551
Buddhism is the only world religion where there is no concept of sin - there is only spiritual enlightenment and regression, but no actual 'punishment'. Which is healthy - a good thing.\n\nJesus is not in the psyche of Asians or Indians. Jesus was a prophet. He believed in his own divinity.If Jesus appeared in Israel today, he'd be put in a psychiatric institution.\n\n Expecting every person on Earth to worship Jesus is f.ucking stupid. It's like me expecting a white man to be fluent in Turkish. How dare you not know how to speak Turkish! Why can't you cook authentic Lebanese cuisine? You're not Lebanese. Duh!
742867
First of all, Buddhists do not believe in God, so you are misinformed; it is Hinduism that refers to the Creator as Brahma. Secondly, if you have to ask this question, you probably don't need to convert, cause you aren't even sure yourself.
260079
Atheism and Buddhism? \n\nThe teachings of the Buddha, and thus Buddhism in general, does not stress the existence of a god, nor does it prohibit the possibility of a god. Buddha teaches that there are certain truths and by accepting these truths and learning how to live with these truths, we can end suffering. The truth is independent of a god and therefore god is not a part of the core Buddhist beliefs. If a person chooses to believe in a god is entirely up to the individual. Many Buddhist do believe in a god or in gods or in a higher power that could be considered a god even is not specifically names such. Many of the so called Asian Christians still practice Ch'an (Zen) meditation. They simply incorporated Christianity into their existing faith. In Japan, many Buddhists also follow aspects of Shinto. This is Not against the teachings of the Buddha. Buddha never said my way is the only way ,do as I say or else. In fact, Buddha said that everyone's journey would be unique and that they should question all teachings, including his, and that the individual should take that witch works for him. \n\nAtheist do not believe in a god or any higher power. According to willblueeyes26, Atheists don’t care about anything.  This is not true. They do not believe in an immortal soul. In their mind, they can not fathom that there is more to humanity then the flesh and the bones since there is no concrete proof that a soul exists. To an atheist, worrying about the nonexistent is a waste of time. It is not a matter of not caring about the soul, it's a matter of caring about life. Generally speaking, they feel that if we live for only 60 to 100 years, then we should make the most of it, because once it's over, it's over. This is not the same as not caring. \n\nWillblueeyes26 also seams to believe that Buddhists believe that people are reborn over and over until they reach godhood.  This is also inaccurate. Most Buddhist do believe in reincarnation, this is true. But when a person achieves enlightenment, then he or she is freed from the bindings of the cycle of rebirth. That is to say that reincarnation stops and Nirvana is entered. Nirvana is another topic all together. Some believe it is a place like heaven, others believe it is a state of existence. What is known and what is important, is that if you focus on Nirvana, it will never be reached. Those who enter Nirvana, are NOT gods, just those who have awakened from the cycle of samsara. (Live, death and rebirth.) Buddha is not a god, is not considered a god and even insisted that he was not a god. \n\nMarti249 wrote, "To each their own - whatever the individual feels most comfortable with. Just don't slam others who choose a different path." This is a very Buddhist approach. The differences between different sects of Buddhism are vast, and if a person is uninitiated into the teachings of Buddha, could even seam almost polar opposites from one another. Tibetan Buddhism and Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism are about as alike as Roman Catholicism and the Southern Baptist faith.  And yet, neither group believes the other party to be wrong. The Lama's of the Tibetan beliefs speak fondly of Ch'an Monks and visa versa. Many Buddhist have held religious leaders of other faiths in high regards for the things that these people have done. Buddhist believe that it is not god you follow or what faith you hold dear, but what thoughts you think and what actions you perform. \n\nBlessedman believes that Buddhist worship statues.  This is not the case. Although again, some sects do pay homage to figurines, generally speaking, statues are more for decoration, inspiration and motivation. An old Buddhist tail tells the story of a Buddhist teacher and his disciple who, while walking along in the snow and freezing rain, came to a temple and entered. They built a fire with the logs that had been stacked for making fires, but then the wood ran out and the snow was still falling,
1089034
Buddhism is sort of an offshoot of Hinduism.  The Buddha that we usually think of Siddhartha Gautama, grew up in Hinduism and went off to do his thing.  The major difference, that I am aware of is reference to a belief in God.  Siddhartha did not refer to God, because God is too big a concept to be explained without diminishing it.  Buddha was more concerned with living compassionately and in such a good way that God would manifest through you without being named.  I hope this makes sense.
1628
Christ's teachings came directly from him (Gospels)aswell as other people like Paul (Whom Jesus spoke to after he went to take his place at the right hand side of God. \n\nSo I would have to say no. But you also have to treat things not written in the Bible with a lot of sceptisism.
326605
Nope. Home recovering from surgery. I just wanted to say, I really liked your take on spirituality! So many people turn away from God (or whatever you prefer to call it) when what they should be questioning are the religions created by man. God does not equal religion. When it comes to teachings, take what rings true to you! I'd love to see more people understand the difference!
942295
You don't have to be called a Buddhist; you only have to be a true Buddhist within yourself. \nIn fact, they could have taken each other's hands and practiced walking meditation, so why not the two of you, one as a Buddhist and one as a Catholic? You are the continuation of the Buddha, and you are the continuation of God. That is only beautiful, if you can share your wisdom, your insights, and you can learn from each other and enrich yourselves. That is what I envision for the future, that we remove the barriers between different spiritual traditions, and we behave as people do in the circle of psychotherapists. They enjoy and learn from all other traditions, and I think that each tradition of psychotherapy has something to offer. It's too narrow if we only want to be faithful to one school of psychotherapy.
466341
Good question, but a tough one to answer.\n\nThe short, short answer is it just happened. \n\nThe longer more elaborate answer is that Siddhartha Gautama, then man who became the historic Buddha, spent years studying with many Religious masters including Brahmin hermits and ascetic monks. It is recorded that he surpassed his teachers in his learning and skills, yet he didn’t find what he was searching for...An end to suffering. Gautama attempted to find enlightenment through complete deprivation of worldly goods, including food, and became a complete ascetic.  However, he still found no answer to his questions. So, after discarding asceticism and concentrating on meditation, Gautama discovered what we today call the Middle Way; a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and Asceticism. Then, sitting under a pipal tree (a type of fig tree) he vowed not to arise until he had found the truth he had been searching for. Some time later, under the tree, now called the Bodhi tree, Siddhartha Gautama experienced enlightenment and became "The Perfectly Self-Awakened One", the Buddha! (Sammasambuddha)\n\nBecause of the time period, he would not have had "books" but he did spend a great deal of time studying. However, these studies did not teach him about enlightenment, and he was not looking to be 'enlightened' so to speak. In fact, you could say that his 'lessons' before he achieved enlightenment, taught him what NOT to do. He was just looking for simple answers.  It just to happened that the answer was enlightenment. \n\nI hope this helped.