RandomDude

Heh it's hard not to laugh mate, and it's good to be able to find humor in it - it maintains one's sanity! The white/black teachings of Christianity never agreed with me really either, considering what I learnt over the years since childhood. But I guess you must remember having faith/prayer isn't all that bad, only when they impose on others.

As for me, unlike most people, is that over the years I realised there's no real good or evil, only action and consequence. Yet I found it's simply better to be a decent and honorable bloke for a better life, better friends, better respect - and not having to worry about looking over your shoulder half the time.

RandomDude

I don't even believe in Karma! Which makes some people suspicious of me simply because my moral compass is entirely of my own design, my faith also allows me to believe in anything or nothing at all - it's rather liquidy. Sometimes I also question the real integrity of people who try to be good only out of fear of the unknown!

I don't pray or wait for miracles either. But in truth, it's actually a good to have someone who is opposite in this regard; one who has "faith" so to speak. I remember the times when I've always been stressed/worried/paranoid, and it's comforting to have someone has a "blindfold" over her eyes to tell you everything is going to be alright. Many times, it turns out she's quite right. One's a realist and the other the optomist heh, or as they say, a pessimist is what an optomist calls; a realist!

metta

Yes, that's true. I suppose a lot depends on the original intentions...

Well, that's quite close to what's called karma!

RandomDude

Similar, but karma has moral standards such as "do good" and this will happen, "do evil" and this will happen but for me everything is grey and it's all what you succeed in, get away with, or not get away with lol

metta

I went to my weekly course yesterday evening. After the course, there are sometimes some informal discussions, and one student asked the monk what we could do when someone is ill. For example, christians can pray, etc.
The monk (that's 13 years he his a monk and spent most of his life in Sri Lanka) answered that they do paritta chanting. Apparently that's quite efficient; he did that a number of times in Sri Lanka with terminally ill people, where doctors said they just have a few days to live. With paritta chanting some of these people got up and recovered very quickly.

After so many years, I am discovering new aspects of buddhism!

That also reminds me of a book I once read, written by a senior Burmese monk. He also witnessed a Westerner who came to his monastery and who healed himself from a very serious illness through intense meditation.

RandomDude

Every spiritual path has its own healing methods, including Christianity. Just some are more arrogant then others in proclaiming "Ours work and your work is the stuff of demons!" etc

Sameold

Well, I have a heck of a time trying to follow your post given your non-standard capitalization and spellings, however, I haven't been ignoring you exactly--just had a baby last week and haven't been on here. Random Dude has my position correctly, however. As a mother of five, I'm amused by the confusion over my gender.
I'm the child of a Christian and an agnostic. You remember that we're commanded to abide with an unbelieving spouse if they will have us, right? I referenced the verses in an earlier post. That's where this lady is. That's why I'm trying to help.
If Metta understands what his wife believes and why, then he's more likely to stay with her. Assuming they're both decent adults, that's probably what their daughter would prefer, and it's what Christians are commanded to do.
It's fair to say his wife erred in marrying a non-Christian, if in fact she was a Christian at the time of the marriage. Given that, in the US, there are many more female Christians than male, it's not an uncommon error. We all fail to obey His commands now and then, some more than others, and some failures have more consequences in this life than others.
My parents have been married forty years, thirty-two of them with the differences in belief I mentioned earlier. It is possible.

metta

Hi Sameold,

That's very sensible indeed.

Well, when we met she was christian indeed, and I was already quite engaged in buddhism... In fact, she told me once she wanted to get closer to God, and strangely enough I thought: "Wow, someone who is looking a bit above just material things, I like that!".
Now I wondered if that was the right thing to think...

metta

There was a Chinese pastor on godtv talking about self-righteous people, and the fact that they hurt others, they are difficult to get along with and that generally speaking those people need to work on themselves.

I was accidentally watching this and my wife said that what the pastor was saying is true, and she is working on it.
I was amazed! I thought "that's incredible she is saying that!" I told her that I encourage her on that point. Then she quickly added "but it's not regarding religion".
All right, I was back to planet Earth, things are perfectly normal...

That's quite amazing that people like my wife can see a behaviour or mindset as undesirable and to be "worked on", as long as it does not concern religion...
Like if it is not with the same brain the religious thing goes through...
I could almost hear her sub-conscious shouting "don't open your eyes, don't open your eyes!"

But maybe a seed has been planted, as RD would say!

RandomDude

Heh, it'll take time, it's just a phase it seems - my wife is not the only one to open one's eyes over time.

chattycathy

Total thread jack metta, sorry.

My H was secular jewish and me secular christian. (Our families came from those religions, we followed the cultural observations but were not religious)

After two decades, my H started cheating on me and became a buddhist though he continues to cheat. I think it props up his cheating cause 'suffering is unavoidable in life'....
and
his mistress grew up hindu and is now on the buddhist path with him

No, they are not truly buddhist. They just read about it and meditate and go on trips to be with buddhists on their retreats.

LOL.

That is all I am saying as I thread jack.

People can change and hopefully your wife and you can transcend this difference somehow!

metta

Hi Chattycathy,

One can hardly say (s)he is a buddhist without taking the 5 precepts: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no intoxicant (alcohol, etc)
The third precept especially includes adultery, so you can tell him about that!
Generally speaking, a buddhist will try his/her best to avoid hurting others, and having an affair definitely does not fall into that category!

Good luck!

cb45

....and, "Generally speaking, a buddhist will try his/her best to....." find [the]your light and be [the]a light (lamp) to others. Jesus said, unequivocally, "I am (ehyeh asher ehyeh) the Way, the Truth, the Life; no one can come to the Father except thru Me." [john 14:6]
Yeshua performed many miracles, showed &/or explained many signs and wonders, fulfilled many, many, prophecies re: His coming, living, and dying as The (ulitmate, complete, final) Sacrifice for Mankind; yet, This light (as He calls Himsel & others have come to see/understand) couldnt be contained or restrained by death but instead..."ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY, AND SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF [YHVH] YAHVEH."

To this day, many miracles are still occurring when people call upon His Name. Some make the Media, but most go unheard of (to the masses, that is). Yet most folk, Buddhists included, do not seek these miraculous stories tho' they claim to possess (some) & seek "wisdom." IF this were true, all would come (quickly) to see and know Yeshua Ha' Meshiach, as the Divine
plan for Mankind, ordained before the world ever was.

God who is Love eternal, SUPERCEEDS all "wisdom", not the other way around. Yet, to listen/read others try to make Wisdom out to be God, especially in the summation of all religions being Wisdom, thusly being &/or leading to God, is quite...well....baffling/ridiculously perplexing, to put it "mildly." (which um, includes "little buddha" himself, i must add, per his own writings & philosophical teachings).

to wit: [from buddhanet.net]

"Religions in the world believe that they have shown humans the light and brightness of life. The worldly scholars also assume their own knowledge as the Universal Truth. But in fact, we can find the truth most clearly revealed in the Buddha Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha. Since Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment 2000 years ago, the bright light began to shine into our hearts and illuminate the whole universe. The "Amitabha Buddha", whose name everyone recites nowadays, means "Infinite Brightness". Buddha emits two lights to help sentient beings. They are the light of wisdom and the light of compassion. The light of wisdom shows us what has happened before this life and what will happen after this life. It enhance our understanding of skilful and unskilful actions, and tells us the causes of suffering. It also shows us the way to end suffering so that we will be liberated and happy. If we receive and follow the guidance of this light of wisdom, many mistakes can be avoided, and the significance of life will gradually be uncovered and understood. I have just mentioned that human intelligence is unreliable and man commits many mistakes. There is a saying of Sariputra, "If we are unable to live in the light of wisdom, it is just like a blind person who cannot see the light of the external world and who always lives in darkness."

"The Buddha radiates not only the light of wisdom, but also the light of compassion, for the liberation of all beings. His salvation is proceeding everywhere, every moment. His care for us is far greater than the care we give to our children. If we receive the light of compassion radiated from the Buddha, feelings of peace and serenity will arise while anxiety and annoyance will disappear. This is like a child who walks alone on the street. His fear of being attacked by other naughty children will vanish as soon as his mother appears and he is safely in her company. This is the power of love from the mother. If one who purportedly practises Buddhism still immerses oneself in deep feelings of grief and anguish, this must reflect the fact that the inner self still lacks true faith, and that right understanding of Dharma has not yet been developed. Therefore, such a one has not yet received the light of compassion from the Buddha."

and....

"Therefore, the causes of all problems in the world originate from ourselves. If everyone accepts the light from the Buddha, the light can also be transmitted to the others. When one has the right view, one can influence the others. This is how Buddha works for the salvation of the world. May I take this opportunity to wish everyone who listens to today’s talk about the "Dharma as the Light of Deliverance", to accept the light of wisdom and compassion of the Buddha, and to have an infinite bright future."

[FONT="Century Gothic"]I am not one to knock buddha or buddhists as a person or people per se, for their "deeds" in life may indeed be noteworthy of praise, honor, &/or admiration; but i do take issue with anyone who knocks Jesus &/or/by worshiping buddha as God, or a Godly messenger, when He (buddha) himself (as far as i can tell/read) never claimed SUCH for himself, nor has the "goods" (e.g. miracles &/or ressurrection power) as final authority which Jesus aptly demonstated and still does to this day!!!! You sir/ma'am, havent looked or choose to ignore/doubt/disbelieve.

Sure christians are human, make mistakes, and are still in the process of changing hypocritical flesh into truthful Spirit. There are also false christians who do HIS cause more harm than good with anti-christ like behaviors/beliefs that taint the name of Jesus in the sight of unbelievers who cant "see" the difference between true & false to begin with, much less a real christian vs a fake one.
And yes, "we" (christians) too are on a "journey" like many yet, we have God who came as a man in Yeshua, to lead the way into ALL truth and the Life everlasting, in both the literal & figurative senses of "everlasting."

This includes yer W. Who sees Jesus as above all things, concepts, etc. A true buddhist in my understanding, would see her "journey" as worthy of traveling with, and thus would commit their buddha self, to understanding fully by learning of her "way", her religious fervor, by immersing themselves in the "learning process" itself fully
to see if there be (any) truth to (her) the matter.

I ask you, no..., i beg of you...learn more about Jesus; "see" for yourself, the majesty, the beauty, the holiness of Him.

The more you focus on Him, in your (best u can muster) search
re: Him, the more u will "see" & understand all things, including
buddha himself (i.e., buddhas' place/purpose in history etc).

Focus on Jesus; not yer W, not me, not any immature christian who u'd like to pin any mocking blame of their "weaknesses/faults" onto Jesus & Christianity Himself/itself.

No, just Jesus focused period. If u are so "enlightened", (& u think yer W is not then....) methinks u can handle that/it, because u r w/out fear(as yer buddha teaches) and can "keep yourself together" as they say. You'll find Jesus is all things to all people, from God on down to a friend-level of understanding, & helping you. Its amazing, truly amazing.

But if u dont, u'll continue to have contentions with yer W, and in yer life that u could o/wise avoid (not all contentions, i'll grant ya that). And, it'll prove u too, are not who/what u say u are now won't it? You have nothing to lose 'cept for Ignorance.

For Opposites (of sorts, buddhists vs christians) can definitely attract, but the inevitable conflict and dawning sense of the immense challenges of co-existing with one's opposite generally doom such relationships to eventual failure (was what i was trying to say in an earlier post here but flew over yer "seeing" apparently); with most friends and family suggesting that separation/divorce would be best, it's no surprise that couples begin to second-guess their impulsive nuptials.

It's soon evident that nothing can stand in the way of true love.

Ah, but THAT is the heart of the matter here, isnt it? What is your TRUE love buddhists? Love of buddha? methinks not. He didnt seek that now did he? Love of Self? (hmmm, getting warmer now, but no, not "red hot" yet)

Only u can answer that question metta (et al., buddhists/hindus/muslims etc).

But if yer W is a for real, "born again" christian, then...u better understand for her its Yeshua as God, whom is the Love of her life 1st n foremost, non-negotiable, even tho' she's not "perfected" yet and is still working with H>S> in working it out in her life (which may or may not include u if need be; thats for H>S> to decide or arrange/deal with). She cannot have two masters, she will love one, & dispise the other. (Right now i'd say yer BOTH conflicted majorly on this pt foremost; word! as in word up mon!)

My $$$ on Jesus. He's way too beautiful & an all knowing Son of a Loving God to pass up/on.

better get on board, metta et al; and right soon.

this is both a warning & an invitation, same as given to me
and to all who think they "see" &/or "hear" truth, wisdom, love.

[i've not come here to "reason" with you about christianity or
buddhism either, for reasonings go round n round in
ceaseless debates/discussions.
I've come to call u to "the light" which yer
buddha was referring to; "the Light who was, who is, and
who is to come"]

Be NOT afraid/ignorant/stupid/blind/complacent.

selah and shalom

metta

Dear cb45,

Now this is a tread jack!

I heard that a number of times before, you know.

There are miracles and fullfiled prophecies in other religions.
In buddhism, there is faith healing. People afflicted with serious or terminating illnesses can be cured by paritta chanting performed by the monks. Yet, we do not call that miracle; it's the power of truth, love and faith.
The Buddha said the only miracle is the miracle of education.
There are many instances of healing through meditation (both physical and psychological illnesses).

That part of the christian doctrine makes absolutely no sense to me.

Love (and the human mind) has spiritual powers by itself. Just wishing good to someone can make wonderful things come true.

I have no doubt about that.

I don't understand this statement. I suppose my "receptors" are not good enough...

"little buddha" statement is disrespectful.
I didn't come to you and said "little jesus".

If you want to make statements about buddhism, please learn from it first. If you read my first post, I said I was a theravadin buddhist. I do not reckognise later mahayana additions.

(a) We don't do that.
(b) Even if we did, you are just showing the same level of intolerance as my wife.
If the fact that other people venerate other gods or have different religions is an issue to you, the suffering in this world is far from being over.

I did look, but you probably prefer to assert I didn't.

Truth is beyond religion. A true statement can be made by a christian, a buddhist, a muslim or an atheist. I have no problem with that.
The same people can also make false statements, again it is not a question of religion.
There is no such things as a "buddha self".
I do reckognise positive changes from her religion. She especially tries to be calmer (and given her bad temper, that's a significant move - which remains quite tentative for now, but fingers crossed!)

Focus on Jesus and you will find Jesus.
Focus on Allah and you will find Allah.
Focus on Krishna and you will find Krishna.
etc.
I beg you not to be annoyed by the fact that other people have different religions, worship different gods or hold different point of views.

I am not.

My receptors are off again, sorry...

Maybe yes, maybe no.
The divorce rate amongst US christians is similar to non-christians.

Pascal's bet is outdated now. A muslim could have said that.

Shortly after we met, she tried to convert me and we almost broke up there. That was a good warning sign, but we were young and willing to go over it.
My main problem now has been the understanding from my side of the level of intolerance she reached, especially after becoming a born-again fundamentalist.

Agreed. However there can be true love without a marriage.

Metta is loosely translated into "loving-kindness". It essentially means to wish good to others.
Karuna is compassion: help other people in need, give to charity, etc.
Mudita is sympathetic joy: to rejoice at the success of others.
Upekkha is equanimity: one is not moved by either praise or blame, success or failure, gain or loss, etc.

That is not true.

Agreed. You forgot "christians" in your list.

All the above looks quite obvious.

I was waiting for this one!


I probably heard that one a hundred times!

Most of your post looks to me like arguments about buddhism and chrisitianity.

Could you please explain to me how you came to know what the Buddha was referring to?

Your statement is insulting and I leave it to you.

Bye (I suppose that's what it means).

RandomDude

Way to take a stand metta

One day I hope both of us can find stability in these interreligious issues, and have our wives standing side by side us. And have our children learn from our example. Sounds like a distant dream though doesn't it?