Buddhists Behaviour
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I know some buddhists liked to read and talked about the dhamma, but did not practise the dhamma, so not benefitting the dhamma here and now, just like a verse in dhammapada, the spoon does'nt taste the soup. it will improve the knowledge, but not insight and wisdom.
I remembered many years ago I talked to a buddhist (dunno which school he practise or follow), talked a lot on the dhamma to me, but I find that he is quite obstinate and talked like a fundamentalist. On hindsight, I does not enjoy sitting down there. listening to him say as he thouhgt I was a novice in Buddhism and tried to interpret the teachings to me like I am a newbie to Buddhism. Even if I am a newbie, I felt that he should not be talking too deep as it may confused me further and I dun really enjoy the conversation wth him as it is 2 one sided communication.
My friend who is a buddhist kept telling me about the dhamma when I was quite new to Buddhism, but one thing abt him is he didnt practise what he preaches. He still continue to tell lies etc etc. Once I sent him a card by post, telling him to quit telling lies and to practise telling the truth, he never called or met me anymore.
What do you think? I am sure you have met and encountered some interesting and wierd buddhists isnt it. -
first , there is no 100 % perfect personOriginally posted by marcteng:I know some buddhists liked to read and talked about the dhamma, but did not practise the dhamma, so not benefitting the dhamma here and now, just like a verse in dhammapada, the spoon does'nt taste the soup. it will improve the knowledge, but not insight and wisdom.
I remembered many years ago I talked to a buddhist (dunno which school he practise or follow), talked a lot on the dhamma to me, but I find that he is quite obstinate and talked like a fundamentalist. On hindsight, I does not enjoy sitting down there. listening to him say as he thouhgt I was a novice in Buddhism and tried to interpret the teachings to me like I am a newbie to Buddhism. Even if I am a newbie, I felt that he should not be talking too deep as it may confused me further and I dun really enjoy the conversation wth him as it is 2 one sided communication.
My friend who is a buddhist kept telling me about the dhamma when I was quite new to Buddhism, but one thing abt him is he didnt practise what he preaches. He still continue to tell lies etc etc. Once I sent him a card by post, telling him to quit telling lies and to practise telling the truth, he never called or met me anymore.
What do you think? I am sure you have met and encountered some interesting and wierd buddhists isnt it.
and second lower down your expectation of others
nobody is perfect
the coins on both side
u must see both side of the story by concluding ,not one side
i know what u experience
i have seen more funny ppl around
claiming to be Buddhist , but goes with Gf on weekend to eat live seafood
and it is one of my polymates
a sad thing he put his "brand " of buddhist in the first place
well , Karma spare no one in the cycle, so why should we pollute our own mouth by saying others wrong ?
if we said wrong about others ,arent we also in the right ? or wrong ?
alot of us comes from different background
educated or not
yet ,we must understand others ppl shortcoming
be forgiving and let not the world fetters you
or your eyes always on fire (from the fire sermon by Buddha) -
Amitabha to all,Originally posted by bohiruci:first , there is no 100 % perfect person
and second lower down your expectation of others
nobody is perfect
the coins on both side
u must see both side of the story by concluding ,not one side
i know what u experience
i have seen more funny ppl around
claiming to be Buddhist , but goes with Gf on weekend to eat live seafood
and it is one of my polymates
a sad thing he put his "brand " of buddhist in the first place
well , Karma spare no one in the cycle, so why should we pollute our own mouth by saying others wrong ?
if we said wrong about others ,arent we also in the right ? or wrong ?
alot of us comes from different background
educated or not
yet ,we must understand others ppl shortcoming
be forgiving and let not the world fetters you
or your eyes always on fire (from the fire sermon by Buddha)
Many people takes buddhism in different styles. we have to understand that due to diversification of culture and government sytem, such practice will be different within the actual boundaries.
Going out with wife and girlfriend or even having family is not a taboo in Buddhism. Prohibit of having meat meals or seafood is not written in any dhrama. But because, some do that, the merit will be 'reduce'.
Buddhism is not a brand. even to 'me', it is not a religion. Its the understanding and the practice of it. Lord Buddha said" Dun worship me, I am just ordinary like you, like any being. Take my teaching." That is why buddhist dun pray to worship, but praise his effort and touch his enlightenment to find the truth of all things. That is what "Ca-bye' not 'bye'.
In this world, everything changes every seconds,now you type 'E' but later we are typing 'B'. Only the wheel of dharma and cause & effect remain unchanged in this universe of existence.
Look at the statue of Lord Buddha, look into his pair of eye. it tell yourself a thousands of story. Many of us will feel alittle calm, but to some uneasily. -
shrugs, i'll give u the benefit of the doubt abt everything else. but trying to get something out of staring at the eyes of a statue which was carved by a skilled man?
how the eyes turn out depends on the skill and how the carver wants the eyes to turn out, so why try to learn something from that? -
My Dad teacher always tell us.
"Whenever you are confused. GO BACK TO THE BASICS"
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTH & THE EIGHT FOLD PATH
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mabbe you are too shallow?Originally posted by dumbdumb!:shrugs, i'll give u the benefit of the doubt abt everything else. but trying to get something out of staring at the eyes of a statue which was carved by a skilled man?
how the eyes turn out depends on the skill and how the carver wants the eyes to turn out, so why try to learn something from that?
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some people say the bible's written by men, thus cannot be believed. i say statues are carved by men, and should not be depended on for moral decisions.Originally posted by laurence82:mabbe you are too shallow?
maybe we're all shallow eh? -
I think i shall refer to the thread on the Catholics stating not all part of the bibles can be take in literally.Originally posted by dumbdumb!:some people say the bible's written by men, thus cannot be believed. i say statues are carved by men, and should not be depended on for moral decisions.
maybe we're all shallow eh?
They had shown their ability to make sense out of everything they take in, than being like some people who took in everything literally.
By the way, is there a mention here of people depending on statues for decisions? -
nah. couldn't find the right words at first. i think the word moral conviction would be more accurate.
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Its akin to people riding horse without a saddle, or driving car without putting on seatbelt.
They believe they can achieve feats without reliance on anything else.
Good for them.
But i think one common thing among some faiths, like Catholicism or Buddhism, they teach modesty. -
yes , modesty is importantOriginally posted by laurence82:Its akin to people riding horse without a saddle, or driving car without putting on seatbelt.
They believe they can achieve feats without reliance on anything else.
Good for them.
But i think one common thing among some faiths, like Catholicism or Buddhism, they teach modesty. 
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Are you implying that Buddhism is linked in any form to idol worshipping?
btw im back from china -
I'm a Christian, not a Buddhist, but I must comment that the exemplary behaviour of Buddhists I've encountered in my line of work, really impresses me.
I've met Buddhists who are very calm, peace-loving people. They come and visit their relatives / loved ones / friends in hospital, and they will gladly roll up their sleeves to help make them comfortable. They think nothing of grabbing a tissue to wipe off the saliva from the patient's mouth, or even, wiping snot off their nostrils. They don't criticise, complain, nor grumble about the nurses, instead, they work with us and are very understanding and tolerant of the fact that we can be pretty short-handed and at times, find it hard to shower so much attention on any one patient.
And it's not just the Buddhist visitors who are well-behaved and very nice folks... even the patients are kinda 'different' because they seem to have an aura about them. They are peaceful and calm, even in the face of illness. Very amazing.
I've met a top-ranking army personnel admitted to my ward for minor surgery waking up at 5am every morning to read some yellow silk-bound book and pray. He was also a true gentleman - very polite, very appreciative, non-demanding, and was always ready to give you a warm smile. He even gave me a letter of commendation when he left! 
Meeting Buddhists like those I've mentioned, has made me very positive about Buddhism. -
Maybe I should do some explanation because I feel that there is a lack of understanding here.Originally posted by dumbdumb!:shrugs, i'll give u the benefit of the doubt abt everything else. but trying to get something out of staring at the eyes of a statue which was carved by a skilled man?
how the eyes turn out depends on the skill and how the carver wants the eyes to turn out, so why try to learn something from that?
The common perception that Buddhists worship Buddha or any kind of forms/statues is usually from the folk-worshipping/ancestor-worshipping/taoists. Buddhists do not worship any higher authorities. The first Buddha image was created around a thousand years after Buddha entered Parinirvana. We prostrate to the images of Buddha as a form of respect and reverence, but Buddhists do not in any way worship any higher beings.
Buddhism is the most 'formless' religion/teaching. The well known verse in Diamond Sutra confirms this.
Buddhism is truly detached from idols
It is stated in the Diamond Sutra, “He who sees me (Buddha) in forms or seeks me in sounds is on a heterodox path and cannot see the Tathagata (Buddha).” It further states that, “All forms are but illusions, in seeing that all forms are illusory, one sees the Tathagata”. It is only when we have attained a certain advanced level in the learning and practising of Buddhism that we will be able to understand the profound meaning of these verses. If you were to tell a person who has just started to learn Buddhism that learning Buddhism is like these verses, then he would find them too profound. He would not be able to make out what Buddha is like. Of course, he knows what human beings are like and quite naturally he will assume that only those who are similar in form to human beings are Buddhas. We can say that this is correct, but we can also say that this is wrong. For example, kindergarten teachers may use drawings of an old man and old woman when teaching the young children about grandfathers and grandmothers. Thereafter, when the children see other old folks in such resemblance they know that they are someone else’s grandparents. But, to university students it would be inappropriate for professors to use the same approach when talking about such blood relationships.
It is the same in learning Buddhism. When we encourage a new student of Buddhism to pay respect to the Buddha in the temple or monastery, he will not be frightened when he sees that the Buddha is the same as a human being. At the same time, when he sees that the Buddha and Bodhisattva images are so dignified and compassionate, it will give rise to a feeling of joy and reverence and lead him to learn Buddhism.
Often we come across people who have been learning Buddhism for a long time saying that they saw this Buddha or that Bodhisattva in their dreams. Initially, when we do not know about their level of understanding of Buddhism, we may praise them by saying, “Oh! You have such good affinity with Buddha and Bodhisattva that you can even see their images!” But it is wrong if we always praise them like this. If they report dreams like this for more then 3 times, you have to tell them, “The Mara is here, you have seen the Mara! All the Zen masters advise to obliterate the Buddha when the Buddha appears, and obliterate the Mara when the Mara appears [1].” We cannot praise them any more because they have already developed an attachment to forms.
In the same way, when we are dealing with people who are already advanced in Buddhism, we should use the method of the Diamond Sutra rather than the kindergarten method:
“He who sees me (Buddha) in forms or seeks me in sounds is on a heterodox path and cannot see the Tathagata (Buddha).”
“All forms are but illusions, in seeing that all forms are illusory, one sees the Tathagata.”
At this level, people will realize that Buddhism is the only religion that eradicates superstition and attachment to all forms.
Critics often say that the Buddha image is an idol. They criticize that Buddhism worships idols. In reality, the cross, the Jesus Christ image and Mother Mary, they are also idols. In this sense, is there a religion that does not worship idols? Therefore, we cannot say that Buddhism is the only religion that worships idols. The fact is that only Buddhism does not worship idols. The Diamond Sutra states, “All forms are but illusions, in seeing that all forms are illusory, one sees the Tathagata.”!
The essence of the Buddha, the Buddha Nature is omnipresent in the space of the Dharma realm, and the Dharma Nature is omnipresent in the space. -
Thank you for sharing your positive experience. I'm glad you've met some Dharma practitionersOriginally posted by Rhonda:I'm a Christian, not a Buddhist, but I must comment that the exemplary behaviour of Buddhists I've encountered in my line of work, really impresses me.
I've met Buddhists who are very calm, peace-loving people. They come and visit their relatives / loved ones / friends in hospital, and they will gladly roll up their sleeves to help make them comfortable. They think nothing of grabbing a tissue to wipe off the saliva from the patient's mouth, or even, wiping snot off their nostrils. They don't criticise, complain, nor grumble about the nurses, instead, they work with us and are very understanding and tolerant of the fact that we can be pretty short-handed and at times, find it hard to shower so much attention on any one patient.
And it's not just the Buddhist visitors who are well-behaved and very nice folks... even the patients are kinda 'different' because they seem to have an aura about them. They are peaceful and calm, even in the face of illness. Very amazing.
I've met a top-ranking army personnel admitted to my ward for minor surgery waking up at 5am every morning to read some yellow silk-bound book and pray. He was also a true gentleman - very polite, very appreciative, non-demanding, and was always ready to give you a warm smile. He even gave me a letter of commendation when he left!
Meeting Buddhists like those I've mentioned, has made me very positive about Buddhism. -
let me cast a verification to this issue on Carving of Buddha statueOriginally posted by dumbdumb!:shrugs, i'll give u the benefit of the doubt abt everything else. but trying to get something out of staring at the eyes of a statue which was carved by a skilled man?
how the eyes turn out depends on the skill and how the carver wants the eyes to turn out, so why try to learn something from that?
yes ,during the Buddha's time ,Buddha did specifically explained the dimension
of Carving Buddha statue
If u happen to go to those Buddhist statue store like chan yun or evergreen, awareness and Green Tara
all this statue are based on a set of rules to govern ,
the purpose is to let ppl "see thus reflect upon"
means seeing the face of sage , reflect upon the goodness and qualities he/she holds
in chinese is jian xian shi qi
it is not luan luan lai (anyhow )carved one
i have yet to find the url for that , so will show u the sutra it is based upon