Curious - Any Christian-turned-Buddhist converts here?
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As above. Please explain why you converted.
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i stepped in for a while. Read and know a bit of the Bible. i like fengshui, i-ching, astrology and was a superstitious mixed Taoist/Buddhist turned cult, then a Christian pull me out, i turned Christian for a while, rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation, then turned back to Tao De Ching, slowing going back to Buddhism, then become not superstitious Buddhist then i turned Pureland Buddhism as my main and final Buddhist practice.
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"then a Christian pull me out, i turned Christian for a while, rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation, then turned back to Tao De Ching."Originally posted by sinweiy:i stepped in for a while. Read and know a bit of the Bible. i like fengshui, i-ching, astrology and was a superstitious mixed Taoist/Buddhist turned cult, then a Christian pull me out, i turned Christian for a while, rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation, then turned back to Tao De Ching, slowing going back to Buddhism, then become not superstitious Buddhist then i turned Pureland Buddhism as my main and final Buddhist practice.
From what you state that mean you are not once a christian @ all.And I doubt you are even baptise yet so it mean that you are not a christian in a 1st place as stated you rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation.If u had accepted thier teaching and been baptise and suddenly you convert to buddhist then it is consider converted.Cause in the 1st place you are not a christian @ all you rejected thier teaching right from the start -
Come from a family where my grandma was a catholic but parent was mixed taoist/buddhist background. I studied buddhism under theravada school as I cannot accept the christian teaching
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Just choosen to be true to myself.
I'm not Buddhist nor Xtian. -
then it depend on how u define christian. baptise or believe in God/Jesus. Buddhism on the other hand emphasis more on actual practice inside the heart/mind rather than outside customary ritual. even for faith( Skt. sraddha, (prasada), 3) Pali saddha) .Originally posted by ghimpheng:From what you state that mean you are not once a christian @ all.And I doubt you are even baptise yet so it mean that you are not a christian in a 1st place as stated you rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation.If u had accepted thier teaching and been baptise and suddenly you convert to buddhist then it is consider converted.Cause in the 1st place you are not a christian @ all you rejected thier teaching right from the start
http://online.sfsu.edu/%7Erone/Buddhism/BuddhistDict/BDF.html
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hmm sound like u a staunch believer of the chrisitian , well i can see that , and that doesnt mean u have found it .Originally posted by ghimpheng:"then a Christian pull me out, i turned Christian for a while, rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation, then turned back to Tao De Ching."
From what you state that mean you are not once a christian @ all.And I doubt you are even baptise yet so it mean that you are not a christian in a 1st place as stated you rejected their no rebirth teaching and eternal damnation.If u had accepted thier teaching and been baptise and suddenly you convert to buddhist then it is consider converted.Cause in the 1st place you are not a christian @ all you rejected thier teaching right from the start -
Hi, many Buddhists I know used to be Christian although I am not one of them... whether they are from my dharma centre, from the IRC chatroom, etc. Many highly enlightened people I know are used to be my Christians, among them my master (who used to be an active Christian pastor), my current dharma teacher.
Many chatters and operators from my IRC channel also used to be Christians like Thusness (who is also highly enlightened), Sanarth, naruto, myogyom, etc who posted in this forum. I guess I can say in most cases, it's probably because of the teachings (they agree with Buddhist teachings) that made them convert. Except my dharma teacher's case in which a spiritual revelation on the day she was to be baptised made her seek for Shakyamuni Buddha. (in ghimpheng's definition, my dharma teacher was never a Christian but it was close. she had agreed with the teachings mostly, and even discussed with the pastors days before. her friends who brought her to Christianity are now Buddhists who frequent my dharma centre)
BTW, surfbabe, you're Buddhist or Christian or free-thinker? (or something else?) -
Actually the Bible does mention about rebirth. Its just that some people dont really understand the meaning of "eternal life".
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Perhaps.. perhaps.. well, I've known that Christianity used to teach Reincarnation. I am no expert in debating in these things... but from what I've read and in my intuitions, it is probably true. That's all I can say... maybe my friend "Gnostic" is more expert in thisOriginally posted by shade343:Actually the Bible does mention about rebirth. Its just that some people dont really understand the meaning of "eternal life".
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Buddhism so many God, dunno which wan is real or fake!! Got wad, "Goddness of Mercy", "Monkey God", "Guan Yu", "Songgo"...so many. Worship here and there also the same...
Worshipping and honour Christ Jesus still at least feel the Holy Spirit in you and also changes your character from bad to good if u truly obey his will... -
in the heart of buddhist/taoist they r real. jus like in ur heart, jesus is real.Originally posted by James1:Buddhism so many God, dunno which wan is real or fake!! Got wad, "Goddness of Mercy", "Monkey God", "Guan Yu", "Songgo"...so many. Worship here and there also the same...
Worshipping and honour Christ Jesus still at least feel the Holy Spirit in you and also changes your character from bad to good if u truly obey his will... -
Hi James, Buddhism does not practise worshipping of gods... it is a common mistake and misunderstanding that Buddhist worship gods. That is a Taoist/Chinese folks practise.Originally posted by James1:Buddhism so many God, dunno which wan is real or fake!! Got wad, "Goddness of Mercy", "Monkey God", "Guan Yu", "Songgo"...so many. Worship here and there also the same...
Worshipping and honour Christ Jesus still at least feel the Holy Spirit in you and also changes your character from bad to good if u truly obey his will...
Anyway... Monkey God, as far as I know, is a fictional character. The Journey to the West book is a work of fiction written around the 16th century. It is NOT the real account of the journey to India to get the scriptures by Tang Shan Zhang.
Goddess of Mercy is actually Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva... In Mahayana Buddhism, the Maha Bodhisattvas are also important role models for us to learn from. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva represents Great Compassion.
Guan Yu is a worldly dharma protector. He used to be a very well known warlord Liu Bei who died in war... basically he became a spirit and met a Buddhist venerable and later he vowed to protect Buddhadharma for 3000 years. There is a story about this.... but I can't remember the details now. Does Sinweiy know? We do not worship Guan Yu, but we pay reverence/respect because of the noble work of this dharma protector.
I'm not sure about Songgo though...
True Buddhist teachings also teach people to change from bad to good - and not only that, purification of the mind. This is something that most religions do not focus on. The ultimate practise of Buddhism is in the liberation and purification of the Mind.. because the mind is the source of so many things. Good/evil, is all got to do with mind too. Miseries, afflictions, are also in our mind. Enlightenment is only possible with Pure Mind. -
More information on Guan Yin in this thread: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=98448
Basic Buddhism (so that you may have a better understanding of the True Buddhist teachings): http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide.htm
P.S... i think i remember a little about the Guan Yu story. Liu Bei is a famous character of the 3 Kingdoms period in China. When he died... he turned into a spirit... and met a Buddhist venerable. He kept wanting his own life/body back... but the Buddhist venerable told him, "How many lives have you taken away, how can you expect to get your life back?" After being liberated from his attachments, he took refuge in Three Treasures and kept the Precepts, and vowed to be dharma protector for 3000 years. -
The Bible also talks about judgement day.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Perhaps.. perhaps.. well, I've known that Christianity used to teach Reincarnation. I am no expert in debating in these things... but from what I've read and in my intuitions, it is probably true. That's all I can say... maybe my friend "Gnostic" is more expert in this -
Thnx 4 the direct link, i guess i do not need it.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:More information on Guan Yin in this thread: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=98448
And just for everybody info, Christian is not a religion but a relationship with God.... -
What are you talking about? In Christianity, you have The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. In buddhism , You have Guan Yin, And the other Gods and celestial Beings. These are all Gods. Not Fake ones. The Fake ones are devils such as Lucifer and all that....Originally posted by James1:Buddhism so many God, dunno which wan is real or fake!! Got wad, "Goddness of Mercy", "Monkey God", "Guan Yu", "Songgo"...so many. Worship here and there also the same...
Worshipping and honour Christ Jesus still at least feel the Holy Spirit in you and also changes your character from bad to good if u truly obey his will...
All gods in heaven work as a team. -
How do you have a relationship with God if all you do is just read the bible and nothing else...?Originally posted by James1:Thnx 4 the direct link, i guess i do not need it.
And just for everybody info, Christian is not a religion but a relationship with God.... -
Pls check the previous post - I have updated it againOriginally posted by James1:Thnx 4 the direct link, i guess i do not need it.
And just for everybody info, Christian is not a religion but a relationship with God....
Well... Buddhists also do not necessarily consider Buddhism as a religion.
As stated here, A Basic Buddhism Guide: Difference from Other Religions - 2. Buddhism is strictly not a religion in the context of being a faith and worship owing allegiance to a supernatural being.
Buddhism's focus is not on devotion and worship of a supernatural entity, we do not worship gods or God. We do however, seek for enlightenment, liberation from all sufferings and Samsara, purification of the mind, uncovering Wisdom in our daily lives, practising compassion, the 6 paramitas (virtues) etc. -
Well, as what u mention about, it's call "The Holy Trinity"...Its the same as it is 3 in 1. But for Buddism, there are so many different kinds, i was a buddism before i converted into christianity. In temple, you confirm plus chop chop see many different kinds of status of something else or someone...Originally posted by shade343:What are you talking about? In Christianity, you have The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. In buddhism , You have Guan Yin, And the other Gods and celestial Beings. These are all Gods. Not Fake ones. The Fake ones are devils such as Lucifer and all that....
All gods in heaven work as a team. -
There is one thing to note though.... Buddhists do not consider Buddha as a god, or an incarnation of a god or God - although right before his birth on planet Earth, he was the teacher of the gods in Tushita heaven. (Maitreya Bodhisattva took over his 'seat' after Shakyamuni Buddha came down to attain Buddhahood)Originally posted by shade343:What are you talking about? In Christianity, you have The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. In buddhism , You have Guan Yin, And the other Gods and celestial Beings. These are all Gods. Not Fake ones. The Fake ones are devils such as Lucifer and all that....
All gods in heaven work as a team.
Why is this so? Because gods do not necessarily mean they are liberated from Samsara... or are enlightened. Meaning... after millions/billions of years, they will still have to undergo rebirth. There are Brahmas who think otherwise that they enjoy eternal life, but such Brahmas are disillusioned after speaking to the Buddha. One of them is the Maha Brahma (there are many other Brahmas with illusion of being the highest/eternal): http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=141185 -
actually ur belief is ur own belief , dun impose on other
like u like bah ku teh , ur friend like laksa
u cannot force ur fren to like bah ku teh lor
each have their preference -
Yup that is correct. The other statues are the sages or the other celestial beings. In christianity, the other celestial beings are the angels and the archangels. Each different religion has so many celestial beings and sages.Originally posted by James1:Well, as what u mention about, it's call "The Holy Trinity"...Its the same as it is 3 in 1. But for Buddism, there are so many different kinds, i was a buddism before i converted into christianity. In temple, you confirm plus chop chop see many different kinds of status of something else or someone...
So dont condemn other religion. -
I keep forgetting that everytime i type T U S H I T A , the word gets filtered.
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well....I think the reason why we worship and pray to God is because we all need guidiance from them.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Hi James, Buddhism does not practise worshipping of gods... it is a common mistake and misunderstanding that Buddhist worship gods. That is a Taoist/Chinese folks practise.