At a Spiritual Crossroads

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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Sam Vara
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Re: At a Spiritual Crossroads

Post by Sam Vara »

Cause_and_Effect wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 6:28 am
Sam Vara wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 11:07 pm
Cause_and_Effect wrote: Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:26 pm

Buddha Dhamma supercedes Christianity.
Even though it precedes it?
supersede
/ˌsuːpəˈsiːd/

verb
take the place of (a person or thing previously in authority or use); supplant.
Historically yes but I suppose from a Western point of view where Christianity is predominant, the Dhamma supercedes it as an ethical and liberation teaching.
Well, a subjective form of supersession occurs wherever there is conversion. What would the culturally Buddhist Thai or Sri Lankan who had been converted by Christian missionaries have to say about that? :shrug:
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Pondera
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Re: At a Spiritual Crossroads

Post by Pondera »

Maybe you don’t need a teaching of someone else. Take the methods of each religion, compare them, throw out the useless ones, cultivate the good ones.

AFAIK:

Christianity - love thy neighbour
Socrates and the Greeks - logic will lead to truth and truth is the highest happiness
Buddhism - do Jhana!!!

I can’t personally love my neighbour without feeling comfortable in my own skin. I can’t feel comfortable in my own skin without meditation. I don’t need logic or truth to meditate.

So I personally throw Socrates out with the bath water. And Christianity can wait until I’ve learned to love my self (especially the parts about worshipping something I have no evidence for).

That leaves me with Buddhism and Buddhist meditation. Mainly anapanasati. And I follow my own version of it. I use the template set out by the Buddha, but I follow my own findings, my own understanding, and my own coping mechanisms.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
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cappuccino
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Re: At a Spiritual Crossroads

Post by cappuccino »

Pondera wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 6:11 pm And Christianity … something I have no evidence for.
you don’t need evidence, you need faith
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Pondera
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Re: At a Spiritual Crossroads

Post by Pondera »

cappuccino wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 6:27 pm
Pondera wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 6:11 pm And Christianity … something I have no evidence for.
you don’t need evidence, you need faith
Faith is good. It is a kind of optimism you have when you want to believe something which has not revealed itself.

The moment it reveals itself, it becomes evidence.

Christianity expects faith which will never develop into evidence. I am not willing to blindly follow a religion which promises me salvation through faith, but eternal damnation without faith. I will not be caged by such dogma.
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
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cappuccino
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Re: At a Spiritual Crossroads

Post by cappuccino »

Pondera wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:27 pm Christianity expects faith which will never develop into evidence.
Christians are silent


Buddhists are silent as well
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