Do you study other religion material with respect to the Nikaya?

[form]

For example revelation predictions?

[SteRo]

No but I have studied Nikayas and related material with respect to my culturally conditioned non-religious outlook.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

For example revelation predictions?

No, and I don't go searching for them, but I do enjoy hearing tracts of text that align to Right View with Asavas - whether Buddhist, or from other religions.

Metta,
Paul.

[form]

Greetings,

For example revelation predictions?

No, and I don't go searching for them, but I do enjoy hearing tracts of text that align to Right View with Asavas - whether Buddhist, or from other religions.

Metta,
Paul.

What about mystical aspects? Do you find that they could correlate? For example, oneness could be higher level, but uncondition is the highest level.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

What about mystical aspects? Do you find that they could correlate? For example, oneness could be higher level, but uncondition is the highest level.

Not for mine. The fact no other religion comprehends paticcasamuppada puts the others fairly and squarely in the Right View with Asavas category, at best.

They might do great at Sila, or meditation, or in embodying brahmaviharas, but the wisdom is necessarily limited. Perhaps I am simply partisan to the Dhamma, but that is my reasoning.

Metta,
Paul.

[Joe.c]

No, and I don't go searching for them, but I do enjoy hearing tracts of text that align to Right View with Asavas - whether Buddhist, or from other religions.

Nice.

There are so many relevant in other religions. If one investigates, they have originated from Buddha.

For example, one religion, when they pray into certain direction. You will find this thing in Sutta as well. Such as MN89

They spent most of the night discussing the teaching, then they lay down with their heads towards where the Buddha was and their feet towards me.

So if one needs to pay respect to Buddha, one should orient their head toward where Buddha reached Parinibbana. But this is just small thing.

There are many others.

But unfortunately, you won’t find complete N8FP to get right view that is needed to get into the stream. Hence there is no way to get to final liberation.

[form]

Greetings,

What about mystical aspects? Do you find that they could correlate? For example, oneness could be higher level, but uncondition is the highest level.

Not for mine. The fact no other religion comprehends paticcasamuppada puts the others fairly and squarely in the Right View with Asavas category, at best.

They might do great at Sila, or meditation, or in embodying brahmaviharas, but the wisdom is necessarily limited. Perhaps I am simply partisan to the Dhamma, but that is my reasoning.

Metta,
Paul.

I believe there are quite a few records in the Nikaya of top students in other religion schools that once they hear about the right view and within a very short time become fully enlightened.

It is my habit out of curiosity to study what is happening in the world rather than just limited to the Indian world on human nature. For example, the way ancient Roman enjoy lust and their promiscuous lifestyle give me clues on how ancient Indian will in the same aspect. For example, the similarities between the record in growing up in a royal family of the Buddha versus that leader of jain, this kind of phenomenon occur in China biography of famous monks as well. How patanjali has eight limbs of yoga versus the eightfold path.

[asahi]

The indians like numbers (7) so are the chinese (9) .

[Red Belly]

[/quote]
For example, the way ancient Roman enjoy lust and their promiscuous lifestyle give me clues on how ancient Indian will in the same aspect.
[/quote]

I would be a little careful here. It really depends which Romans you are talking about, and of what period. Earlier, Republican, Rome was pretty prudish when it came to sex: one husband to one wife, and vice versa, was very much the ideal, and homosexual behavior of any kind was greatly frowned upon - to the degree that the Greeks were often perceived as "decadent" by early Romans (and such a label really isn't fair to the Greeks either!). It is true, however, that as Rome passed into the Imperial age, with the wealth and comfort that it brought, there was a serious decline into promiscuity and decadence as you say, at least amongst the upper classes. But even then there were notable exceptions, thinkers who mourned the degeneracy of their times. And of course the middle class and the poor could rarely indulge in such shenanigans; they were too busy trying to survive!

[Bundokji]

I do not study them in a systematic way, but i felt that i had a better understanding of the religion of my upbringing after being introduced to Buddhism.

[Ceisiwr]

In terms of Buddhism I read the various parallels and what material I can access regarding the Abhidharmas of the other early schools. Also the Perfection of Wisdom sutras (mostly 8,000 lines), Ven. Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā and extracts from Ven. Chandrakirti's Prasannapada. The last two in particular have had quite an influence on me lately. For Christmas I was given the Flower Garland Sutra as a present that I have yet to start reading.

In terms of non-Buddhist traditions I quite enjoy reading the Upanishads and the Hymns of the Rig Veda. I also browse through Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ commentaries on occasions, as well as Kaṇāda's Vaiśeṣika Sūtra. I sometimes read the Bible too, mostly the NT. The OT bores me a bit. I couldn't really take to the Qur'an either for the same reason. On the whole I find Indian and far eastern religious/philosophical texts more interesting than Abrahamic ones, which always seem more simplistic and emotive IMO.

[befriend]

I learned analytical meditation which Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes a lot which is a good way to internalize teachings from the nikayas. It helps liven up my practice and helps me socially. I like the Tibetan meditative attitude of just relaxing without effort just the intention to be.

[SDC]

I used to enjoy the reading the book The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The account of these Christian ascetics is still fascinating. Short of Dhamma, but still admirable.

The Desert Fathers

[Coëmgenu]

Some of those stories are delightfully eccentric. Good anthology, overall, even the weird bits.

[Red Belly]

It's been years since I've read them, but I found the Upanishads deeply inspiring. The Bhagavad Gita didn't have the same impact on me. The New Testament of the Bible can be very good, and parts of the Old, such as the Psalms and Isaiah, can as well, especially when in the lovely English of the King James translation. And I share the last two posters' affection for the desert fathers - they certainly repay close reading. Like Ceisiwir, however, I often find the overly emotive, beard tugging, robe rending flavor of the Abrahamic religions something of a turn off. Alas, it's definitely present in the NT also.

With all that said, the non-Buddhist texts that have most inspired me remain the Taoist classics: Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu and Lieh Tzu. Whilst popular Taoism can spin off into some very strange alleyways indeed, these works, and those most in harmony with them (along with the poetry and art they inspired), seem to me exceedingly wise. I love their portrayal of nature and the interaction of all things, and their whimsy is delightful - a refreshing antidote to taking ourselves too seriously!