Longest Thread Ever

[PearlWatson]

 

[babe]

On a personal note, I listened to this song as a young man, and I didn't think anything of it. Just another "cool" song. But since I've realized God's love for us, it made me understand that we're all in this together and it's our duty/obligation to love one another as much as we can.

This song had a whole new meaning to me now...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc

Where is the love?

your choice daily to choose it and make it real.

everybody's choice.

 

[babe]

Some religion can also take you away from "love"...

I have been a Buddhist since young and believe it or not "love" is a taboo word over there... The cause of suffering is desire/attachment.

Love --> leads to --> Attachment --> leads to --> Suffering.

That's why monks don't get married.

Yes do you feel the serenity of "peace" and "calmness" when you walk into a Buddhist temple/Zen temple. But the feeling of "love" will be missing. Forget about hugging. Monks aren't allowed to touch women, so if your granny needs a hug, that's out of the question too. You won't often see a monk smile. Why? To not lead to an attachment to "happiness". Come of to think of it "happiness" is a taboo word too. Too much happiness leads to an attachment to that feeling, which ultimately leads to suffering.

We need to teach people to "love" each other the right way.. instead of turning away from it, IMO.

An interesting observation. I understand how some can take the Buddhist teaching this way, but what I picked up on the positive side of it is the teaching of accepting the universe and others as they are. I'm not sure just what the internal lines of division are within the Buddhist umberella, but isn't the idea of "karma" in there. I get people all out to give love to doggies talking about the good karma that goes with it. Please explain what I'm not seeing from the remote outside, but I thought the way they're using the refusal to form attachment as in terms of "dependence" as opposed to being able to give love unconditionally to all things. . . . .l

 

[babe]

Sorry I've been away without computer (AWC). Glad that's not a grounds for discharge from the service. . . . lol.

And I've got to head back right now. But thanks for showing up, and for the care. I hope to be back in a few days this time.

love you all.

 

[babe]

Love. . . . .

If you don't give it away, you lose it.

 

[sahlensguy]

Some religion can also take you away from "love"...

I have been a Buddhist since young and believe it or not "love" is a taboo word over there... The cause of suffering is desire/attachment.

Love --> leads to --> Attachment --> leads to --> Suffering.

That's why monks don't get married.

Yes do you feel the serenity of "peace" and "calmness" when you walk into a Buddhist temple/Zen temple. But the feeling of "love" will be missing. Forget about hugging. Monks aren't allowed to touch women, so if your granny needs a hug, that's out of the question too. You won't often see a monk smile. Why? To not lead to an attachment to "happiness". Come of to think of it "happiness" is a taboo word too. Too much happiness leads to an attachment to that feeling, which ultimately leads to suffering.

We need to teach people to "love" each other the right way.. instead of turning away from it, IMO.

Christianity also teaches to turn away from love in the sense you are referring to, or else...death. John 12:25 - "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

But Christianity encourages to love through good works. While Isa 64:6 says- "All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags", James 2:17 says -
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." So what gives? Galatians 5:6 gives us - " For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." While we are saved by grace and not works, we are still driven to works and deeds. John 2:6 - "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did".

Interesting that similar to Buddhism many Christians are also discouraged from marriage Corinthians 7:8 - "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do".

To sum it up, God warns us to not get attached to this world, but to live in His creation, and when we live in it, we have little choice but to love our fellow man.

 

[The Midnight]

An interesting observation. I understand how some can take the Buddhist teaching this way, but what I picked up on the positive side of it is the teaching of accepting the universe and others as they are. I'm not sure just what the internal lines of division are within the Buddhist umberella, but isn't the idea of "karma" in there. I get people all out to give love to doggies talking about the good karma that goes with it. Please explain what I'm not seeing from the remote outside, but I thought the way they're using the refusal to form attachment as in terms of "dependence" as opposed to being able to give love unconditionally to all things. . . . .l

Yes.. accepting things as they are... to the extent that everything that you are, and are receiving, is a direct impact/effect of what you did in your past life (karma). So you have people who are born impoverish "accepting" that fact and not wanting to better themselves. You also see rich people not thinking you need to help the underprivileged for the same reason "they deserved it for what they did in their past life".

On top of all that you have the concept of "non-attachment" in order to alleviate suffering... so if you're stressing about poor people living in slums... don't worry about it.. just sit and meditate - liberate yourself from the issues stressing you out - and oh presto - you're enlightened again.

 

[The Midnight]

^^^

Not to mention the fact that if you "make merit" with an enlightened being (i.e., giving money to popular monks), then you'll receive 100 times more merits than if you were to give the same amount of money to help out the homeless man on the street.

This is why in Asian countries you'll often see a temple covered in gold, but directly next to it are slums... great as a tourist attraction, but I often question the validity of the teachings all together...

 

[sahlensguy]

The foundation of Christianity and Buddhism are at polar opposites with one another.

Genesis 1:31 - "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good...".

Buddhism's first of the four noble truths states; the truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction).

From the start, one was great, the other one sucked.

 

[babe]

Christianity also teaches to turn away from love in the sense you are referring to, or else...death. John 12:25 - "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

But Christianity encourages to love through good works. While Isa 64:6 says- "All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags", James 2:17 says -
"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." So what gives? Galatians 5:6 gives us - " For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." While we are saved by grace and not works, we are still driven to works and deeds. John 2:6 - "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did".

Interesting that similar to Buddhism many Christians are also discouraged from marriage Corinthians 7:8 - "Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do".

To sum it up, God warns us to not get attached to this world, but to live in His creation, and when we live in it, we have little choice but to love our fellow man.

I've seen discussions on Christ's teachings as bringing elements of the older religions like Buddhism and Confucianism into the Hebrew tradition, with protracted speculations about how He (Jesus) must have spent some years in those lands before returning to Israel.

Some old (dead) Mormon leaders have made speculative observations about how other religions degenerated from the fullness of the Gospel as it may have been had, say, in Enoch's day. . . . or prior to Abraham's father becoming an idolator. I consider it the result of thinkers who pursue the subject beyond the immediate context looking for underlying principles. . . . and with the result that shallow practitioners of the faiths will inevitably misconstrue and in countless other ways persist in mistakenly presuming they understand the "truth" the actual thinkers have tried to explain. . . .

yeah, we have "worldly" vs "other worldly" ideals all messed up in our heads today, generally. Our buds in this site who love to discuss the hot young "lookers" are probably not talking about love the way Elizabeth Barret Browning did, either.

 

[babe]

^^^

Not to mention the fact that if you "make merit" with an enlightened being (i.e., giving money to popular monks), then you'll receive 100 times more merits than if you were to give the same amount of money to help out the homeless man on the street.

This is why in Asian countries you'll often see a temple covered in gold, but directly next to it are slums... great as a tourist attraction, but I often question the validity of the teachings all together...

Excellent points here. I've been in Asia and seen some of these things for myself. . . . you do an excellent "Western" analysis of it all. I'm sure the Christian converts from these religious traditions have a lot of comparable thoughts and observations.

Some followers of the Judeo-Christian tradition also have problems with "Fate" and God's presumed judgments upon us in casting us into this life. With comparable results trending to hopelessness about changing things here and now. I could take this jumping off point to do a whole book on British snobbery in the perspective of all that can of worms casts upon the whole world.. . . . .

uhhmmmm. . . . but I'm just another one of them. . . . .

On a side note, I did my "Lord Jim" time.

 

[babe]

The foundation of Christianity and Buddhism are at polar opposites with one another.

Genesis 1:31 - "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good...".

Buddhism's first of the four noble truths states; the truth of dukkha (suffering, anxiety, dissatisfaction).

From the start, one was great, the other one sucked.

Being a product of Western Christianity myself(arguably, at least), I can empathize with this view. . . . but being an Ambrose Bierce fan as well, I know better than to break it down as that simple. The other guys look at us as the "heathens" who "just don't see the true light" and are just as sure of themselves.

I've also seen some more positive approaches to Buddhism that could make it seem like the whole Universe is full of miracles and light, with the Enlightened Ones all graceful and generous and giving of themselves to the last thread of their clothing or last grain of their rice to bless the unfortunate. . . .