What's wrong with Buhddism?

[FightingFat]

Buddhism seems pretty harmless to me.

There are no threats of hell or promises of heaven attached to being a Buddhist as opposed to being a non-Buddhist. The term ‘Buddhist’ is a mere label and has no inherent existence. The condition of future lives is determined by actions of body, speech and mind and not by religious affiliation. If our religion encourages positive actions and states of mind then it is doing its job. If it causes hatred, division and pride then it isn’t working and maybe we should try something else. Buddhism does not make use of the psychological blackmail techniques which are said to be characteristic of memes.

Just sticking the Buddhist label on yourself doesn’t automatically make you superior to non-Buddhists. In fact, in most forms of Buddhism the belief that one is superior to others, for whatever reason, is seen as a dangerous delusion.

Buddhism does not attempt to suppress reason by dogma. Unlike most other religions, Buddhism isn’t so much about things to believe, as things to do. It is a technology of mind improvement. This is why Buddhists often refer to themselves as practictioners rather than believers. The Buddha told his students to trust their own experience of the effectiveness of the teachings, and not believe things just because he said so.

Buddhism does NOT claim to be the one and only valid spiritual path (a teaching known as ‘exclusivism’ in other belief-systems). It is NOT based on claims of divine authority. Buddha never claimed to be divine or sent from God. His teachings are to be judged by their effectiveness in promoting peace and spiritual realisations, rather than unverifiable claims to their origin.

Buddhism does not believe in using war or terrorism to further its cause and does not persecute former Buddhists who have changed their religion.Neither does it encourage ecologically disastrous population policies (or lack of policies).

Buddhists have no need to suppress, censor or misrepresent the teachings of other religions, as Buddhist philosophy is totally rational and quite capable of withstanding criticism from other belief systems. In fact, Buddhism appears to be the only spiritual system which can provide counterarguments to modern secular materialism. Neither is Buddhism even slightly corroded by what Dennett (1995) claims to be the universal spiritual acid of Darwinism.
Buddhism recognises that one of the most destructive delusions is excessive attachment to any view, which will thus appear virtuous and right for all people. The harm that can be done by excessive attachment to ideologies and abstractions is far greater than that caused by attachment to wealth or material objects. As a consequence, Buddhism is one of the few religions which has never attempted to propagate itself and exterminate its enemies by war and tyranny. A fanatical Buddhist is, by definition, a deluded Buddhist.

So what’s wrong or dangerous about Buddhism?

 

[tom.wineman]

It was not founded by Jesus Christ.

 

[bengal_fan]

buddhism does have much in it we can learn from, but those things (rejection of pursuit of wealth, respect and love for you common man, desire to serve one another) are basics of Christianity, and where a Christian (or “Christian society”) is not adhering to those things, their allegiance to Christ comes into question. what’s wrong with buddhism? well, there is truth in this world which means there is falsehood in this world. not everything can be true (even if we really want it to be because it sounds good). therefore, if there is truth and, as i believe, we have the ability to know that truth, we have an obligation to share it, live it, and build around it even when others who don’t know the truth stand against it. i am not calling for oppression or mililtary action, but people of the truth cannot back down from what they know is true. i say the same to you. if you have found something you believe is true and you don’t share it, you are doing a disservice to your fellow man. ultimately, one group will be right and all the others will be wrong. i believe i have, by the grace of God, found the group which is right and now i must, out of love for this world and mankind, try to get as many others as i can to join this group as well. buddhism is not the truth, and doesn’t even really claim to be. that is what is ultimately wrong with buddhism. i know you may disagree with this, but you are allowed to as a buddhist, but if i’m right, God doesn’t allow this disagreement.

 

[bhlincoln]

Many Buddhists have many illogical and unfounded beliefs such as belief in karma (i.e. actions/conduct determine destiny, and is a result of previous existence). Other Buddhists worship multiple deities, all of which have never shown us anything or guided us in any way, so their worship is simply idolatry. Plus the views of Buddhists such as life not being worth living or always aiming to detach from the conscious state to a “better” state is all unnatural, and simply garbage.

As a human being sitting here on this earth wondering why I’m here, yes, I can choose whatever I want to worship; a tree, the sun, Buddha etc, but when someone like Jesus comes along and performs astounding first class miracles, as do his successors (Apostles and Saints), miracles of which are NEVER seen in Buddhism, then I don’t need to give Buddhism another thought. And when Jesus forbids things like idolatry and other things found in Buddhism, the point is driver further home. Buddhism does nothing for anyone, and everyone and everything related to it have done nothing in comparison to Jesus and his Apostles and Saints. And if you are a Christian, Buddhism is simply superstitious, idolatrous, unnatural and founded on unfounded, unproven beliefs. Nuf said.

BH
protestanterrors.com

 

[ahimsaman72]

FightingFat:

Buddhism seems pretty harmless to me.

There are no threats of hell or promises of heaven attached to being a Buddhist as opposed to being a non-Buddhist. The term ‘Buddhist’ is a mere label and has no inherent existence. The condition of future lives is determined by actions of body, speech and mind and not by religious affiliation. If our religion encourages positive actions and states of mind then it is doing its job. If it causes hatred, division and pride then it isn’t working and maybe we should try something else. Buddhism does not make use of the psychological blackmail techniques which are said to be characteristic of memes.

Just sticking the Buddhist label on yourself doesn’t automatically make you superior to non-Buddhists. In fact, in most forms of Buddhism the belief that one is superior to others, for whatever reason, is seen as a dangerous delusion.

Buddhism does not attempt to suppress reason by dogma. Unlike most other religions, Buddhism isn’t so much about things to believe, as things to do. It is a technology of mind improvement. This is why Buddhists often refer to themselves as practictioners rather than believers. The Buddha told his students to trust their own experience of the effectiveness of the teachings, and not believe things just because he said so.

Buddhism does NOT claim to be the one and only valid spiritual path (a teaching known as ‘exclusivism’ in other belief-systems). It is NOT based on claims of divine authority. Buddha never claimed to be divine or sent from God. His teachings are to be judged by their effectiveness in promoting peace and spiritual realisations, rather than unverifiable claims to their origin.

Buddhism does not believe in using war or terrorism to further its cause and does not persecute former Buddhists who have changed their religion.Neither does it encourage ecologically disastrous population policies (or lack of policies).

Buddhists have no need to suppress, censor or misrepresent the teachings of other religions, as Buddhist philosophy is totally rational and quite capable of withstanding criticism from other belief systems. In fact, Buddhism appears to be the only spiritual system which can provide counterarguments to modernsecular materialism. Neither is Buddhism even slightly corroded by what Dennett (1995) claims to be the universal spiritual acid of Darwinism.
Buddhism recognises that one of the most destructive delusions is excessive attachment to any view, which will thus appear virtuous and right for all people. The harm that can be done by excessive attachment to ideologies and abstractions is far greater than that caused by attachment to wealth or material objects. As a consequence, Buddhism is one of the few religions which has never attempted to propagate itself and exterminate its enemies by war and tyranny. A fanatical Buddhist is, by definition, a deluded Buddhist.

So what’s wrong or dangerous about Buddhism?

The moral precepts and values in Buddhism are very good - pretty much in line with other religions - no killing, stealing, lying, etc. It comes down to morality, meditation and wisdom, which are valuable aspects of living a good life for anyone, whether Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, whatever.

From the Christian standpoint, however, the doctrines of karma and rebirth and the agnostic stance on God are the biggest obstacles to meaningful dialogue between the two religions.

Buddhism is practical, insightful, engaging and as you pointed out - doesn’t need to force its views on someone. It is non-violent, compassionate and full of tools that anyone can use - from detaching from materialism (a disease in this country) to loving all beings and all that we could call “nature”.

I tried to practice both faiths, but found I could not love both equally or practice both equally.

Peace…

 

[Andrew_11]

Buddhism has a very good philosophy on how to live life, and there is nothing wrong with it in that regard. But there is only one religion that is completely true, the Catholic Church. Other religions may contain small pieces of the truth, but it is incomplete. Also, Buddhism deos not promote peace so you can better love your neighbor, it does it more so you can cease to be an individual and become one with everything.

 

[ahimsaman72]

Andrew_11:

Buddhism has a very good philosophy on how to live life, and there is nothing wrong with it in that regard. But there is only one religion that is completely true, the Catholic Church. Other religions may contain small pieces of the truth, but it is incomplete. Also, Buddhism deos not promote peace so you can better love your neighbor, it does it more so you can cease to be an individual and become one with everything.

I disagree with the intent of promotion of peace.

Inherent in the philosophy of Buddhism is the principle of “interbeing” or lack of “self” (an independent being). This is the view that you, me and all phenomena are intertwined and actually consist of each other. So, it is only natural to love “yourself” because “you” are actually “me” and vice-versa.

The intent is to see through the delusion of a permanent, selfish ego’s and express peace and love to each other. Because when you love others you love yourself and vice-versa.

The intent is genuine.

The Buddha himself expressed these ideas in his teachings recorded by his trusted companions.

Buddhism continues to be the most peaceful and practical religion on the planet. If you ever read biographies or teachings of prominent Buddhist teachers you will see that their intent is to express peace and love not to just attain nirvana for themselves, but for all beings.

I suggest reading some on His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. He is one of the most passionate loving people whose teachings and life I’ve had the privelege to experience.

Peace…

 

[AnAtheist]

bhlincoln:

Many Buddhists have many illogical and unfounded beliefs such as belief in karma (i.e. actions/conduct determine destiny, and is a result of previous existence). Other Buddhists worship multiple deities, all of which have never shown us anything or guided us in any way, so their worship is simply idolatry. …] And if you are a Christian, Buddhism is simply superstitious, idolatrous, unnatural and founded on unfounded, unproven beliefs. Nuf said.

Ah, I love ignorant and arrogant stuff like this.

Many Christians have many illogical and unfounded beliefs such as belief in the trinity (i.e. three entities being only one entity). Other Christians worship people like the Virgin Mary, all of which have never shown us anything or guided us in any way, so their worship is simply idolatry. …] And if you are an Atheist, Christianity is simply superstitious, idolatrous, unnatural and founded on unfounded, unproven beliefs. Nuf said.

No, not nuf said, I have to add this:

 

[Roman_Army]

**Buddhism is an agnostic religion that believes in an endless cycle of reincarnations. It does not care if there is a God or not. It does not care about truth. They do mental and physical meditations that are meaningless. It is dangerous, it opens up the body and soul to the demonic possession. It does not accept Jesus as God and savior. Some may say that Buddha is their God, but that is also inaccurate because it is not the purpose of Buddhism. Buddhism’s purpose is to heal a person’s suffering with unGodly means. This is the reason why they accepted Hindu beliefs and philosophies about cycles of reincarnations to try to get people to cope with death better. **

**Christianity focusses on Truth and the reality of God and his actions to help us deal with burdens and suffering. It does not teach about a meaningless cycle of reincarnations, instead it teaches about Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell. **

 

[Ahimsa]

ahimsaman72:

I tried to practice both faiths, but found I could not love both equally or practice both equally.

Peace…

No man (nor woman) can serve two masters.

 

[buzzcut]

FightingFat:

So what’s wrong or dangerous about Buddhism?

You make a good case … it seems to me that secularism is far more dangerous than Buddhism.

 

[Ahimsa]

FightingFat:

So what’s wrong or dangerous about Buddhism?

OK, I’ll bite.

I’ll tell you what’s wrong and dangerous about Buddhism. The wrongness and danger is not in the Buddha’s original intention (which was to show the path to the Deathless to those who had “ears to hear” (to use a phrase Jesus often used)), but in how Buddhism is depicted these days, especially in America.

In these post-modern, globalizing, and skeptical times, Buddhism provides a comforting worldview, the details of which I need not go into here. The original post did a very good job. I think one main attraction is that Buddhism does not ask the practitioner to give up her questioning, her doubts, her empirical attitude. All that is well and good, especially for Americans and Europeans jaded after centuries of indoctrination and dogmatization.

But the problem with Buddhism, as it exists especially in America, is precisely that: Buddhism became attractive to Westerners because it was almost the exact opposite of Christianity: where Christianity asked for faith, Westerners wanted a Buddhism that denigrated faith; where Christianity promised the miraculous, Westerners created a Buddhism that denied the supernatural; where Christianity worshipped God, Westerners created a Buddhism that rejected Divinity.

But if you go to Asia, you’ll find that Buddhism there includes all the things Western Buddhists tend to ignore, deny, or suppress. In the earliest Buddhist texts, you find people expressing their faith in Buddha (even before the Buddha did anything miraculous!); you’ll find the Buddha calmly describing that various types of miracles that are possible, while warning his followers that the greatest miracle was the miracle of teaching the Truth; you’ll find the Buddha meeting with various Divinities (Gods, Goddesses, and so forth) – what the Buddha denied was not the concept of God in general, but a particular concept of God that made God the direct cause of human pain and suffering.

The wrongness and danger of Buddhism, then, is not so much in what the Buddha himself said or did, but in what his modern Western acolytes have created – a Buddhism that supposedly represents all that Christianity rejects, that trumps Christianity all across the board, and that unnecessarily divorces Westerners from their cultural heritages.

Nuff said.

 

[ahimsaman72]

Ahimsa:

No man (nor woman) can serve two masters.

Yes, old friend, The wise Jesus was correct in saying that, wasn’t he? It is certainly true. So, now I don’t practice either one.

Peace…

 

[ahimsaman72]

bhlincoln:

Many Buddhists have many illogical and unfounded beliefs such as belief in karma (i.e. actions/conduct determine destiny, and is a result of previous existence). Other Buddhists worship multiple deities, all of which have never shown us anything or guided us in any way, so their worship is simply idolatry. Plus the views of Buddhists such as life not being worth living or always aiming to detach from the conscious state to a “better” state is all unnatural, and simply garbage.

As a human being sitting here on this earth wondering why I’m here, yes, I can choose whatever I want to worship; a tree, the sun, Buddha etc, but when someone like Jesus comes along and performs astounding first class miracles, as do his successors (Apostles and Saints), miracles of which are NEVER seen in Buddhism, then I don’t need to give Buddhism another thought. And when Jesus forbids things like idolatry and other things found in Buddhism, the point is driver further home. Buddhism does nothing for anyone, and everyone and everything related to it have done nothing in comparison to Jesus and his Apostles and Saints. And if you are a Christian, Buddhism is simply superstitious, idolatrous, unnatural and founded on unfounded, unproven beliefs. Nuf said.

BH
protestanterrors.com

The late and great His Holiness Pope John Paul II never described Buddhism or Buddhists in such a way. He reached out to them and provided friendship without being derogatory. I would caution you to approach Buddhism and Buddhists in the same way.

Peace…

 

[Ahimsa]

ahimsaman72:

Yes, old friend, The wise Jesus was correct in saying that, wasn’t he? It is certainly true. So, now I don’t practice either one.

Peace…

Shalom.

 

[ahimsaman72]

bhlincoln:

Many Buddhists have many illogical and unfounded beliefs such as belief in karma (i.e. actions/conduct determine destiny, and is a result of previous existence). Other Buddhists worship multiple deities, all of which have never shown us anything or guided us in any way, so their worship is simply idolatry. Plus the views of Buddhists such as life not being worth living or always aiming to detach from the conscious state to a “better” state is all unnatural, and simply garbage.

As a human being sitting here on this earth wondering why I’m here, yes, I can choose whatever I want to worship; a tree, the sun, Buddha etc, but when someone like Jesus comes along and performs astounding first class miracles, as do his successors (Apostles and Saints), miracles of which are NEVER seen in Buddhism, then I don’t need to give Buddhism another thought. And when Jesus forbids things like idolatry and other things found in Buddhism, the point is driver further home. Buddhism does nothing for anyone, and everyone and everything related to it have done nothing in comparison to Jesus and his Apostles and Saints. And if you are a Christian, Buddhism is simply superstitious, idolatrous, unnatural and founded on unfounded, unproven beliefs. Nuf said.

BH
protestanterrors.com

I actually created another post to deal with some of the content directly that you stated.

First, the Buddha once enlightened saw his past lives and knew his previous names. He was a firm believer and proponent of rebirth over and over. Whether or not you consider that a Buddhist miracle is for you to decide.

Second of all, deities are not worshipped. You might be referring to previous Buddhas who have lived. There is Amitabha Buddha who is venerated in Pure Land Buddhism. There is Medicine Buddha and others. However, these are not worshipped. They are venerated as Mother Mary is in the Catholic faith.

Third, life is very much worth living to Buddhists. They strive to live long lives so they can continue training and practicing so they may achieve nirvana. Your assertion that they don’t feel like life is worth living is truly ignorant.

Fourth, Buddhism has done much for many people. There are countless examples of people living healthy, stress-reduced, happy lives due to the influence and practice of Buddhist principles.

People such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet and Master Thich Nhat Hanh are living examples of courageous, compassionate and inspiring men of character who live their lives moment to moment changing those who interact with them.

You do a great disservice to people such as these when you spread ignorant lies and mischaracterize the faith that the above men call their own. They, along with people such as His Holiness Pope John Paul II are beacons of hope in a dark world of selfishness and materialism.

Peace…

 

[bhlincoln]

AnAtheist,

Let me know what you think of the incorruptibles. Would you say they’re superstitious? unfounded? unproven?

I look forward to your reply…

BH

AnAtheist:

And if you are an Atheist, Christianity is simply superstitious, idolatrous, unnatural and founded on unfounded, unproven beliefs. Nuf said.

 

[Genesis315]

ahimsaman72:

The late and great His Holiness Pope John Paul II never described Buddhism or Buddhists in such a way. He reached out to them and provided friendship without being derogatory. I would caution you to approach Buddhism and Buddhists in the same way.

Peace…

He did however, tell of the dangers of Buddhism and that a Christian should steer clear of it mainly because it leads man away from God (from Crossing the Threshold of Hope):

Nevertheless, it needs to be said right away that the doctrines of salvation in Buddhism and Christianity are opposed.​

Buddhism is in large measure an “atheistic” system. We do not free ourselves from evil through the good which comes from God; we liberate ourselves only through detachment from the world, which is bad. The fullness of such a detachment is not union with God, but what is called nirvana, a state of perfect indifference with regard to the world. To save oneself means, above all, to free oneself from evil by becoming indifferent to the world, which is the source of evil. This is the culmination of the spiritual process. At various times, attempts to link this method with the Christian mystics have been made - whether it is with those from northern Europe (Eckhart. Tauler, Suso, Ruysbroeck) or the later Spanish mystics (Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross). But when Saint John of the Cross, in the Ascent of Mount Garmel and in the Dark Night of the Soul, speaks of the need for purification, for detachment from the world of the senses, he does not conceive of that detachment as an end in itself. “To arrive at what now you do not enjoy, you must go where you do not en joy. To reach what you do not know, you must go where you do not know. To come into possession of what you do not have, you must go where now you have nothing” (Ascent of Mount Carmel, i, 13, ii). In Eastern Asia these classic texts of Saint John of the Cross have been, at times, interpreted as a confirmation of Eastern ascetic methods. But this Doctor of the Church does not merely propose detachment from the world. He proposes detachment from the world in order to unite oneself to that which is outside of the world - by this I do not mean nirvana, but a personal God. Union with Him comes about not only through purification, but through love. Carmelite mysticism begins at the point where the reflections of Buddha end, together with his instructions for the spiritual life. In the active and passive purification of the human soul. in those specific nights of the senses and the spirit, Saint John of the Cross sees, above all, the preparation necessary for the human soul to be permeated with the living flame of love. And this is also the title of his major work - The Living Flame of Love. Therefore, despite similar aspects, there is a fundamental difference. Christian mysticism from every period beginning with the era of the Fathers of the Eastern and Western Church, to the great theologians of Scholasticism (such as Saint Thomas Aquinas), to the northern European mystics. to the Carmelite mystics - is not born of a purely negative “Enlightenment”. It is not born of an awareness of the evil which exists in man’s attachment to the world through the senses, the intellect, and the spirit. Instead. Christian mysticism is born of the Revelation of the living God. This God opens Himself to union with man, arousing in him the capacity to be united with Him,especially by means of the theological virtues - faith, hope and, above all, love. Christian mysticism in every age up to our own - including the mysticism of marvellous men of action like Vincent de Paul, John Bosco, Maximillian Kolbe - has built up and continues to build up Christianity in its most essential element. It also builds up the Church as a community of faith, hope, and charity. It builds up civilization, particularly “Western civilization”, which is marked by a positive approach to the world, end which developed thanks to the achievements of science and technology, two branches of knowledge rooted both in the ancient Greek philosophical tradition and in Judeo-Christian Revelation. The truth about God the Creator of the world and about Christ the Redeemer is a powerful force which inspires a positive attitude toward creation and provides a constant impetus to strive for its transformation and perfection.

 

[Genesis315]

The Second Vatican Council has amply confirmed this truth. To indulge in a negative attitude toward the world, in the conviction that it is only a source of suffering for man and that he therefore must break away from it, is negative not only because it is unilateral but also because it is fundamentally contrary to the development of both man himself and the world. which the Creator has given and entrusted to man as his task. We read in Gaudium et Spes: “Therefore,the world which (the Council) has in mind is the world of men, of the entire human family considered in the context of all realities; the world which is the theatre of human history and which bears the marks of humanity’s struggles, its defeats, and its victories; the world which the Christians believe has been created and is sustained by the Creator’s love, a world enslaved by sin but liberated by the crucified and resurrected Christ in order to defeat evil, and destined, according to the divine plan, to be transformed and to reach its fulfillment” (Gaudium et Spes 2). These words indicate how between Christianity and religions of the Far East, in particular Buddhism, there is an essentially different way of perceiving the world. For Christians, the world is God’s creation, redeemed by Christ. It is in the world that man meetsGod. Therefore he does not need to attain such an absolute detachment in order to find himself in the mystery of his deepest self. For Christianity, it does not make sense to speak of the world as a “radical” evil, since at the beginning of the world we find God the Creator who loves his creation, a God who "gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life’ (John 3:16). For this reason it is not inappropriate to caution those Christians who enthusiastically welcome certain ideas originating in the religious traditions of the Far East - for example, techniques and methods of meditation and ascetical practice. In some quarters these have become fashionable, and are accepted rather uncritically.

 

[Genesis315]

FightingFat:

So what’s wrong or dangerous about Buddhism?

It’s not true. It denies Christ. That’s about as danferous as anything can possibly be–it puts eternal souls in danger.