What will happen to people who don't believe in Buddhism?
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SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN REINCARNATION
by Dr. Maosen Zhong
http://www.business.uq.edu.au/staff/personal/zhong/reinc/
Reincarnation, as a scientific subject, belongs to the field of Psychiatry. Hundreds of research articles and books have been published on this subject. This phenomenon has been investigated quite thoroughly in the past four decades in the United States and other developed countries. Fruitful research delivered a clear message: reincarnation is real!
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"Life Before Life"
A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives.
Jim B. Tucker, M.D.
With a Foreward by Ian Stevenson, M.D.
Published by St. Martin's Press, New York, 2005.
comment:
the chances are very high that one'll change their mind to a state of very firm belief in the truth of reincarnation. It's based on 2500 cases of recall of past lives by children, many of which were checked against previous-life family testimony and data, all this undertaken as scientific studies led by the psychiatrist Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia. The book title and publishing data:
Refutation of counter-arguments suggesting the reports and the previous-life family verifications might be from fraud, from faulty memory, from ESP, etc. --All of the standard counter-arguments are skillfully and completely refuted in reference to case after case.
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What exactly is proof? Is it being available for everyone to see as long as the steps are repeated? If so, then Buddhism definitely has proof. Everyone can practise and see results in this life.
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If his research was valid and done in a scientific manner; he would have submitted it to a SCIENCE publication and subjected to peer review.Originally posted by sinweiy:SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN REINCARNATION
by Dr. Maosen Zhong
http://www.business.uq.edu.au/staff/personal/zhong/reinc/
Reincarnation, as a scientific subject, belongs to the field of Psychiatry. Hundreds of research articles and books have been published on this subject. This phenomenon has been investigated quite thoroughly in the past four decades in the United States and other developed countries. Fruitful research delivered a clear message: reincarnation is real!
---
"Life Before Life"
A Scientific Investigation of Children's Memories of Previous Lives.
Jim B. Tucker, M.D.
With a Foreward by Ian Stevenson, M.D.
Published by St. Martin's Press, New York, 2005.
comment:
the chances are very high that one'll change their mind to a state of very firm belief in the truth of reincarnation. It's based on 2500 cases of recall of past lives by children, many of which were checked against previous-life family testimony and data, all this undertaken as scientific studies led by the psychiatrist Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia. The book title and publishing data:
Refutation of counter-arguments suggesting the reports and the previous-life family verifications might be from fraud, from faulty memory, from ESP, etc. --All of the standard counter-arguments are skillfully and completely refuted in reference to case after case.
/\
If it was accepted as such, not just Buddhist and the other religions that believe in reincarnation; the whole scientific community would have accepted it and reincarnation then becomes mainstream theory taught in schools.
As it is; no rational people other than believers accept reincarnation.
As for those who claim to "see" spirits after deep meditation or otherwise; unless they are subjected to extensive investigative research and the research peer reviewed; again there is no way to show that it is not anything more than hallucination. -
So your purpose being here to slap ppl of a" belief of a fallacy "?Originally posted by casino_king:If his research was valid and done in a scientific manner; he would have submitted it to a SCIENCE publication and subjected to peer review.
If it was accepted as such, not just Buddhist and the other religions that believe in reincarnation; the whole scientific community would have accepted it and reincarnation then becomes mainstream theory taught in schools.
As it is; no rational people other than believers accept reincarnation.
As for those who claim to "see" spirits after deep meditation or otherwise; unless they are subjected to extensive investigative research and the research peer reviewed; again there is no way to show that it is not anything more than hallucination.
and your proposal to the society seems dogmatic
If Everyone is like you , to force idea upon others , then this world will be chaos
If You are thinking of being a Buddhist ,look to your inner self for guidance instead of suppressing "non-alignment" of your views upon others , it will sound cold and miserable in any approach .
During the Buddha times ,there are 62 or more kind of religion and His Advice is simple as what is in the Kalama Sutta
1 person exist in the past history and suffer terrible ending for doing outrage to humanity
Adolf Hitler for his anti-semitism policy against millions of Jews.
I do not buy any of your viewpoint , sound cold and robotic sense to me
Reincarnation is not a mainstream of teaching in Schools as Buddhism does not want to go to war with the western civillisation built on the Christian model , and it is nothing wrong not to make it a common belief .
Think of it ,is there a real need to "educate" people to the concept of reincarnation and shed innocent lives or let them experience for themselves?
Hallucination is too strong a word to your agenda
May you be well and happy . -
Which is why right from the beginning I asked what you people derived from being a Buddhist when it is based not on reality but on imagination.Originally posted by bohiruci:So your purpose being here to slap ppl of a" belief of a fallacy "?
and your proposal to the society seems dogmatic
If Everyone is like you , to force idea upon others , then this world will be chaos
If You are thinking of being a Buddhist ,look to your inner self for guidance instead of suppressing "non-alignment" of your views upon others , it will sound cold and miserable in any approach .
During the Buddha times ,there are 62 or more kind of religion and His Advice is simple as what is in the Kalama Sutta
1 person exist in the past history and suffer terrible ending for doing outrage to humanity
Adolf Hitler for his anti-semitism policy against millions of Jews.
I do not buy any of your viewpoint , sound cold and robotic sense to me
Reincarnation is not a mainstream of teaching in Schools as Buddhism does not want to go to war with the western civillisation built on the Christian model , and it is nothing wrong not to make it a common belief .
Think of it ,is there a real need to "educate" people to the concept of reincarnation and shed innocent lives or let them experience for themselves?
Hallucination is too strong a word to your agenda
May you be well and happy .
Yet if you read the responses to me in this thread; the claim is that all of it is real. Yet nobody produce any evidence that is strong and peer reviewed and based on properly conducted investigations.
Buddhism based on Thai calender is now 2550 years old and yet nobody has been able to gather any evidence to show that Buddhist claims are valid. -
maybe lets take it this way , you just go and try to put your argument in your so-called International Magazine , and we will see if you can buy your way there .Originally posted by casino_king:Which is why right from the beginning I asked what you people derived from being a Buddhist when it is based not on reality but on imagination.
Yet if you read the responses to me in this thread; the claim is that all of it is real. Yet nobody produce any evidence that is strong and peer reviewed and based on properly conducted investigations.
Buddhism based on Thai calender is now 2550 years old and yet nobody has been able to gather any evidence to show that Buddhist claims are valid.
I will be glad to listen that you can pull down a concept in this religion based on spirituality using the flawed worldly news media .
May you be well and happy . -
Originally posted by casino_king:
Why IsnÂ’t Dr. Ian Stevenson Better Known?
So why haven't we heard more about this amazing man and his revolutionary research? One answer is that Ian Stevenson publishes only for the academic and scientific community, and his writing—densely packed with research details and academic argument—is difficult for the average reader to follow. And he intentionally shuns the popular media to prevent reporters from sensationalizing his research. He refuses to appear on TV or radio, and magazine interviews are rarely granted.
But that doesnÂ’t stop us from calling attention StevensonÂ’s amazing and vitally important work. We believe his cases are the key to widespread acceptance of reincarnation in the West. And if more people knew about these scientifically documented cases of childrenÂ’s past lives, they might be more likely to listen when their own young children begin to speak of "when I died before." -
http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=forensic+evidence+of+reincarnation&btnG=Search&hs=mQt&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s
The reason why things like reincarnation is not taught mainstream is because we still know so little about it. And science cant do much when pertaining to things like consciousness beyond physical body, when modern science still knows so little about the nature of consciousness.
Many many people (especially v strong in meditation/samadhi) have developed the abilities to know far beyond our human world. It is not possible to be mental hallucinations as bcos these things arent just seen 'in a blur', but with clarity even stronger than what we normally experience because it is done in Samadhi. They can perceive faraway realms while we cant. They can also recall past lives. Whether or not you believe, it's ok. Because most important is your own experience and realisation.
In any way, you said 'Which is why right from the beginning I asked what you people derived from being a Buddhist when it is based not on reality but on imagination.' Buddhism is definitely not imagination, because we can testify what Buddha said, realise the truths of reality, and attain the highest bliss. There is so little that Science knows about the nature of consciousness, and honest scientists will admit that. In fact modern science has still a long way to go. Will you believe that the world is flat just because everyone else thinks so? There are always things that science still knows very little about. So far, I have not seen much that Buddhist teachings are in contradiction with modern science.
Go back to the basics and find out what Buddhism is all about and simply focus on the fundamental aspects of Buddhist practise. You will find out the other aspects one day. There is no need to be overly concerned.
What is important is that Buddha, and uncountable people have attained enlightenment and achieved liberation in the past and today.
We are not very concerned even if science has not proven certain aspects of Buddhist teachings. And it may never be possible in our lifetime. But Buddhism is definitely relevant to our daily lives.http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/boowa/london.html
...Magga means the path, which the Buddha declared using the principles of the Middle Way. It is therefore the only path which always leads straight and steadfastly to Vimutti (freedom). It is never outdated, never having to be altered or changed in any way to keep up with changing situations and changing times. Even if everything should go on changing until they turn and turn about, the Dhamma of the Middle Way (Majjhima Dhamma) will still be the Dhamma which is always consistent. If we liken it to a medicine, it would be a medicine which doctors have already experimented with and proven the worth of and which is being used to cure disease. All Dhammas have already been completely tried and proven by the Buddha and there is no reason for doubting or being sceptical about them, for the proving of these Dhammas resulted in the enlightenment of the Buddha. Furthermore, all of the Buddha's disciples also attained the field of Vimutti by means of these Dhammas in the same way.... -
From the same author, Ajahn Maha Boowa (a Thai Arhant: liberated saint who attained nirvana/enlightenment):
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/boowa/straight.html
...Birth & Death
People come with questions — some of which I can remember — and everyone has the question that's waiting right at the barn door: Is there a next world after death? The next world, who goes on to the next world: These sorts of things aren't any one person's issue. They're an issue for all of us who are carrying a burden. When people ask this sort of question, I ask them in return, 'Was there a yesterday? Was there a this morning? Is there a present at this moment?' They admit that there was and is. 'Then will there be a tomorrow? A day after tomorrow? A this month? A next month? A this year? A next year and years after that?'
Things in the past that we can remember, we can use to make guesses about the future. Even for things that haven't yet happened, we can make comparisons with things that have already occurred. The future has to follow the way things have been in the past. For example, yesterday has already occurred, today is occurring. These things have followed one after the other. We know this, we remember, we haven't forgotten. This afternoon, this evening, tonight, tomorrow morning: We've already seen that things have been like this. This is the way things have happened, without being otherwise, and so we accept that this is the way they will continue to be.
Doubts about this world and the next, or about things concerning ourselves: This is delusion about ourselves. This is why these things become big issues, causing endless fuss all over the world of rebirth. 'Is there a next world? When people die, are they reborn?' These questions go together, for who is it that takes birth and dies? We ourselves — always dying and taking birth. What comes to this world and goes to the next world is us. Who else would it be? If not for this being of the world, this wanderer, there wouldn't be anyone weighed down with these questions and burdens.
This is the harm of delusion, of being unable to remember. It shows within us, but we can't catch hold of its causes, of why it has come about. Things that have happened, we can't remember. Our own affairs spin us around in circles and get us so tangled up that we don't know which way to go. This is why self-delusion is an endless complication. Being deluded about other things is not so bad, but being deluded about ourselves blocks all the exits. We can't find any way out. The results come right back at us — they don't go anywhere else — bringing us suffering, because these sorts of doubts are questions with which we bind ourselves, not questions by which we set ourselves free. We can have no hope of resolving and understanding these doubts if we don't find confirmation of the Dhamma in the area of meditation.
This is why the Lord Buddha taught us to unravel and look at our own affairs. But unraveling our own affairs is something very critical. If we do it by guessing or speculating or whatever, we won't succeed. The only way to succeed is to develop goodness step by step as a means of support and of drawing us in to mental development (bhavana), or meditation, so as to unravel and look at our own affairs, which lie gathered in the range of meditation. This is what will lead us to know clearly and to cut through our doubts, at the same time leading us to satisfactory results. We will be able to stop wondering about death and rebirth or death and annihilation..... -
...Sometimes, however, we cannot trust the experts. You cannot trust Ajahn Brahm. You cannot trust the scientific journals. Because people are often biased. Buddhism gives you a scientific method for your practice. Buddhism says, do the experiment and find out for your self if what the Buddha said is true or not. Check out your experience. For example, develop the method to test the truth of past lives, rebirth and reincarnation. Don't just believe it with faith, find out for yourself. The Buddha has given a scientific experiment that you can repeat...
...Keep an open mind until you complete the experiment. The experiment is the practice of sila, samadhi and panna, (virtue, meditation and insight). The experiment is Buddhist practice. Do the same experimental procedures that the Buddha did under the Bodhi tree. Repeat it and see if you get the same results. The result is called Enlightenment...
- Ajahn Brahmavamso -
OK Let's narrow the debate and be specific. Buddhists claim that there is a spirit world but science claims that there is no evidence of "spirit."Originally posted by bohiruci:maybe lets take it this way , you just go and try to put your argument in your so-called International Magazine , and we will see if you can buy your way there .
I will be glad to listen that you can pull down a concept in this religion based on spirituality using the flawed worldly news media .
May you be well and happy .
OK now show me the evidence that there is a spirit world. Please do not give me subjective evidence but evidence that can be verified independently. Like when someone says that the sun exist, he can show me and everybody the sun shinning in the sky. Even when a person is blind, he can tell the blind man to feel the heat of the sun and describe to the blind man the behavior of the sun without any internal incoherence. -
Actually, I find it very comical of all postings of Casino King. I find quite a lot of contridictaries with your statements. You may not agree, but you can ask your close friends to see it. And make sure for yourself.
From the start we don't need to proof anything to you. You don't have to believe us if you don't want to.
If you want to have McChicken, then go to McDonald. If you want to have any scientific proof of anykind for yourself, then go to Scientific body. If this is really what you what then go to the right direction and not here. Pay them if you have to - because this is want you want and not us.
Also some of the wordings are very strong and obviously with an agenda. Let me remind everyone again under the Singapore Constitutional Law. We can freely believe and profess in any religion we choose. But:
Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the prevreligionnext of any class.
295. Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons, with the intention of thereby insulting the prevreligionnext of any class of persons, or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage or defilement as an insult to their prevreligionnext, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both.
Also, I urge all not to response to his posting. He probably wants attention. But the more we respond, the more bad karma he is going to commit. If his intention is to win an argument, let him win. For him to win is better than for him to "Bang4 Fa3".
What you want to say is not important at all. Because what you have said is really a reflection of you not us.
NaMo AMiTuoFo
Period. -
GoodOriginally posted by concerned_man:Actually, I find it very comical of all postings of Casino King. I find quite a lot of contridictaries with your statements. You may not agree, but you can ask your close friends to see it. And make sure for yourself.
From the start we don't need to proof anything to you. You don't have to believe us if you don't want to.
If you want to have McChicken, then go to McDonald. If you want to have any scientific proof of anykind for yourself, then go to Scientific body. If this is really what you what then go to the right direction and not here. Pay them if you have to - because this is want you want and not us.
Also some of the wordings are very strong and obviously with an agenda. Let me remind everyone again under the Singapore Constitutional Law. We can freely believe and profess in any religion we choose. But:
Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the prevreligionnext of any class.
295. Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons, with the intention of thereby insulting the prevreligionnext of any class of persons, or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage or defilement as an insult to their prevreligionnext, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both.
Also, I urge all not to response to his posting. He probably wants attention. But the more we respond, the more bad karma he is going to commit. If his intention is to win an argument, let him win. For him to win is better than for him to "Bang4 Fa3".
What you want to say is not important at all. Because what you have said is really a reflection of you not us.
NaMo AMiTuoFo
Period.
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So serious? No defence and then resort to threats? Whatever... like I said, to each his own and if no harm comes to others from your belief in imaginary and fantastic stuff, then good luck to you.
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Simply speaking, The essence of BuddhaÂ’s teaching is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, "Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha." By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.Originally posted by casino_king:OK Let's narrow the debate and be specific. Buddhists claim that there is a spirit world but science claims that there is no evidence of "spirit."
OK now show me the evidence that there is a spirit world. Please do not give me subjective evidence but evidence that can be verified independently. Like when someone says that the sun exist, he can show me and everybody the sun shinning in the sky. Even when a person is blind, he can tell the blind man to feel the heat of the sun and describe to the blind man the behavior of the sun without any internal incoherence.
The essence of BuddhaÂ’s teaching is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.
We are not so concerned about the exsistence of a a spirit world.I sugguest u do a proper research on buddhism so that the discussion will be more meaningful
thnks -
Nothing in Buddhism is imaginary and fantastic stuff, to those who can see them. It is simply too narrow minded to think that what we perceive is all that exists. If we haven't found out extra-terrestrial planets, doesn't mean that existence of aliens can be ruled out.OK Let's narrow the debate and be specific. Buddhists claim that there is a spirit world but science claims that there is no evidence of "spirit."
OK now show me the evidence that there is a spirit world. Please do not give me subjective evidence but evidence that can be verified independently. Like when someone says that the sun exist, he can show me and everybody the sun shinning in the sky. Even when a person is blind, he can tell the blind man to feel the heat of the sun and describe to the blind man the behavior of the sun without any internal incoherence.[/quote]
[quote]Originally posted by casino_king:Whatever... like I said, to each his own and if no harm comes to others from your belief in imaginary and fantastic stuff, then good luck to you.
Although science has proven many things that Buddha has said, there are still a lot of things that science does not know yet. Nevertheless this is unimportant, as concerned man has said, go find the scientists in regards to scientific things. This is not of Buddhism's concerns. Our concern is spiritual cultivation, attaining wisdom, bliss and liberation, to realise the truths that Buddha taught us, and not simply scientific proves of 'spirit world' existence. Our concerns are - to do good, avoid evil, and purify our mind. If you want 'evidence that can be verified independently', Buddha's instruction is to cultivate the dharma, and you can verify everything yourself. Not just about 'spirit world' etc, but the ultimate truth of the Buddha. Many people have already done that, and everyone can.
and if no harm comes to others from your belief
Buddhism is the only religion that does not have holy wars. No wars have been fought in the history of Buddhism, so unlike other monotheistic religions, nobody else will be harmed by Buddhist beliefs, and we do not advocate blind faith. Non-killing, peace, compassion, are very important in Buddhism. -
Agreed.Originally posted by neutral_onliner:We are not so concerned about the exsistence of a a spirit world.I sugguest u do a proper research on buddhism so that the discussion will be more meaningful
thnks
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dont u think that it's a bit sensitive?>
why dont u start another thread...
what happens if pppl dont believe in jesus..allah....and the other gods? -
Why start a thread on Jesus, Allah on a Buddhist forum?Originally posted by contact:dont u think that it's a bit sensitive?>
why dont u start another thread...
what happens if pppl dont believe in jesus..allah....and the other gods?
Jesus should post on Eternal Hope forum, Allah should post on the Islam forum. -
OOPS, i meant, Jesus topics should be posted in Eternal hope, and Allah topics should be posted on Islam forum.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Why start a thread on Jesus, Allah on a Buddhist forum?
Jesus should post on Eternal Hope forum, Allah should post on the Islam forum.
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lol///just moderte this thread and make sure there's no racial sentiments ok?
hehe -
Hmm.. if you find any racial sentiments, feel free to complain to me by PM or post it here.Originally posted by contact:lol///just moderte this thread and make sure there's no racial sentiments ok?
hehe -
I agree with much of what you said, but I think for the sake of discussion there is no need to 'let him win'. I dont think we can 'win' or 'lose from this discussion as we have nothing to lose. I think as long as he did not insult Buddhism, it is OK (if he did then anyone feel free to inform me). We probably had our doubts and scepticisms in the past. And will continue to be until we 'enter the stream' and 'attain the Wisdom eye', then all the doubts and scepticisms shatters.Originally posted by concerned_man:Actually, I find it very comical of all postings of Casino King. I find quite a lot of contridictaries with your statements. You may not agree, but you can ask your close friends to see it. And make sure for yourself.
From the start we don't need to proof anything to you. You don't have to believe us if you don't want to.
If you want to have McChicken, then go to McDonald. If you want to have any scientific proof of anykind for yourself, then go to Scientific body. If this is really what you what then go to the right direction and not here. Pay them if you have to - because this is want you want and not us.
Also some of the wordings are very strong and obviously with an agenda. Let me remind everyone again under the Singapore Constitutional Law. We can freely believe and profess in any religion we choose. But:
Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the prevreligionnext of any class.
295. Whoever destroys, damages or defiles any place of worship, or any object held sacred by any class of persons, with the intention of thereby insulting the prevreligionnext of any class of persons, or with the knowledge that any class of persons is likely to consider such destruction, damage or defilement as an insult to their prevreligionnext, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both.
Also, I urge all not to response to his posting. He probably wants attention. But the more we respond, the more bad karma he is going to commit. If his intention is to win an argument, let him win. For him to win is better than for him to "Bang4 Fa3".
What you want to say is not important at all. Because what you have said is really a reflection of you not us.
NaMo AMiTuoFo
Period.
Modern science is modern science, Buddhism is Buddhism, Buddhism existed thousands of years before modern science, and will continue to be because modern science cannot replace Buddhism. I do not see the fuss over this because there are no real contradictions between Buddhism and Science. Certainly there are things that Buddha taught but not yet proven by science, but just because science have not proven it or lack knowledge about it, it does not mean Buddhism is superstitious. It could be otherwise - that Buddha is in fact much more advanced than modern science (in fact we already know that many things Buddha taught were only discovered recently by scientists). If someone were to tell you that the world is round when everyone else thought it was flat, do you dismiss it as superstitious? Not necessarily. Truths that Buddha expounded isnt something that he simply made up or believed in, but truths that he REALISED through his cultivation and meditation. And it can be verified by uncountable others who also attained enlightenment under his guidance and teachings.Originally posted by casino_king:You have certainly written too much for me to quote so I will just respond based on the impressions I get from your writings.
Buddhism and Science to me is like
Rhino Horn and Panadol
Both remove fever.
It used to be that people laugh when you ask them to take rhino horn for fever.
In the days before "scientific" medicine yes, rhino horn has its place.
Today with the availability of paracetamol and aspirin; taking rhino horn for fever smacks of, if not stupidity, then superstition.
So now we have psychiatry and psychology - scientific disciplines vs religions like Buddhism.
Why would you entrust conditioning of your mind and the attainment of happiness on religion when by googling, you can read for yourself what the latest research and studies show regarding the issues?
These research and studies are peer reviewed and many times they are replicated and must be replicable. There is good basis to trust the research and findings.
Not so religion. One is expected to accept concepts like "human life is a continuum from many previous lives on earth and even from other previous universe and other realms and even animals."
What is the evidence for that? None. So the proper place to put these concepts is in science fiction and or fantasy and or brilliant imagination but imagination nonetheless because there is no evidence.
To me if you choose to believe in science fiction and live your life according to fantasy worldviews, well and good, that is your perogative.
The question is why you would want to do that. What does it do for you personally to live in a fantasy worldview? That is what I like to know.
ENLIGHTENMENT in Buddhism requires an 'inward journey' to discover the innermost reality. The way I understand SCIENCE is probably different from yours. By walking this inward journey is in fact by conducting the ultimate experiment. In Buddhism its OK to doubt, and when enlightenment takes place, in Zen Buddhism its called "the great doubt shatters". So many enlightened people have already 'proven' over and over again the truths that Buddha taught. And if you are in doubt, simply do the experiment for yourself. ...Keep an open mind until you complete the experiment. The experiment is the practice of sila, samadhi and panna, (virtue, meditation and insight). The experiment is Buddhist practice. Do the same experimental procedures that the Buddha did under the Bodhi tree. Repeat it and see if you get the same results. The result is called Enlightenment...
- Ajahn Brahmavamso
Buddhism is one of its kind - not something replaceable like rhino horns with paracetamol. Psycology and psychiatry will never replace Buddhism either, and in fact, modern psychology and psychiatry had a lot to learn from Buddhism. Buddhism is also in fact beyond the conditioning of the mind. Ultimately it leads to the Unconditioned - which we call Nirvana. Buddhism is also neither a religion in the context of worshipping higher beings or Creator. And there is nothing else that leads someone to complete liberation and realisation of emptiness. Again I would like to say:
The Perfect One is free from any theory, for the Perfect One has understood what the body is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what feeling is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what perception is, and how it arises, and passes away. He has understood what the mental formations are, and how they arise, and pass away. He has understood what consciousness is, and how it arises, and passes away.
Therefore, I say, the Perfect One has won complete deliverance through the extinction, fading away, disappearance, rejection, and getting rid of all opinions and conjectures, of all inclination to the vainglory of I and mine.
- Majjhima Nikaya, 72 -
Hi, sorry I took so long to come back.Originally posted by neutral_onliner:Simply speaking, The essence of BuddhaÂ’s teaching is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, "Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha." By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.
The essence of BuddhaÂ’s teaching is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.
We are not so concerned about the exsistence of a a spirit world.I sugguest u do a proper research on buddhism so that the discussion will be more meaningful
thnks
OK if you say that the spirit world is not the focus, fair and good.
What about the motivation of Buddhists? Karma; reincarnation and nirvada?
Doing good and being a good person who on principle does not harm others is in itself a noble aim in life.
But when you introduce the concepts of Karma and reincarnation and nirvada into the mix, then one would be puzzled since there is no evidence of merit for Karma, reincarnation and nirvada?