What will happen to people who don't believe in Buddhism?
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A Buddhist is someone who follows the teachings of the Buddha - someone who embraces the four noble truths, attempts to live according to the precepts and most likely practices meditation and/or acts of devotion.Originally posted by casino_king:That is just your opinion. They told me themselves that they are Buddhists. There is also a thread to tell Buddhists to celebrate Kuam Im birthday tommorrow in this forum.
Unfortunately, as soon as one gives a label to something, that something begins to die. If you say to someone 'I'm a Buddhist' all sorts of assumptions are made about you based on a knowledge of Buddhism or lack of knowledge. At once you are labeled, categorized, conceptually pinned like a dead butterfly in a glass cabinet.
But being a Buddhist is a process rather than something fixed and static. It is not knowing everything or having all the answers. In fact, in many ways it's the exact contrary to that. It starts from 'well, actually, I don't really know very much at all but I want to find out'. Its starting point, it seems to me, is humility before the great, wondrous, complexity of life. It's also about being human and accepting one's own failings and the failings of others.
Buddhism offers tools for dealing with life. It is a way of trying to understand the individual that we are, and how we relate to the people and world around us. Buddhism offers a moral framework which enables us to go through the world causing less suffering to ourselves and others. It also - like all religions - has a transcendental aspect - that we can go beyond out present condition (essentially one of suffering and dissatisfaction) to being truly awake to what life is.
One of the most important aspects of being a Buddhist, however, is developing compassion and loving-kindness. It is in some ways easy to be a Buddhist with one's head and not one's heart. Buddhism today and at the time of the Buddha had great intellectual appeal. It is a religion that encourages investigation in a systematic, almost scientific way. But Buddhism is also about the heart and without that it might be perceived as a cold religion. A Buddhist attempts to engage both head and heart- rational investigation of the self along with an impulse towards developing selflessness
Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.
Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.
There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation .
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Although we may not agree with certain religious points of view they hold, if they are sincere in their efforts to serve humanity and uplift it, we must respect them for it. There are noble people in every religion. The Buddha did not advise his disciples to go and convert people who would otherwise go to hell. Rather he advised them to show the world what is right and what is wrong and to be good and to do good, to encourage men to come and see for themselves the truth that he taught.Originally posted by casino_king:You are just stating the obvious. That nobody is forcing me. This is a forum, we are having a discussion. If you are not interested to have a discussion, then why are you in a forum?
The thread is very clear, what happens to people who does not belive in Buddhism? To answer that question, we have to look at Buddhism in detail and define exactly what Buddhism is all about. What Buddhism hopes to achieve and what Buddhists claim.
You are not helping because you do not provide any useful information to extend the discussion.
He and his followers do not condemn the followers of other religionists as “sinners” who are doomed to spend an eternity in hell. According to Buddhists, even those who have no “religion” but who live in dignity, with compassion and goodwill can “go to heaven”, that is, experience happiness.
When we are happy and contented we are in “heaven.” When we suffer physically or mentally we are in “hell.” There is no need to wait to die to experience either of these states.
Buddhism is unique because we can talk about this “religion” even without any reference to heaven or hell. I am sure that others cannot talk about religion in this way. The Buddha’s message of goodwill and understanding to all beings is a universal message. The world today needs this noble message more than ever before in the history of humankind.
Buddhism as a religion is the unique exposition of the absolute truth which will show man how to live in peace and harmony with his fellow beings. -
I would suggest you go compare and understand all the major religions in this world and keep an open mind.
Almighty or Omniscience/Omnipotent God concept are not new.
Before the advent of Christianity and Islam, there were many religions in India that centred on an almighty god being or many gods, that he is the one who created the cosmos, world and living beings.
Thats why some people are disillusioned with god concept teachings as it does not fully explain about the world they live in, or the explanations are not convincing. -
so many pple trying to enlighten casinoOriginally posted by marcteng:I would suggest you go compare and understand all the major religions in this world and keep an open mind.
Almighty or Omniscience/Omnipotent God concept are not new.
Before the advent of Christianity and Islam, there were many religions in India that centred on an almighty god being or many gods, that he is the one who created the cosmos, world and living beings.
Thats why some people are disillusioned with god concept teachings as it does not fully explain about the world they live in, or the explanations are not convincing. -
There is no baptised in buddhism.To be a buddhist,we seek refuge in the Three Jewels(triple gem)Originally posted by casino_king:You are confusing me. Yesterday somebody, I wont say who, asked me if 2 packets of Thai biscuits are the same.
I said yes. She said that she will bring the smaller packet instead of the bigger one to pray to somebody who has died a couple of years ago.
The person who died was "baptised" into Buddhism and had a Priest who was her teacher. This priest had already passed away and was the abbot of the temple in Geylang 19 or 21 or 23... I don't know if the persom going to offer the prayers and food for the dead person was "baptised."
I said: "What does it matter which one you bring since? Since you are bringing it back to eat." Immediately I regretted it because it could be rude. I mean, here I might be very rude but in real life I try to respect people's beliefs.
So what you just wrote is totally weird..
The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha is one who has purified all the defilements of the mind the afflictive emotions, the imprints of the actions motivated by them, and the stains of these afflictive emotions and who has developed all good qualities, such as impartial love and compassion, wisdom knowing all existence, and skillful means of guiding others.
The Dharma embodies the preventive measures which keep us from problems and suffering. This includes the teachings of the Buddha, as well as the realizations of those teachings the cessations of problems and their causes, and the realizations or paths which lead to those cessations.
The Sangha are those beings who have direct non-conceptual perception of emptiness or ultimate truth. On a relative level, Sangha also refers to the ordained people who put the BuddhaÂ’s teachings into practice.
The Dharma is our real refuge, the medicine we take which cures our problems and their causes. The Buddha is like the doctor, who correctly diagnoses the cause of our problems and prescribes the appropriate medicine. By assisting us in the practice, the Sangha is similar to the nurse who helps us take the medicine.
Taking refuge means that we rely wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels to inspire and guide us towards a constructive and beneficial direction to take in our life. Taking refuge does not mean passively hiding under the protection of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Rather, it is an active process of taking the direction they show and improving the quality of our life. -
Originally posted by neutral_onliner:
Well, all I can say is his ignorances abt Buddhism and I have to ask his motivations as to what his intentions are. Is he here to ask a question, to learn abt Buddhism and its practises, or here to engage in idle chat, or criticise or just to have a bone to pick.
so many pple trying to enlighten [b]casino [/b] -
Originally posted by marcteng:Well, all I can say is his ignorances abt Buddhism and I have to ask his motivations as to what his intentions are. Is he here to ask a question, to learn abt Buddhism and its practises, or here to engage in idle chat, or criticise or just to have a bone to pick.
If he is here to have a bone to pick, just ignore his post. We should learn from the Buddha, when facing a false accusations, remain silent and not to react with anger or indignation. Falsehood cannot stand up to Truth eventually.
Chinese idiom, Bu Kong Zhi Puo, meaning no need to attack, they will dissipate by self.
Similarly, just ignore and learn from the Buddha. Silence is golden when provoked. Empty vessels makes the most noise. Those who have little learning, speaks loud, those with great learning, speaks little. -
Actually all his doubts could be easliy cleared. All he need to do is just go to any library in sg and do some reading on buddhism.So many resources on buddhism in the libraries nowsaday.He could oso attend some talk in the buddhist fellowship or some other dharma centers.So that at least he could post some indept questions for our disscussion.Originally posted by marcteng:Well, all I can say is his ignorances abt Buddhism and I have to ask his motivations as to what his intentions are. Is he here to ask a question, to learn abt Buddhism and its practises, or here to engage in idle chat, or criticise or just to have a bone to pick. -
Agreed.Originally posted by neutral_onliner:Actually all his doubts could be easliy cleared. All he need to do is just go to any library in sg and do some reading on buddhism.So many resources on buddhism in the libraries nowsaday.He could oso attend some talk in the buddhist fellowship or some other dharma centers.So that at least he could post some indept questions for our disscussion. -
Yes, he can do so, but I doubt it.Originally posted by neutral_onliner:Actually all his doubts could be easliy cleared. All he need to do is just go to any library in sg and do some reading on buddhism.So many resources on buddhism in the libraries nowsaday.He could oso attend some talk in the buddhist fellowship or some other dharma centers.So that at least he could post some indept questions for our disscussion.
If one truly wants to know abt Buddhism, one will ask the right questions and read up first.
I think he has a bone to pick here. You have to ask what are his intentions -
Any religions using if you dun believe, you will go to hell is a fear or scare tactics.Originally posted by askxyz:What will happen to people who don't believe in Buddhism? Will they go to hell? If not, what will happen to these people?
That might fear or scare some people into believing, but some people will question and challenge this so called truth. -
Hi Casino_King,
It is inadequate to use rational thought to understand spiritual matters. Logic is only that branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning. It does not deal with all types of thinking such as remembering (Recalling past life included), dreaming (Dream Yoga), day dreaming, neurosis, learning..etc. These other types of thinking are the job of psychology and parapsychology.
Although evidence is needed to serve as a base for inductive and deductive reasoning, full proof evidence to arrive at a certain conclusion is not necessary in logical analysis. In daily life, not all reasoning attempts to provide conclusive evidence for the truth of a given conclusion and more often than not, conclusive evidence cannot be produced. For pragmatic ground, we merely want the evidence we arrived at be 'well founded'.
As human, sleeping and dreaming took up pretty much percentage of our life. We are not just a rational being, to understand human, we have to deal with all these matters with spiritual issues included.
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Ask him what is his intention first, whether to learn about Buddhism, or just want to criticise?Originally posted by Thusness:Hi Casino_King,
It is inadequate to use rational thought to understand spiritual matters. Logic is only that branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning. It does not deal with all types of thinking such as remembering (Recalling past life included), dreaming (Dream Yoga), day dreaming, neurosis, learning..etc. These other types of thinking are the job of psychology and parapsychology.
Although evidence is needed to serve as a base for inductive and deductive reasoning, full proof evidence to arrive at a certain conclusion is not necessary in logical analysis. In daily life, not all reasoning attempts to provide conclusive evidence for the truth of a given conclusion and more often than not, conclusive evidence cannot be produced. For pragmatic ground, we merely want the evidence we arrived at be 'well founded'.
As human, sleeping and dreaming took up pretty much percentage of our life. We are not just a rational being, to understand human, we have to deal with all these matters with spiritual issues included.
Anyway, if you commit a bad deed, whether by action, words or thought, you have to bear the fruit of the bad deed yourself. That is the law of karma, whether you believe it or not. Even the Buddha and his disciples, although attained Nirvana, were not exempted from past bad karma's they did during their past existences. The Buddha said, not in a mountain, nor in mid ocean , is there any place on earth can you escape the effects of karma.
the layman's saying, what goes around, comes around, is the workings of karma, made no mistake abt it. Karma will not happen by chance or coincidences. Whatever bad deed you did now, you will have to reap it later on, whether this life, next life or subsequent life, short and long term karma. -
in Buddhism there are NO Buddhist gods or god. you have to remember this make this very clear into your head. Buddhist do not worship even to the Buddha or Bodhisattvas, they pay RESPECT by bowing down to the them teachers. (in school before and after class, we bow and greet our teachers out of respect, isn't that logical? is that worshipping praying to our teachers in school?)Originally posted by casino_king:Do you pray to Buddhist Gods, live your life like it will affect how you will be reborn - karma - and believe that if you meditate hard enough you will levitate?
When you encounter life's problems, do you refer to 2549 year old teachings or do you use common sense based on your education?
Do you expect people to pray to you and offer food regularly after you die?
Buddhist do not worship or pray, they meditate. meditation has a natural calming effects on our mind and body in the physical form. advanced meditation onto the higher level can achieve much deeper meaning and effects than just being calm cleared minded. and Buddhist meditation helps TO CLEAR THE RUBBISH IN YOUR HEAD and purify your mind your thoughts that leads to well being in the logical sense of natural well being.
reborn is an experience after death cannot be shown to you in human sense right here right now for you to see. after when you die, you'll encounter this and you'll remember what had been explained to you, by then you will believe it. karma is simply the very natural law of nature - what goes around comes around the causes and effects of your intentions through deeds body, speech or mind. it can be received in the next instant moment or can be received later its just a matter of time. this is very NATURE of all things.
when we encounter problems, we think rationally, logically, flexibly, down to earth, not with fixed inflexible dogmatic views and beliefs. this is Buddhist teachings - very natural logical down to earth reality. and not seeking salvation in any otherwordly divine stuff. nobody can solve your problems save you, ONLY YOU YOURSELF CAN SAVE HELP YOURSELF because you reap what you ownself sow and pick them up and clear the mess yourself. this is - self authentic integrity - Buddhist teachings.
true Buddhists are not flamboyantly loud or rude, they are gentle polite and humble.
i don't have to bother how what others gonna to do with me after i'm dead and gone. true Buddhists understand there is no one nothing to worship and pray to. they know how to offer prayers in the forms of chanting to dedicate merits to the dead. food has no longer useful in that form and true Buddhist will be aware of the important teachings and significant needs in the practice AND TRUE BUDDHIST DO NOT PRACTICE SUPERSTITION. being natural and simple is the way of life.
do you understand?
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i think we can use some modern terms to explain Buddhism to modern people. didn't Buddha do this when He tried to lead people to dharma. say if one is a child, He would use child language and if adult, He would use adult language per se.
Nirvana is the total severing of greed, hatred and folly.
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~alankhoo/Precepts.htm
how abt volition for karma ?
Chinese term for karma was also changed to ye1 li4.Definition of Karma
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Karma is intentional action, that is, a deed done deliberately through body, speech or mind. Karma means good and bad volition (kusala Akusala Centana). Every volitional action (except that of a Buddha or of an Arahant) is called Karma. The Buddha's and Arahants do not accumulate fresh Karma as they have destroy all their passions.
In other words, Karma is the law of moral causation. It is action and reaction in the ethical realm. It is natural law that every action produces a certain effect.
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Karma is a law itself. But it does not follow that there should be a law-giver. The law of Karma, too, demands no law giver. It operates in its own field without the intervention of an external, independent agency.
http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?showtopic=27134 -
Karma, rebirth, no soul or soulessness, Nirvana, impermanency, Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold path, Dependent Origination are central to Buddhist teachings.Originally posted by sinweiy:i think we can use some modern terms to explain Buddhism to modern people. didn't Buddha do this when He tried to lead people to dharma. say if one is a child, He would use child language and if adult, He would use adult language per se.
Nirvana is the total severing of greed, hatred and folly.
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~alankhoo/Precepts.htm
how abt volition for karma ?
Chinese term for karma was also changed to ye1 li4.
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Most religions that centred on a god and its teachings, are abt heaven and hell, purgatory, satan or the devil, the power of god and its creation.Originally posted by marcteng:Karma, rebirth, no soul or soulessness, Nirvana, impermanency, Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold path, Dependent Origination are central to Buddhist teachings. -
Maybe it's ur karma to be a non-buddhist in the present lifetime and maybe you will be a buddhist in another lifetime... when you have the affinity with buddhism...
There are people also known as pacceka-buddha whom do not come into contact with dhamma but still able to gain enlightened through their own self-cultivation and self-realisation. -
Originally posted by neutral_onliner:
Coz he has merits to get to know buddhism, and many people as his guidance
so many pple trying to enlighten [b]casino [/b]
but yet he couldn't accept it. haiz...mo4 fa3 shi2 dai4 -
Maybe he has heeded our advice to read more, find out more.Originally posted by justdoit77:Coz he has merits to get to know buddhism, and many people as his guidance
but yet he couldn't accept it. haiz...mo4 fa3 shi2 dai4
Hope he has the 'yuan' to find a good teacher. -
Acutally not easy... such people have practised and learnt under previous Buddhas.Originally posted by Isis:Maybe it's ur karma to be a non-buddhist in the present lifetime and maybe you will be a buddhist in another lifetime... when you have the affinity with buddhism...
There are people also known as pacceka-buddha whom do not come into contact with dhamma but still able to gain enlightened through their own self-cultivation and self-realisation.
Lao Tzu is an example of a pratyekabuddha. -
I never talked about forum ratings before, but I just realised if the forum is going to make it to the Top 20 list in sgForums, its gonna be because of this topic
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Hi,Originally posted by Thusness:Hi Casino_King,
It is inadequate to use rational thought to understand spiritual matters. Logic is only that branch of philosophy that deals with reasoning. It does not deal with all types of thinking such as remembering (Recalling past life included), dreaming (Dream Yoga), day dreaming, neurosis, learning..etc. These other types of thinking are the job of psychology and parapsychology.
Although evidence is needed to serve as a base for inductive and deductive reasoning, full proof evidence to arrive at a certain conclusion is not necessary in logical analysis. In daily life, not all reasoning attempts to provide conclusive evidence for the truth of a given conclusion and more often than not, conclusive evidence cannot be produced. For pragmatic ground, we merely want the evidence we arrived at be 'well founded'.
As human, sleeping and dreaming took up pretty much percentage of our life. We are not just a rational being, to understand human, we have to deal with all these matters with spiritual issues included.
Do you see the assumptions that you have made?
1. Spitiual matters.
What in the world are spiritual matters? To say that there is a spirit is not "well founded." Spirit is ancient man's worldview. Today, many "spiritual" phenomena are understood in terms of reality.
When I look at Buddhism, frankly it is quite attractive. In the sense that it provides some interesting ideas for consideration. Unfortunately, it has many fantastic claims and assumptions and allusions that goes with it.
So I am simply curious why Buddhists like yourself, seemingly an educated person would find it normal to accept the fantasy? OK maybe to you it is not fantasy. How else would you then describe things that has not been proven?
KARMA is just a suggestion and a possibility but is meaningless because we see bad things happen to good people and good things happening to bad people.
We know for example that on the whole, being educated brings tangible verifiable calculable results. So an educated person wants his children to be educated. Instead of teaching "Karma" to his children, an educated person will strive to educate his child or ensure that his child is well educated.
We know that a healthy lifestyle leads to a healthy life and so we live a healthy lifstyle and not assume that we are sick because of some things we did in our past life.
We know for example that addiction is a function of brain chemicals. We will then with that knowledge devise startegies to help that person overcome his addiction instead of preaching to him. Againg we do not preach to him unless we are convimced that preaching to him will help.
I study Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism (mainly these three) for some ideas but I do not buy into the fantastic stuff.
Why do you buy into it? I need the answer because gambling addicts hold on to gambling beliefs with all their heart as fervently as religious people. -
excerpt from http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=179467
Science and Buddhism
When a Buddhist looks through a telescope, they are not scared by what they might find. They are not scared of science. Science is an essential part of Buddhism. If science can disprove rebirth, then Buddhists should give up the idea of rebirth. If science disproves non-self, and shows there is a self, then all Buddhists should abandon non-self. If science proves there is no such thing as kamma, but instead there is a big God up in the sky, then all Buddhists should believe in God. That is, if it's provable science. Buddhism has no sacred cows. However, I encourage you to do those experiments for yourselves. I'll bet you will find out that there is no one 'in there'. You will find out about kamma. You will find out you've been here before, that this is not your first life. If you don't behave yourselves in this life, you'll have another life to come yet. Do you think you are finished with nappies, with school? Do you really want to go through all that again? If not be careful.
So, here is my thinking about science and Buddhism. I think that Buddhism is pure science, a science that doesn't stop 'out there', but also investigates the mind, the 'being', the 'ghost in the machine'. And it doesn't disregard any anomalies. Buddhism takes everything as its data, especially experience, and looks at it scientifically. It is incredibly successful.
One of the reasons why people celebrate science is because of all of its achievements in technology. One of the reasons why Buddhism is growing these days is because of all of its achievements in the 'technology of the mind'. It solves problems. It explains mental difficulties. Buddhism succeeds in solving those inner problems because it has all these strategies, these ancient 'gizmos', which actually work. If you try some of these Buddhist gizmos, you will find out for yourself that they produce the goods, they solve your inner suffering and pain. That is why Buddhism is growing. I think that Buddhism will supplant science!
Thank you very much. -
"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity" -- Albert Einstein [1954, from Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press]