No it is not. The controller is God not the laws. HE created them, can (and sometimes does)overrides them and at some point will make them vanish and start the process of new laws for the Hereafter.

I understand that you chose to ignore that. If that is what makes you feel your inner peace i wish you well.

Dear ThinkAloud,

Thank you. It appears you are satisfied with what you believe to be true. I do not chose to ignore (a favorite phrase of yours, it seems) what you believe. I just plainly think it is incorrect.


Be well.

SO DAIHO POSTS:

Hello So Daiho,

You say your problem with this is that it leaves no room for human discretion...which comes back to your saying that Buddha asks that we seek our own truth, doesn't it?

If, in Buddhism, suicide is unacceptable and the first of ten grave precepts, Do not kill is adhered to, then where is there room for human discretion or seeking your own truth in these instances?

That leaves the person making the call to kill the person who is suffering using his own discretion and seeking his own truth and thus this is where grave danger lies....at least for the Christian....it's called moral relativism and also playing God.

You can take all religions and find similarities (compare Native American beliefs to Buddhism, as an example).  However, after studying many religions, from everything that I have read/studied/etc., the actual "church" beliefs of Christianity are very different from Buddhism.  Christianity looking for enlightenment?  no, Christians "know", they don't need to be enlightened.  They also do not meditate - they pray to Christ and God.  Not the same at all.  Christianity and Buddhism have a lot of the same morality, but the spirituality and goals for belief are quite different.

And, if you have truly studied Buddhism, you know that the real definition of Nirvana does not exist.  The definition of Nirvana will not be known until one experiences it.

 

You're right, we are different from animals- we have much more destructive ways, are selfish in thinking that the Earth is here to use how we want, raise animals simply for food (heck, we're too lazy to hunt), and we eat not to simply survive- but for pleasure.  Let's not even talk about killing for pleasure ("hunting").  Yeah, we're worse than animals, and "we" use a book as the excuse to why it's "ok" to have "dominion".  It's easier to eat a McDonald's cheeseburger when you believe that the cow was put on earth to feed you, but if you spent time with the cow and heard its cries when its calf is taken away you might think differently....if you would allow yourself to.  But, If you simply think that "man" is above "animals", you will never see how harmful humans are to animals.

I like the very basic way that you put this.  I know a few Buddist Christians.  I call it "covering your bases", but to each their own.

To me, I don't think that a true God would have only one path to him.  I think that there are may paths.  I look to Buddism as one of the many ways to learn and be enlightened, though I doubt I will ever truly "know" until the end.  However, I'm pretty much sure at this point that death is like general anesthetic is like- nothing.  No pain, so sorrow, just peaceful non-existence.  So, I live my life as peaceful and helpful as possible and try to enjoy it while it's here. 

 

I agree that you can find similarities but when it comes to the person of Christ there's major differences and for a Christian it's all about Him so they have to part the ways believing that Christ is the dividing line.

Christians are "in the light" as they follow close by the light of all men. There's alot about "light" in scripture, but it always refers to Jesus as the light of all men. "I am come a light into the world that whosover believes on me should not abide in darkness." Jesus.

As far as meditation. It is a big part of the Christian faith as well. Prayer is important but so is meditating on the word of God. "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law does he MEDITATE day and night." Psalm 1

Good discussion all.

Hello L: As I have said countless times a precept is not a rule, it is a guide, a principle. I also said suicide is unacceptable unless it is in-service to the reduction of suffering in others. Moral relativism is a necessary ethical model in my opinion. In fact, I don't think a person can be moral and not be a relativist, because to be moral requires a human mind and a human mind thinks. Rule based ethics disallow thought altogether and are essentially cookie cutter ethics. So, while it may be possible to have a one size fits all moral code, I do not think it desirable.

Be well.

KarmaGirl posts:

KarmaGirl, the reason why we have dominion over animals is becasue we are superior in nature having the ability to think and reason. Animals operate on pure instinct. For animals in the wild it's survival of the fittest, isn't it? Those that we have domesticated require our care over them for survival.

The Good Book also tells us that becasue we are superior and have dominion, we are to be good stewards of the earth and all that is in it.

Well, there's more to it than this.

Morality requires some guidelines or standards.

So Daiho since you tell us that:



then it should be easy to understand the codes of Buddhism and of Christianity are essentially different...and good reason why the Christian should not practice Buddhism. Pope Benedict has railed against practicing moral relativism and with good reason..it brings chaos and moral confusion to society.

Hello L: I take polite issue with your use of the tern "essentially". I do not think so, since, in essence, all monotheistic religions, as well as most others, aim for atonement with God (in Buddhism's case God as Universe). Regardless of how we think of God, God is not a being properly understood. He is in traditional theological terms "wholly other". Yet I am not convinced that to be wholly other cannot mean that 'Other' is just something we cannot wrap our human brain around. So, we make 'Other' human-like and even the great Jewish theologian Martin Buber fell into it with his "I-Thou" word formulation.

Now, Pope Benedict's words are a good example why people should flee from dogma. There is a reason, in my opinion, why the Church and so many Christians supported fascism, its in keeping with order. Order is a high priority in a deontological ethical framework. This means a hierarchical power structure must be in place, concrete thinking must be highly valued, and action based on compassion must be curbed.

Moral confusion is not what causes chaos. What causes chaos is our unwillingness to face change and make adaptations to new situations.

The idea that a Pope and the Church he leads should be the moral arbiter, ruling with the belief that priests are the actual representatives of, and intermediaries with, God is (I believe) what caused the Protestant rebellion. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, these rebels then replaced a the Pope with a book, and today, seemingly have suggested that the Church and its pastors are not really to be challenged. The result is the same: a deontological system that has great problems with ethical and moral dilemmas.

Personally, I can live with deontology as long as there is a willingness to actually wrestle with the issue. The rabbis did this in the Sanhedrin and created the great Talmudic system of turning scripture over and over, trying to find its true meaning in a given situation. The Talmud is a living discussion with the Torah that continues even today with the modern Jewish responsa.

Buddhism avoids this conflict as it requires us each to discover the truth ourselves through our practice. The phrase "sit on it" is often used by Zen Masters to invite a student to wrestle with an issue, make it his own, and find a solution. This does the exact opposite of the thing many accuse moral relativists of doing, avoiding responsibility. To accept a moral dilemma as one's own, and to accept the precepts to address it as one's own is an awesome task and heavy responsibility. We do not have the ease of turning it over to a higher authority.

Be well.