Buddhism vs Christianity

Please forgive me if I have misenterpreted or mixed up anything. Please do not be offended by what I say, just remember this is only what I have found for myself, my personal views. I have enjoyed this thread

Ben.[/QUOTE]

Not sure how to do this quote thing, but I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your post as well as the thread

I am on a spiritual journey that has recently taken me into an actual building they call a Church, its called a Unity Church. I didn't know what to think at first, I've lived so many years with Churchphobia that at first I wasn't sure if I'd make it through even one service. I've been to three now and feel I'm being open minded to accept new insights spiritually. It's not 'churchy' and they talk about all sorts of spiritual text (talmud, bible, koran) and my first service was actually not about anything but learning to see God in creation...(nature) and appreciate the beauty around us..

I spent many years in Church as a child (on my own, my parents did not attend). I think I did it to fit in with the neighborhood kids, but it never felt right. I spent hours, days, weeks and in the end a few years praying for some small amount of faith that I believed fueled others to believe. It never came. Today, I've also read some about Buddhism, Taoism, Wiccian, Native American Spirituality and I've come to my own personal understanding of faith. I've taken many things from all the things I've read, but more than anything I think I have learned to continue to grow in this human life as a more compassionate, loving, giving member of life. Live life on lifes terms, stay in the moment, stay out of my head and above all else LOVE.

I guess this wasn't really about ones own beliefs, but about something entirely different, but in my own personal study of different faiths this is where it's brought me so far. I am thrilled to be in the middle of my journey and am finally enjoying it every step of the way.

Namaste.
Sheila

 

You were close, it's bodhisattva. Bodhi is for the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. Bodhi means enlightnment, and sattva means essence.

I wouldn't say that their teachings were almost exact, nor would I say Jesus was in training. We don't know. Buddhists believe that each realm has its own Buddha; bugs even.

All a Buddha is, is one or that which has achieved the state of Buddha mind or awareness. There isn't one Buddha, there are millions. Tell a Christian that there a million Jesuses and you will likely be told you are an idol worshiper or something.

The Bodhisattva vow is one taken in the Mahayana form of Buddhism. The vow states that you will not "attain enlightment, until we all do." Sorta sucky, actually...tho' quite compassionate. I got tricked into taking it. Those Buddhists are tricky. '-)

There are three (some say 4 or more) main forms of Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is all about compassion. The Hinayana (Thervadan) and Vajrayana (Tantrayana)...some say Dzogchen or even Mahamudra Buddhism...are the other forms of Buddhism. They are quite different from Mahayana, but all forms contain elements of the other. No, Tantrayana isn't all about sex, as Westernern wanker wannabes would have you believe.

I'll happily go into the other forms of Buddhism if you care, if not...cool.

Frankly, from what I know of Jesus' teachings, I doubt if he would be a Christian, me might feel more comfortable being a Buddhist. But that's just my opinion.

 

The factioning of these and all religions is poison. Faith is just that Faith the way a person feels is perfectly all but when that becomes a damned country club then it all goes. And that goes for all these western "buddhist temples" too. Worship YOUR mesiah amongst the things he, she, or it created. Don't turn it into a spiritual AA meeting. (To clearify I stressed your not to offend but to point out that in end i'ts yours and mine and everyone elses religious icoms on individually not in classified groups.)

 

Thanks. I enjoyed your post as well!

Ben.

Not sure how to do this quote thing, but I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your post as well as the thread

I am on a spiritual journey that has recently taken me into an actual building they call a Church, its called a Unity Church. I didn't know what to think at first, I've lived so many years with Churchphobia that at first I wasn't sure if I'd make it through even one service. I've been to three now and feel I'm being open minded to accept new insights spiritually. It's not 'churchy' and they talk about all sorts of spiritual text (talmud, bible, koran) and my first service was actually not about anything but learning to see God in creation...(nature) and appreciate the beauty around us..

I spent many years in Church as a child (on my own, my parents did not attend). I think I did it to fit in with the neighborhood kids, but it never felt right. I spent hours, days, weeks and in the end a few years praying for some small amount of faith that I believed fueled others to believe. It never came. Today, I've also read some about Buddhism, Taoism, Wiccian, Native American Spirituality and I've come to my own personal understanding of faith. I've taken many things from all the things I've read, but more than anything I think I have learned to continue to grow in this human life as a more compassionate, loving, giving member of life. Live life on lifes terms, stay in the moment, stay out of my head and above all else LOVE.

I guess this wasn't really about ones own beliefs, but about something entirely different, but in my own personal study of different faiths this is where it's brought me so far. I am thrilled to be in the middle of my journey and am finally enjoying it every step of the way.

Namaste.
Sheila[/QUOTE]

 

These millions of Buddha though, are all simply aspects and forms of the One underlying them all - the Dharma Kaya, or Adi-Buddha.

Christians believe they are 'children of God' by virtue of their belief and faith in Jesus, there is no need for there to be millions of Christs - one is sufficient.
Some Christians believe though in the existence of Angels - and their numbers may run into the millions....who can say?

 

True....but the Dharmakaya is a tricky one, because it represents the void or emptiness. Christians, at least the ones I know, don't seem comfortable with the concept of nothingness. I haven't seen the emptiness spoken of in the bible either, but I'm no bible expert.

The existence of Angels....I'm with you on that one!! I like how the Catholics just incorporated the local dieties into the club and made them saints....after the Roman custom. I'm for big parties myself.

 

Some of the Catholic saints may well be older pagan or pre-christian deities incorporated into Christian belief. However, the vast majority are historical personalities.

Some christians may not be happy with the concept of God as anything but a personal being - but that does not go for all. A striking instance can be found in the mystical philosophy of Miester Eckhart.

My big question is this: if the Dharma Kaya is an emptiness, how could the cosmic manifestation have arisen? To say it is all illusion seems to be an easy way out, because we then have to ask how did this illusion come onto being? How could the perfect consciousness and knowledge have become subject to illusion?

 

Ah, the eternal question '-D

Emptiness, Form. Form Emptiness. One cannot exist without the other. There cannot be form without emptiness, nor emptiness without form. Being sorta hemmed in on this plane of duality, it's difficult to perceive, because we see the yin/yang....but that's only two dimensional.

This is where mind expansion takes us beyond the nature of duality, or Nirmanakaya, then to the mystic or angel realm of the Samboghakaya, then on to the void....or mother...or creator...or emptiness: Dharmakaya.

This is how I experience and understand it.

Madame Bambi

 

But I don't think the universe is an illusion - hence the peoblem doesn't arise, as it does for those who, like Buddhists, think it is.

 

I'm with you, BBB. I don't think the universe is an illusion. I think "illusion" may be just a syntax thing....meaning we cannot grasp it with limited vision....just a thought. Frankly, I think English is a very limiting language. Language affects our thoughts and other languages, more ancient....and indigenous....allow for much more expanded and deep concepts and experiences.

Madame Bambi

 

Yes - I agree that language brings in all sorts of limitations - true spiritual experience is beyond words, but if we want to talk about it , we have to use language, or symbols of some kind.

I would say that our view, our perception of the universe is indeed clouded by our conditioned mentality, we live in a world we view through a screen of imprinted language, cultural conditioning and limitation. This is the illusion. It is so dense in many to-day that they seem to have wholly lost contact with their own inner being. The way out of it is through transcendence - any path that can help in that is clearly of value, given the world's great need.

I am in no way against Buddhism, but I feel that many are seeking today for spirituality, and I am concerned that some professed Buddhists who criticise Christianity do so from a position of ignorance. They are only aware of the lower level manifestations of the thing, and know little of Christian mystical traditions. This is not so of the great Buddhist teachers like D.T.Suzuki, who in his 'Essays on Zen Buddhism' compares the two paths and discerns both the similarities and the points of departure.

In the end though, what matters is to follow a path that is suited to one's own individuality and that brings the desired result, of actual spiritual experience and the love and bliss that comes with it.

Love & Blessings

BBB.

 

Mindy, I do not believe Buddhism is a religion- and I have the support of several practicing Buddhists I know in that opinion. There is spirituality in Buddhism, but it lacks the concept of a Supreme Being.

 

You know this thread is from 2004, right?

 

Does a religion necessarily require a supreme being?

 

Nope.

 

I sometime hate it when I read back over posts I made years ago.

Not that I would say I was that far away from some fairly reasonable ideas,criticisms etc, I feel that I'd express it all somewhat differently now though.

There are good reasons for that. Maybe I'll return to HF for a time and those reasons might emerge. We'll see.

 

Well I do now!

 

So now we're almost at the end of the year 2019 - do you still want to talk about Buddhism vs. Christianity?

 

First, Buddhism isn't a religion.. so there's that....
As far as beliefs, it's a beautiful practice that doesn't turn people against others with different beliefs, it's all about love and peace

 

I am certainly open to the discussion. Buddhism long has intrigued me from afar. I am glad you do not regard it as a religion- as a Christian (a fairly fundamentalist one) I never have regarded it that way either. Not even sure it is incompatible with Christian doctrine. What do you think? But to me, the essence of religion is belief in a Supreme Being- what are your thoughts on that question?

And a joyful Christmas to you and yours!