Interesting take on Jesus

[KahrMan]

No tollerance for other ways? Sounds like the same tripe to me.

The reed I follow: You are free to seek out and fulfill your purpose in life,
As long as in so doing ye harm none.

[OHOD]

verse 273-276 of the Dhammapada, the Buddha was clear about following false paths and lesser teachings. the eightfold path is the way, following it will lead one out of samsara through ones own effort. Buddhas (and nobody else) can not give you salvation they can only show you the way.
following the many other false paths will keep one in the dark and trapped in samsara.
there are many different schools of Buddhism, we all follow the same eightfold path for a reason.

Verse 273: Of paths, the Path of Eight Constituents is the noblest; of truths, the Four Noble Truths are the noblest; of the dhammas, the absence of craving is the noblest; of the two-legged beings, the All-Seeing Buddha is the noblest.

Verse 274: This is the only Path, and there is none other for the purity of vision. Follow this Path; it will bewilder Mara.

Verse 275: Following this Path, you will make an end of dukkha. Having myself known the Path which can lead to the removal of the thorns of moral defilements, I have shown you the Path.

Verse 276: You yourselves should make the effort; the Tathagatas (Buddhas) only can show the way. Those who practise the Tranquillity and Insight Meditation are freed from the bond of Mara.

Excellent post.
The Buddha is a teacher as well as his desciples. Following the eight fold path will lead to nirvana...along with other teachings such as the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra and the Dahmapad to name a few. The sangha I practice with and pray with follow the Lotus Sutra which is the most important as the Buddha teaches that we all can become a Buddha.

Thank you for posting such an excellent post.

PS. Buddhists don't worship Buddha, they follow his teachings.

[mossy]

No tollerance for other ways? Sounds like the same tripe to me.

The reed I follow: You are free to seek out and fulfill your purpose in life,
As long as in so doing ye harm none.

ahhhh, libertarian flavored western spiritualism.... i have plenty of "tolerance" for other religions. i am not out here burning churches and mosques down am i? tolerance is not the same as acceptance.

Excellent post.
The Buddha is a teacher as well as his desciples. Following the eight fold path will lead to nirvana...along with other teachings such as the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra and the Dahmapad to name a few. The sangha I practice with and pray with follow the Lotus Sutra which is the most important as the Buddha teaches that we all can become a Buddha.

Thank you for posting such an excellent post.

PS. Buddhists don't worship Buddha, they follow his teachings.

yeah, when i first became interested in possibly converting to Buddhism i started reading different texts from the 3 traditions (Theravada Mahayana and Vajrayana). the Lotus Sutra was one of the Sutra's that convinced me that my thoughts on conversion were correct and i belong somewhere in the Mahayana. have you ever read the Vimalakirti Sutra?

" Noble sir, flowers like the blue lotus, the red lotus, the white lotus, the water lily, and the moon lily do not grow on the dry ground in the wilderness, but do grow in the swamps and mud banks.
Just so, the Buddha-qualities do not grow in living beings certainly destined for the uncreated but do grow in those living beings who are like swamps and mud banks of passions. Likewise, as seeds do not grow in the sky but do grow in the earth, so the Buddha-qualities do not grow in those determined for the Absolute but do grow in those who conceive the spirit of enlightenment, after having produced a Sumeru-like mountain of egoistic views."

no joke, that quote changed my entire life, that and the teachings in the Lotus sutra opened my eyes to the false path i was on and illuminated the way forward.

[KahrMan]

ahhhh, libertarian flavored western spiritualism.... i have plenty of "tolerance" for other religions. i am not out here burning churches and mosques down am i? tolerance is not the same as acceptance.



yeah, when i first became interested in possibly converting to Buddhism i started reading different texts from the 3 traditions (Theravada Mahayana and Vajrayana). the Lotus Sutra was one of the Sutra's that convinced me that my thoughts on conversion were correct and i belong somewhere in the Mahayana. have you ever read the Vimalakirti Sutra?

" Noble sir, flowers like the blue lotus, the red lotus, the white lotus, the water lily, and the moon lily do not grow on the dry ground in the wilderness, but do grow in the swamps and mud banks.
Just so, the Buddha-qualities do not grow in living beings certainly destined for the uncreated but do grow in those living beings who are like swamps and mud banks of passions. Likewise, as seeds do not grow in the sky but do grow in the earth, so the Buddha-qualities do not grow in those determined for the Absolute but do grow in those who conceive the spirit of enlightenment, after having produced a Sumeru-like mountain of egoistic views."

no joke, that quote changed my entire life, that and the teachings in the Lotus sutra opened my eyes to the false path i was on and illuminated the way forward.

[OHOD]

have you ever read the Vimalakirti Sutra?

No. But I have read the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Lotus Sutra and the Dhamapada.

Like you, the Lotus Sutra did it for me.

There are many paths even in Christianity, Islam and other faiths. The key points in Buddhism to get started is to know about the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Path. When having doubts about anything, remember the 8 Fold Path and you will have your suffering relieved. Suffering can be anything from road rage to sadness. All you have to do is get your head around it.

[damon1272]

[mossy]

"There are many paths even in Christianity, Islam and other faiths."

Previously you stated Christ was influenced by budda. Your statement above contradicts what Christ specifically teaches.There is but one path and all others lead to destruction as stated below. Belief in Christ is the only way.

Matthew 7:13-16 states -
13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16“You will know them by their fruits.....

i am guessing by paths she meant the many different Christian denominations such as the Catholic church (if you consider Catholics to be christian, i know there is some internal debate there), Protestantism, Eastern Orthodox Church, Methodism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, those guy who play with snakes, and the many many others i didn't list.

[damon1272]

Not splitting hairs between denominations. Though I don't agree with certain other denominations teachings that does not preclude someone from being a brother or sister in Christ.

It was the reference to Islam and other faiths that I was keying off of as being paths.

[Deedle]

Its well documented about Jesus' early years, but there is a time frame that he was gone.

Not so much. From infancy to baptism (which was a new thing) is not as detailed, but the Bible clearly talks about him going to the temple as an annual and actually records an interesting event on one such trip that happened when he was 12, IIRC. It also speaks about him learning his father's trade, a carpenter.

I believe he was age 33 when he was executed, probably about 33 1/2.

[OHOD]

An interesting thing about Buddhism is the 8 fold path. One only needs to try it and they will discover, the truth of the secession, of suffering. there doesn't need to be verses cited nor evangelistic action, just try it and there you are.

[billvau]

An interesting thing about Buddhism is the 8 fold path. One only needs to try it and they will discover, the truth of the secession, of suffering. there doesn't need to be verses cited nor evangelistic action, just try it and there you are.

Actually, that "Path" is all work and effort with no verified result at the end. Buddha died and never came back to verify that his way worked. He couldn't even prove that his way worked in this life. How do you verify the claims of the 8-fold path? You can't and you can't undo your past. Once a sinner, always a sinner.

Jesus proved that He is God by His miracles and then proved He is God and has the power to give you eternal life - by rising from the dead, Himself - with hundreds of witnesses to testify. Buddha? Dead.

Jesus only asks for faith alone in Him alone. He then indwells you with His Holy Spirit and empowers you to live righteously as a response to the eternal life He has given you - eternal life the you begin to experience now.

Sorry, but I see no comparison between what Jesus Christ offers and promises and what one of His creations tried to do as a replacement for true peace, joy, love, self-control (Eph. 5:22-23) and eternal life.

Try it and you'll never go back. It's all in His word -the Bible.

And, as He said - He's the only way, the only truth and the only life (John 14:6).

[mossy]

Sorry, but I see no comparison between what Jesus Christ offers and promises and what one of His creations tried to do as a replacement for true peace, joy, love, self-control

how can Buddhism be a "replacement" for the teachings of Christianity if Buddhism predates Christianity by a few hundred years, how can you replace something that does not exist yet?

[KahrMan]

Many beliefs, many paths, same destination. Some religions are like a Spirituality for Dummies textbook. Others ways let you enjoy the ride!

Edit: know its not the same belief....but miss being able to buy flowers from robed disciples at the airport. It was so comforting before a long flight.

[RAMCLAP]

Many beliefs, many paths, same destination. Some religions are like a Spirituality for Dummies textbook. Others ways let you enjoy the ride!

Edit: know its not the same belief....but miss being able to buy flowers from robed disciples at the airport. It was so comforting before a long flight.

This sort of thinking has eternal consequenses. Be very careful.

[OHOD]

how can Buddhism be a "replacement" for the teachings of Christianity if Buddhism predates Christianity by a few hundred years, how can you replace something that does not exist yet?

I don't quit understand what your trying to say. Call me confused