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Attacks on buddhism, atheists?
Why no? I'm a pretty staunch atheist, and aside from the ramblings of sartre or nietszche, have never really attributed any one set of beliefs to my own. Yet I have a pretty hard time not considering myself a buddhist too. I believe in the humility of facing the temporary nature of life. I think compassion for all living things is a sort of connection to one's more clear self. I don't really have anything wrong with the idea of reincarnation, I mean, something's gone have a life after mine is up. Kinda believe there is something to the idea of self-awareness and centered mediation...etc
For the record I'm all about attacking the ridiculousness of religion, and basically think it's a cop out from the daunting and unspeakable truth in front of us. People should be called out when they lie, even if it's innocuous and to themselves. Buddhism is different somehow, and I can't really cast a shadow of doubt upon it's beliefs.
I'm just saying, it's a completely institutionalized set of metaphysical ideas, and they have plenty of talk of 'godhead' and elevated spiritual planes and such. Where's the line between religion and atheism?
Pretty broad question...
4 Answers
- AranthealLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
The daunting unspeakable truth in front of us is that religion affects the way people behave and often not in a good way. That's why we criticize religion, because we think it deserves it.
- Anonymous7 years ago
Buddhism is not a belief system. Intellectually liking Buddhism is NOT what makes you a Buddhist.
One is a Buddhist when, through the personal discovery of meditation, they end knowing first-hand, from their own observation and experience:
“One is a Buddhist if he or she accepts the following 4 truths:
- All compounded things are impermanent.
- All emotions are pain.
- All things have no inherent existence.
- Nirvana is beyond concepts.”
(“What Makes You Not a Buddhist” by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse)
Therefore a Buddhist is one who DOES the Buddhist practices, primary of which is the daily meditation.
The Buddhist “learns to watch changes occurring in all physical experiences, in feelings and in perceptions. He learns to study his own mental activities and the fluctuations in the character of consciousness itself. All of these changes are occurring perpetually and are present in every moment of our experiences. Meditation is a living activity, an inherently experiential activity. It cannot be taught as a purely scholastic subject.” (“Mindfulness in Plain English” by Venerable H. Gunaratana Mahayhera, a Theravadan Buddhist teacher)
It does not matter what your intellectual conceits or beliefs are .. these have nothing to do with what Buddhists do.
- Anonymous7 years ago
Buddhism doesn't require the belief in a deity. I find Buddhism to be more philosophy and spirituality than religion.
- dougdegrawLv 57 years ago
There are two main schools of Buddhism, one, Theravada, is pretty much non-theistic, indicating only a lifestyle of simplicity and happiness that can be done in conjunction with any religion or without any at all.
The second style, Mahayana, is very religious with Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as their deities.