Buddhist Discussion Thread

[The De Danann Nation]

Since everyone else had a discussion thread,thought we Buddhist should .What denomination are you?I'm a Zen Buddhist although I prefer to think of myself as non-denominational or an "eclectic Buddhist" as I adopt beliefs from various sects of Buddhism.

[Forster Keys]

Can we restart this thread? If so, I'm researching Buddhism at the moment.

[EnragedMaldivians]

I have a lot of Theravada Buddhist (the dominant religion in Sri Lanka) friends from back when I lived in Sri Lanka and I've read up a bit on Mahayana Buddhism (the strand which is dominant in Tibet). I wouldn't claim any in depth familiarity with it, but what I've read thus far is rather interesting; especially the philosophical aspects regarding emptiness and dependent origination. The Buddhists' argument regarding the non-existence of the self is very similar to Kant's objection to Descartes' "I think therefore I am" arguement.

[Industrial Republics]

I've looked into it, but like most "religions" it requires more attention then I am willing to give to it.

[Forster Keys]

I have a lot of Theravada Buddhist (the dominant religion in Sri Lanka) friends from back when I lived in Sri Lanka and I've read up a bit on Mahayana Buddhism (the strand which is dominant in Tibet). I wouldn't claim any in depth familiarity with it, but what I've read thus far is rather interesting; especially the philosophical aspects regarding emptiness and dependent origination. The Buddhists' argument regarding the non-existence of the self is very similar to Kant's objection to Descartes' "I think therefore I am" arguement.

Yeah, I've only lightly touched on the concepts so far, but Kant could have got that off Buddhism via the Greeks IIRC. The amount of cross-fertilisation between the two regions, most around and after Alexander's time is quite intriguing.

[Geilinor]

I don't consider myself a full Buddhist, but I do like some of the philosophy.

[Pravengria]

Since everyone else had a discussion thread,thought we Buddhist should .What denomination are you?I'm a Zen Buddhist although I prefer to think of myself as non-denominational or an "eclectic Buddhist" as I adopt beliefs from various sects of Buddhism.

Yay! Bout time we ha done of these, I like to think I'm more of a Zen as well, but I follow Buddhism and Taoism in more of a philosophical manner instead of as a religion. Funny though, because the only temple that's near me is a Hindu one, but its nice to go there and meditate ^^ Pretty much the one way that I know I can be peace at mind, and look for happiness Thanks for the thread!

[Geilinor]

Since everyone else had a discussion thread,thought we Buddhist should .What denomination are you?I'm a Zen Buddhist although I prefer to think of myself as non-denominational or an "eclectic Buddhist" as I adopt beliefs from various sects of Buddhism.

I follow Buddhism and Taoism in more of a philosophical manner instead of as a religion

Same with me. I was raised around Hinduism and Jainism so I take philosophy from Buddhism and Hinduism. I haven't looked at Taoism much but it seems interesting.

[The USOT]

I have a question for Buddhists on this thread (and I apologise for any ignorance this may entail on my part, but I must actively state I am by no means as well versed in buddhism as I am other philosophies/religions).

Why is there such an active opposition to suffering? I dont mean it as an active critique, but as someone who sees suffering as in many instances a good thing and something beneficial to the average life, it seems an alien concept to me.

[Geilinor]

I have a question for Buddhists on this thread (and I apologise for any ignorance this may entail on my part, but I must actively state I am by no means as well versed in buddhism as I am other philosophies/religions).

Why is there such an active opposition to suffering? I dont mean it as an active critique, but as someone who sees suffering as in many instances a good thing and something beneficial to the average life, it seems an alien concept to me.

In Buddhism, the cause of suffering is basically desire, ignorance, and impermanence. While living on the material world, aging, sickness, and death will come to all of us. Buddhism is based around trying to reduce suffering. Liberation from suffering and the material world is a goal in many religions. For example, salvation in Christianity. In a way, suffering is a good thing in Buddhism. If there was no suffering, Buddhism would not exist. I've explained this the best I can, my knowledge of Buddhism comes from the Internet.

[Pravengria]

I have a question for Buddhists on this thread (and I apologise for any ignorance this may entail on my part, but I must actively state I am by no means as well versed in buddhism as I am other philosophies/religions).

Why is there such an active opposition to suffering? I dont mean it as an active critique, but as someone who sees suffering as in many instances a good thing and something beneficial to the average life, it seems an alien concept to me.

In Buddhism, the cause of suffering is basically desire, ignorance, and impermanence. While living on the material world, aging, sickness, and death will come to all of us. Buddhism is based around trying to reduce suffering. Liberation from suffering and the material world is a goal in many religions. For example, salvation in Christianity. In a way, suffering is a good thing in Buddhism. If there was no suffering, Buddhism would not exist. I've explained this the best I can, my knowledge of Buddhism comes from the Internet.

Its not so much of opposition to suffering. In buddhism, one pursues the path to end it for themselves. Buddhism makes a person look more inward and accept the things as they are and draw happiness from ever little detail. As said, It may rain and storm, but in the end, crops will strive. To try and end suffering involves one acknowledging faults within people and being able to look past those and seek the goodness and happiness from it. It eventually makes one wiser, and more peaceful at mind. Sure, I could die, but I know that in doing so, I give up one less mouth to feed, in my death I remind others around me how valuable life is, My body will decay and return the nutrients and essence back into the soil of which plants can use to grow, which could produce food for a poor family. Things like that, you learn how to turn something horrible into something more harmonic (: We don't hate suffering, as we're taught not to hate anything. We simply try to look past it and find one thing that one can cherish. You avoid looking at material to make you happy and more of just the ideas and beauty around you.

[The De Danann Nation]

I have a question for Buddhists on this thread (and I apologise for any ignorance this may entail on my part, but I must actively state I am by no means as well versed in buddhism as I am other philosophies/religions).

Why is there such an active opposition to suffering? I dont mean it as an active critique, but as someone who sees suffering as in many instances a good thing and something beneficial to the average life, it seems an alien concept to me.

Dukkha can be translated as "suffering." but it can also be translated as craving or dissatisfaction. For example, people seek pleasure, always thinking the next bite is going to do it for them but needing more and more.

[The De Danann Nation]

Since everyone else had a discussion thread,thought we Buddhist should .What denomination are you?I'm a Zen Buddhist although I prefer to think of myself as non-denominational or an "eclectic Buddhist" as I adopt beliefs from various sects of Buddhism.

Yay! Bout time we ha done of these, I like to think I'm more of a Zen as well, but I follow Buddhism and Taoism in more of a philosophical manner instead of as a religion. Funny though, because the only temple that's near me is a Hindu one, but its nice to go there and meditate ^^ Pretty much the one way that I know I can be peace at mind, and look for happiness Thanks for the thread!

I know what you mean.

I have a lot of Theravada Buddhist (the dominant religion in Sri Lanka) friends from back when I lived in Sri Lanka and I've read up a bit on Mahayana Buddhism (the strand which is dominant in Tibet). I wouldn't claim any in depth familiarity with it, but what I've read thus far is rather interesting; especially the philosophical aspects regarding emptiness and dependent origination. The Buddhists' argument regarding the non-existence of the self is very similar to Kant's objection to Descartes' "I think therefore I am" arguement.

Yeah, I've been delving into that.

[Cirona]

I have no idea what Buddhist I am.

I mean, we mix Buddhism with Confucianism and Taoism.

What am I?!?!

[Cill Airne]

I have no idea what Buddhist I am.

I mean, we mix Buddhism with Confucianism and Taoism.

What am I?!?!

Thats not exactly specific. Chinese and Korean Buddhism often have many influences from Confucianism and Taoism, but thats not going to tell you that you practice Chán, or you practice ___.

And why does it matter? If you follow the teachings of the Buddha, why let "divisions" get in your way?

[Khadgar]

Limit to my knowledge is having read Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. I will not claim to have understood it. Frustratingly I lost the book at some point.

[Chopo Rarru]

I have two quick questions for the Buddhists on here:

1.) Do you believe in a god or gods?

2.) Do you believe that the Buddha is a divine figure?

[Ratateague]

I don't know what kind of buddhist I am, or if I can honestly call myself that, seeing as I don't practice mindfulness as I should. I do know that I own some books on the subject, understand the basic concepts, and have had an epiphany which I'd traced to Nagarjuna's concept of fourfold negation and sunyata. I'm still uncertain I fully understand its implications.

1.) Do you believe in a god or gods?

2.) Do you believe that the Buddha is a divine figure?

1. Unsure
2. There are a mix of opinions on that. Personally, I believe that Buddha is a state of enlightened being and is not intended for worship.

[Borgyn]

I'm not really a Buddhist, like a few people that have posted here, but I do like many Buddhist teachings. I also like how the existence of a god/gods isn't an important part of achieving enlightenment. I've tried practicing zen, but I think I need to make more time in the day to think about it.

I'm also reading Taoist philosophies, and I really like them, too. Buddhism and Taoism can overlap, so I thought I'd mention it.

[Supermarionation]

Can we restart this thread?

After three months, with literally zero replies. I can't imagine why you didn't just start a new one?

[Chopo Rarru]

1.) Do you believe in a god or gods?

2.) Do you believe that the Buddha is a divine figure?

1. Unsure
2. There are a mix of opinions on that. Personally, I believe that Buddha is a state of enlightened being and is not intended for worship.

Yeah, I know. I was just wondering what the various people on here thought.

[Pravengria]

I have two quick questions for the Buddhists on here:

1.) Do you believe in a god or gods?

2.) Do you believe that the Buddha is a divine figure?

1.) As for me no, though some Buddhist do. It's possible to be a Christian and follow Buddhist philosophy.
2.) As far as Buddha, no, some may see him as one, but most see him no more than a teacher who presented forth his ideas on how to try and live a better life. Instead of worshiping him, we follow in his footsteps and practise his teachings.

[Coccygia]

I am not a Buddhist, but I think if I were an adherent of any religion, I would be a Buddhist. It seems to me to be the least stupid of the major religions (coming from me, that's high praise.)

[Tmutarakhan]

I have two quick questions for the Buddhists on here:

1.) Do you believe in a god or gods?

2.) Do you believe that the Buddha is a divine figure?

The answer is not so much "yes" or "no" as "that's irrelevant" or "wrong way to put it"

[The De Danann Nation]

I have two quick questions for the Buddhists on here:

1.) Do you believe in a god or gods?

2.) Do you believe that the Buddha is a divine figure?

Yeah, I personally do. Others may or may not. In the traditional Buddhist cosmology, supernatural beings called devas and asuras live. But they're not thought of as immortal, omnipotent beings, but mortal, but incredibly powerful beings. They die and are reborn in the lower planes based on their karma. Here's a site that might explain a bit for you. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html
Onto the second, Buddha is not a divine figure, rather a being who spend incalculable aeons striving for enlightenment. He is no different than you or me.