J
jimmy
Guest
That is a bit simplistic. Most Buddhists, atleast of the traditional kind, do believe in a god or gods and a spiritual existence. They are not atheistic.
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J
jimmy
Guest
If there is no god then where does the soul come from? Are you eternal?
S
Swan
Guest
Though I’m afraid we’ll end up talking in circles here, I’ll attempt to answer your question. Do I believe we are eternal? I guess I do in that I believe we are all part of the energy/life of the big “out there” which I believe is eternal. I don’t use the word “universe” because then we get into what we know scientifically about the universe and it’s expansion/life expectancy, etc. The problem is the limits of language and human understanding - at least for me. It is difficult for me to communicate because our terms are either limited and/or have different meanings to different folks and in different contexts.
A good example of the above is the word “soul” - for some it is tied to a belief in God, which is why in my original post I said “soul/self/whatever-you-want-to-call-it”. As to where that came from, or what it actually “is” I haven’t the faintest idea. Nor do I believe it is possible for me to know given my limited human understanding. So I don’t try. Nor do I take on blind faith any of the “revealed” relgions. I tried Christianity, both Prot and Cath (at differnt times) for most of my life. Based on personal experieces, observation of the world around me (including the experiences of others) and reason, I no longer believe it. I do, however, belive in what we commonly call the supernatural - again based on personal experiences, observation and reason.
I want to be clear that these are my own personal experiences/beliefs and I do not claim to “know” the “truth” (if there is one). IOW, I’m not saying others should agree with me based on my experiences. Nor can I agree with the beliefs based personal experience of others when my own experience and reason leads me to believe otherwise.
R
redhen
Guest
That’s not what the Buddha taught. What the Buddha taught was indeed very simplistic.
T
thistle
Guest
New Age nonsense.
M
MissyLinda51
Guest
I’d rather live my life thinking there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life thinking there isn’t a God and die to find out there is. (I did not come up with this saying, but when I found it, I believed it to be rather profound). On a personal level, I find a sense of peace in my faith.
S
Swan
Guest
In your opinion (and as oppossed to the old age nonsense - IMO- you believe). If you read my later post I made a point of saying that my beliefs are my own and I do not push them on others or claim that they are right for others. We all have to find the path that is the right one for us. I respect yours and I’d appreciate the same consideration.
T
thistle
Guest
There is only one path and that is to Christ through his Church. Salvation is only through him.
By the way, I can give respect to you as a person but certainly not to your false belief.
D
Deconi
Guest
There is a problem;
** I know, God.**
** I also know His Name!**
Even so, I am ABSOLUTELY scared to meet Him, for I know how unworthy I am, for I also know, me! *sigh *
N
nsper7
Guest
I usually worry more about what if I am right? After all, compare Christianity to other religions and in some ways it is the scariest. After all, Christianity’s God is extremely personal and scary.
In Judaism and Islam, God/Allah is fairly impersonal and, even if sent to Hell, it is more akin to Purgatory unless your were extremely evil. In Buddhism, you get infinite lives until you beat the game (
). In Hinduism, you have a grab-bag of choices: some of the ‘gods’ are less scary than others. The Hare Krishna’s god seems fairly nice (who can dislike someone who is vegetarian?). The New Agers…well, whatever.
Obviously, I am being tongue-in-cheek, but in truth, Christianity is in some ways the scariest faith (of course, maybe that is because I believe it to be the Truth).
In Judaism and Islam, God/Allah is fairly impersonal and, even if sent to Hell, it is more akin to Purgatory unless your were extremely evil. In Buddhism, you get infinite lives until you beat the game (
). In Hinduism, you have a grab-bag of choices: some of the ‘gods’ are less scary than others. The Hare Krishna’s god seems fairly nice (who can dislike someone who is vegetarian?). The New Agers…well, whatever.Obviously, I am being tongue-in-cheek, but in truth, Christianity is in some ways the scariest faith (of course, maybe that is because I believe it to be the Truth).
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