Catholics, Christians, Muslims, whatever you are -- How Do You View Buddhism?

[Tsuwano]

I live in Japan and, during a period in which I was drifting away from Catholicism, fell in love with and married a Japanese girl. She was raised in a group of Nichiren Buddhists called the Sokka Gakkai. Outside Japan it is called SGI. At the time, I thought it was ok because we were both “spiritual”. Now I realize it was the most enormous mistake I ever made in my life. (But, we all know what Paul says about all things working for the good for those who love God!) They are the group that chant the namyohorengekkyo thing over and over. I used to be very open-minded about it, but the more I have seen of this group over the years, the more I believe it is a cult. SGI also has a lot of money and political power. Their leader is a very charismatic type he publishes a lot of books and the group publishes several magazines and a daily newspaper. My wife came to the same conclusion that it is a cult when she was around 30. Thank God for that! Unfortunately, her next foray into religion was nearly being recruited into the moonies. Since then it has been astrology and other new age beliefs. I’ve come back to the Catholic Church over the past few years (It is sooooo good and right to be home :- ) ) and it has been very painful that, of all the searching she did, she would never ask me about my faith. She said, “Why should I have? You didn’t start practicing it until after we got married.” Touche. I honestly believe that my wife has suffered types of demonic oppression and the first entry point was through the sect she was raised in.

Sokka Gakkai is one of the new Japanese religions that was associated with Nichiren Buddhism and emerged in the flourishing of religious movements that began in the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration and contact with the West. I believe it was founded in the 1930’s as an attempt to focus on social values as reflected in Buddhism. In the growing nationalism that led to Japanese involvement in the Second World War, Sokka Gakkai, along with Christianity, Buddhism and other new religious movements that did not necessarily reflect the government line on a national religion, suffered persecution and her founder was jailed and died in prison. After the war Sokka Gakkai was seen as untainted by the racist nationalism that led Japan into the war and many followers flocked to it, giving the organization increasing power and influence in Japanese society. A political party, Komeito, was founded to reflect Sokka Gakkai values in the political decisions of the state and it continues to be influential, though its influence has declined somewhat since the Japanese economic bubble burst. At present Sokka Gakkai in no longer associated with Nichiren Buddhism and many of its political and religious beliefs have been repudiated by Nichiren. It has been “excommunicated,” so to speak, and, as a lay organization, does not represent religious Buddhism, though in the mind of the public, it is still seen as a semi religious organization.
Many folks, including Buddhist leaders, have also labeled Sokka Gakkai as a cult and have little to do with them. Your story about your wife being uninterested in Christianity because you, yourself, had fallen away from it is telling. In nations where Christianity is more common, we often take our personal actions and foibles for granted, thinking that we do not influence others all that much. In Japan, and possibly other countries where Christianity is in the minority, the behavior of Christians is much more visible and noticed and perhaps more influential. One never really knows when he is being a missionary or a stumbling block in another’s path to the Lord and it is best to be aware of how we might influence others in their spiritual journey.

 

[ZAKI]

M sure the self proclaimed prophet mohammed crept into ur bed one night and whispered that into ur ears

I’m sure that I can reply with “Jesus one day appeared to you in your sleep and told you he was your saviour” but no I prefer to respect your religion even though you do not respect mine especially since most of the ppl here (while they don’t agree with it) won’t be silly enough to post such a stupid comment

wasalam

 

[ZAKI]

hadi,well the ulama is at least divided,some of them say there are no people of the book anymore…specially not among catholics

i dont know how a catholic can be monotheist with all the saints,virgin Mary etc etc…i dont see the difference between buddhists and catholics on that one

if you ask about protestants i would agree with you,they are still close enough to the early christianity…but catholics…no

no akhi, the christians and jews are both people of the book period. And I would much prefer worshipping something than believing in buddhism (while I do respect the peaceful nature of the buddhists and Australia but disrespect their aggressive nature in Burma). I would much prefer to be a christian over a buddhist anyday.

wasalam

 

[franki_rulz]

I’m sure that I can reply with “Jesus one day appeared to you in your sleep and told you he was your saviour” but no I prefer to respect your religion even though you do not respect mine especially since most of the ppl here (while they don’t agree with it) won’t be silly enough to post such a stupid comment

wasalam

Read your comment…you come on a catholic forum and have the audicity to proclaim Islam to be a true religion. Nobody asked you for your what you think.The question was about buddhism AND NOT ISLAM.

This is a forum for discussion on catholics and christianity,you want to discuss about christianity and islam, go elsewhere…

I just returned you comment back in your own coin.You scratch my back, Ill scratch yours, simple…

Its time we christians wake up and Stop taking **** from others…especially from followers of a religion that is responsible for the worst atrocities being committted on mankind in recent times…and they claim their religion to be peaceful… god bless their poor souls…

 

[ZAKI]

Read your comment…you come on a catholic forum and have the audicity to proclaim Islam to be a true religion. Nobody asked you for your what you think.The question was about buddhism AND NOT ISLAM.

This is a forum for discussion on catholics and christianity,you want to discuss about christianity and islam, go elsewhere…

I just returned you comment back in your own coin.You scratch my back, Ill scratch yours, simple…

Its time we christians wake up and Stop taking **** from others…especially from followers of a religion that is responsible for the worst atrocities being committted on mankind in recent times…and they claim their religion to be peaceful… god bless their poor souls…

your arrogance is very rude. this forum is the “non-catholic section”. So please respect other religions.You said something disrespectful about my religion and I replied that I CAN reply with something disrespectful but choose not to. look at ur comment and look at my reply.

wasalam

 

[franki_rulz]

your arrogance is very rude. this forum is the “non-catholic section”. So please respect other religions.You said something disrespectful about my religion and I replied that I CAN reply with something disrespectful but choose not to. look at ur comment and look at my reply.

wasalam

If you think I am being rude, so be it… This is the non catholic section, true but you had no business to make tall claims about islam being the true religion. The question was how do you view buddhisim,not is christianity a true religion or isnt religion the right religion.
You stick to the question and stop making tall claims about islam, nobody on this thread is asking you about your opinion on islam.

I dont understand why do muslims have to go on forums on different religions and make claims about islam being the true religion.If you want people to think islam is a true faith, go educate your mullahs and the extremist first and then go claim to the world about your religion being the right religion.Remember charity begins at home.Take care of your people and the world will learn to respect you.

Now pls dont tell me that those people have strayed and are not true muslims;we’ve listened to enough ****.Everyday in India,muslim extremists are arrested and they quote verses from the quran to justify their madness…

You have muslims bombing places across the world and you want us to believe that islam is the true path?hahaha!.. take a hike.

Btw,you dont need to ask me to respect other religions.I come from a country and a culture that has for centuries given refugee to people of different faiths amongst which were the ungrateful MUSLIM INVADERS who came on the pretext of friendship and systematically over 700 yrs turned the Indian subcontinent into 40% muslims.

Despite all that, we as a country are deeply secular, this stems from our buddhist/hindu culture of respecting all religions.

 

[franki_rulz]

your arrogance is very rude. this forum is the “non-catholic section”. So please respect other religions.You said something disrespectful about my religion and I replied that I CAN reply with something disrespectful but choose not to. look at ur comment and look at my reply.

wasalam

…let me add that I have the least respect for a religion like Islam.Ive lost close friends in the bombay blast carried out by muslim extremist. When some of them were caught, on national television, they had the balls to make comments like"those hindus deserve to die because they are idol worshippers and infidels(kafirs).allah will reward us in heaven for such an act and they go onto quote verses from the quran to justify their doings.
Your people create the mess,Zaki, go reform them.

Although I am a catholic, I have the greatest respect for hindus/sikhs and buddhist.the level of secularism they show is mind boggling.
One needs to respect humanity which sadly ISLAM(not muslims) lack
God bless your poor soul

 

[ZAKI]

If you think I am being rude, so be it… This is the non catholic section, true but you had no business to make tall claims about islam being the true religion. The question was how do you view buddhisim,not is christianity a true religion or isnt religion the right religion.
You stick to the question and stop making tall claims about islam, nobody on this thread is asking you about your opinion on islam.

I dont understand why do muslims have to go on forums on different religions and make claims about islam being the true religion.If you want people to think islam is a true faith, go educate your mullahs and the extremist first and then go claim to the world about your religion being the right religion.Remember charity begins at home.Take care of your people and the world will learn to respect you.

Now pls dont tell me that those people have strayed and are not true muslims;we’ve listened to enough ****.Everyday in India,muslim extremists are arrested and they quote verses from the quran to justify their madness…

You have muslims bombing places across the world and you want us to believe that islam is the true path?hahaha!.. take a hike.

Btw,you dont need to ask me to respect other religions.I come from a country and a culture that has for centuries given refugee to people of different faiths amongst which were the ungrateful MUSLIM INVADERS who came on the pretext of friendship and systematically over 700 yrs turned the Indian subcontinent into 40% muslims.

Despite all that, we as a country are deeply secular, this stems from our buddhist/hindu culture of respecting all religions.

i don’t care what you think about my religion. But FIRSTLY, i wasn’t the person to say that islam is the truth (that was bosnian muslim).
Secondly, if you were on a muslim forum and you were the only or one of the only christians on that site and said that “christianity is the truth”… the muslims would at least have enough respect to allow your view and either continue with the discussion or maybe just mention that that is your view-so congrats—u have just shown that muslims have more respect to other religions that christianity does.

wasalam

 

[ZAKI]

…let me add that I have the least respect for a religion like Islam.Ive lost close friends in the bombay blast carried out by muslim extremist. When some of them were caught, on national television, they had the balls to make comments like"those hindus deserve to die because they are idol worshippers and infidels(kafirs).allah will reward us in heaven for such an act and they go onto quote verses from the quran to justify their doings.
Your people create the mess,Zaki, go reform them.

Although I am a catholic, I have the greatest respect for hindus/sikhs and buddhist.the level of secularism they show is mind boggling.
One needs to respect humanity which sadly ISLAM(not muslims) lack
God bless your poor soul

You know I’m really not bothered for your stupidity. I just got back from school and I’m tired-I might reply to this another time
May God bless your soul as well.

wasalam

 

[Tsuwano]

Friends, I’m disappointed with the turn this thread seems to have taken and I’m hoping we can return to mutual respect and a sincere desire to understand the faith of others. I believe the Prophet, the Saviour and the Enlightened One, each in his own way, would feel that faith is false if we use it as a means of holding ourselves above others or claiming ourselves more beloved of God because of religious beliefs. To paraphrase Dorothy Day, our love of God is measured by the love we have for those we love the least. There is no need to defend faith here. God can defend himself. There is a great need to explain faith, however, and that is what I hope we can move toward now.

 

[franki_rulz]

You know I’m really not bothered for your stupidity. I just got back from school and I’m tired-I might reply to this another time
May God bless your soul as well.

wasalam

You need to rephrase your sentence.It is the stupidity carried out by your people not christians not hindus not buddhist but by muslims.
Go correct them first and then talk period!

 

[franki_rulz]

—u have just shown that muslims have more respect to other religions that christianity does.

wasalam

ROFL, try preaching your **** to some innocent white who believes you and READ the history of the Indian subcontient. Islam and respect for other religions dont go hand in hand( u prophet might have asked you to respect the people of the book, but I doubt how many muslims do that today)

Try typing this in google: hindus killed in mughal india( before the mughals we had the arabs and the afghans invading us and killing millions of hindus). The no is between 30-40 million

We’ve Indians survived 700 yrs of muslim oppresion, we know how about “peaceful Islam” better than any other western country… so go take a hike,mate.ur ****** stories dont cut ice with me…!

 

[Contarini]

Yes, could we please keep this thread about Buddhism? Not every thread has to be about Islam.

Edwin

 

[ZAKI]

I’m not arguing against his claim about muslims killing hindus. I know many muslims have been killed by hindu extremists and many hindus killed by muslim extremists in a vicious and sad cycle. If you re-read my posts you will see what I AM arguing over.
Just go back to the top of the last page. Maybe what I said was a bit rash at times but the fault is clearly not mine.

Yes, could we please keep this thread about Buddhism? Not every thread has to be about Islam.

Edwin

lol. Any thread that mentions “muslim” or “islam” eventually becomes a muslim-bashing thread—i thought you would have know that bro

wasalam

 

[AJTheMan]

I live in Japan and, during a period in which I was drifting away from Catholicism, fell in love with and married a Japanese girl. She was raised in a group of Nichiren Buddhists called the Sokka Gakkai. Outside Japan it is called SGI. At the time, I thought it was ok because we were both “spiritual”. Now I realize it was the most enormous mistake I ever made in my life. (But, we all know what Paul says about all things working for the good for those who love God!) They are the group that chant the namyohorengekkyo thing over and over. I used to be very open-minded about it, but the more I have seen of this group over the years, the more I believe it is a cult. SGI also has a lot of money and political power. Their leader is a very charismatic type he publishes a lot of books and the group publishes several magazines and a daily newspaper. My wife came to the same conclusion that it is a cult when she was around 30. Thank God for that! Unfortunately, her next foray into religion was nearly being recruited into the moonies. Since then it has been astrology and other new age beliefs. I’ve come back to the Catholic Church over the past few years (It is sooooo good and right to be home :- ) ) and it has been very painful that, of all the searching she did, she would never ask me about my faith. She said, “Why should I have? You didn’t start practicing it until after we got married.” Touche. I honestly believe that my wife has suffered types of demonic oppression and the first entry point was through the sect she was raised in.

Most Buddhists try to distance themselves from the SGI. SGI has some questionable practices.

The chanting…over and over…that’s just Nichiren Buddhism for you.

 

[AJTheMan]

Friends, I’m disappointed with the turn this thread seems to have taken and I’m hoping we can return to mutual respect and a sincere desire to understand the faith of others. I believe the Prophet, the Saviour and the Enlightened One, each in his own way, would feel that faith is false if we use it as a means of holding ourselves above others or claiming ourselves more beloved of God because of religious beliefs. To paraphrase Dorothy Day, our love of God is measured by the love we have for those we love the least. There is no need to defend faith here. God can defend himself. There is a great need to explain faith, however, and that is what I hope we can move toward now.

A very Buddhist (Compassionate) thing to say! I think the Buddha respected other religions. Whether he did or did not, however, we do know that he was always about right mindfulness and right speaking. Speaking in a way that is not only correct but also cordial. Buddhism, at it’s very core, is about Compassion for others. Hopefully these Catholics and Muslims can show some compassion. Nothing is wrong with debate but it’s getting a bit heated in here.

Yes, could we please keep this thread about Buddhism? Not every thread has to be about Islam.

Edwin

Thank you, Edwin. I hope that this thread is about Buddhism and other religion’s views of Buddhism.

 

[AJTheMan]

I’m not arguing against his claim about muslims killing hindus. I know many muslims have been killed by hindu extremists and many hindus killed by muslim extremists in a vicious and sad cycle. If you re-read my posts you will see what I AM arguing over.
Just go back to the top of the last page. Maybe what I said was a bit rash at times but the fault is clearly not mine.

lol. Any thread that mentions “muslim” or “islam” eventually becomes a muslim-bashing thread—i thought you would have know that bro

wasalam

I assure you that this thread will not disparage your faith. I respect it very much. The catholics, not so much, but hopefully they can simmer down!

 

[AJTheMan]

Exactly! Good post!

Emperor Asoka did a lot for Buddhism. Emperor Asoka did what Peter did with Christianity.

 

[ZAKI]

i as a muslim can say that i view buddhism as a nice,peacefull religion…if u have to choose between catholicism and budhism choose budhism

but of course,both are false,and the only savior is in islam

I think this has worked frankie_rulz up. He still hasn’t realised that I am not bosnian muslim AND that everybody has a view that they should be able to express (whether you agree with them or not).

thank you bro.

wasalam

 

[franki_rulz]

sorry mate, my intention wasnt to disrespect my fellow brothers here. The term white is quite frequently used for europeans/americans here in India.I didnt know it was offensive to you.
MY apologies for the same.