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Buddhism

I'm Buddhist and I would say its more of a philosophy than a religion. But that could just be my own personal issues about religion. :)
 
I say yeah. It has roads and truths and dogma and such. And holy men and I need to listen to them to follow the roads and paths and truths. Oh wait, no I shouldn't listen to them. They told me so. Just word games, but the teachers claim special knowledge.
It's a nice religon, but still a religon.*

*Understanding may vary.
 
Buddhism is not a religion because it doesn't require an invisible creature for its existence.

The best analogy I know about Buddhism is:


There is a road that leads to a forest where all the trees are gods. The Hindu enters the forest and is joyous at all the gods. The Muslim, Christian and Jew enter and begin hacking away at all the other trees - whittling down to the one true God. The Buddhist bypasses the forest and continues on to the one true reality - Nirvana.
 
triadboy said:
Buddhism is not a religion because it doesn't require an invisible creature for its existence.

The best analogy I know about Buddhism is:


There is a road that leads to a forest where all the trees are gods. The Hindu enters the forest and is joyous at all the gods. The Muslim, Christian and Jew enter and begin hacking away at all the other trees - whittling down to the one true God. The Buddhist bypasses the forest and continues on to the one true reality - Nirvana.
Click to expand...
It's this "one true reality" that makes it a religion. It also, by this analogy, badmouths all the other religions and says that it can provide some "answer". Or there is no answer. Or both, or neither. Or all of these things.
I think we should transcend this nonsense.
Word games.
 
I didn't like it when I saw that the 'No' choice in the poll represented the Middle Way between "Yes' and "Planet X'. But then I ran across this quote. <blockquote>Madhyamaka Buddhism - the "Middle Way" - treads a middle path between opposite positions, in particular between the existence or not of phenomena. It uses the "eight negations" to analyze phenomena logically</blockquote>
 
So, what you're saying is that all those Buddhist temples should pay back taxes?
 
Buddhism is set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader, it sounds like a religion to me.

(Not all religions need be theistic or include supernaturalism.)
 
I'd go with Yahweh. It certainly can be a religion as seen when it mutated or cross-bred with other faiths - eg Tibetan Buddhism about which most westerns have, I believe, a rather rosey view. When you get to schools like the Northern Ch'an school the label "religion" tends to stick less well - uhm "faith", yes, "philosophy", yes, "religion", kinda.
 
Brian said:

It's this "one true reality" that makes it a religion. It also, by this analogy, badmouths all the other religions and says that it can provide some "answer". Or there is no answer. Or both, or neither. Or all of these things.
I think we should transcend this nonsense.
Word games.
Click to expand...

Quite:
I think the buddha taught that it is an error to think this is better, the buddha taught it is an error to think this is worse, the buddha taught it is an error to think this is the same.

All things are unique and interdependant.
 
Yahweh said:
Buddhism is set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader, it sounds like a religion to me.

(Not all religions need be theistic or include supernaturalism.)
Click to expand...
Ditto. Don't Buddists believe in reincarnation?

(quack, quack, albeit gentler than most)
 
I prefer to keep myself to a sort of "at the moment" buddhism.

Kind of a "you don't understand what you think you understand."

And also "You will cease to exist due to the utter capriciousness of existence. Deal with it, or choose not to. It will still happen."

"The world is a delightful place because of that very capriciousness. To deny it is to deny your very existence."



I wonder if there are other materialist buddhists out there.
 
Dancing David said:
Quite:
I think the buddha taught that it is an error to think this is better, the buddha taught it is an error to think this is worse, the buddha taught it is an error to think this is the same.

All things are unique and interdependant.
Click to expand...
And since all things are unique, they are all the same. They are interdependent only because they are independent.
 
Dancing David said:


An answer without questions!

Nibbana/nirvana is a state of free existance.
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Free existance in Nothingness. There is not a lush afterlife. There is only becoming one with eternity.
 
Yahweh said:
Buddhism is set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader, it sounds like a religion to me.

(Not all religions need be theistic or include supernaturalism.)
Click to expand...

But the 8-Fold Path are just guidelines for life. They do nothing other than instruct. They promise nothing.
 
varwoche said:

Ditto. Don't Buddists believe in reincarnation?

(quack, quack, albeit gentler than most)
Click to expand...

I don't think Buddhists have to agree on reincarnation. I'm Buddhist and I don't believe in reincarnation.
 
Go someplace where Buddhism is practiced and it's religious trappings become evident, at least it was in Nepal. Prayers, always having to walk left (or is it right?) around Mani stones, blessing of "chang", tossing rice to ask the favors of the mountain gods, burning of juniper each day a climber is on the mountain to ensure their safety, having a red string tied around your neck which I was supposed to leave on until it rotted off naturally, else I would have "bad luck", etc. It seemed very "religiony" to me, meaning a lot of magical thinking, as opposed to the zen buddhism I had been exposed to in the past, which emphasized non-attachment, 'being' in the moment -basically somewhat sound psychological principles.
 
triadboy said:


But the 8-Fold Path are just guidelines for life. They do nothing other than instruct. They promise nothing.
Click to expand...

Then why would anyone bother with understanding, purpose, speech, conduct, vocation, effort, mindfulness & meditation?
 
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