Questions
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I saw this person's blog :
"On the very same day I received my answer from God regarding why only Christ believers are entitled eternal life, I came across a story. The story of how a Japanese family in California converted to Christianity.
"When I pray to Buddha," confessed Bill Senior, "I get no answers. But when you pray to your God, I can tell He's alive."
There has always been this misconception that when you pray to Buddha, he will help you. Even before I became Christian, I have always wanted to correct this misconception within my family, relatives and friends.
Buddha was born a man with royal blood and riches. He gave up everything, left his Palace in search of Nirvana. He was an enlightened teacher who went across the lands spreading words of wisdom. The greatest gift that Buddha gave Mankind is his wisdom.
Buddha passed away but his teachings carried on till today. Buddhism is about seeking the Way to Enlightenment. through reading, understanding and practising along Buddha's wise words which are now recorded in Buddhist Scriptures and Sutras.
It's not about asking Buddha to bless you with good health, good fortune and good life. It is not about worshipping him with food, fruits, joss sticks and incense paper.
Let me tell you today that Buddha had never in his life claimed he was God and Buddha will not climb out of his grave and come to your aid. If you want to receive Buddha's gift, commit yourself to read, understand and practise Buddhist Scriptures and Sutras."
I am not trying to cause any problems here or whatsoever .
Since the buddhism or buddha said that he is no god .. why people pray to him ?
So isn't Buddhism "corrupted" ?
with people praying things which are not suppose to be .. guan yin ..
Taoism also never teach about burning hell bank notes etc etc ..
So who came out with the idea ? Worst paper vis card etc ..
I am a free-thinker and I feel like having a religion yet confuse ..
Buddhism is "pratice" oon his teaching but not worship him , buddhhaa
Err ..
If anyone know more abt the hell bank notes etc ... do tell me ..
Dun blame me for my lack of knowledge on religion ..
(AEN: helped you remove the blank spaces) -
Firstly I can see that you are new to Buddhism, therefore I would suggest do some reading up on what Buddhism is all about. You can a look at http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/basic-guide.htm and http://www.jenchen.org.sg/ -- check out especially "The Voice of Bliss" and the articles in 'The Jen Chen Buddhist Digest'It's not about asking Buddha to bless you with good health, good fortune and good life. It is not about worshipping him with food, fruits, joss sticks and incense paper.[/quote]
Buddhism is a very practical religion. If you want good health, good fortune and good life, then take care of your body and work hard from young.
Buddha and bodhisattvas can help but is limited by an individual karma, if you think it's so easy then everyone can easily become a millionaire just by 'praying'.
In this world there is no such thing.
Read: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol6no2a.htm
Also, true Buddhists (I'm not talking about those Chinese folk practitioners who go temple 'bai bai' that kind) do offer fruits and flowers to Buddha. This is not a way of worshipping them, but it is merely out of respects and also, there are deep symbolic meanings behind all the things.
Please read: Understanding Buddhism:What is the significance of offering incense, flowers, water and fruits?
Most importantly, one must know what exactly is the purpose of Buddhism. My dharma teachers always say, Buddhism is not set up to let people have more blessings, and have more money and better relationships, etc. All these are small case.
The fragrance of the incense is symbolic of ethics and morality. These are the virtues of the Bodhisattva spirit of benefiting others and self. If we do not practise ethics and live immorally, then the offering of incense does not serve any purpose. Offering of incense is only meaningful if our conduct befits the correct standard and principle of ethics and morality.
Flowers are symbolic of wisdom. We learn and practise Buddhism to unfold and develop our wisdom. When the wisdom blossoms in each and everyone of us, then as human beings, our conduct is like flowers in bloom. Everyone admires beautiful flowers and they are welcomed everywhere. Thus, when we make an offering of flowers to the Buddha, it is that we want to be like the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas who are so filled with wisdom.
Water serves two purposes. Firstly, it quenches our thirst. A drink of water is so soothing and comfortable when we are thirsty. Secondly, it is for cleansing, for example, washing our clothes or the floor, etc. When we learn and practise Buddhism, the Dharma is like the morning dew, cleansing the impurities of our hearts and minds so that we are soothed and happy.
The offering of fruits is made not because Buddha wants to eat them. When we learn and practise Buddhism, and perform virtuous deeds, these virtuous deeds should bear sweet fruits. Thus, the offering of fruits is symbolic of the results of our virtuous deeds. It is best to offer fruits that are round. This is again symbolic that when we cultivate in accordance to the BuddhaÂ’s teachings, we will eventually be perfectly rounded and attain the fruit of Buddhahood. For obvious reasons, we should not offer fruits that are sour, bitter or of unpleasant shapes.
The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is about how to overcome birth and death, attain liberations from all sufferings and attain the highest bliss of Nirvana in our lives. That is, to attain the supreme Enlightenment. Buddhism is a culture of Bliss (see: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/buddhism.htm#humanity), that is, Buddhism is all about how a person can liberate from all sufferings and experience the greatest unconditioned bliss in everyday living. This is why Buddhism is Universal -- everyone has sufferings and do not want suffering, and everyone wants bliss.
Anyway, the author said that when the Buddha died, he just ceases to exist. According to Mahayana this is not true, the Buddha is eternally living. Means Shakyamuni Buddha is around and continue to appear to sentient beings according to conditions, he is still teaching within this 3000 world system which is his current teaching's area until the next Buddha, Maitreya arrives. (Lotus Sutra chapter on 'the lifespan of the Tathagatha' elaborates on this)
In the Avatamsaka Sutra, it says
[quote]Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Buddha's body is always apparent,
Filling the entire cosmos,
Always intoning far-reaching sound
Shaking all lands in all quarters.
Buddha manifests bodily everywhere,
Entering into all worlds,
Revealing occult spiritual power
According to the inclinations of beings.
Buddha appears before all beings
In accordance with their minds;
What the sentient beings see
Is the Buddha's mystic power.
His radiance has no bounds
And his teaching too is infinite;
Buddha children enter and observe
According to their knowledge.
The Buddha's body has no birth
Yet can appear to be born.
The nature of reality is like space:
Therein do the Buddhas dwell.
No abiding, yet no departing:
Everywhere the Buddha's seen;
His light reaches everywhere,
His fame is heard afar.
No substance, no abode,
And no origin that can be found;
No signs, no form:
What appears is like reflections.
- Avatamsaka Sutra p. 164-165 -
I am not trying to cause any problems here or whatsoever .
There is a lot of confusion out there with regards to Buddhism.
Since the buddhism or buddha said that he is no god .. why people pray to him ?
So isn't Buddhism "corrupted" ?
with people praying things which are not suppose to be .. guan yin ..
I can tell you, majority of those who say they are Buddhists are not actually Buddhists. They are Chinese folks practitioners, they follow old Chinese customers and are prone to Taoism and Chinese "ming jian xing yang". They worship Chinese/Taoist gods and deities, and also Guan Yin, but they are not the same as true Buddhists.
In true Buddhism, we do not worship those Chinese/Taoist gods and deities. Though there is Guan Yin, we also do not worship Guan Yin... or Buddha. We pay our respects and veneration to them.
Most importantly, we all must learn to be like Guan Yin. Guan Yin is a representative Bodhisattva, Guan Yin represents Great Compassion. The word 'Bodhisattva' means an awakened being that has feelings/compassion. A Bodhisattva is on the path towards Buddhahood. All Bodhisattvas have great compassion and wishes to save all sentient beings from ignorance and the sufferings of Samsara. Guan Yin is very compassionate, like his name suggests, he can perceive all sounds and cries throughout the universe and help them when they are in need of help.
Many of us especially those practising the greater vehicle practises the Bodhisattva path towards Supreme Enlightenment of Buddhahood.
There are many Bodhisattva representatives... not only Guan Yin. There is also Manjusri Bodhisattva (Wen Shu Shi Li Pu Sa) representing Great Wisdom, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Di Zhang Wang Pu Sa) representing Great Vows, etc etc... there are really a lot of them. We all aim to emulate the Bodhisattvas' practise in our daily lives, and BE a Bodhisattva ourselves. That is the ultimate purpose of Bodhisattvas appearing to us -- to tell us to practise, to be a Bodhisattva ourselves and attain liberation and enlightenment.
Also, I read one of your post before, it definitely sounds like your parents are into Chinese folks tradition, but they are not real Buddhists. They might not know.
So, if you want to know about Buddhism, look at the right sources, those chinese temples do not teach about Buddhism or Buddhist teachings.Taoism also never teach about burning hell bank notes etc etc ..
Burning hell notes is a Taoist practise, it is not Buddhist. Honestly, Buddhism does not think that burning hell notes will do any help.
So who came out with the idea ? Worst paper vis card etc ..
I am a free-thinker and I feel like having a religion yet confuse ..
The only method that can truly help them is to dedicate one's merits to them. There's a big misunderstanding over these things, especially also about the 7th month. Superstitious ideas and customs grew in China and people all start to forget what is the true purpose of the 7th Month -- Ullambana Dharma. Please read this article: Ullambana Dharma - Not Festival Of Hungry Ghosts
P.S. My Buddhist master used to do a lot of research in many various religions especially Christianity (he used to teach Christianity) and found that Buddhism is the supreme path, the path that leads to liberation and true bliss.
He used to be an active Christian pastor and wrote Christian books, before converting to a Buddhist monk. There was an interesting story behind this.
My local dharma teacher too, she used to be those usual Chinese folks practitioner, later she converted to Christianity, then later turned to Buddhism too. There was an interesting story for her as well.Buddhism is "pratice" oon his teaching but not worship him , buddhhaa
That's right. The main thing is to practise the teachings, and not worship the Buddha. We pay respects to the Buddha, we venerate him, but we do not worship him. Most importantly we must be with Buddha, and get in touch with Buddha himself, rather than just merely respecting him. It is said 'he who sees the Dharma sees the Buddha', he who sees one's true nature sees the Buddha.
Our Buddha Nature is our innate pure awareness, our capacity to be completely awakened, to become Buddha ourselves. Everyone has Buddha Nature... and our Buddha Nature and all Buddhas' Buddha Nature is One and Equal. Though we pay our respects to Shakyamuni Buddha, most importantly we must always be with Buddha. (Please read: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/bewith.htm#Be%20with%20all%20Buddhas) That means be with our own innate Buddha, and thereby being with ALL Buddhas in the ten directions.
Since all of us have Buddha Nature, our Buddha Nature is all pervading -- pervading everywhere, and is one with all Buddhas' Buddha Nature, our Buddha Nature is already complete and perfect as it is, though it is being covered by a layer of our illusions and ignorance... so our Buddha Nature is always here whether we are reborn in human realm, or other realms, wherever we are our Buddha Nature is here.. yet we did not see it, we did not notice it, because it is obscured from us.http://www.jenchen.org.sg/bewith.htm#Be%20with%20all%20Buddhas
It is like a bright sun and the sunlight is being blocked by the dark clouds. The dark clouds symbolise our ignorance, and these dark clouds/ignorance are the causes of all our sufferings.. so through practise we can eventually reach a state where all the dark clouds are completely dissipitated and what's left is our Buddha Nature brightly shining.... that is when we attain supreme enlightenment.
...We say "Be with Buddha", because the Buddha is one who is the ultimate, and with the highest wisdom and perfect enlightenment. Furthermore, the Dharma-nature, i.e. the nature underlying all things, permeates across the entire space. From the point of this world, it is called the Dharma-nature which can result in a pure Buddha land. From the point of sentient beings, it is called the Buddha-nature leading to Buddhahood.
Since we are endowed with the Buddha-nature, and the Buddha-nature permeates across the entire space, the Buddha-nature of all Buddhas and our Buddha-nature are the exactly the same. In fact, the Buddha-nature does not leave each and every sentient being. It is only because sentient beingsÂ’ ignorance and illusions that they cannot see their own Buddha-nature; the Buddha in reality does not leave us. Since it is like this, we need to remind everybody to "Be with Buddha". Every human being has his own Buddha-nature and we must not forget this. Thus, we should always say "Be with Buddha".
How to clear... that is through purifications of the mind. That requires awareness... to be mindful and aware of our every moment reality and our thoughts, and not to be be caught in our ignorant thoughts and behaviors, to completely let go of them and let our minds be liberated.
I must also state that the Buddha is the Supreme one in our triple world, the highest being in the entire universe -- he is one who has seen reality to the very end and transceded all realms of Samsara and all Sufferings. All beings in Samsara, including the Celestial/heavenly Beings (Devas) all honour the Buddha as their teacher.
Please read: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/jootla/wheel414.html
Teacher of the Devas
Contents
* I. Introduction
* II. The Buddha Teaches Deities
* III. Devas and Brahmas Honor the Buddha
* IV. The Role of Devas in the Buddha's Career
* V. Liberation for Humans, Devas, and Brahmas
* Notes
* Abbreviations
* Bibliography -
**oops there was a huge error in my previous message, I edited it, please re-read*
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I "pray" to him to thank him for telling me that i can also become a buddha, that i have the seed in me to be as enlightened, to be able to cease the endless cycle of sufferings WITH MY OWN EFFORTS. When I look at a buddha or bodisava, it reminds me that i am as perfect and magnificant inside, and thus i am inspired to seek the path towards enlightenment, and NO NEED TO BEG EXTERNALLY FOR A HIGHER ENTITY TO GRANT IT TO MEOriginally posted by MrSotong:I saw this person's blog :
"On the very same day I received my answer from God regarding why only Christ believers are entitled eternal life, I came across a story. The story of how a Japanese family in California converted to Christianity.
"When I pray to Buddha," confessed Bill Senior, "I get no answers. But when you pray to your God, I can tell He's alive."
There has always been this misconception that when you pray to Buddha, he will help you. Even before I became Christian, I have always wanted to correct this misconception within my family, relatives and friends.
Buddha was born a man with royal blood and riches. He gave up everything, left his Palace in search of Nirvana. He was an enlightened teacher who went across the lands spreading words of wisdom. The greatest gift that Buddha gave Mankind is his wisdom.
Buddha passed away but his teachings carried on till today. Buddhism is about seeking the Way to Enlightenment. through reading, understanding and practising along Buddha's wise words which are now recorded in Buddhist Scriptures and Sutras.
It's not about asking Buddha to bless you with good health, good fortune and good life. It is not about worshipping him with food, fruits, joss sticks and incense paper.
Let me tell you today that Buddha had never in his life claimed he was God and Buddha will not climb out of his grave and come to your aid. If you want to receive Buddha's gift, commit yourself to read, understand and practise Buddhist Scriptures and Sutras."
I am not trying to cause any problems here or whatsoever .
Since the buddhism or buddha said that he is no god .. why people pray to him ?
So isn't Buddhism "corrupted" ?
with people praying things which are not suppose to be .. guan yin ..
Taoism also never teach about burning hell bank notes etc etc ..
So who came out with the idea ? Worst paper vis card etc ..
I am a free-thinker and I feel like having a religion yet confuse ..
Buddhism is "pratice" oon his teaching but not worship him , buddhhaa
Err ..
If anyone know more abt the hell bank notes etc ... do tell me ..
Dun blame me for my lack of knowledge on religion ..
(AEN: helped you remove the blank spaces)
"pray" is a very different concept compared to christianity -
P.S. My Buddhist master used to do a lot of research in many various religions especially Christianity (he used to teach Christianity) and found that Buddhism is the supreme path, the path that leads to liberation and true bliss.
Regarding my Master... here's the story...
He used to be an active Christian pastor and wrote Christian books, before converting to a Buddhist monk. There was an interesting story behind this.
My local dharma teacher too, she used to be those usual Chinese folks practitioner, later she converted to Christianity, then later turned to Buddhism too. There was an interesting story for her as well.
My Buddhist Master (Shi Fu) first went into spirituality after an incident when he was 12 years old. He was returning from school and along the way on the mountain (in China), a blizzard struck and he sought to take cover in a cave. It was so cold that he was going to freeze to death. At that point in time, he was suddenly awakened/realised the Ultimate Truth of the universe. Then, he witnessed a divine sign. Huge words in red appeared in the sky, telling him "Humanity's bliss awaits you to be found". From that point he had the strength and survived and thought it was a miracle from God.
So this is how he became a Christian pastor. He was quite an active pastor in preaching and also wrote Christian books (he passed one of his Christian books with his author name to some of the Christians in U.S who visited him before just to show that he really was a pastor). Then at times, he was aggressive in evangelising and went on to insult Buddhism and degrade Buddhism as a superstitious and demonic religion. That was during his university days if I'm not wrong. His university lecturer heard about his aggressive evangelism and spoke with him about it. The lecturer asked him why is he doing this? My master replied "because the other pastors did so, if I didn't do it, the other pastors will say that I do not know how to preach"... thus he followed them. His university lecturer then told him that it was not the right way - people disliked it, and it will even bring down the university name. He asked my master to study the Buddhist teachings, and from that, write a critique based on his understandings.
So this is the turning point... my master researched into all the Buddhist teachings and could not find anything to write in his critique. On contrary, he agreed on all of the teachings! He thought to himself that this is the teachings that will truly bring bliss into humanity. (He always say that Buddhism is the Culture of Bliss.. my dharma centre's website for instance is www.humanbliss.com.sg) That is when he begin to truly regret and repent his earlier actions to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.... he turned into a Buddhist monk as a result. He often says "even blapshemy can become a 'yuan' for one to encounter Dharma". Sometimes inconceivable.
One guy asked me 'this story sounds like 'shen2 hua4'' leh, I told him it's not 'shen hua'. It is because as the sutras stated, the Tathagathas (Buddhas) will always remind someone with Bodhisattva vows to continue his path and practise lifetime after lifetime until Buddhahood. -
MrSotong asked me in PM:
Alright ..
For e.g : If you don't believe in Buddhism , what are the consequences ?
For e.g : Christianity .. it's eternal "punishment" in hell
But if Buddha created us to be re-born again and again .. just because of our karma .. then isn't it meaningless ? What on Earth are we for ? Just to do kindness and accumulate karma alone ?
To be honest to you , I am losing faith . .
I had been praying "blindling" with my parents since I am young .But after knowing more about religion , I started to know that Buddhism isto pratice the way and not really pray to them.
Worst they have an idol of Guan yin in my house in which a real buddhism will not worship him/her .
So if one is not a "budduism" or a fellower ? What is the consequences ?
For example :
Mother Theresa :
If she don't follow buddha or believe in it ... but she did tons of good work ? So what's the consequences ? She became Buddha eh ?
Another question that stuck me :
Once a person dies ... either go up or down for punishment ... yet those believe that they wonder around the earth and so on ..
For Taoism ..
Maybe you can explain more about it ..
But ..
As you can see that Taoism and Buddhism is being "mixed" up thus isn't it like corrupted ?
May I know why your teacher convert back to buddhism ?
So afterall , what about other religion , Islam , Christinity , Hinduism ... they are all fake ?!?!?!
Is it possible to believe in one of the above religion , do good things ..
and if they are FAKE ... in the end ... let say that the buddhism is REAL ... then that person will go to heaven because of his karma , kindness ?
Well ... it can be quite confusing to type it out .. prefer to express my thoughts etc etc ..
So the conclusion is : Buddhism is just a teaching ... but hoorrr ... buddha knows about Heaven and Hell .. but who is the creator of us ? Buddha just happen to know ,enlightment , about Buddhism ..
One strong point is : He did not start any religion !
So afterall , just do good and you may believe in other religion which you think is real but afterall if that Buddhism is real ... you will be judge by your karma ... then the results of yours will either be in Heaven or Hell right ?
I am a free-thinker . .
I don't mind you typing things (bad points) about Christinity , Islam etc ..
Because I am choosing a religion ... at my age since my parents don't mind .. they are a so-called "fake buddist" ..
You can type about those inconsistency about Christianity and so on .. so I may investigate more about it and in the end ... choose a religion which i think is real ..
So what will happen to those "fake buddist " ? ??
Go to hell ?
but the "fake buddist" that I mention is good lar ... good karma ... no evil thoughts etc .. -
Alright ..
Buddhism does not have such fear-based teachings. In Buddhism, we do not say such things and we do not teach people to have blind faith in the Buddha, otherwise there would be damn scary consequences.
For e.g : If you don't believe in Buddhism , what are the consequences ?
For e.g : Christianity .. it's eternal "punishment" in hell
The Buddha taught this regarding belief and faith:
Kalama Sutra
"Rely not on the teacher/person, but on the teaching. Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the
spirit of the words. Rely not on theory, but on experience.Do not believe in anything simply because you
have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do
not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is
written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and
elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is
conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
- the Buddha
There are many good teachings in Christianity, but lots of fear based elements are increasingly added into the teachings later for political purposes and also to gain converts.
There is a difference between Buddhism and other religions. First of all we must understand that there are three things which all Buddha teaches: 1) Avoid all evil 2) Do all that is good 3) Purify one's mind.
I wrote previously:
Most religions only teach "avoid all evil and doing all good", but only Buddhism teaches about liberation and the purification of the mind.
The problem with just "avoiding all evil and doing all good" is that as a result we accumulate a lot of good karma and avoid creating bad karma, meaning we can be reborn in the higher realms or even the celestial realms like the heavens, however we still cannot attain nirvana, we cannot be liberated from the cycle of samsara.. and our enjoyment in these higher realms are also limited and transient.
Similarly as described just now even if our lives are very good, there is still bound to be unsatisfactoriness and sufferings.. if we cannot be liberated moment to moment.
Therefore when we practise Buddhism, also we practise purification of the mind... through mindfulness we become aware of and disidentify from all our sentient thoughts, our habitual tendencies of the mind, the afflictive emotions and so on due to identification with a false sense of self, and the identification is also known as the false 'ego'.
Our Buddha Nature is like a clear mirror, our pure awareness, which unfortunately is obscured from us because of a layer of dust, or mental defilements.
Through Buddhism we clean the mirror of its defilements to reveal the clear bright mirror underneath. Therefore through practising Buddhism we gain insights into the nature of reality, the nature of our minds, our Buddha Nature, and through awakening from our delusions we find the nirvanic bliss of clarity and liberation from all sufferings in our lives.
There are many enlightened and liberated people even today, some of our forummers (not me lah) have also become enlightened to the truths that Buddha taught... so enlightenment is truly attainable. It is not exclusive to special people or the Buddha alone. Remember -- all of us have Buddha Nature.But if Buddha created us to be re-born again and again .. just because of our karma .. then isn't it meaningless ? What on Earth are we for ? Just to do kindness and accumulate karma alone ?
No, the Buddha did not create us. In Buddhism, we do not suscribe to the idea of a personal Creator, which I will elaborate later.
Originally we are all as pure as Buddha ourselves -- our Buddha Nature is our original nature, but due to the arising of ignorance we lost touch with our original purity and become reborn in samsara, the world of sufferings.
Please read: Returning to the Quintessence of Buddha
...Originally, sentient beings and the quintessence of Buddha were the same in pureness and brightness. However, when the conditions for the initiation of ignorance begin to fan like the wind, it eventually produces ignorance. The ignorance becomes more serious as it gathers momentum and leads to the transmigration in the Six Realms. Ignorance, just like the wind, is invisible and one may not be able to touch them, yet it packs with power so immense that it can destroy houses and uproot trees.
In the beginning when sentient beings started to transmigrate in the Six Realms, they were in the realm of Heaven. Then, they descended to the Human realm. Human beings have seven types of emotion and six types of lust and because of these they continually commit negative karma. These led them to descend to the realm of Asura. Why is the realm of Asura considered to be a good realm? It is because even heavenly beings can be inflicted by ignorance, causing them to fight among themselves. The more aggressive fighters eventually descend to the realm of Asura....
Thus started the whole cycle of rebirth in Samsara... the Buddha did not create us to be here, but we are reborn here due to our karma. Our type of birth depends on what karma we have.
Through dharma practise we can purify our minds and get rid of our illusions of us being a separate self, and awaken to our true original nature, i.e our Buddha Nature which is pure light. Then we attain liberation.
So, no, the purpose of us being here is NOT just to accumulate more good karma. Because accumulating good karma only get us to good realms of existence, but nevertheless we cannot awaken to the highest truth, attain liberation from samsara and its suffering, and gain the highest bliss of Nirvana.
The ultimate goal of all of us is to practise the path leading to Buddhahood, the path of Wisdom, Liberation and Bliss.... and not only that one who practises the path of Bodhisattva has great compassion and wishes to liberate all sentient beings from their sufferings to the highest Bliss of Nirvana as well.
And and by the way, Karma in Buddhism is not a system of judgement, it has nothing to do with Creator or God (Buddha is NOT a God and we do not suscribe to the notion of a God). It is just about causes and conditions, and it is completely natural. Buddha is not some judger of karma, karma ripens by itself into effect naturally due to the meeting of causes and conditions. The word 'karma' means 'action', means intentional action.. and there are 3 kind: Action, Speech and Mind karma. -
To be honest to you , I am losing faith . .
That is because your parents did not know about real Buddhism and what the Buddha taught. Therefore I hope you can learn what is Buddhism about... and one day tell your parents about it. But don't need to tell him so soon, because you yourself have only started to find out what is the true teachings of the Buddha.
I had been praying "blindling" with my parents since I am young .But after knowing more about religion , I started to know that Buddhism isto pratice the way and not really pray to them.
Worst they have an idol of Guan yin in my house in which a real buddhism will not worship him/her .
You are losing faith because you do not know what Buddhism is all about and what the teachings are all about and what significance do they make. The dharma teachings are very profound and its benefits if applied are immense beyond measures... It is time that you find out what Buddhism is all about.
Anyway, you don't need to tell your parents that 'hey, you are not real Buddhist', don't need to argue with them like that.
http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol6no3c.htm:
I have embraced Buddhism and taken refuge in the Three Treasures, but my husband still adopts the Taoist way of praying to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guan-yin Pu-sa), what should I do?
Actually, while you believe in Buddhism, you still have to learn to be harmonious in all your endeavours. It may be because your husband has formed an affinity with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva that he worships Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in the Taoist way. According to the sutra of the Universal Door Chapter of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, “If a person can only be guided or saved by a government official, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shall manifest as a government official to explain the Dharma to him. If a person can only be guided or saved by a king of ghosts, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shall manifest as a king of ghosts to explain the Dharma to him. If a person can only be guided or saved by embracing another religion, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva shall manifest as a person of that same religion to explain the Dharma to him.” Your husband prays to the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and yet he believes in Taoism. In this case we may consider him as a person who has embraced another religion, but has formed an affinity with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Someday, when he understands the truth based on this affinity, he may embrace Buddhism.
You should compliment your husband; “I am indeed fortunate to meet a person like you. I have spoken to my Teacher about you and he says that you are a good man. You are devoted and in future many good things will happen to you.” Your husband will be delighted when he hears this, and may feel positive about your Teacher and your faith. In this way, one day, he may come to take refuge in the Three Treasures and embrace Buddhism.
On the other hand, you should not say, “My Teacher commented that you are no good and you are a believer of an unorthodox religion.” Your husband may be so angered by such a remark that the next time I conduct a Dharma talk, he may forbid you to attend. Hence, we have to be perfectly rounded (flexible?) and harmonious in the way we deal with all matters (being harmonious even among differences).
However, although he worships the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in that manner, you ought not to harbour such thought that, “since my husband worships the Bodhisattva as a Taoist, perhaps I should do likewise.”So if one is not a "budduism" or a fellower ? What is the consequences ?
Someone like Mother Theresa, though she has not attained enlightenment, has accumulated a lot of good karma. Through these good karma, she will attain a virtuous rebirth, possibly and likely in the Celestial/Heaven realms.
For example :
Mother Theresa :
If she don't follow buddha or believe in it ... but she did tons of good work ? So what's the consequences ? She became Buddha eh ?
However, being reborn is not the same as having transcended the cycle of rebirth in samsara and thereby liberated from all the sufferings in samsara. That's the difference and I ahave briefly explained previously in this thread.
Also, just doing good deeds does not mean she becomes enlightened. To become enlightened you have to practise the Buddhist teachings and become aware of the ultimate truth of reality yourself... Only Buddhism leads to Buddhahood.
So, enlightenment is not by means of any good works. It is by practising the Dharma, practising the 8 fold path, being mindful and aware in all our daily lives, one day you will realise the ultimate truth.Another question that stuck me :
Ok. First of all I must say that Buddhism and Taoism are very different, so it is helpful if you do not mix them up and confuse them.
Once a person dies ... either go up or down for punishment ... yet those believe that they wonder around the earth and so on ..
For Taoism ..
Maybe you can explain more about it ..
Also, regarding ghost, it is not that everyone will reborn as ghost and wander around.
Please read: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol8no2c.htm
What cause people to become ghosts when they die?
When people die, they do not always become ghosts. Depending on their karmic forces during their life as human beings, they may ascend to heaven, be reborn as human beings, as Asura's, as animals or even descend to hell.
There are numerous factors that can cause one to be reborn in the realm of ghosts. For example, if even at the brink of death a dying person is still troubled and his mind cannot let go of his worldly relationships and wealth, then such a person is vulnerable to descend to the ghost realm. He may be worried over trivial things such as his assets not having been willed to his children, his daughter still not married, or that his daughter-in-law has yet to bear children. Some people may be thinking about money that is owed him, and in a fit of anger, he may swear that even if he becomes a ghost he would seek repayment. People who have such thoughts will definitely become ghosts.
Also, there is not only Heaven and Hell after death. In Buddhism, there are basically 6 realms of Samsara and destinations of rebirth based on our karma. The three lower realms are: Hell, Ghost, Animal. The three higher realms are: Human, Asuras, Heaven. Please read (from the same URL above):
What is the relationship between our karma and our life?
Sentient beings (including people) transmigrate in the Six Realms due to their karmic forces. A person who does not commit evil deeds through his body, speech and mind, and instead performs good deeds, shall be able to be reborn as a human being again in the next life. The wealthy people must have been charitable in their previous life. Those who are dignified in their looks must have had practiced endurance, kindness, humility and courtesy towards others, or they had offered fresh flowers to Buddha. People who are seldom sick, are healthy, and live a long life, must have had abstained from killing and hurting other sentient beings in their previous lives. A person who has done a lot of good deeds and accumulated a lot of merits, shall be able to enjoy heavenly blessings in the deva realm. If one has done a lot of good deeds, but he is hot-tempered and quarrelsome then he shall be reborn to the asura realm. These three realms, namely, the humanity, deva and asura realms are called the three virtuous realms.
If a person is always committing evil deeds through his body, speech and mind, then his next life would be in the animal, hungry ghost or the hell realm to suffer his dues. Therefore, it is not a certainty that a person will become a ghost after he dies, but depending on his conduct whilst he was alive, there is always a possibility that he could become one. -
But ..
Not exactly. Buddhism and Taoism are not being mixed up, it's only that the Chinese temples you visit are not Buddhist monasteries and Dharma Centers. They are temples for the Chinese folks tradition, Ming Jian Xing Yang, but they are not real Buddhist monasteries or Dharma centers.
As you can see that Taoism and Buddhism is being "mixed" up thus isn't it like corrupted ?
If you go to a true dharma center (I go to this one: http://www.humanbliss.com.sg/knowledge_activity.htm), they teach pure, unadulterated Buddhist teachings.May I know why your teacher convert back to buddhism ?
I have answered you regarding my master Regarding my local dharma teacher, maybe next time when theres opportunity we can meet up, my dharma teacher can tell you It's very interesting.
Also, they did not 'convert back to Buddhism' -- they only know about Buddhism later on. Originally, they were into Chinese folks tradition like most people, they did not even know what is real Buddhism until after they became Christians.So afterall , what about other religion , Islam , Christinity , Hinduism ... they are all fake ?!?!?!
No, they are not fake. However, they all fall short of leading their practitioners to Nirvana, Liberation. However, as long as a religion teaches people to avoid evil, and do all that is good, that is still a good teaching, and followers who follow these teachings can ascend to the heavens. But, they do not lead to Nirvana, or Liberation, or Buddhahood/Enlightenment.Is it possible to believe in one of the above religion , do good things ..
Yes, that is why we do not scare people into saying if you do not believe in Buddha, you will go to hell.
But, if you do not practise Buddhism, then you cannot know the Enlightenment that Buddha attained, and you cannot attain liberation and the highest Bliss of Nirvana.and if they are FAKE ... in the end ... let say that the buddhism is REAL ... then that person will go to heaven because of his karma , kindness ?
Heaven is free for everyone, but your rebirth depends on your karma.
If you attain enlightenment and liberation, that's even better, then you will enter into the Pure Land of our original Buddha nature, that of Clear Light. It is the state of Nirvana, of Eternity, Bliss, Self and Purity. At that point you are already above all influences of your karma, you do not need to be reborn in the six realms of samsara and suffer.
But Bodhisattvas with great vows do not just stay in that realm, they return to Samsara to help save other sentient beings from sufferings. This is not being reborn due to karma, this is rebirth due to vows. Means they don't need to reborn, but they choose to emanate themselves to help others.Well ... it can be quite confusing to type it out .. prefer to express my thoughts etc etc ..
Buddha knew about everything, and he did not teach that there was a personal Creator. I will post about that later.
So the conclusion is : Buddhism is just a teaching ... but hoorrr ... buddha knows about Heaven and Hell .. but who is the creator of us ? Buddha just happen to know ,enlightment , about Buddhism ..One strong point is : He did not start any religion !
Yes, if you mean a religion devoted to worshipping a supreme Creator, he did not create such a religion. He created a community of dedicated practitioners, a monastic community/Sangha, who wishes to practise the teachings of Dharma leading to wisdom, liberation and bliss... and also to propagate this teachings to benefit all sentient beings.So afterall , just do good and you may believe in other religion which you think is real but afterall if that Buddhism is real ... you will be judge by your karma ... then the results of yours will either be in Heaven or Hell right?
If you believe in other religions and do good, then you gain good karma and good rebirth. But, you will not be able to attain Enlightenment and Nirvana, Liberation.I am a free-thinker . .
It's ok, there's no need to talk badly about other religions anyway, unless they are evil cults then I have to warn people about it.
I don't mind you typing things (bad points) about Christinity , Islam etc ..
Because I am choosing a religion ... at my age since my parents don't mind .. they are a so-called "fake buddist" ..
You can type about those inconsistency about Christianity and so on .. so I may investigate more about it and in the end ... choose a religion which i think is real ..So what will happen to those "fake buddist " ? ??
It depends on how they practise their belief.
Go to hell ?
but the "fake buddist" that I mention is good lar ... good karma ... no evil thoughts etc ..
There are many people who practise very superstitiously, and created lots of affinity with the Ghost-Deities (deities that belong to the ghost realm and are powerful, gains respect from people, becos they have better karma). And also like those spirit mediums, etc... Such a person who develope the habit of superstitions can easily fall into the ghost realm, not because they are evil, but because their mind is full of the seeds of the ghost realm.
Therefore Buddhism advocates that we do not practise superstitiously. -
Now let's talk about the topic on a personal Creator/God. I posted this in: qns about buddhism:
First of all Buddhism does not accept the Judeo-Christian or Hindu (Hindu however considers the personal God to be under the influence of Maya or Illusion and that the true God is beyond the personal Creator, much like Gnostic Christianity) or other world religions' idea that there is a personal Creator, means the Old Testament kind of God that has a personality of its own.. and you can actually meet him up for coffee
. If there is a personal Creator it brings a lot of questions into mind. Therefore, Albert Einstein said,
"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"
and..
“If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”
Regarding the question of Personal God in Buddhism,Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Slightly edited from the first topic in our forum regarding Creationism: How the Brahma believed He was God?
In Buddha's days there were many many different teachings, one popular one was Brahmanism. In fact the Brahma was still worshipped nowadays. Brahma was known to be "The Supreme One, the All-mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All".
In Buddhism, the Mahabrahma resides in the 1st Jhana plane, the first plane among the 8 jhanic planes. There were higher realms above where he lives that he was unaware of, and above it all, beyond the 8 Jhanic planes and all Samsaric planes, is Nirvana. Nevertheless all the devas below the 1st Jhana planes considered him as the Creator God. Buddha did not subscribe to the belief of such a notion that the Universe and its Inhabitants were the Creation of the Mahabrahma. He met with the Brahma, asked him questions which he could not answer. Eventually he has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
The Buddha was also known to have said this,
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why does he order such misfortune
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why prevail deceit, lies and ignorance
And he such inequity and injustice create?
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Then an evil master is he, (O Aritta)
Knowing what's right did let wrong prevail!
When the previous universe was destroyed and this universe was formed, the Mahabrahma was first to be reborn. Other subsequent brahmas/devas were to be reborn.
'On this, brethren, the one who was first reborn thinks thus to himself: " I am Brahmà , the Great Brahmà , the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days the Father of all that are and are to be. 'These other beings are of my creation. And why is that so? A while ago I thought, 'Would that they might come!' And on my mental aspiration, behold the beings came." DN 1 2:5
In reality, the universe works by the law of Karma and he has no control over the system of karma.
The Venerable Ledi Sayadaw, a highly renowned Myanmar scholar-monk of the first part of this century, gave a careful analysis of the powers of Maha Brahma in his Niyama Dipani (MB pp. 138-39). He states that although Maha Brahma can perform all sorts of transformations, he cannot actually create independent creatures, change the kammic law of cause and effect, or keep anyone from growing old or dying. Brahma can use his special powers to transport a man to the brahma plane for a short visit, but he cannot ensure that someone will be reborn there.
from http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol5no3f.htm:
When he came to know about Sakyamuni Buddha in the human world who speaks of the universal truth, he was curious and arrived at the human world with the intention to debate with the Buddha. The Buddha, with his ability to know another's mind, knew his intention and asked, "You claim to be the creator of the human race and all things in the universe, is this a fact?"
The king replied, "Yes, it is."
Buddha continued to question him, "Since you created life, why did you also create death? Is death created by you too?"
The king paused for while, and thinking that everyone loves life and nobody welcomes death, he replied, "I did not create death."
Buddha asked him again, "All human beings experience sickness, did you create sickness also?" The king knew that nobody likes to be ill, and he replied, "I did not create illness."
Buddha asked many questions in succession, but the king denied that he created them. Eventually, he admitted that he did not create the universe and all things in it, and certainly not the human race. The king of heavens was full of regrets and he felt ashamed. Finally, he accepted Buddha as his teacher and invited Him to spread the Dharma in the heavens. -
(continued from previous post)
http://www.mahindarama.com/e-library/whybuddhism2.html
Therefore in Buddhism, the question of God is irrelevant and not given importance. Instead, like a scientist, the Buddha encouraged the Buddhist practitioners to find out for themselves the truths that the Buddha said, to put it to test, and to see for ourselves, and to get enlightened. Buddhism does not encourage any blind belief and dogmas (see Kalama Sutra), and also encourages analytical questioning -- whether this teaching actually helps us.
"To those who talked about the first cause of this world, the Buddha responded by saying that it is impossible to find a first cause since everything is changing, interdependent and conditioned by other things. Something that acts as the cause in the present may become the effect in the future. Later that same effect may again become the cause. Such phenomenon continues ad infinitum. It is called the universal law of Anicca or impermanency.”
However, Buddhism is largely Agnostic rather than Atheist. We believe that pondering over such things brings no benefits at all to our spiritual practice, enlightenment, and liberation from samsara.
Kinds of speech to be avoided by contemplatives
"Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to talking about lowly topics such as these -- talking about kings, robbers, ministers of state; armies, alarms, and battles; food and drink; clothing, furniture, garlands, and scents; relatives; vehicles; villages, towns, cities, the countryside; women and heroes; the gossip of the street and the well; tales of the dead; tales of diversity [philosophical discussions of the past and future], the creation of the world and of the sea, and talk of whether things exist or not -- he abstains from talking about lowly topics such as these. This, too, is part of his virtue.
"Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to debates such as these -- 'You understand this doctrine and discipline? I'm the one who understands this doctrine and discipline. How could you understand this doctrine and discipline? You're practicing wrongly. I'm practicing rightly. I'm being consistent. You're not. What should be said first you said last. What should be said last you said first. What you took so long to think out has been refuted. Your doctrine has been overthrown. You're defeated. Go and try to salvage your doctrine; extricate yourself if you can!' -- he abstains from debates such as these. This, too, is part of his virtue."
-- DN 2
Ten wholesome topics of conversation
"There are these ten topics of [proper] conversation. Which ten? Talk on modesty, on contentment, on seclusion, on non-entanglement, on arousing persistence, on virtue, on concentration, on discernment, on release, and on the knowledge & vision of release. These are the ten topics of conversation. If you were to engage repeatedly in these ten topics of conversation, you would outshine even the sun & moon, so mighty, so powerful -- to say nothing of the wanderers of other sects."
-- AN X.69
-------
"Malunkhyaputta Sutta stresses that whether the universe was created or uncreated, finite or infinite, is irrelevant to our main spiritual concerns: the cause and cessation of suffering:
"Therefore Malunkhyaputta, bear the undeclared as undeclared. Malunkhyaputta, what are the not declared? The world is eternal, is not declared by me. The world is not eternal, is not declared by me. They are not essential for the principles of the holy life, they do not lead to turning away, to detachment, to cessation, to appeasement, to realisation, to enlightenment and to extinction. Malunkhyaputta, what are the declared by me? This, is unpleasant, is declared. This, is its arising, is declared. This, is its cessation is declared. This is the path to its cessation, is declared. Malunkhyaputta, why are these declared by me? These are the essentials for the principles of the holy life; they lead to turning away, to detachment, to cessation, to appeasement, to realisation, to enlightenment and to extinction. Malunkhyaputta, I declare them." MN 64"Kalama Sutra
There are countless enlightened persons from Buddha's times till today, some of them even posting in this forum (not me), who have awakened to the ultimate reality and seen for themselves the truths that the Buddha taught. Beliefs in divine etc are not important and irrelevant in Buddhism, Buddhism being a man-centered (means having great love and compassion for all sentient being, as well as to practise for one's own spiritual development) rather than God-centered teaching, which is a reason why it is the only religion that does not have a history of having fought religious wars, --
"Rely not on the teacher/person, but on the teaching. Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the
spirit of the words. Rely not on theory, but on experience.Do not believe in anything simply because you
have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do
not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is
written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and
elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is
conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
- the Buddha
Note: this is just a summary, please read the entire sutra here: http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/resources/kalama_sutra.htmlOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:
Regarding questions such as 'then where does mankind come from'? Please refer to these articles:
No fanaticism
Of Buddhism alone can it be affirmed it is free from all fanaticism. Its aim being to produce in every man a thorough internal transforming by self-conquest, how can it have recourse to might or money or even persuasion for effecting conversion? The Buddha has only shown the way to salvation, and it is left to each individual to decide for himself if he would follow it.
- Prof. Lakshmi Narasu, "The Essence of Buddhism"
The Earth People - Part 1
The Earth People - Part 2
The Earth People - Part 3
Related articles: When will it be the "End of the World"? -
Sorry for typing such long posts (and this is my 7th post in a row
) but I'm sure you can definitely read much faster than I type 
... Please ask if you're not sure what I meant or you have any more questions I'll be more than happy to answer.
Please also read the new topic I just posted: BUDDHISM - The Big Picture -
i salute to the patience of repeating the same posts
but im afraid its show a lack ..of wisdom.
if you find that you have been posting the same things again and again,
my friend you arent progressing
you are trapped.
trap in cycle of life and death.
..
perhaps perhaps..people do not know the meaning of..'retreat'.
may fate bring u to this post. -
Originally posted by simplified:
Hmm, I do post many different things in different topics in this forum -- do search around the various threads in the forum, or search 'An Eternal Now' in sgforums.
i salute to the patience of repeating the same posts
but im afraid its show a lack ..of wisdom.
if you find that you have been posting the same things again and again,
my friend you arent progressing
HOWEVER... when it comes to the basics of what the Buddhist teachings are about... I have to explain it in the most understandable way for beginners to understand and not to confuse them.
So, I'm posting all these for the benefits of those who just got to know about Buddhism.you are trapped.
Of course, I have not attained nirvana
trap in cycle of life and death.
.. You mean you had?
But honestly, I do not see any relation at all with what I am posting, and whether I have nirvana or not.
And also, I do not see any reasons why I cannot repeat what I said before -- I will repeat again and again the same things I said before, as long as there are people who still have the same sort of questions and want to know the answers.perhaps perhaps..people do not know the meaning of..'retreat'.
And I do not know what you mean by 'retreat', please explain what you mean by that.
may fate bring u to this post. -
haa..
you have the chance to go to 'art of happy living' level 2 ..
but u choose to stay at level 1 , trying hard to explain to 'players'.
but you do not know that in order to go to level 2,
u have to forget level 1. (move on)
if u really really understand heart of human..
u will know that when human beings havent really let go (half-filled)..
havent put down weapon..
havent learnt its mistake..
havent sincerely repent..
why spend ur precious time trying to tell them what is it all about.
in order to really 'help' someone to see 'hindrance on their path'..
u have to have awareness of human..
but before that u have to have awareness to yourself.
do u 'understand' yourself?
im afraid no.
if someone were to ask mi what is teaching?
i will smile and ask instead,'please share with me what is the mundane thing that makes you unhappy about'.
if someone were to ask mi what religion to choose?
i will smile and ask instead,'why choose when you duno what to choose.'
human
god
animals
asuras
ghost
every realm has its own rules of living
what is right
what is wrong
a murderer kill someone
at the end of the day
if one still have right and wrong on them, im afraid..he wasted his time..cultivating.
nirvana?
what is nirvana?
where is nirvana?
whether im there or not ,
is it important?
whether im there and come back or not,
is it important?
the most important is..
can u see the 'hindrance' to your own progress.
this is 'awareness'.
so much so much,
yet so little.
Na Mo..Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa. -
Originally posted by simplified:
Dalai Lama wrote a book with similar titles, have you read it?
haa..
you have the chance to go to 'art of happy living' level 2 ..but u choose to stay at level 1 , trying hard to explain to 'players'.
Oh why not. Even Bodhisattvas having transcended all samsara rebirth chose to stay in the world of sufferings to save sentient beings. Do you think going back one level to help others is really not worth it?but you do not know that in order to go to level 2,
That's not true. Does knowing intermediate and advanced dharma teachings means you have to forget about basics?
u have to forget level 1. (move on)
Similarly, without basic understanding, you can never go to intermediate or advanced understanding/realisations.if u really really understand heart of human..
Even when conditions are not ripe, you can plant a seed in them... maybe one day it can ripen.
u will know that when human beings havent really let go (half-filled)..
havent put down weapon..
havent learnt its mistake..
havent sincerely repent..
why spend ur precious time trying to tell them what is it all about.in order to really 'help' someone to see 'hindrance on their path'..
Yes that is most important
u have to have awareness of human..
but before that u have to have awareness to yourself.do u 'understand' yourself?
I am in the ever processing of understanding myself, I do not claimed to have understood everything. Have you?
im afraid no.if someone were to ask mi what is teaching?
I'm not sure if I understood everything you wrote, but I do agree with you on many points.
i will smile and ask instead,'please share with me what is the mundane thing that makes you unhappy about'.
if someone were to ask mi what religion to choose?
i will smile and ask instead,'why choose when you duno what to choose.'
human
god
animals
asuras
ghost
every realm has its own rules of living
what is right
what is wrong
a murderer kill someone
at the end of the day
if one still have right and wrong on them, im afraid..he wasted his time..cultivating.
nirvana?
what is nirvana?
where is nirvana?
whether im there or not ,
is it important?
whether im there and come back or not,
is it important?
the most important is..
can u see the 'hindrance' to your own progress.
this is 'awareness'.
so much so much,
yet so little.
Na Mo..Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa. -
err.. I think the reason why he repeating some topic is not for himself to see but he want to share the teaching with more people. As you know, every now and then, there are different people coming to this forum.Originally posted by simplified:i salute to the patience of repeating the same posts
but im afraid its show a lack ..of wisdom.
if you find that you have been posting the same things again and again,
my friend you arent progressing
you are trapped.
Sometimes even when I read a book or an article the 2nd time, my understanding of the teaching also go deeper. -
AEN being one of the Moderator has the obligation to answer most, if not all the queries and doubts on Buddhism. In this aspect he is doing nothing wrong by repeating or posting materials of similar contents, as long as there are repeated or similar questions posted here.
Justdoit is right that there may be many other new readers in this forum who completely have no clue on what Buddhism is all about; so we should at least support AEN's efforts in trying to set things straight. It's no easy task.
There are lots of bogus Buddhism site or materials out there which may be enticing to unsuspecting ppl seeking the Dharma, or ppl who simply want to know a little bit more on Buddhism, or ppl who just want to kick some fuss to satisfy their ego... I don't know; so what AEN is doing here is applaudable. -
So anyway to topic starter, any more questions or anything you don't understand?
-
Yes one of the reasons this forum was set up by my friend Omniknight is to help those people who still do not understand many things the Buddha taught (which the majority of Singaporeans belong to this category) to understand a little more and hopefully they will look into it and practise the teachings.Originally posted by cycle:Justdoit is right that there may be many other new readers in this forum who completely have no clue on what Buddhism is all about; so we should at least support AEN's efforts in trying to set things straight. It's no easy task. -
Originally posted by MrSotong:
oh, it was long long time ago, there was this man in china who manufactured paper, but however the paper quality of his paper was not so good and they were not selling and he was not earning money. later his wife died, and he was so sad that he burn the paper in front of his wife's dead body. miracally, his wife came back from the dead. (maybe in modern science, his wife is only in coma or something). but due to this event, the news spread and many people followed his footsteps, thinking that they might have bribed yama king. and the folk believe of burning the so called hell-bank notes were brought on.
Err ..
If anyone know more abt the hell bank notes etc ... do tell me ..
/\ -
ya much better
Kinda busy these few days thus no reply
No wonder ... the hell bank notes bits are "corrupted"
and ppl start to burn hell bank notes
Global warming !
So the conclusion is :
Buddhism is abt "study" of buddha's teaching
Not really > to burn papes , joss sticks ..
Thanks for those answers -
No, not just study the Buddha's teachings.Originally posted by MrSotong:ya much better
Kinda busy these few days thus no reply
No wonder ... the hell bank notes bits are "corrupted"
and ppl start to burn hell bank notes
Global warming !
So the conclusion is :
Buddhism is abt "study" of buddha's teaching
Not really > to burn papes , joss sticks ..
Thanks for those answers
Most importantly is practise, practise the Buddha's teachings, and awaken to your own Buddha Nature
To attain Buddhahood is the ultimate goal, and to attain liberation, and the total bliss of Nirvana. -
I am very interested in your viewpoint ,maybe would like to invite you to my skype sessionOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:MrSotong asked me in PM: