Ask A Buddhist

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Bakmoon said:
Don’t worry, that hasn’t been asked yet. There is no real way to get rid of it, but by changing one’s ways, one can drown out the negative effects of it to stop it from taking root.
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So does that tie in with the idea of karma in some way?
 
patrick457 said:
So does that tie in with the idea of karma in some way?
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Yes. If you preform a lot of good Kamma, it will take precedence in determining rebirth over the smaller amount of bad Kamma. The traditional example given in the scriptures is like the difference between dissolving a lump of salt in a cup of water, which leaves it salty, as opposed to dissolving it in a river, where there is so much water the salt has a negligible effect.
 
ccmnxc said:
I must apologize if this question has been asked, as I haven’t read through the 44 pages.

If you do commit a murder, theft, etc. does that stay with you until you die, or can you, by some form of repentance, rid yourself of that deed (kinda like us Catholics have Confession.)?
Thanks
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Here is a snip from a sutta about the enlightenment of a mass murderer Angulimala—
“brutal, bloody-handed, devoted to killing & slaying, showing no mercy to living beings. He has turned villages into non-villages, towns into non-towns, settled countryside into unsettled countryside. Having repeatedly killed human beings, he wears a garland made of fingers. Groups of ten, twenty, thirty, & forty men have gone along that road, and even they have fallen into Angulimala’s hands.”,
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Angulimala met the Buddha, listened to the teachings, and became ordained. After time, Angulimala became enlightened.
Then Ven. Angulimala, dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute, in no long time reached & remained in the supreme goal of the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for himself in the here & now. He knew: “Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for the sake of this world.” And thus Ven. Angulimala became another one of the arahants.

Then Ven. Angulimala, early in the morning, having put on his robes and carrying his outer robe & bowl, went into Savatthi for alms. Now at that time a clod thrown by one person hit Ven. Angulimala on the body, a stone thrown by another person hit him on the body, and a potsherd thrown by still another person hit him on the body. So Ven. Angulimala — his head broken open and dripping with blood, his bowl broken, and his outer robe ripped to shreds — went to the Blessed One. The Blessed One saw him coming from afar and on seeing him said to him: “Bear with it, brahman! Bear with it! The fruit of the kamma that would have burned you in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, you are now experiencing in the here-&-now!”
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accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.086.than.html

If you read the link above you will see how Angulimala, a former mass murderer, became an object of reverence for women in labor.
 
Don’t worry, that hasn’t been asked yet. There is no real way to get rid of it, but by changing one’s ways, one can drown out the negative effects of it to stop it from taking root.
Click to expand...
Here is a snip from a sutta about the enlightenment of a mass murderer Angulimala—
Click to expand...
Quote:
“brutal, bloody-handed, devoted to killing & slaying, showing no mercy to living beings. He has turned villages into non-villages, towns into non-towns, settled countryside into unsettled countryside. Having repeatedly killed human beings, he wears a garland made of fingers. Groups of ten, twenty, thirty, & forty men have gone along that road, and even they have fallen into Angulimala’s hands.”,
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Angulimala met the Buddha, listened to the teachings, and became ordained. After time, Angulimala became enlightened.
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Quote:
Then Ven. Angulimala, dwelling alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, & resolute, in no long time reached & remained in the supreme goal of the holy life for which clansmen rightly go forth from home into homelessness, knowing & realizing it for himself in the here & now. He knew: “Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for the sake of this world.” And thus Ven. Angulimala became another one of the arahants.
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Then Ven. Angulimala, early in the morning, having put on his robes and carrying his outer robe & bowl, went into Savatthi for alms. Now at that time a clod thrown by one person hit Ven. Angulimala on the body, a stone thrown by another person hit him on the body, and a potsherd thrown by still another person hit him on the body. So Ven. Angulimala — his head broken open and dripping with blood, his bowl broken, and his outer robe ripped to shreds — went to the Blessed One. The Blessed One saw him coming from afar and on seeing him said to him: “Bear with it, brahman! Bear with it! The fruit of the kamma that would have burned you in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, you are now experiencing in the here-&-now!”
Click to expand...
accesstoinsight.org/tipit…086.than.html
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If you read the link above you will see how Angulimala, a former mass murderer, became an object of reverence for women in labor.
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Thank you both for your answers.
 
patrick457 said:
I am reminded of the reliefs in the stupas of Sanchi and Bharhut as well as early Gandharan art, where the Buddha is portrayed as either an empty space, an empty throne with a bodhi tree, a wheel (chakra), etc.
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For another illustration:

http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/buddhism/images/deathofbuddha.450.jpg
Stupa (Bharhut)


Dharma wheel (Bharhut)

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
Empty space/waves (Sanchi)


Bodhi tree and empty throne (Sanchi)


Triratna (Gandhara)


Footprint with dharma wheel and triratna (Gandhara)

I think the best places to look for early Buddhist art are the stupas of Sanchi, Bharhut, and Amaravati; the rock-cut caves of Barabar, Bhaja, Pithalkhora, Karla, Bedse, and Ajanta; the former kingdom of Gandhara (modern day northern Pakistan and parts of eastern Afghanistan) - especially its main cities like Peshawar, Bamyan and Taxila - and Nagarjunakonda. Did I miss anything?
 
Patrick457,

Thanks for the wonderful pictures. I hope that Pakistan can protect these images from the unrest that is going on.

Poor Pakistan. It’s a country that is tangled up in a conflict it didn’t start and must now walk a complex path with its neighbors, the USA and its own corruption…
 
rossum said:
There is sadness in hell. There is pain in hell. How can someone who is compassionate not feel for those who are suffering in pain and sadness. These are people whom the saints in heaven love, as Jesus told them to. Why would they not feel sadness at the unending suffering of others?

rossum
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God is the source of all good. While in the presence of God there is joy, love and peace. How can I describe it? Even if someone shot you you would still feel peace because you would be enamored with God and totally focused on Him.

You mentioned the second commandment of loving thy neighbor, but ignored the first, which is loving God with all your heart, mind and soul.
 
The iconographical evolution of the Buddha’s image:


Gandhara

http://mingkok.buddhistdoor.com/resources/get/abe926189fda6248e7456426f8d7a366df56da78/x.jpg
Mathura

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
Dunhuang

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Jo7lJoQhtjw/S7ocw3n2mKI/AAAAAAAAOaM/GAFiUXuGIzc/s1600
Longmen

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
(Chinese)

http://www.eso-garden.com/images/uploads_bilder/buddhism_exibit_art_1.jpg
(Korean)

http://www.fir.gr.jp/seisyoin/img/butu-4.jpg
(Japanese)
 
notself said:
Patrick457,

Thanks for the wonderful pictures. I hope that Pakistan can protect these images from the unrest that is going on.

Poor Pakistan. It’s a country that is tangled up in a conflict it didn’t start and must now walk a complex path with its neighbors, the USA and its own corruption…
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I’m not a Buddhist, but I think the same - even if only for their cultural and historical value. I mean look at how Bamyan (in modern Afghanistan) became under the Taliban.
 
Bakmoon said:
Actually, your quote supports my position, because it states that one should BOTH rely on God (Give into God…) AND resist the Devil (…resist the Devi…) rather than relying on grace to do it all.
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Grace I believe, Bakmoon, both “is and is not” our doing. It depends on many things, first of all being God. The complete expression is : By the grace of God. God confers grace. A person can do things to get grace; such as making confession and receiving the other sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church (which teaches, incidentally, that even Heaven, the ultimate grace, belongs to all who choose it, and therefore is not [to correct a prior thread by Contarini’s misunderstanding] a ‘taught to end suffering’. ). In eastern terms one’s grace might be said to depend on one’s karma; though that is not quite possible to say precisely owed to the false dismissal of our previous discusion regarding Time and its relation to God, the creator.

Buddhism has much in common with Christianity and other religions on the surface, superficial level. That is why it is such an effective psyhology. But really, it is underpinned by a different and self paradoxical set of concepts. Religious people in the Catholic tradition are generally highly practical and dwell rightly on charity towards the world’s materially poor as their main goal in this country. Perhaps that is why Buddhism cannot connect with many of us, who see it as a philosophy without a spirit for what really matters.
 
The photos are really an abuse of the storage media capacity for this site. I think the forum rules dissuade against such enormous posts. Shouldn’t we simply use links?
 
rossum said:
There is sadness in hell. There is pain in hell. How can someone who is compassionate not feel for those who are suffering in pain and sadness. These are people whom the saints in heaven love, as Jesus told them to. Why would they not feel sadness at the unending suffering of others?

rossum
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You said there is sadness in heaven. Jesus said htere is no sadness in heaven. Heaven is eternal happiness. Now how can you have eternal happiness if there is sadness.

People who are in hell are evil and reject God and his Love.

You said if someone is compassionate how could they no feel for the suffering, etc. Would that not be mourning someone?

Jesus said there is no mourning in heaven.

These are the words of Jesus Christ.

I am the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the End. I will give water from the well of life free to anybody who is thirsty anyone who proves victorious will inherit these things, and I will be his GOD and he will be my Son. But the legacy for cowards for those who break their word or worship obscenitites, for murders and the sexully immoral and for sorcerers worshippers of false gods or anyother sort of liars is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur.

What I have given you is the word of God, there is no pain, no suffering no mourning. But you refuse to accept it, you cannot understand it. I am sorry.I do not have all of the answers you are asking, only the truth.

You said you cannot see how there can be complete happiness in heaven when there are those suffering in hell. I cannot help it you cannot understand the word of God, but it is the true word of God.

I see no reason to argue with you about this, WhY? What would be the point. Jesus said heaven is perfect free from all pain, so it is what he said.🤷
 
Bakmoon said:
It belongs on this thread, because you are using the claim that man cannot resist sin at all through his own will as a criticism of why Buddhist meditation can’t be used to fight sin and temptation. You have repeated your claim several times now, and it is fairly important to your argument.
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This is exactly true. All thing’s come from God. You continue to try to make this about grace. Let me give you the truth about my faith.

All good things come from God and his Grace. Period. We are born because of the grace of God, we breath because of the grace of God.

With that grace comes faith, it is because of our faith and from the grace of God that we have works. With the grace of God comes free will. We have free will from the FREE GRACE given to us from God to reject his grace and use our faith and do good deeds. or we reject his GRACE and refuse to do GOOD DEEDS with it.

As ST James said faith without good works is fruitless. We would not even have faith if it were not for God. We strenghten our faith in God by our prayers and the more we pray and honor God the more Grace we receive.

It is by this grace our faith grows, it is by using our faith through his Grace given to us that we can do more. The more grace you are given and use for the sake of God and do good works for him the more grace is given to you. This is the Catholic faith.

I have no idea how you feel that if we choose to use the grace given to us by God that he is taking away our free will. It makes no sense to me.

Can you show me how us choosing to use our GOD given grace and living out our faith takes away our free will.

If you can please do so, it not please let it drop.
 
rossum said:
There is sadness in hell. There is pain in hell. How can someone who is compassionate not feel for those who are suffering in pain and sadness. These are people whom the saints in heaven love, as Jesus told them to. Why would they not feel sadness at the unending suffering of others?

rossum
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Heaven might pray for the souls in hell. But prayer in heaven must be so completely unconcerned with forced answers, such as those that many people conjure up to keep things postitive and hopeful in the new age sense of the words, because those in heaven are closer to god and know better what prayers will and will not be answered.

In terms of the English words used by eastern ‘spiritualists’ we could venture to say that their prayers are not attached to results. Compassion in another word that Buddhists need to express themselves in a vocabulary largely of English/Latin derivation. Personally, I’m not sure they’ve got it correctly.

Jesus said “Let the dead bury their dead.” I guess even the souls in hell have some companionship, other people in hell. Question is: who would want to be compassionate towards those in hell. Not very wise unless you have the safety of the gates of heaven to protect you. “…and the gates of the netherlands shall not prevail against it…”
 
Anyone who wants meditation with God try Lectio Divina.

There is no meditation needed in the Catholic faith outside of God. This is an excellent way of doing meditation if you want to clear your head and speak with God.

God is the whole source of the RC faith. Nothing else.
 
Michael19682 said:
Heaven might pray for the souls in hell. But prayer in heaven must be so completely unconcerned with forced answers, such as those that many people conjure up to keep things postitive and hopeful in the new age sense of the words, because those in heaven are closer to god and know better what prayers will and will not be answered.

In terms of the English words used by eastern ‘spiritualists’ we could venture to say that their prayers are not attached to results. Compassion in another word that Buddhists need to express themselves in a vocabulary largely of English/Latin derivation. Personally, I’m not sure they’ve got it correctly.

Jesus said “Let the dead bury their dead.” I guess even the souls in hell have some companionship, other people in hell. Question is: who would want to be compassionate towards those in hell. Not very wise unless you have the safety of the gates of heaven to protect you. “…and the gates of the netherlands shall not prevail against it…”
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It would be foolish to pray for souls in hell, What good would it do us. The souls in hell reject God want nothing to do with him, and will never get out.

The souls in hell want nothing but evil. they will never change. That is why his question makes no sense to me.

When we ask the Saints in heaven to pray for us we are not in hell. No one in hell would want prayers from Saints anyway. They reject God. 🤷

Its like being sad that the devil is in hell!🤷
 
rinnie said:
This is exactly true. All thing’s come from God. You continue to try to make this about grace. Let me give you the truth about my faith.

All good things come from God and his Grace. Period. We are born because of the grace of God, we breath because of the grace of God.

With that grace comes faith, it is because of our faith and from the grace of God that we have works. With the grace of God comes free will. We have free will from the FREE GRACE given to us from God to reject his grace and use our faith and do good deeds. or we reject his GRACE and refuse to do GOOD DEEDS with it.

As ST James said faith without good works is fruitless. We would not even have faith if it were not for God. We strenghten our faith in God by our prayers and the more we pray and honor God the more Grace we receive.

It is by this grace our faith grows, it is by using our faith through his Grace given to us that we can do more. The more grace you are given and use for the sake of God and do good works for him the more grace is given to you. This is the Catholic faith.

I have no idea how you feel that if we choose to use the grace given to us by God that he is taking away our free will. It makes no sense to me.

Can you show me how us choosing to use our GOD given grace and living out our faith takes away our free will.

If you can please do so, it not please let it drop.
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Don’t really know you personally rinnie, but I thought to ask a question to support your position, which I hold also. Is the flight of a bird southward not freely chosen simply because he is doing something good for himself in going to warmer weather? How much more should a person’s choice remain free when it is what is best for himself. People are slaves only when they act according to stupidity and injure themselves. Even a Buddhist with his doctrine of ignorance and unskilfull means should still be able to see such a bird in flight.
 
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