Buddhism: A Dangerous Wave From the East?

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kell0618 said:
And as Christians, isn’t our goal to live forever and to never have the ‘flame’ extinguished?
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True. We Westerners think that when a flame is extinguished, it is gone forever. But the ancient Buddhists did not think in this way. To them, a flame that was burning on a piece of wood, was “bound” to that piece of wood. In other words, the flame was a symbol of the ‘greed’ and ‘selfish desire’ we humans have for things, causing us to be ‘bound’ to the objects of our selfish desire.

An extinguished flame, for the ancient Buddhists, was a flame that was now ‘free’ from ‘bondage’. You couldn’t say where the flame existed after being extinguished – it was neither in the north, south, east, or west. Likewise, someone whose mind was totally free of greed and selfish desire, was now ‘unbound’ (which is what ‘nirvana’ literally means) from any object. After such a person dies, one could not determine the state of the consciousness of that person, because such a consciousness (like the extinguished flame) could not be ‘bound’ to any limitation, even the limitation of ‘being’ or ‘non-being’.
 
Theinvisibleman said:
Correct, in my opinion. Borderline intolerant
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Borderline intolerant? 🙂 Anything that leads a Christian away from Christ is a dangerous thing indeed. The OP title was posed as a question; note the question mark. Mormonism is peaceful and Jehovah’s Witnesses only ring doorbells, but why do a handful find my questioning Buddhism in general so offensive? The other ‘peaceful’ beliefs are given a good work-over daily on religious forums of every flavor. Muslims are not all hate mongers, yet you will see many threads about the Muslim faith with very strong opinions on CAF. Check those out and see what you think. :rolleyes: Either we are called to be evangelists for Christ helping others to learn how to get to Heaven, or we are not.

Please read the entire thread and you will see many points have been made on both sides of the discussion. I concede that I have learned more about Buddhism and that some of the sources I consulted were not complete. You will also note that I am not alone in thinking that it does not serve a Catholic well to admire another religion as being peaceful and lose site of Christ. Peaceful meditation within Christianity has been practiced since the beginning of our Faith. The only way to the Father is through Jesus and the Church He started.

Peace is good. Salvation is great.👍
 
kell0618 said:
A Buddhist Hell Theme Park?

Another Hell Theme Park?
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Yes, Buddhists (at least those in Asia) believe in hell, and not just one hell, but many different hells. Western Buddhists might tend to minimize the pains of Buddhist hells by emphasizing that Buddhist hells are (indeed) impermanent, but just because Buddhists believe that hells are impermanent doesn’t mean (1) that Buddhist hells can’t last for eons and eons – and thus, feel as if they’re lasting forever; or (2) that one can’t find oneself back in a Buddhist hell after having escaped it (unless, of course, one has realized nirvana/nibbana).:eek:
 
Originally Posted by Genesis315
No, we must also proclaim the Gospel with words.
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KelO618 replied:
Yes, both must be done together. Just look at those letters by Saint Paul
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My father always used to say that ‘what I say’ counts for very little, what I do counts for everything. People will praise or condemn Christianity on how I am seen to live my life.

In other words, you do not so much speak about Christ as to become Christ. 🙂
 
kell0618 said:
Borderline intolerant? 🙂 Anything that leads a Christian away from Christ is a dangerous thing indeed. The OP title was posed as a question; note the question mark. Mormonism is peaceful and Jehovah’s Witnesses only ring doorbells, but why do a handful find my questioning Buddhism in general so offensive?
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I wish people would not get so hung up on being offended or offensive. Why does that reallymatter? What matters is to be as fair and just to other religions as you would expect them to be to you.

I have defended Muslims too when I thought people were unfair to them. Admittedly it’s easier to be fair to a religion when significant numbers of that religion’s adherents are not trying to kill you. . . .
You will also note that I am not alone in thinking that it does not serve a Catholic well to admire another religion as being peaceful and lose site of Christ.
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Has anyone disagreed with you there?

I’m not sure what your problem is. No one is saying that being “peaceful” makes a religion true.

And Buddhists have not always been peaceful. Japanese Buddhists enthusiastically supported their country’s war effort in WWII, and Zen Buddhism was traditionally part of a samurai’s training.

Again, it’s simply a question of trying to understand a religion rather than giving a superficial description of its beliefs.

Edwin
 
I am very surprised to be hearing such literalism and legalism from a lot of you. We are Catholics, not fundamentalists. And as for Buddhism, the real point is not to debate whose doctrine is correct; it is to find unity within variety. Buddhists are generally very loving people. I hope we can say the same about Catholics.
 
kell0618 said:
With the arrival of the Dalai Lama to the United States, April 24 - May 9, 2007, Christians must learn more about this visit and its purpose. “What does this have to do with us?” you may ask. One needs to understand buddhism first in order to clearly see how it contrasts with Catholicism specifically and Christianity in general.

Important basics about buddhism first:
  • Buddhists believe that we have many lives but a soul that will end.
  • Life is suffering and the way to get rid of suffering is to get rid of the desire and to eventually achieve ‘nirvana’ which means extinction.
  • Some buddhists believe in no god, others believe in one God or many.
  • In buddhism, there is no permanence of truth.
  • The idea of sin is a stranger to buddhists.
  • Buddha is considered a savior, but emphasis is placed solely on an individual’s journey and not a larger community.
  • Buddhists evangelize by example only, tempting others with their peaceful demeanors which appear to be very attractive to people in these difficult times.
  • Buddhists attempt to deconstruct logic and therefore logic does not exist.
    Please note that the likelihood of demonstrations and protests against the dalai lama’s visit is nil. This is quite a contrast to what happens whenever the Pope visits the U.S. Remember, just as papal visits can evangelize non-Catholics, the visit of the dalai lama can serve as evangelization among non-buddhists. It is the peaceful means by which the dalai lama is received that should sound an alarm in the heart of all Christians.
Catholics and many other Christians believe in the following and when contrasting the points above with these present below, you will see where there is a great danger for those weak in their faith:
  • As Christians, we have one life on earth and one soul. Salvation is perceived as living in God’s presence forever in Heaven.
  • Christians embrace suffering as seeing that it brings us closer to Christ.
  • Catholics believe in particular and unchangeable truths.
  • Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
  • Our doctrines and beliefs are in the foreground
    The appearance of peace and tranquility, immersed in the love for nature and beauty, buddhism can be alluring to the lambs of Christ who have become wayward. For those questioning what the secular media presents to us on a daily platter, the idea of peace and tranquility would certainly be well received.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to respect the dalai lama, but must keep in the forefront of our minds and hearts that there is a marked difference and to allow ourselves to be seduced by this non-salvific religion would be deadly. Peace is wonderful indeed, however we need to pursue the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ as He asks of us.

Be cautious especially in regard to our impressionable youth. Buddhism has found an ‘in’ among increasing numbers.

With prayer,

Kelly

For more information on Catholicism and Buddhism
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George W. Bush said that God told him to attack Saddam. That sounds a lot scarier than anything the Dalai Lama has ever said.
 
Imagine23 said:
George W. Bush said that God told him to attack Saddam.
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No, he did not. He said that he prayed before making the decision. Any serious Christian prays before making a major decision. This was a completely unremarkable statement, and the fact that it was twisted into a claim that God commanded the war shows how completely most people in the media misunderstand religion.

Edwin
 
I love how Buddhists have been cast as manipulative temptors of our children based soley on the idea that they’re so nice.

Maybe that says something about those who feel threatened by it.
 
The danger that is spoken of in the Catholic resources that I have come across, and provided links for, is the danger of losing sight of Christ. I never claimed that Buddhists are dangerous. Certainly any group of peaceful people are Christ-like in many ways. Why is it that many of the respondents within this thread see no problem with people leaving Christianity for Buddhism? I am not talking about people who embrace some of the Buddhist practices and peaceful ways. I am concerned for those who buy into the non-salvific elements of the faith (yes, I understand there are different types of Buddhism). Either you believe that you must follow Christ in order to live eternal life in Heaven or you don’t. As a Christian, I can be peaceful and meditate without giving up on eternal life. To me, life eternal with Christ is a good thing. I have been made out to be a heretic by some among us in CAF. I am not pointing fingers at any particular person before someone points out that it wasn’t said by him/her. The only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ and that is not the ‘way’ for Buddhists. You have to believe Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior in order to attain eternal life with Him. Certainly, that is not among the teachings of Buddhists. Boy, do I feel like I’m all alone out on a limb about to snap. I guess it is because I am.

Pax.:o
 
kell0618 said:
The danger that is spoken of in the Catholic resources that I have come across, and provided links for, is the danger of losing sight of Christ. I never claimed that Buddhists are dangerous. Certainly any group of peaceful people are Christ-like in many ways. Why is it that many of the respondents within this thread see no problem with people leaving Christianity for Buddhism?
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Whom are you talking about? I certainly have a problem with people leaving Christianity for Buddhism. I differ with you on how to deal with this potential problem, but not on the fact that it is a problem.

Edwin
 
I would be extremely surprised if a significant number of active Christians have actually converted to Buddhism.

I admit this is pure speculation though.
 
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