Q & A
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according to Buddhism, who created the heavens and the earth?
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In accordance to Buddhism, nobody created Heavens nor the Earth.
Buddhism is supportive of science...
“If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”
Albert Einstein -
What Buddhism is Not
It is not Nihilism (ucchedavada) ; it is not fatalism (pubbekatahetu vada) it is not Creatorism (issaranimmana vada). Then what is Buddhism ? It is a kiriyavada, kammavada, hetuvada, a paticcasarnuppanna dhamma, and an anupubbadhamma.
http://www.vipassana.com/resources/dharmapala/an8.php -
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/wheels/wheel414.html
Maha Brahma
The Buddha has directly seen the origins of Maha Brahma and understands what it requires to be reborn in his world. In the Brahmajala Sutta (DN 1) the Buddha describes how a supposed Creator God came to believe himself omnipotent and how others came to rely on his sovereignty. His description was based, not on speculation or hearsay, but on his own direct knowledge. The Buddha explains that when our world system disintegrates, as it regularly does after extremely long periods of time, the lower sixteen planes are all destroyed. Beings disappear from all planes below the seventeenth, the plane of the Abhassara gods. Whatever beings cannot be born on the seventeenth or a higher brahma plane then must take birth on the lower planes in other remote world systems.
Eventually the world starts to re-form. Then a solitary being passes away from the Abhassara plane and takes rebirth on the plane of Maha Brahma. A palace created by his kamma awaits him there: "There he dwells, mind-made, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, moving through the air, abiding in glory. And he continues thus for a long, long time." After ages pass, he becomes lonely and longs for other beings to join him. It just so happens that shortly after the brahma starts craving for company, other beings from the Abhassara plane, who have exhausted their lifespans there, pass away and are reborn in the palace of Brahma, in companionship with him.
Because these beings seemed to arise in accordance with the first brahma's wish, he becomes convinced that he is the almighty God: "I am the Great Brahma, the Vanquisher... the Lord, the Maker and Creator, the Supreme Being." The other brahmas, seeing that he was already present when they took birth in his world, accept his claim and revere him as their creator.
Eventually this misconception of a Creator God spreads to the human plane. One of the other brahmas passes away and is reborn here. He develops concentration and learns to recollect his previous life with Maha Brahma, but none of his lives before that. Recollecting that existence he recalls that Maha Brahma was considered the "father of all that are and are to be... permanent, stable, eternal." As he is unable to remember further back, he believes this to be absolute truth and propounds a theistic doctrine of an omnipotent Creator God (Net 69-70, 155-66).
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.
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why does he order such misfortune
And not create concord? sace hi so issaro sabbaloke
Brahmâ bahûbhûtapati pajâna.m
ki.m sabbaloke vidah alakkhi.m
ki.m sabbaloka.m na sukhi.m akâsi
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? sace hi so issaro sabbaloke
Brahmâ bahûbhûtapati pajâna.m
mâyâmusâvajjamadena c'api
loka.m adhammena kimatthakâsi
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! sace hi so issaro sabbaloke
Brahmâ bahûbhûtapati pajâna.m
adhammiyo bhûtapat Ari.t.tha
dhamme sat yo vidahi adhamma.m
Sorry... if anyone wants to argue about this, can create new topic
I am merely presenting the Buddhist views on theistic doctrines. -
Originally posted by Xabir:
"Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish." --Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
In accordance to Buddhism, nobody created Heavens nor the Earth.
Buddhism is supportive of science...
[b] “If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”
Albert Einstein[/b] -
"What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world." --Albert Einstein
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"It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."Originally posted by NeonTetra:"What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the world." --Albert Einstein
[Albert Einstein, 1954, from "Albert Einstein: The Human Side", edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press] -
I hope not to turn this into an argument, as this is a Q&A topic.
Anyway... here's the complete quote from Albert Einstein -
"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. The religion which is based on experience, which refuses dogmatism. If there's any religion that would cope the scientific needs it will be BuddhismÂ…"
-- Albert Einstein
Oh yes... another one:
"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity" Albert Einstein -
There's something I would like to point out...
Wisdom is not intelligence. Buddha's wisdom is different from the intelligence ordinary people have. Intelligence depends on our mental capability to think, but Buddha's wisdom arises from practice of Prajnaparamita.
Wisdom and Intelligence is different - an intelligent scientist can create a bomb to kill many people, but a wise one will use his wisdom to save many people. This is because his knowledge is immense - his mind is able to think very well in accordance to scientific laws. However, Intelligence may be influenced and deluded by Greed, Hatred, and Ignorance, Self-Centred and selfish, but Buddha's wisdom shines through all darkness of the three poisons. -
y buddha wanna have sex?
http://www.dharmaware.com/thangka_gallery/thangka_archives.html
look for 'Shitro' -
This is not really an area which I'm good at, partly because I'm not a Tibetan Buddhist, and would like to find out more. I do ask Origami from time to time about Tibetan Buddhism, but I will try to explain as much as possible here.
I would say.. the Tibetan Buddhism is quite special as compared to other streams of Buddhism, as there are some differences to be noted of, and you need thorough understandings of it before jumping to any conclusions or slanders. Tantric is one of the paths taught by Buddha, Buddha has turned the Dharma Wheel thrice: First, is the expounding of Hinayana teachings. Second, is the expounding of Mahayana teachings, and finally, the expounding of Tantric teachings.
The Tantric path seeks to transform basic human passions of desire and aversion into spiritual growth and development. Thus, instead of denying primal sexual and sensual urges as in traditional Buddhism, the practice of Tantra accepts these urges as sacred life force energy, which is purified and transformed into wholesome and healthy forces connecting the individual with higher spiritual awareness. In order to be successful with Tantric work, one must have skill in both self-control and acceptance of self and others.
http://www.thewildrose.net/tibetan_buddhism.html
Also, have you realised those tangkas with sexual showings are not Buddhas?
Only those marked with the 32 Major Marks and 81 Minor Marks are considered "Buddhas". The rests are the Tibetan-style of deities as part of the practice, visualisation object, for a vajrayana practitioner.
No, Shakyamuni Buddha did not have sex even once ever since he has attained enlightenment. It is important to note that ALL ARHATS, BUDDHAS HAVE TRANSCENDED WORLDLY DESIRES. It is clearly stated in the Four Noble Truth expounded by the Buddha soon after his enlightenment, that Desire Causes Sufferings, and Buddha have became enlightened and transcended all his desires. It is in fact that, when Mara (the evil one, the heavenly devil) who have come to disturb Buddha's practice of Meditation, that Buddha did not get at all affected and remained in his meditational concentration. A Buddhist tantrist, tantric sex practice (doesn't exist in Singapore, I believe), is totally different from ordinary worldly sex. A Tantric Practitioner practices without Desire and lust. If he does have desire and lust, then it would not be "tantric", and will sure to bring children, but not so for those who practiced according to the tantra.
Anyway, I'm not a Tibetan Buddhist. I'm sure when Origami comes here, he'll be able to answer your question much better. -
This is a higher tantric practise. Will explain to u after my movie toniteOriginally posted by NeonTetra:y buddha wanna have sex?
http://www.dharmaware.com/thangka_gallery/thangka_archives.html
look for 'Shitro' -
Higher tantric practise touches on very subtle levels of the mind. All desires and delusions are supressed. We visualise ourselves as the specific deity. The woman u see is the consort. It signifies the bliss we experience during orgasm. I once asked a sangha about this experience and was told that thru practise, it is like multple orgasms. Usually when people hear this, they start to have opinions. But understand that these sanghas are high practitioners who have supressed their desires. The feeling of bliss is different from the physical sense we experience but on a mental level, it is similar.
Usually we only practise such tantric practise on solitary deities. Only high practitioner practise with consorts. We who have not yet supressed such desires only will bring harm to ourselves. That is why whenever people see such paintings or pictures, they always get confused. -
TOPIC CLOSED.
Please post your questions as seperate topics in the forum, thanks