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evolutionist01
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What is the Church’s official stance/viewpoint on the Buddhist religion/philosophical approach to life?
Thanks,
evolutionist01
Thanks,
evolutionist01
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rossum
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“Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination.”What is the Church’s official stance/viewpoint on the Buddhist religion/philosophical approach to life?
Source: Nostra Aetate
Much of Buddhist morality is compatible with Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular: “You shall not kill”. Some Buddhist meditation techniques are religiously neutral: breathing and counting to ten.
Other Buddhist meditation techniques and much of the theoretical underpinning of Buddhism are incompatible with Christianity - the unimportance of all gods and the denial of any soul for example.
rossum
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LilyM
Guest
The Church’s view on buddhism in what regard?
In general, Buddhism is incompatible with Catholicism - it views belief in a god or gods as unnecessary and irrelevant. Buddhism teaches reincarnation where Catholicism holds to St Paul’s teaching that ‘it is appointed to men to die once’. And it doesn’t teach in a heaven as we understand it, simply a state where one basically becomes ‘one with the universe’ or what have you, at which point the individual basically ceases to exist, as did the Buddha who disappeared once he found ‘enlightenment’.
In general, Buddhism is incompatible with Catholicism - it views belief in a god or gods as unnecessary and irrelevant. Buddhism teaches reincarnation where Catholicism holds to St Paul’s teaching that ‘it is appointed to men to die once’. And it doesn’t teach in a heaven as we understand it, simply a state where one basically becomes ‘one with the universe’ or what have you, at which point the individual basically ceases to exist, as did the Buddha who disappeared once he found ‘enlightenment’.
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MDK
Guest
The OP has been answered. Next, if you don’t believe in God, then how do you know what is true? All you have, then is your own opinions, which may amount to very little apart from a Greater Power.What is the Church’s official stance/viewpoint on the Buddhist religion/philosophical approach to life?
Thanks,
evolutionist01
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rossum
Guest
Buddhism has both heavens and hells which are reasonably similar to the Christian version apart from being temporary. Half of the hells are cold rather than hot, but that does not seem to me to be of any great importance; they are still very unpleasant places.The Church’s view on buddhism in what regard?
In general, Buddhism is incompatible with Catholicism - it views belief in a god or gods as unnecessary and irrelevant. Buddhism teaches reincarnation where Catholicism holds to St Paul’s teaching that ‘it is appointed to men to die once’. And it doesn’t teach in a heaven as we understand it, simply a state where one basically becomes ‘one with the universe’ or what have you, at which point the individual basically ceases to exist, as did the Buddha who disappeared once he found ‘enlightenment’.
Nirvana is different and is what you seem to be talking about. You do not have to die to attain nirvana. The Buddha attained nirvana when he became enlightened at age 35. He spent the next 45 years preaching and died at age 80. It was at his final death that he “disappeared”. Nirvana is not what you probably think it is:Some people come to Zen expecting that Enlightenment will be the Ultimate Peak Experience. The Mother of All Peak Experiences. But real enlightenment is the most ordinary of the ordinary. Once I had an amazing vision. I saw myself transported through time and space. Millions, no, billions, trillions, Godzillions of years passed. Not figuratively, but literally. Whizzed by. I found myself at the very rim of time and space, a vast giant being composed of the living minds and bodies of every thing that ever was. It was an incredibly moving experience. Exhilarating. I was high for weeks. Finally I told Nishijima Sensei about it. He said it was nonsense. Just my imagination. I can’t tell you how that made me feel. Imagination? This was as real an experience as any I’ve ever had. I just about cried. Later on that day I was eating a tangerine. I noticed how incredibly lovely a thing it was. So delicate. So amazingly orange. So very tasty. So I told Nishijima about that. That experience, he said, was enlightenment.
Source: Zen is Boring
rossum
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SedesDomi
Guest
Well, a Tibetan Buddhist might expand upon this statement by saying that the most harrowing, most painful, hell is in fact permanent, in the sense that a denizen would not be able to get out of it by his or her own desire or actions. He or she would have to wait for another person – such as a bodhisattva – to offer aid and help, in order to get out of that hell (which is called Avici hell).Buddhism has both heavens and hells which are reasonably similar to the Christian version apart from being temporary.
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SedesDomi
Guest
John Paul II had some good things, and some critical things, to say about Buddhism.What is the Church’s official stance/viewpoint on the Buddhist religion/philosophical approach to life?
Some of the good things. (Beware: the linked site comes from an ultra-conservative group of Catholics that in fact doesn’t like John Paul II.)
Some of the critical things.
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rossum
Guest
We have different understandings of the Avici hell. In my understanding it is indeed the most unpleasant of the hot hells; the name means “unrelenting” in Sanskrit. However, when your unrelentingly unpleasant and long lifetime there has finished you will die and be reborn again in the usual fashion.Well, a Tibetan Buddhist might expand upon this statement by saying that the most harrowing, most painful, hell is in fact permanent, in the sense that a denizen would not be able to get out of it by his or her own desire or actions. He or she would have to wait for another person – such as a bodhisattva – to offer aid and help, in order to get out of that hell (which is called Avici hell).
You are correct that there are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in all of the hells as the various pictures of the Wheel of Life show - all the sectors of the wheel have their Buddhas, including the hells at the bottom.
rossum
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algebra
Guest
Buddhism teaches rebirth - significantly different from reincarnation.Buddhism teaches reincarnation
As does buddhismwhere Catholicism holds to St Paul’s teaching that ‘it is appointed to men to die once’.
The most accurate thing you have said above is “or what have you”And it doesn’t teach in a heaven as we understand it, simply a state where one basically becomes ‘one with the universe’ or what have you,
Not at all. Individual breaks out of the cycle of rebirth.at which point the individual basically ceases to exist, as did the Buddha who disappeared once he found ‘enlightenment’.
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lauermar
Guest
JP II and Benedict are widely misinterpreted and misquoted by the media. Buddhism and Hinduism are heresies, plain and simple. They worship multiple deities, which is the violation of the First Commandment. You cannot be both Catholic and Buddhist at the same time because no man can serve 2 masters:
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
– Exodus 20:2-6 (WEB)
You shall worship the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:10). Adoring God, praying to him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first commandment.
– Catechism of the Catholic Church
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
– Exodus 20:2-6 (WEB)
You shall worship the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:10). Adoring God, praying to him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first commandment.
– Catechism of the Catholic Church
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Memento_Mori
Guest
How the concept of heaven and hell exist …and at the same time buddhism prays that is no soul?Buddhism has both heavens and hells which are reasonably similar to the Christian version apart from being temporary. Half of the hells are cold rather than hot, but that does not seem to me to be of any great importance; they are still very unpleasant places.
Nirvana is different and is what you seem to be talking about. You do not have to die to attain nirvana. The Buddha attained nirvana when he became enlightened at age 35. He spent the next 45 years preaching and died at age 80. It was at his final death that he “disappeared”. Nirvana is not what you probably think it is:Some people come to Zen expecting that Enlightenment will be the Ultimate Peak Experience. The Mother of All Peak Experiences. But real enlightenment is the most ordinary of the ordinary. Once I had an amazing vision. I saw myself transported through time and space. Millions, no, billions, trillions, Godzillions of years passed. Not figuratively, but literally. Whizzed by. I found myself at the very rim of time and space, a vast giant being composed of the living minds and bodies of every thing that ever was. It was an incredibly moving experience. Exhilarating. I was high for weeks. Finally I told Nishijima Sensei about it. He said it was nonsense. Just my imagination. I can’t tell you how that made me feel. Imagination? This was as real an experience as any I’ve ever had. I just about cried. Later on that day I was eating a tangerine. I noticed how incredibly lovely a thing it was. So delicate. So amazingly orange. So very tasty. So I told Nishijima about that. That experience, he said, was enlightenment.
Source: Zen is Boring
rossum
i found this alittle bit contradictory .
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Memento_Mori
Guest
Mother Teresa workshipping Buddha? mmmm…
Probably she was just presenting her respects to the ceremony but not in a workship state …
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Memento_Mori
Guest
Who are you to judge something that you dont understand ?JP II and Benedict are widely misinterpreted and misquoted by the media. Buddhism and Hinduism are heresies, plain and simple. They worship multiple deities, which is the violation of the First Commandment. You cannot be both Catholic and Buddhist at the same time because no man can serve 2 masters:
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
– Exodus 20:2-6 (WEB)
You shall worship the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:10). Adoring God, praying to him, offering him the worship that belongs to him, fulfilling the promises and vows made to him are acts of the virtue of religion which fall under obedience to the first commandment.
– Catechism of the Catholic Church
Buddhism is older than Christianity …Christianity has 2000 years since founded by Jesus Christ …Buddhism has 5000 …if Christianity is the true and only true religion why it hasnt taken over the world so far ???
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lauermar
Guest
“Who are you to judge something that you dont understand ? Buddhism is older than Christianity …Christianity has 2000 years since founded by Jesus Christ …Buddhism has 5000 …if Christianity is the true and only true religion why it hasnt taken over the world so far ???”
REPLY:
It was God, and His authority alone, who wrote the First Commandment in stone, telling the world that all strange gods who preceeded him are not the One True God, and therefore are not to be worshipped. If you call yourself Catholic and dispute this, you are a heretic. This is a fact, not a judgement.
If you are not Catholic, you are free to choose: Brahmin or Jesus. You cannot worship both, the 2 religions are not compatible.
Question: what has Brahmin done for you lately, to deserve your worship? Has he healed the sick? Resurrected anyone from the dead? Sent his Son to free you from the bonds of slavery? I think not.
Unfortunately, many Catholics who are not strong in their faith falsely interpret statements of diplomacy from Mother Theresa and the Pontiff regarding other religions to mean that they or The Catholic Church endorses the error of pantheism. Rest assured, the Catholic Church disavows it.
REPLY:
It was God, and His authority alone, who wrote the First Commandment in stone, telling the world that all strange gods who preceeded him are not the One True God, and therefore are not to be worshipped. If you call yourself Catholic and dispute this, you are a heretic. This is a fact, not a judgement.
If you are not Catholic, you are free to choose: Brahmin or Jesus. You cannot worship both, the 2 religions are not compatible.
Question: what has Brahmin done for you lately, to deserve your worship? Has he healed the sick? Resurrected anyone from the dead? Sent his Son to free you from the bonds of slavery? I think not.
Unfortunately, many Catholics who are not strong in their faith falsely interpret statements of diplomacy from Mother Theresa and the Pontiff regarding other religions to mean that they or The Catholic Church endorses the error of pantheism. Rest assured, the Catholic Church disavows it.
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MDK
Guest
He is using proper judgment according to the truth. Buddhism is a false faith, man-made and opposes the worship due God alone.Who are you to judge something that you dont understand ?
Buddhism is older than Christianity …Christianity has 2000 years since founded by Jesus Christ …Buddhism has 5000 …if Christianity is the true and only true religion why it hasnt taken over the world so far ???
Why hasn’t Christianity taken over completely? That’s a large topic, but the answer lies in man’s freedom of will, their education and others’ efforts to evangelize.
Christianity (fullness of which is Catholicism) is true because it is established by God, and Catholicism is protected by God from teaching error in faith and morals.
Buddhism is not true, because it conflicts with God’s revelation. God did not establish Buddhism.
There are many lies sown by the Opposer (Satan), which men believe. This keeps men from the truth. It’s up to you to seek and believe in the truth, and reject lies.
Question for you? Why is your label “Roman Catholic” if you don’t believe it is the one true faith? Seems to me you should heed your own advice, and not judge something you don’t understand. The difference is the other person who you criticized was using proper judgement in defending the one true faith of Catholicism.
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lauermar
Guest
I would further suggest that any Catholic who tries to practice a mix Catholic doctrine with Tantric Buddhism will ultimately lose what little Catholic faith he has. Proof of that is evident right here, especially if they can’t even agree with the 1st Commandment. When one can no longer abide by the 10 Commandments, the Sacraments are the next to go.
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Memento_Mori
Guest
Dont you know that opposition to the Pope is a form of HERESY“Who are you to judge something that you dont understand ? Buddhism is older than Christianity …Christianity has 2000 years since founded by Jesus Christ …Buddhism has 5000 …if Christianity is the true and only true religion why it hasnt taken over the world so far ???”
REPLY:
It was God, and His authority alone, who wrote the First Commandment in stone, telling the world that all strange gods who preceeded him are not the One True God, and therefore are not to be worshipped. If you call yourself Catholic and dispute this, you are a heretic. This is a fact, not a judgement.
If you are not Catholic, you are free to choose: Brahmin or Jesus. You cannot worship both, the 2 religions are not compatible.
Question: what has Brahmin done for you lately, to deserve your worship? Has he healed the sick? Resurrected anyone from the dead? Sent his Son to free you from the bonds of slavery? I think not.
Unfortunately, many Catholics who are not strong in their faith falsely interpret statements of diplomacy from Mother Theresa and the Pontiff regarding other religions to mean that they or The Catholic Church endorses the error of pantheism. Rest assured, the Catholic Church disavows it.
I dont workship both …i do respect all religions and ways of belief …Buddhism can be positive in certain ways …bu as you can see it has the will of reaching perfection as catholiscm always preach …
Ecuminism and charity are my strongholds …what is a buddhist think chirstianity is wrong …
Siddhattha Gotama was a prince that one day decided to leave his palace to encounter the real life: he found misery , pain and poverty …he looked for answers and discovered that SUFFERING was the way of living of all human beings …just as the chirstian theology in which men must endure suffering in order to achive purification …in other words you have to carry your cross …
How can a religion in which the believe in any deity is irrelevant can workship different gods …Buddhism as far as i know is totally atheist .
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Memento_Mori
Guest
" Proper Judgement " for you and for him but not for the Buddhist …proper judgement according to your theological point of view and his …He is using proper judgment according to the truth. Buddhism is a false faith, man-made and opposes the worship due God alone.
Why hasn’t Christianity taken over completely? That’s a large topic, but the answer lies in man’s freedom of will, their education and others’ efforts to evangelize.
Christianity (fullness of which is Catholicism) is true because it is established by God, and Catholicism is protected by God from teaching error in faith and morals.
Buddhism is not true, because it conflicts with God’s revelation. God did not establish Buddhism.
There are many lies sown by the Opposer (Satan), which men believe. This keeps men from the truth. It’s up to you to seek and believe in the truth, and reject lies.
Question for you? Why is your label “Roman Catholic” if you don’t believe it is the one true faith? Seems to me you should heed your own advice, and not judge something you don’t understand. The difference is the other person who you criticized was using proper judgement in defending the one true faith of Catholicism.
My label of roman catholicism has nothing to do with that …God does not need insignificant human beings to defend him …He is the Almighty and all powerful God .
Think about this if Catholicism is protected by God from teaching errors of faith and morals …why there was a Protestant reformation ? why there was a schism in the east and west …why there were anti-popes …
Of course Satan is a liar , is the father of lies BUt also MARA is the ( Satan ) of the Buddhist religion …if Satan supports Buddhism according to you …why buddhism talks about peace and respect for life of human beings and other creatures ? don you think these will be contradictory to the will of Satan …remember when Jesus said when he was accused of obtaining his powers from Belcebu …He responded : How Satan can fight against Satan …if he does so : his kingdom will fall …probably you will think this has nothing to do with Buddhism BUT at the same time buddhism has demostrated to be a positive way to avoid the evils and vices of the world …you have to learn to find God even in the small part of imperfect things …
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Memento_Mori
Guest
Which means that " catholic " has not studied his religion and had not lived it propertly …and his faith is a waste …his faith has just being a robotic way of prayers and rituals he or she didnt know and couldnt understand at all …I would further suggest that any Catholic who tries to practice a mix Catholic doctrine with Tantric Buddhism will ultimately lose what little Catholic faith he has. Proof of that is evident right here, especially if they can’t even agree with the 1st Commandment. When one can no longer abide by the 10 Commandments, the Sacraments are the next to go.
A buddhist principle will apply here : IGNORANCE is the result of all suffering …as soon as you get rid of ignorance you will get rid of suffering …and achieve NIRVANA …the " nirvana " of that catholic probably will be the full understanding of his faith and God …
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Sufjon
Guest
Dear Friend lauermar: I would like to clarify if I may that Hindus believe in one God, who has many forms, not multiple deities. Many forms means that all things throughout all of creation are considered by Hindus to be expressions of and part of the One God. The objective of a Hindu is to see God in all things and all creatures. Hindus believe that all of creation exists within God, and is in part and parcel God. This is why it is important to Love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself and to show reverence for all things. Perhaps therein lies the meaning of the idea that whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers you have also done to Him. It is all Him and all are His.JP II and Benedict are widely misinterpreted and misquoted by the media. Buddhism and Hinduism are heresies, plain and simple. They worship multiple deities, which is the violation of the First Commandment. You cannot be both Catholic and Buddhist at the same time because no man can serve 2 masters:
Your friend
Sufjon
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