Pema Chodron quote

[BrentS]

So I ask for a quote from discobot and it says

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new. — Pema Chodron

and this is how I reply:

You have to be grounded in the Scriptures and the magesterium of the true church throughout the ages and logic and reason. Pema Chodron is a wannabe Buddhist. There is little truth in buddhism. I have explored it and it has been found wanting. It is a counterfeit to Chirstianity. You have to have a plumbline by which to measure all other things. Evidence proves nothing without this.

 

[BrentS]

However we must ask the Holy Spirit always to help us to lay down the things we think that we know so that He can teach us what we ought to know. And He uses many avenues to teach us. We all need to seek a unity of understanding in Christendom. The Kingdom cometh soon. The thing I want to discusss is how we can know what is true and what is false.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

I’ve read Pema Chodron, and I have the impression that she’s sincere.
I’ve also noticed that Westerners (especially of the white-and-middle-class-sort) who embrace Buddhism on later life are a lot more “otherworldly” and oblique than cradle Buddhists. There may be a psychological reason for that.

I feel like I get what she’s driving at. It would have been more helpful if she had said to keep learning, find out the facts, then form your opinions.

But if we hold that “truth” is an unchangeable reality (as opposed to point of view, or even opinion, which we can change as we learn more facts), it’s not so much that a person “clings” (notice that the word cling has some unfortunate implications, such as childishness, unreasonableness, or even greed), but that they move forward with the facts and life experience at their disposal.

Overall, a sentence that looks profound on the surface, but doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

 

[De_Maria]

So I ask for a quote from discobot and it says

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new. — Pema Chodron

So, I would ask, “what’s wrong with that?”

We are supposed to cling to truth. The only reason to abandon anything which we once believed to be true is if we discover that it was actually false.

and this is how I reply:

You have to be grounded in the Scriptures and the magesterium of the true church throughout the ages and logic and reason.

Have to be? That depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you want to be a priest and teacher of God’s Wisdom, I’d say, “true”.

And, I’d say that it is surely good advice for all people.

But I don’t think that God requires us to be theologians in order to be saved. All He is asking for is faithful servants who keep the Commandments.

1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision means nothing, and uncircumcision means nothing; what matters is keeping God’s commandments.

With faith working by love:

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Pema Chodron is a wannabe Buddhist. There is little truth in buddhism. I have explored it and it has been found wanting. It is a counterfeit to Chirstianity. You have to have a plumbline by which to measure all other things. Evidence proves nothing without this.

Yeah, I dropped it when I discovered it was an atheistic philosophy.

 

[rossum]

There is little truth in buddhism.

Buddhism can be summarised as:

To avoid all evil,
to cultivate good,
and to meditate –
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

– Dhammapada 14:5

to avoid all evil

• You shall not kill
• You shall not steal
• You shall not commit adultery
• You shall not bear false witness
• You shall not become intoxicated

to cultivate good

• Love your neighbour as yourself

I have rephrased the words from Buddhist scripture to make them more familiar. For example, the last one is: “Love others as you love yourself” – Bhadramayakaravyakarana sutra 91.

Christianity is somewhat deficient in meditation. Catholic and Orthodox Christianity have preserved some of it, though most Protestant denominations seem to ignore it. Possibly because those first two have retained monasticism.

What Pema Chodron says is correct:

The master Nan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening, the visitor kept talking about his own ideas.

After a while, Nan-in served tea. He poured tea into his visitor’s cup until it was full, then he kept on pouring.

Finally the visitor could not restrain himself. “Don’t you see it’s full?” he said. “You can’t get any more in!”

“Just so,” replied Nan-in, stopping at last. “And like this cup, you are filled with your own ideas. How can you expect me to give you Zen unless you offer me an empty cup?”

 

[rossum]

Yeah, I dropped it when I discovered it was an atheistic philosophy.

Buddhists are not required to be atheists, nor are they required to be theists. If you want to be an atheist Buddhist, as are many western Buddhists, then that is OK. If you want to be a theist Buddhist then that is OK as well. And you get a lot more gods to pick from than certain other religions I could mention:

Sakra, the ruler of the celestials, with twenty thousand gods, his followers, such as the god Chandra (the Moon), the god Surya (the Sun), the god Samantagandha (the Wind), the god Ratnaprabha, the god Avabhasaprabha, and others; further, the four great rulers of the cardinal points with thirty thousand gods in their train, viz. the great ruler Virudhaka, the great ruler Virupaksha, the great ruler Dhritarashtra, and the great ruler Vaisravana; the god Ishvara and the god Maheshvara, each followed by thirty thousand gods; further, Brahma Sahdmpati and his twelve thousand followers, the Brahmakayika gods, amongst whom Brahma Sikhin and Brahma Gyotishprabha, with the other twelve thousand Brahmakayika gods.

– Saddharmapundarika sutra, Chapter One

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

Christianity is somewhat deficient in meditation.

I can attest I don’t meditate as much as I should. Not because I don’t know how, but more than I get caught up in my busy life and forget.
Or I’m so busy talking to Him, that I don’t let Him get a word in edgewise…

 

[rossum]

I usually suggest Saying the Jesus Prayer for Christians who want to meditate.

 

[De_Maria]

Buddhists are not required to be atheists, nor are they required to be theists. If you want to be an atheist Buddhist, as are many western Buddhists, then that is OK. If you want to be a theist Buddhist then that is OK as well. And you get a lot more gods to pick from than certain other religions I could mention:

Very funny.

 

[rossum]

Given that I am talking to Christians I offered an example of a Christian meditation. If you want something more Buddhist and less Christian then try Counting Breaths.

As to Satan, if he can cite the Bible to his advantage…

 

[BrentS]

Sorry its taken so long to respond. I believe in all light and truth from whatever source and i agree there is some light and truth in some of the Buddhist teaching. I am very receptive to the ideas of others and always try to learn so I can help others with what i have learned and so that i can constantly discover new truths. The search for Truth (Jesus) must be unrelenting and unending, and I don’t think that anyone has to try to be a Priest, Theologian or Professor in order to adopt (and need) a good system for assimilating truth and not becoming deceived by falsehoods. I am so grateful that y’all have shared your insights with me. I like Descartes, Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, as well as Aristotle, but i am rather selective of Plato, for he believed in animalistic reincarnation and did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection. (Incidentally, neither did Aristotle). My ideas of things are rather unorthodox even for Roman Catholics. I also like Soren Kierkegaard, Martin Luther, and C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Ravi Zecharias. I am an extreme eclectic who believes in all true principles of philosophy and my theology is far from an arid systematic system that puts god in a box we made for him.

 

[BrentS]

I’d like to, when I have access to them, share with you the 8 or 10 Ways of staying grounded in truth I have discovered. It won’t be today though because i don’t have that Diary with me and I have to leave the library at this time so cannot construct it from memory and can’t return today because i have church tonight. I’ll share it as soon as i can though. You will be blessed.

 

[Salibi]

I’ve heard this quote said in many non-religious settings. It’s logical to an extent. We shouldn’t be bogged down by one point of view, we should always be careful to keep ourselves open to new ideas.