Tragedy Begs Question of a Merciful God

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Ibram

What, pray tell, does putting your legs over your shoulders have to do with philosophy?

Not to split hairs, but Buddhism is a religion and not a philosophy.

The bit aobut the legs I think it is just more gibberish confusing Yoga and Buddhism.

No, it is not.
There is no deism nor dogma. You have no idea what you are talking about.

[footfootfoot]

Actually I do. I've been practicing Buddhsim for almost 20 years, I lived at a Buddhist monastery for a year, have been doing Koan study for over fifteen years, I received the precepts about seventeen years ago, and have read a yard of books on the Dharma.

Religion does not need to have to anything to do with god or God.

Philosophy, in that it is the study of knowledge, could be applied to Buddhism if you really wanted to by considering that according to Dogen Zenji "to study the self is to forget the self, and to forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things."

But I still say it is not a philosophy. To me, it is a religion.

[footfootfoot]

cf: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

What do we understand by meditation? From the Buddhist point of view, meditation is a spiritual discipline, and one that allows you to have some degree of control over your thoughts and emotions. Why is it that we don't succeed in enjoying the lasting happiness that we are seeking? Buddhism explains that our normal state of mind is such that our thoughts and emotions are wild and unruly, and since we lack the mental discipline needed to tame them, we are powerless to control them. As a result, they control us. And thoughts and emotions, in their turn, tend to be controlled by our negative impulses rather than our positive ones. We need to reverse this cycle. '
HHTDL


• Is Buddhism a Religion?

To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

http://www.buddhanet.net/nutshell03.htm

http://www.buddhanet.net/budasa4.htm

Been practicing for around twenty years myself and have read plenty as well.... to each their own.

[Rock Steady]

Sorry, guys, but this has NOTHING to do with religion. Bad Fucking Parenting. There's no way I would let my kids near a situation like that.

This bitch has 8 kids and doesn't value half of them.

Christianity is an excuse.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Rock Steady

Sorry, guys, but this has NOTHING to do with religion. Bad Fucking Parenting. There's no way I would let my kids near a situation like that.

This bitch has 8 kids and doesn't value half of them.

Christianity is an excuse.

Yeah, that was just a little tangent. Your point about the bitch has been pretty much established, I'd go on to say she doesn't value any of them, but I wasn't there.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

...To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' ...
Been practicing for around twenty years myself and have read plenty as well.... to each their own.

I think the problem here is the limitations of words. For me, personally, philosophy has a somewhat negative connotation. Probably based upon some neg. experiences with philosophy professors and philosophy grad students, who seem to delight in endless hours of mental masturbation.

So to see something as going "beyond" religion to philosophy seems backward. My bias, for sure.

The main problem with religion, for me, is how much its definition is yoked to judaeo-christian beliefs. In the wiki aritcle they are looking at the etymology of the word and coming up with interpretations by St. Augustine! What, like 300-400 years after christ?

So to apply an interpretation of the word religion that post dates other world religions by millenia seems a tad exclusionary on the part of the wiki authors.

I see religion as being a way of life, rather than a club or identity. Again, my, perhaps lonely, interpretation.

Sorry for the hijack, I just wanted to clarify my point w/ rkzenrage.

[Ibby]

I kind of think of the opposite, though, yard. I think of a philosophy, at least in the context of this, as a way of life, and of a religion as more of a club or identity.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Rock Steady

Sorry, guys, but this has NOTHING to do with religion. Bad Fucking Parenting. There's no way I would let my kids near a situation like that.

This bitch has 8 kids and doesn't value half of them.

Christianity is an excuse.

What, you wouldn't let your kids go on a group outing?
Why do you say she doesn't(didn't) value half of them? How in hell do you know what she valued? Just because she gave the reporter the brush off doesn't mean she didn't love her kids.

Shit, the woman lost four children in one shot, don't you think she just might be a little shell shocked?...... and possibly reluctant to discuss the accident in detail with some reporter?

I don't recall her saying anything about Christ.

[Spexxvet]

As they say "God is cruel"

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by rkzenrage

What do we understand by meditation? From the Buddhist point of view, meditation is a spiritual discipline, and one that allows you to have some degree of control over your thoughts and emotions. Why is it that we don't succeed in enjoying the lasting happiness that we are seeking? Buddhism explains that our normal state of mind is such that our thoughts and emotions are wild and unruly, and since we lack the mental discipline needed to tame them, we are powerless to control them. As a result, they control us. And thoughts and emotions, in their turn, tend to be controlled by our negative impulses rather than our positive ones. We need to reverse this cycle. '
HHTDL


• Is Buddhism a Religion?

To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

http://www.buddhanet.net/nutshell03.htm

http://www.buddhanet.net/budasa4.htm

Been practicing for around twenty years myself and have read plenty as well.... to each their own.

One could say that Christianity is a philosophy, and prayer is akin to meditation. What do you see as the specific differences that makes Christianity (or any other "religion") a religion, and not Buddhism? Is it that Buddhism comes from the self, where tradititional western religions are based on some "outside force"?

[Happy Monkey]

Most religions have a philosophy attached, but the religious part of Christianity is the bit about Jesus being God. The Jefferson Bible would be an example of nonreligious Christian philosophy.

Buddhism in general makes no supernatural claims about Buddha, or anything else, but there are sects that do, or that incorporate Buddhism into other religions.