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Definitely interesting....something ive been wanting to read up on for a few years now but have just been too lazy to do so.
Anyone Practice Buddhism Here On NT? (Philosophically)
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by DCAllAfrican,
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Theravada Buddhist here. There are good documentarys on Youtube that will help you understand, search for some. Wikipedia is a good starting point also. and the various online forums...
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Theravada Buddhist here. There are good documentarys on Youtube that will help you understand, search for some. Wikipedia is a good starting point also. and the various online forums...
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Just curious Dame, what is your take on widespread love (or worship if you really think about it) of certain brand names, celebrities, sports teams and therefore advertising, multi-media, logos and images... etc?
Do you have a problem with people worshiping and obsessing over things that are finite as well as hypothetically infinite (deities)?
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Just curious Dame, what is your take on widespread love (or worship if you really think about it) of certain brand names, celebrities, sports teams and therefore advertising, multi-media, logos and images... etc?
Do you have a problem with people worshiping and obsessing over things that are finite as well as hypothetically infinite (deities)?
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Originally Posted by DCAllAmerican
I have been given a serious of reading/listening materials from one of my co-workers re: Buddhism. Zen to be exact. So I am here trying to educate myself and I just wanted to know if anyone here is already on board. I am not really looking to make it my religion per-say, but I am looking for different philosophies in the world to consider. We can just use this as an open discussion. I don't know what I am asking you all exactly but just talk to me.
"Please respond" -
One of my favorite books, along with Animal Farm (The two sort of combine to form an interesting thesis on Man in general -- at least from my perspective.) are where I get both my open mindedness and cynicism from. What I BELIEVE this book hypothesizes is that organized religion may give you an idea as to what the end result of faithfulness (enlightenment/nirvana/"heaven") may be, but that it's up to the individual to find his own path to that destination. (Spoilers ahead) The protagonists starts out by leaving his father's way of life behind to start out on his own quest for spiritual growth, along with his best friend. When they arrive at the Dali Llama (sp?), his friend elects to stay and learn his teachings. Siddhartha however, realizes that the Dali Llama never found enlightenment by sitting and listening to the previous Dali Llama, and so likewise, one can aspire to but never reach enlightenment by following some one else's path to it. So Siddhartha eventually parts from his best friend to continue his own search for personal understanding. There's other things that happen that make this book a very well rounded tale, but I think the message in it is that we must first abandon what we were taught to believe in, in order to make room for what we will learn to believe in based on our own experiences. Also, you can't substitute another man's faith for your own.
That message would do well to reach some of the ears of people that fight over the name of God and which book best describes him... if any.
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Originally Posted by DCAllAmerican
I have been given a serious of reading/listening materials from one of my co-workers re: Buddhism. Zen to be exact. So I am here trying to educate myself and I just wanted to know if anyone here is already on board. I am not really looking to make it my religion per-say, but I am looking for different philosophies in the world to consider. We can just use this as an open discussion. I don't know what I am asking you all exactly but just talk to me.
"Please respond" -
One of my favorite books, along with Animal Farm (The two sort of combine to form an interesting thesis on Man in general -- at least from my perspective.) are where I get both my open mindedness and cynicism from. What I BELIEVE this book hypothesizes is that organized religion may give you an idea as to what the end result of faithfulness (enlightenment/nirvana/"heaven") may be, but that it's up to the individual to find his own path to that destination. (Spoilers ahead) The protagonists starts out by leaving his father's way of life behind to start out on his own quest for spiritual growth, along with his best friend. When they arrive at the Dali Llama (sp?), his friend elects to stay and learn his teachings. Siddhartha however, realizes that the Dali Llama never found enlightenment by sitting and listening to the previous Dali Llama, and so likewise, one can aspire to but never reach enlightenment by following some one else's path to it. So Siddhartha eventually parts from his best friend to continue his own search for personal understanding. There's other things that happen that make this book a very well rounded tale, but I think the message in it is that we must first abandon what we were taught to believe in, in order to make room for what we will learn to believe in based on our own experiences. Also, you can't substitute another man's faith for your own.
That message would do well to reach some of the ears of people that fight over the name of God and which book best describes him... if any.
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posting for latur.
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posting for latur.
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*Paging Shapeshiftah*
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*Paging Shapeshiftah*
Gill Baka Esq. LLC.
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Zen in the Martial Arts written by Joe Hyams changed my life.
You don't have to practice any type of martial art to understand the lessons in the book.
Really short could read it in 2 hours but it's worth it's weight in diamonds.
In terms of Buddhism I regard it as one of the most powerful individual awakening religions meaning that the Buddha was a man and he died a man but he also died enlightened to what it really is to be human at their peak. My personal philosophy on religion is that a force beyond what we can comprehend but what some of us know is there has sent messengers to us in the form of christ, buddha, mohammed...etc. to spread and teach the way of awakening inner divinity.
What hank posted a couple pages back was probably the best statement in this whole thread. All of these explorations and insights we take are at the core individual experiences that should help us along the road to eventually awaken something.
You don't have to practice any type of martial art to understand the lessons in the book.
Really short could read it in 2 hours but it's worth it's weight in diamonds.
In terms of Buddhism I regard it as one of the most powerful individual awakening religions meaning that the Buddha was a man and he died a man but he also died enlightened to what it really is to be human at their peak. My personal philosophy on religion is that a force beyond what we can comprehend but what some of us know is there has sent messengers to us in the form of christ, buddha, mohammed...etc. to spread and teach the way of awakening inner divinity.
What hank posted a couple pages back was probably the best statement in this whole thread. All of these explorations and insights we take are at the core individual experiences that should help us along the road to eventually awaken something.
Gill Baka Esq. LLC.
formerly grimlock
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Zen in the Martial Arts written by Joe Hyams changed my life.
You don't have to practice any type of martial art to understand the lessons in the book.
Really short could read it in 2 hours but it's worth it's weight in diamonds.
In terms of Buddhism I regard it as one of the most powerful individual awakening religions meaning that the Buddha was a man and he died a man but he also died enlightened to what it really is to be human at their peak. My personal philosophy on religion is that a force beyond what we can comprehend but what some of us know is there has sent messengers to us in the form of christ, buddha, mohammed...etc. to spread and teach the way of awakening inner divinity.
What hank posted a couple pages back was probably the best statement in this whole thread. All of these explorations and insights we take are at the core individual experiences that should help us along the road to eventually awaken something.
You don't have to practice any type of martial art to understand the lessons in the book.
Really short could read it in 2 hours but it's worth it's weight in diamonds.
In terms of Buddhism I regard it as one of the most powerful individual awakening religions meaning that the Buddha was a man and he died a man but he also died enlightened to what it really is to be human at their peak. My personal philosophy on religion is that a force beyond what we can comprehend but what some of us know is there has sent messengers to us in the form of christ, buddha, mohammed...etc. to spread and teach the way of awakening inner divinity.
What hank posted a couple pages back was probably the best statement in this whole thread. All of these explorations and insights we take are at the core individual experiences that should help us along the road to eventually awaken something.
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Seems like a good idea but if you are interested in Buddhism, why would this be in your first 5 books to read? If you know nothing about Buddhism, wouldn't you read about Buddhism first? Seems like an advanced question. This book is not the place to start, imo.Originally Posted by nealraj006
Many people don't consider Buddhism a religion. Rather, they consider it a philosophy that branched off of Hinduism. If you want to learn about where Buddhism came from, then it's a good idea to find out where it started. The recommendation of the Gita isn't a bad one. Buddhism and Hinduism share many of their fundamental viewpoints.Originally Posted by HankMoody
[h3]Re: Anyone Practice Buddhism Here On NT? (Philosophically)[/h3]
Did a quick search just to see the results. On the Gita's wiki page, Buddhism comes up only once and it's a passing reference. Not the best indicator but I think it still makes my point.
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Seems like a good idea but if you are interested in Buddhism, why would this be in your first 5 books to read? If you know nothing about Buddhism, wouldn't you read about Buddhism first? Seems like an advanced question. This book is not the place to start, imo.Originally Posted by nealraj006
Many people don't consider Buddhism a religion. Rather, they consider it a philosophy that branched off of Hinduism. If you want to learn about where Buddhism came from, then it's a good idea to find out where it started. The recommendation of the Gita isn't a bad one. Buddhism and Hinduism share many of their fundamental viewpoints.Originally Posted by HankMoody
[h3]Re: Anyone Practice Buddhism Here On NT? (Philosophically)[/h3]
Did a quick search just to see the results. On the Gita's wiki page, Buddhism comes up only once and it's a passing reference. Not the best indicator but I think it still makes my point.
|A-Man|
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Anymore book recommendations? At the time I started I didn't think there'd be many books encompassing all of the different kinds of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana; the different kinds with in those two major types, and smaller branches). Is there a book like that? (I already know about that one book giving the rundown on all religions). So other than videos, wikipedia, and meeting actual Buddhists (and you can only pick their brain for so long) I don't have all the info on it.
|A-Man|
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Anymore book recommendations? At the time I started I didn't think there'd be many books encompassing all of the different kinds of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana; the different kinds with in those two major types, and smaller branches). Is there a book like that? (I already know about that one book giving the rundown on all religions). So other than videos, wikipedia, and meeting actual Buddhists (and you can only pick their brain for so long) I don't have all the info on it.
Gill Baka Esq. LLC.
formerly grimlock
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Yea I agree with you Hank, i was raised in the Hindu religion and while what neal says is true that hinduism and buddhism share concepts I don't think reading hindu texts to learn about buddhism is the right way.Originally Posted by HankMoody
Seems like a good idea but if you are interested in Buddhism, why would this be in your first 5 books to read? If you know nothing about Buddhism, wouldn't you read about Buddhism first? Seems like an advanced question. This book is not the place to start, imo.Originally Posted by nealraj006
Many people don't consider Buddhism a religion. Rather, they consider it a philosophy that branched off of Hinduism. If you want to learn about where Buddhism came from, then it's a good idea to find out where it started. The recommendation of the Gita isn't a bad one. Buddhism and Hinduism share many of their fundamental viewpoints.Originally Posted by HankMoody
[h3]Re: Anyone Practice Buddhism Here On NT? (Philosophically)[/h3]
Did a quick search just to see the results. On the Gita's wiki page, Buddhism comes up only once and it's a passing reference. Not the best indicator but I think it still makes my point.
I think the best way to learn about buddhism is from the foundation which is learning how the buddha came to be. Go watch the buddha special narrated by richard gere, I think it's a good start. Then you can move on to the story of buddha which is out there in masses. There Chopra's book and the dalai lama's stuff, then theres the manga books which is a phenomenal series if you like that sort of thing but its more of a story based around the general knowledge of how buddha came to be and is tezuka's interpretation.
Gill Baka Esq. LLC.
formerly grimlock
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Yea I agree with you Hank, i was raised in the Hindu religion and while what neal says is true that hinduism and buddhism share concepts I don't think reading hindu texts to learn about buddhism is the right way.Originally Posted by HankMoody
Seems like a good idea but if you are interested in Buddhism, why would this be in your first 5 books to read? If you know nothing about Buddhism, wouldn't you read about Buddhism first? Seems like an advanced question. This book is not the place to start, imo.Originally Posted by nealraj006
Many people don't consider Buddhism a religion. Rather, they consider it a philosophy that branched off of Hinduism. If you want to learn about where Buddhism came from, then it's a good idea to find out where it started. The recommendation of the Gita isn't a bad one. Buddhism and Hinduism share many of their fundamental viewpoints.Originally Posted by HankMoody
[h3]Re: Anyone Practice Buddhism Here On NT? (Philosophically)[/h3]
Did a quick search just to see the results. On the Gita's wiki page, Buddhism comes up only once and it's a passing reference. Not the best indicator but I think it still makes my point.
I think the best way to learn about buddhism is from the foundation which is learning how the buddha came to be. Go watch the buddha special narrated by richard gere, I think it's a good start. Then you can move on to the story of buddha which is out there in masses. There Chopra's book and the dalai lama's stuff, then theres the manga books which is a phenomenal series if you like that sort of thing but its more of a story based around the general knowledge of how buddha came to be and is tezuka's interpretation.
dame theory
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i'm staying away from anything related to chopra. That dude has no clue of what hes talking about. hes been exposed several times.
dame theory
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i'm staying away from anything related to chopra. That dude has no clue of what hes talking about. hes been exposed several times.
dame theory
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I understand it. I totally do. I just think its a result of the masses not having anything to be proud of in themselves. Who do these celebs look up to? Exactly. No one. They have it all and don't need to look to anyone. We could be just like that but we always see more and get unsettled and it gets harder to satisfy ourselves.
I do a lot of random reading on how ads work and marketing and I just marvel at how those things affect us. Its incredible stuff. Not everyone has the time or patience to read or learn about the stuff so its a product of one's own education and experience.
I'll keep it short cause i'm not in the mood right now to go on my usual long tirade but I think worshipping finite or infinite things are worthless. Appreciate what you know you can support with evidence. Life is too short. However a lot of people can't accept that there isn't that much to life. I've realized this so life is more unique to me. I just try to spread that perspective. Others try to add meaning and often find themselves missing something in their lives. I think its the result of an inability to be at peace with oneself and understanding the real power of one's confidence. A lot of people lack that and try to compensate in other areas. Its a complicated issue that I think I can understand why people do it, but it doesn't make it any more honest or respectful to reality.
dame theory
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I understand it. I totally do. I just think its a result of the masses not having anything to be proud of in themselves. Who do these celebs look up to? Exactly. No one. They have it all and don't need to look to anyone. We could be just like that but we always see more and get unsettled and it gets harder to satisfy ourselves.
I do a lot of random reading on how ads work and marketing and I just marvel at how those things affect us. Its incredible stuff. Not everyone has the time or patience to read or learn about the stuff so its a product of one's own education and experience.
I'll keep it short cause i'm not in the mood right now to go on my usual long tirade but I think worshipping finite or infinite things are worthless. Appreciate what you know you can support with evidence. Life is too short. However a lot of people can't accept that there isn't that much to life. I've realized this so life is more unique to me. I just try to spread that perspective. Others try to add meaning and often find themselves missing something in their lives. I think its the result of an inability to be at peace with oneself and understanding the real power of one's confidence. A lot of people lack that and try to compensate in other areas. Its a complicated issue that I think I can understand why people do it, but it doesn't make it any more honest or respectful to reality.
