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Uh, hello. I have a question but a bit of information first if you don't mind. Been looking for a religion for a long, long time. Well, more like been looking for some "purpose" in my life for a long time, be it politics, religion, whatever. One problem holding me back is I can't see very well. I'm legally blind, in fact. It makes reading long books rather impractical.As I'm sure ou can see, this presents me from delving into many religions because their texts aren't available in audio format which is easily the best method for me to get through a big book. Christianity of course is so prolific that it's easy to find many audio Bibles (although there are still many translations without audiobook versions) but Buddhism is so popular that it honestly looks like there are more audiobooks for it than anything besides Christianity. It's quite impressive, although I have heard all sorts of scathing comments around the net about how Westernized Buddhism is not real Buddhism. I wouldn't know how true any of that is. All I know is what I found on Wikipedia and in this thread. Buddhism interests me but obviously I need something a bit more substantial. And that brings me finally to my question. http://www.audible.com/pd/Religion-Spirituality/In-the-Buddhas-Words-Audiobook/B01J4IUOCM/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1488685007&sr=1-1 Would any of you say this is a good introduction to Buddhism? From my extremely sketchy understanding of Buddhism, Pali refers mainly to the Theravada school but I would imagine anything the Buddha said should be invaluable and thus even if I end up really hooked on some other form of Buddhism, this will still lay all the necessary groundwork and fundamentals I might need. So...yeah. Sorry if that was a bit longwinded. I appreciate any help or answers. Thank you. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Mar 5, 2017 |
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Mar 5, 2017 04:51
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pidan posted:Imho western Buddhism is as much Buddhism as any other form, you just need to be aware that it's a bit different and not go around lecturing people from Asian forms of Buddhism about how they're doing it wrong. People on the internet will get sanctimonious about anything. Well, shouldn't everything the Buddha said matte to anyone who calls themselves a Buddhist? Even my very surface-level knowledge says that, while there are a billion different schools of Buddhism (Eastern religions don't put me off on moral grounds like some Western faiths but damned their lack of a Bible counterpart is frustrating) they still all believe in a few core tenets. Aren't those tenets laid out in these texts? I can't imagine every sutra talks about Nirvana/Nibana for example. I guess what I'm asking, since these are supposed to be what the Buddha taught in his "ministry", shouldn't they be pivotal to all Buddhists?
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Mar 5, 2017 10:35
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Paramemetic posted:The Dhammapada wasn't translated into Tibetan until within the last hundred years or so. Basically within other branches and schools of Buddhism things like the four nobles truths are taken as done without much particular scriptural time being spent on it. It's not to say those sutras are disregarded or regarded as inferior or something, I've always loved at the local inter tradition Buddhist teaching exchange how my Khenpo, equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhism, will appreciate deeply Theravadan sutra. It's just that there is a lot of Buddhism and not enough time to do everything to an equal degree. That does make sense. Thank you for the clarification. I'm interested in Mahayana Buddhism too but I figure I have to pick a point and start there, ya know. The book I linked to earlier seemed like a good start and I'll just have to figure out what to read after that.
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Mar 5, 2017 18:16
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Does anyone here live near Dallas or Fort Worth? Or do you have some personal experience with Sanbo Kyodan Zen? I have read a ton about many different religions and theologies but I'm a painfully shy, awkward person so I have always kept my studies to myself and my computer. But maybe that's why I've never found something that felt "right." Maybe I need to get out there more and try some stuff. Zen seems like it might be up my alley. Unlike the earlier poster, I prefer the idea of seclusion and introspection. I hear about the world's problems every other second of the day, I'd like some peace of mind for myself. That's what I'm hoping to find there anyway. I found a meditation group in FW but they recommend new comers go to the Maria Kannon Center in Dallas. There's also the Dallas Meditation on Center which I figure might be worth a visit too since it says it's "interfaith" and I might be able to learn about multiple sects or whatever there. I mentioned earlier I like religious studies a lot so Zen always seemed not for me. But reading more on it, there's nothing really stopping you from being religious and doing Zen. I can still think about God or gods or other spiritual things. The fact a lot of Catholic Priests do Zen is very intriguing. This sort of religious syncretism is totally my thing.
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Nov 28, 2017 05:10
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Would it be fair to say Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, is polytheistic? Born and lived all my life here in the States. As such, "polytheism" is generally treated as an antiquated idea of the distant past that we "evolved" past. I'm aware of some Neopagan groups and ideas that interest me but that's still pretty recent niche all things considered. But then I look to the "East" and it seems like polytheism never died out there. Shinto is a big one of course but Mahayana is bigger still. Bodhisattvas receive veneration and devotion but I'm no expert in Buddhist doctrine so maybe that doesn't count as polytheism? I'd rather ask experts on this. This all came to mind when looking at the Analytic philosophers who are so determined to prove the existence of a Monotheistic God. There are far fewer intellectuals aiming to prove polytheism, although there are at least some. But this is all "Western." NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Feb 25, 2018 |
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Feb 25, 2018 00:22
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Nessus posted:What do you mean when you say polytheism? I think bodhisattvas are considered to be very powerful beings but they are not possessed of the qualities of the Abrahamic god or anything. Saints would probably be a better analogy. Divine beings, gods, etc.. I'm not really an expert on polytheism and actually the "stereotypical ideas" about polytheism are wrong according to some things I've been reading from this guy named Edward Butler. I guess when I say polytheism I mean something resembling Ancient Egypt or Greece or Rome. Like I said, this is more a larger intellectual curiosity of mine. Polytheism went "away" in the West so I was wondering how prevalent it was in the East. Buddhism is of course huge in East Asia but it might not qualify as part of my overall question.
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Feb 25, 2018 01:41
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Annual Prophet posted:for a counterexample, in some measure, there’s soto zen, which in practice is about as non theistic as it’s possible to be within the broader context of buddhism / mahayana. any of the writings of dogen will suffice to give a flavor of it, but genjokoan would be a good place to start if you happen to be interested Yeah I've done minor research (Wikipedia articles, Google searches, talking to practitioners on forums) on a lot of different religions, including Hinduism. One thing I've heard repeatedly is that there is no "Hinduism" really, that was a later name made up to explain thousands of years of diverse traditions. Also heard that Hinduism isn't really polytheistic because all its many deities are just reflections of Brahman. So it's less like there is Zeus and Hera and the rest of them and more like a Supreme God just chooses to appear as Shiva and Shakti and all the rest. I never did serious study into Hinduism though this is just the little bit I read.
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Feb 25, 2018 18:56
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Compared to some Chinese or Japanese peasnt who worked themselves to near death, who had to sometimes leave new babies out in the elements to die so they could feed the rest of their family, who were at risk that some thug warlord might come and steal all their food, we live a blissful and intellectual life. The Pure Land school attracted me precisely because it offered salvation to those who had no hope, like the aforementioned peasants.
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Aug 7, 2018 15:09
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Nessus posted:A double post for a different topic: Does anyone have much information or familiarity with Shingon Buddhism? I had been reading some historical stuff and it was interesting to see that it seems to be the other Vajrayana branch that didn't get wiped out in some Chinese political purge hundreds of years ago. Afraid I have no personal affiliation with any Buddhist sect but this forum is one I like to go on to get the views of Buddhists of all persuasions and there is a section on Shingon https://dharmawheel.net/
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Feb 2, 2019 02:27
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matti posted:so sanbō kyōdan and specifically the kapleau lineage in the nordic countries. am i clear to have doubts about its authenticity? of the two options i have in my city this was least obviously a cult (diamond way lol). This is one of about two Buddhist organizations near me as well and by near I mean an hour away and also I can't drive. I just got Kapleau's Three Pillars of Zen though and have heard it highly recommended by a lot of folks.
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Apr 13, 2019 18:09
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Reene posted:Hello friends, I come bearing a great curse, because I guess Dark Buddhism wasn't fashy enough. This is pretty hosed up. But this tweet is what confuses me https://twitter.com/thelettuceman/status/1127623376846098432 I'm guessing they are criticizing Orientalism but it feels like a weird generalization or stereotype. I don't think people interested in Eastern spirituality hate Asians or that this is at all common.
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May 12, 2019 19:30
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Buried alive posted:Seems like it might be less about orientalism and more about appropriation in general. Pointing to the general trend of taking anything that we (white people) find novel or exotic and in some way making it ours while then turning around and telling the source of that novelty that they're bad for doing it/doing it wrong/are just less than us in general. Ah, that makes sense. I agree then.
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May 12, 2019 23:28
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Leftist thought is largely founded on hostility to religion. Proudhon, Marx, Bakunin, Lenin and probably others were very clear that religion is bad and an impediment to societal progress. You're taking your eye off the ball - the plight of this material world - and looking yonder. And so it's hardly surprising that some Leftists are just as hostile to Buddhists as they are to other faiths. I'm not a Buddhist but I'd bet anything Shakyamuni was closer to the truth than Marx was. A Communist utopia will not make people happy because happiness in this life is fleeting. The best you can manage is minimizing harm. To that end you need to recognize things beyond the material matter to most of the Earth's population.
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May 16, 2019 03:46
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Chinook posted:But he, too, suffers. To me this is the key. I am not a Buddhist but I do like philosophy of all sorts and I was recently re-reading Plato. In the Gorgias he makes the case that the tyrant is the most pitiable person of all because he has material wealth and power...but who cares? There is nothing more meaningless. He does more harm to himself than anyone else. I would think Buddhists would feel similarly. We're all prisoners here and surely how much meaningless wealth you possess is no true judge of your moral character. And those who do abuse their wealth are just abusing themselves, prolonging their suffering. But do you have to give up all your wealth to be a good person then? Bill Gates giving away billions in charity doesn't matter and he's still a monster?
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May 17, 2019 04:39
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Since we're talking Tibetan Buddhism, can I ask about something? I mainly study East Asian Buddhism because I lost all things Japanese and Chinese. One interesting thing about East Asian, especially Japanese Buddhism, is their tendency to focus on just a few, maybe even only one, sutra. I read somewhere that Tibetan Buddhism is distinct in how much emphasis it places on commentaries. They will study commentaries on sutras more than sutras themselves. Is this accurate? I realize there are many schools of Tibetan Buddhism but does it hold true fo r any of them? Also what do Tibetan Buddhists make of beings like Tara? I first re ad of Tara as a Hindu goddess but am I wrong that Buddhist Tara is less a divine being to venerate and more just a source of inspiration?
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Oct 1, 2019 08:26
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I figure now is as good a time as any to ask this. Why do Buddhists concern themselves with politics? In this wold of suffering and impermanence, why be concerned with something as materialistic as statecraft? I'm well aware there have been Buddhists involved in politics in every country where Buddhism had any power but it still confuses me. There's nothing to gain from trying to establish a political order in a world of unending instability and pain. The best thing we can all do is retreat from the world .
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Oct 27, 2019 13:16
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I've always been fascinated by religious ideas of time. You know, in a lot of ancient religions and systems, time was cyclical. Things rose, flourished and fell away. We live in a darker age now but a golden age will come again eventually. I believe w'e're waiting on Maitreya for that. Posters here are thinking of Mappo but Hinduism has the Kali Yuga as well. They're not exactly the same but, interesting to me, some Tibetan Tantric Buddhists believe in the Kali Yuga which is to say a time of degeneracy and decline.
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Feb 11, 2020 17:50
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Peasants in Medieval Japan did not have the luxury of meditation, sadly. Buddhism in Japan was actually quite aristocratic before Pure Land took off thanks to Honen and Shinran. They and others spread it to the common people through a simpler way, faith.
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Feb 11, 2020 18:04
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The Bodhisattva Vow has always been my biggest problem with Mahayana Buddhism, too. I have large doubts I'll ever be enlightened and saved so how can I hope to save everyone else in the world? How can anyone believe they can save billions of people? It's more than that, you wanna save all life so animals, too. I'ts impossible to imagine.
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Feb 12, 2020 04:57
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