Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
Santi253
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Santi253 »

Lucas Oliveira wrote:A quick search on google...

Scientists Find One Source of Prayer’s Power
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... ers-power/

Efficacy of prayer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficacy_of_prayer

Prayer and healing: A medical and scientific perspective on randomized controlled trials
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2802370/

Science Proves the Healing Power of Prayer

“Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick — and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster,” Duke University’s Harold G. Koenig, M.D., tells Newsmax Health.

http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Headline/ ... id/635623/


:namaste:
Thank you for sharing these things. Thich Nhat Hanh cites studies like this in his book The Energy of Prayer:
https://books.google.com/books?id=LmEKa ... 22&f=false
Non-violence is the greatest virtue, cowardice the greatest vice. - Mahatma Gandhi

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Coëmgenu
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Coëmgenu »

binocular wrote:Exactly. The giver sometimes considers something to be a gift that to the (prospective) recipient is poison.
For instance, my partner works with an elderly manager who was just transferred to his store from a different store where he had worked a long time.

IMO, and obv take this with a grain of salt accordingly, this newer elderly manager (he has been at the new location for about a year now) evidently struggles, as many at his age do, and as I might too one day, with feelings of uselessness and feeling undervalued, at work, at home, in society, etc, essentially on account of age. Which is perfectly fine. No one is "not allowed" to feel bad for whatever reason, be it justified or unjustified.

Where this becomes relevant to the discussion on "helping" is when he makes up for this (feelings of uselessness, inadequacy, etc.) by frequently shutting down the whole store to lecture employees on proper store protocol, how he used to do things "back in the day", etc, always making sure to make a point about how useful he is: "After all, if I wasn't here, no one would be telling you this."

The issue is that these stoppages aren't actually in the interest of helping to run the store, very rarely have new or useful information, and make everyone's day worse off because they are unable to complete the tasks they must complete by the end of the day, on account of the frequent stoppages.

He frames these stoppages as "help" and speaks about how glad everyone must be that he is there to tell them proper protocol. His "help" is actually the opposite, and is slightly pathological, given that such a transparent motive is behind it, as much as I sympathize with what he is probably going through.

This is now off-topic, though, I realize, and shoud probably be it's own topic
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
Santi253
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Santi253 »

My point in mentioning prayer to buddhas and bodhisattvas is that there's practicality nothing in other religions that Buddhism doesn't also offer. If you want to feel a connection to a power larger than yourself, Buddhism has that available to you.
Non-violence is the greatest virtue, cowardice the greatest vice. - Mahatma Gandhi

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binocular
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by binocular »

Santi253 wrote:My point in mentioning prayer to buddhas and bodhisattvas is that there's practicality nothing in other religions that Buddhism doesn't also offer. If you want to feel a connection to a power larger than yourself, Buddhism has that available to you.
Maybe this is why people join political parties, social movements, philosophies, etc.: to feel a connection to a power larger than themselves.

Of course, for that, one could also pray to the sun, or the earth, the moon, etc. Or Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Spiny Norman »

Santi253 wrote:Asking buddhas or deities for spiritual protection or material blessings, etc. I'm speaking of popular or "folk" Buddhism in traditionally Theravada countries.
I also came across this while practising in Vajryana Buddhism.
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aflatun
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by aflatun »

binocular wrote:
Santi253 wrote:My point in mentioning prayer to buddhas and bodhisattvas is that there's practicality nothing in other religions that Buddhism doesn't also offer. If you want to feel a connection to a power larger than yourself, Buddhism has that available to you.
Maybe this is why people join political parties, social movements, philosophies, etc.: to feel a connection to a power larger than themselves.

Of course, for that, one could also pray to the sun, or the earth, the moon, etc. Or Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
not a good idea :tongue:

Image
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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Sam Vara
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Sam Vara »

aflatun wrote:
binocular wrote:
Santi253 wrote:My point in mentioning prayer to buddhas and bodhisattvas is that there's practicality nothing in other religions that Buddhism doesn't also offer. If you want to feel a connection to a power larger than yourself, Buddhism has that available to you.
Maybe this is why people join political parties, social movements, philosophies, etc.: to feel a connection to a power larger than themselves.

Of course, for that, one could also pray to the sun, or the earth, the moon, etc. Or Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
not a good idea :tongue:

Image
I'd gladly pray to it to ask that it kept a respectful distance...
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Dhammanando
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Dhammanando »

Lucas Oliveira wrote:Science Proves the Healing Power of Prayer
That's good to hear! And now, thanks to the new "Thoughts and Prayers" app, one can go about it with the greatest of ease.



:stirthepot:
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
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zerotime
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by zerotime »

Santi253 wrote: So the question is, regardless of whether these buddhas or deities exist, does praying to them cause more harm, good, or is it neutral?
not neutral because that's more kamma.
Many people do business with gods or statues to get or to avoid something. That's a very bad idea. I believe this is something to avoid at any cost

Instead doing any business because the fear, there is this way taught by the Buddha:

"In the wilderness,
in the shade of a tree,
in an empty building, monks,
recollect the Buddha.
Your fear won't exist.

If you can't recall the Buddha
— best in the world,
the bull of men —
then you should recall the Dhamma:
leading outward, well-taught.

If you can't recall the Dhamma
— leading outward,
well-taught
— then you should recall the Sangha:
the field of merit unexcelled.

When thus recalling
the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha, monks,
there'll be no horripilation,
terror,
or fear."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
About how to recollect (read 2. The First Six Recollections): http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/stud ... s.html#six

No business with nobody.
binocular
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by binocular »

Dhammanando wrote:That's good to hear! And now, thanks to the new "Thoughts and Prayers" app, one can go about it with the greatest of ease.
Brilliant! And so true.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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aflatun
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by aflatun »

Sam Vara wrote: I'd gladly pray to it to ask that it kept a respectful distance...
Haha! In my experience this deity responds much better to an n95 respirator and simple avoidance :jumping:
"People often get too quick to say 'there's no self. There's no self...no self...no self.' There is self, there is focal point, its not yours. That's what not self is."

Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli
Senses and the Thought-1, 42:53

"Those who create constructs about the Buddha,
Who is beyond construction and without exhaustion,
Are thereby damaged by their constructs;
They fail to see the Thus-Gone.

That which is the nature of the Thus-Gone
Is also the nature of this world.
There is no nature of the Thus-Gone.
There is no nature of the world."

Nagarjuna
MMK XXII.15-16
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Lucas Oliveira
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Re: Theistic Belief/Believing in God/Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

Dhammanando wrote:
Lucas Oliveira wrote:Science Proves the Healing Power of Prayer
That's good to hear! And now, thanks to the new "Thoughts and Prayers" app, one can go about it with the greatest of ease.



:stirthepot:
Prayers, prayers, positive thinking and mental cultivation.

maybe they are alike

Bhavana

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness" — then you should enter & remain in them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

"Now, Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, alert, & resolute — keeps pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html




:anjali:
I participate in this forum using Google Translator. http://translate.google.com.br

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