Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming.

[Guest guest]

>

> , " Chuck "

> <chuckhennigan@s...> wrote:

> >

> > Dear All,

> >

> > In the first chapter about Buddha it says:

> >

> > During this period, the Blessed One gave teaching on nonself, or

> > non- ego. The idea of an eternal self, an ego or soul, connected

> > with an eternal divine principle in the universe and

> > transmigrating from rebirth to rebirth, was a central tenet of

> > Hinduism. The Buddah taught that there is no such self, but only

> > the illusion of a self. If a real self did exist, he explained,

> > it would only be a cause of suffering, and if it were eternal it

> > would be a cause of suffering that could never be removed. That

> > eternal self would enter again and again into the web of

> > experience, into the cycle of rebirth. Then there would be no

> > Third Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering and thus no

> > enlightenment. As it is, he taught, there is only an illusion of

> > a self, but even that is enough to function as the principal

> > obstacle to liberation, to the cessation of suffering. But the

> > obstacle of an illusionary self, taught the Tathagata-the

> > Perfected One-who was fresh from victory, falls away when it is

> > seen as it is. Rather than being a solid, eternal entity, it is

> > merely a temporary composite of form, feeling, perception,

> > conceptual formations, and consciousness, which are called the

> > five skandhas, or aggregates. Rather than a definite self to

> > cling to, and which in turn clings to other things, there is

> > just an ever-shifting mosaic composed of those five aggregates.

> > Once this is recognized, one becomes dispassionate toward what

> > one formerly clung to. Desire fades away, and the heart is

> > liberated. Nothing remains that is subject to the round of

> > suffering and rebirth.

> >

, " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

> i am always cautious when i read about Buddhism due to one main

> reason ............... they are at odds with many religions

> regarding soul, self and spirit. The irrefutable evidence of

> resurrection given by Shri Jesus only reinforces that something is

> amiss. i cannot honestly accept the above statement because Shri

> Jesus appeared again in the form of spirit, walking and talking

> with His disciples just as He had done while in the physical body.

> All this is at odds with the Buddhist notion that " Rather than

> being a solid, eternal entity, it (the self) is merely a temporary

> composite of form. " Shri Jesus talked about the eternal spirit of

> liberated souls in the Afterlife, which most scriptures and

> prophets preached too. There are indeed millions of liberated

> souls living in the Spirit World. They have their own individual

> bodies and lives just like us on Earth.

>

> And Chuck, when you talk about reincarnation/rebirth it becomes

> even more difficult to understand Buddhism's non-self. The

> rational explanation because too complex and abstract to grasp.

>

> (It is because of all this i was reluctant to recommend any book.)

>

>

, " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org> wrote:

>

> Dear readers,

>

> i want to know if there is any good book on Shri Buddha. Did Shri

> Mataji recommend any book? Please let me know because i just do

> not know what book best portrays Shri Buddha's teachings. The

> reason i am cautious is because despite Shri Buddha's refusal (not

> denial) to talk about God, Buddhists have opted not believe in God

> the way the majority of religions do. That is why i do not know of

> any book and would not recommend it.

>

> regards,

>

>

> jagbir

>

 

Despite Shri Buddha's refusal to talk about God Buddhists do not

believe in the Divine the way others believe. But the holy

scriptures of the Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs tell a

very different story. i really do not know what to make out of

Buddhism since it is at odds with the rest. Surely something is

amiss because although Shri Buddha never explicitly denied/discussed

about God His followers claim so.

 

And if i were to answer based on my own experiences and evidence

then God definitely exists ............. 100%. And Shri Mataji has

given ample evidence to that effect. Perhaps one day Buddhists will

believe Her because they have suspended judgement until such

evidence is forthcoming. After all, She is the Maitreya that they

have been waiting for centuries.

 

regards,

 

jagbir

 

 

-------------------------

 

Do Buddhists believe in a god?

 

No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like

modern sociologists and psychologists, believed that religious ideas

and especially the god idea have their origins in fear. The Buddha

says:

 

Gripped by fear people go to sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred

trees and shrines.

Dp. 188

 

Primitive humans found selves in a dangerous and hostile world, the

fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of

injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning

and volcanoes were constantly with them. Finding no security, they

created the idea of gods in order to give them comfort in good

times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went

wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more

religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief

in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with

life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular

god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was

answered. All this seems to support the Buddha's teaching that the

god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us

to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly

and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced

fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.

 

The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because

there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There

are numerous religions, all claiming that they alone have god's

words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god's

nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions

do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine

and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is

ample evidence to prove the existence of their god but they laugh in

disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existence

of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different

religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existence

of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or

irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgement

until such evidence is forthcoming.

 

The third reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is that the

belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is

necessary in order to explain the origin of the universe. But this

is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe

came into being without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim

that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life.

Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists

and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful,

happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that

belief in god's power is necessary because humans, being weak, do

not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence

indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome

great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties

through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and

without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order

to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you

accept the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not

accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw

that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop

infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted

attention from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find

solutions to our problems through self-understanding.

 

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/qanda03.htm