Interfaith Dialogue

Casual conversation between friends. Anything goes (almost).
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Dechen Norbu
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Re: Buddhist opinions about the Historical Jesus

Post by Dechen Norbu »

In the bone yard wrote: Jesus taught sutra and tantra.
Can you back up this assertion with some sort of evidence?
All true spiritual and religious teaching leads to the same thing.
Some are deeper than others depending on where we are in the desire realm.
The goal is to get us closer to our true nature.
This is new age nonsense, I'm sorry, friend.
The fact that many religions share some similarities, in some cases superficial, doesn't mean they teach the same. They clearly don't.

I'm sure you mean well, but you are not doing a good service to anyone by saying things like that.
DGA
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Re: Prejudice against Buddhists in the West

Post by DGA »

In the bone yard wrote: In actuality, the bible was not meant to be interpreted as Catholic or Baptist or Buddhist when the word was written.
What on earth does this have to do with the topic at hand?
In the bone yard
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Re: Prejudice against Buddhists in the West

Post by In the bone yard »

Jikan wrote:
In the bone yard wrote: In actuality, the bible was not meant to be interpreted as Catholic or Baptist or Buddhist when the word was written.
What on earth does this have to do with the topic at hand?
1. Those religions came after the word was written.
2. Each religion has adopted their own interpretion of the word.
3. Its people's interpretations that cause conflict.

I placed all those steps into one karma!

Buddhism is the exception, it has stood on its own.
DGA
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Re: Prejudice against Buddhists in the West

Post by DGA »

In the bone yard wrote:
Jikan wrote:
In the bone yard wrote: In actuality, the bible was not meant to be interpreted as Catholic or Baptist or Buddhist when the word was written.
What on earth does this have to do with the topic at hand?
1. Those religions came after the word was written.
2. Each religion has adopted their own interpretion of the word.
3. Its people's interpretations that cause conflict.

I placed all those steps into one karma!

Buddhism is the exception, it has stood on its own.
Are you saying that Buddhism somehow follows after Christianity historically (karmically)?

In your view, what is the role of the Bible in Buddhism?
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mindyourmind
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Re: The Bible & Buddhism

Post by mindyourmind »

What's with all the God, Jesus and Bible threads, guys?
Dualism is the real root of our suffering and all of our conflicts.

Namkhai Norbu
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Josef
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Re: The Bible & Buddhism

Post by Josef »

mindyourmind wrote:What's with all the God, Jesus and Bible threads, guys?
Seriously, I am sure there are good Christian forums out there for this kind of discussion.
"All phenomena of samsara depend on the mind, so when the essence of mind is purified, samsara is purified. Since the phenomena of nirvana depend on the pristine consciousness of vidyā, because one remains in the immediacy of vidyā, buddhahood arises on its own. All critical points are summarized with those two." - Longchenpa
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mint
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Re: The Bible & Buddhism

Post by mint »

mindyourmind wrote:What's with all the God, Jesus and Bible threads, guys?
Karma.
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Paul
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Re: The Bible & Buddhism

Post by Paul »

mindyourmind wrote:What's with all the God, Jesus and Bible threads, guys?
I guess it's due to this being a primarily US-centric site. It's certainly weird for those of us who have never had any connection with christianty.
Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumal
the modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell
In the bone yard
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Re: Buddhist opinions about the Historical Jesus

Post by In the bone yard »

"Jesus taught sutra and tantra."

:rolling:

I didn't mean to offend.
That is my understanding as a Buddhist and from the Buddhist perspective.
Each one of us interprets all different teaching differently depending on your beliefs.

"The fact that many religions share some similarities, in some cases superficial, doesn't mean they teach the same. They clearly don't.
I'm sure you mean well, but you are not doing a good service to anyone by saying things like that."

You don't think all spiritual teachings lead to the same thing?
I think the Dalai Lama has said the same.
I guess I don't understand this one.
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justsit
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Re: Buddhist opinions about the Historical Jesus

Post by justsit »

In the bone yard wrote: You don't think all spiritual teachings lead to the same thing?
I think the Dalai Lama has said the same.
I guess I don't understand this one.
What His Holiness said was that all religions carry the same message of love and compassion, not that they all lead to the same thing.

When he speaks to a general audience, he emphasizes commonalities. That certainly doesn't mean that he thinks there are no differences.
In the bone yard
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Re: Buddhist opinions about the Historical Jesus

Post by In the bone yard »

All true spiritual and religious teaching leads to the same thing.
Some are deeper than others depending on where we are in the desire realm.
The goal is to get us closer to our true nature.
This is new age nonsense, I'm sorry, friend.
The fact that many religions share some similarities, in some cases superficial, doesn't mean they teach the same. They clearly don't.

I'm sure you mean well, but you are not doing a good service to anyone by saying things like that.
"Some are deeper than others"
All spiritual teaching no matter whether it's from Catholic, Baptist, Buddhist, or the original Hebrew text that was used in the Bible has a level of depth to it. Tantra is deeper than Sutra for example.

In Buddhist Tantra it is taught that each of us is born in different realms according to our Karma. If we have a low birth then a teaching will appear high while the same teaching to a high birthed person will determine it as low. This is what I mean by some teachings are deeper than others depending on where we are in the desire realm. This is Buddhism, not something made up.

"The goal is to get us closer to our true nature."
As buddhists this is why we meditate.
For people of other religions they have the same nature as Buddhist. We are all human.
People of other religions strive for Heaven and they get closer to their nature through faith, merit, worship, and devotion (church).
Wisdom is the apparent difference between Buddhists and other religions.

Anyone recognize these practices by the way? :smile:

This is new age nonesense. :tongue:
Infinite
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Re: The Bible & Buddhism

Post by Infinite »

mindyourmind wrote:What's with all the God, Jesus and Bible threads, guys?
I don't know but it is quickly becoming obnoxious.
greentara
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Re: No-self and Rigpa

Post by greentara »

Xabir, 'What I realized also is that authoritative self-realized students of direct students of both Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj called me a 'Jnani', inviting me to give satsangs and write books'. Who are these so called authoritative self realized students of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta? I thought that both of these extradordinary, spiritual giants chose no one and that there is no direct linage!
xabir
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Re: No-self and Rigpa

Post by xabir »

greentara wrote:Xabir, 'What I realized also is that authoritative self-realized students of direct students of both Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj called me a 'Jnani', inviting me to give satsangs and write books'. Who are these so called authoritative self realized students of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta? I thought that both of these extradordinary, spiritual giants chose no one and that there is no direct linage!
I don't know greentara, you may want to personally ask Alex Weith, he can be contacted through the Kenneth Folk Dharma forum where those posts first appeared.
The very pulsing of dependent origination
Is the primordial face of the Tathāgata.
Like blood and veins and heart
- The two truths meet everywhere.

- André A. Pais
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anjali
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Re: No-self and Rigpa

Post by anjali »

greentara wrote:Xabir, 'What I realized also is that authoritative self-realized students of direct students of both Ramana Maharishi and Nisargadatta Maharaj called me a 'Jnani', inviting me to give satsangs and write books'. Who are these so called authoritative self realized students of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta? I thought that both of these extradordinary, spiritual giants chose no one and that there is no direct linage!
This is seriously off-topic, but the only living person I believe to be liberated within the Ramama Maharshi lineage is Lakshmana Swamy (now in his 90s I believe). There is a wonderful biography of him by David Godman, a highly respected author of a number of books on RM's teachings and his direct disciples. The book is called No Mind, I am the Self: http://davidgodman.org/books/nomind.shtml. RM appointed no spiritual successors. He never gave initiation or accepted disciples in the traditional sense. He tended to "initiate" people by gaze. Don't know anything about the Nisargadatta lineage.
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GarcherLancelot
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Joined: Sun May 06, 2012 9:22 am

Source of other religions

Post by GarcherLancelot »

WHat do you think are the source of other religions like for example Islam etc. ?When I was small,I am pretty convinced Buddhism is the real one,but later on let just say I read things that suggest other religions have thier own credibility too.What are your thoughts?

P/S:I am more of theravada but nevertheless I am interested in what vajrayana and mahayana buddhists think about this.Thnks.
Rakz
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Re: Source of other religions

Post by Rakz »

Egotistical gods?
plwk
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Re: Source of other religions

Post by plwk »

In his Handbook for Mankind, the late Ajahn Buddhadasa opines...
http://www.buddhanet.net/budasa4.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If we open any recent book on the origins of religion, we find that there is one point on which all authors are in agreement. They all agree in saying that religion arose in the world out of fear. Primitive forest-dwelling man feared thunder and lightning, darkness and storms, and various things about him that he was unable to understand or control. His method of avoiding the danger he saw in these phenomena was to demonstrate either humility and submission or homage and reverence, depending on which he felt was most appropriate.

Later, as man's knowledge and understanding developed, this fear of the forces of nature changed into a fear of phenomena more difficult to apprehend. Religions based on deference to objects of fear such as natural phenomena, spirits and celestial beings, came to be looked down upon as unreasonable and ridiculous. And then man's fear became still more refined into a fear of suffering, suffering of the sort that cannot be alleviated by any material means. He came to fear the suffering inherent in birth, ageing, pain and death, the disappointment and hopelessness which arise out of desire, anger and stupidity, which no amount of power or wealth can relieve.

Long ago in India, a country well provided with thinkers and investigators, intelligent people dispensed with all paying of homage to supernatural beings and started seeking instead the means of conquering birth, ageing, pain and death, the means of eliminating greed, hatred and delusion.

Out of this search arose Buddhism, a higher religion based on insight, a means of conquering birth, ageing, pain and death, a method for destroying the mental defilements. Buddhism has its origins in fear of this last kind, just as do all religions based on intelligence. The Buddha discovered how to conquer absolutely what man fears: he discovered a practical method, now called Buddhism for eliminating suffering.
GarcherLancelot
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Re: Interfaith Dialogue

Post by GarcherLancelot »

I have seen quite an amount of Islamic miracles and worries me quite a bit ,for example:

http://www.anvari.org/cols/Islam_Miracle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Paul
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Re: Interfaith Dialogue

Post by Paul »

GarcherLancelot wrote:I have seen quite an amount of Islamic miracles and worries me quite a bit ,for example:

http://www.anvari.org/cols/Islam_Miracle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Miracles exist in every religious tradition. In themselves they prove nothing.
Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumal
the modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell
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