Issues raised about Buddhism

Spnw07 SG

I accidentally came across the website below and I have to say that as a Buddhist, I personally feel that I have to update my knowledge about Buddhism to the extent that I can face any member of the Christian faith in a calm and peaceful manner at all times when approached for views on the issues raised in this website about Buddhism.

This is not something that is invoked by this website, for it has been my main concern since the time when I was a half-taoist, half-Buddhist.

Encounters with members from other faiths, especially Christians, are going to be more and more common, debates of who is telling the truth may be unavoidable at some point in time, in the future as we all know that Christianity and Islam are the two largest world religions in history and modern times.

I will not avoid such encounters and debates all the time. I will take this chance to improve my understanding, the strength of my faith in Buddhism. This is not a fight, this is a learning opportunity. For without dialogues of a certain 'confrontational' or 'challenging' nature, we Buddhists would likely be contented with our present level of knowledge and spiritual cultivation.

Let such issues posed by members of other faiths be the impetus, the momentum, the motivation, to push ourselves to greater heights, to be diligent and calm like the Buddha.

We can do it.

http://www.truthnet.org/Christianity/Cults/Buddhism12/

Extracted from the website:

A suggested procedure to reaching Buddhist could be the following.

Ø First start by trying to find out just how familiar the person is with Buddhism, not all Buddhists know what Buddhism is.

Ø Second, try to build a relationship of mutual understanding sharing beliefs and communicating ideas.

Ø Third try to establish the Buddhist view of Nirvana, the ultimate destination. Buddhist have varying views of the final destination.

Ø Fourth, point to philosophical errors and shortcomings of Buddhism as compared to Christianity.

Christian missionary, James Stephens, a former Buddhist who founded the Sonrise[5] Center for Buddhist Studies suggest Christians ask Buddhist about their concept of Nirvana, most followers of Buddhism will have no clear explanation opening up the door for the following analogy.[6]

Subscribing to a religious system that gives no tangible idea of ones future destiny is like someone going to airport and simply asking for a ticket. When asked for a destination, the same person responds by saying, the same person responds by saying, I dont know just give me a ticket. When I get there, Ill know where it is

The Christian could then show the Buddhist, prophecies about Christ, such as Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, which foretell the coming of the Messiah, and his death after he came. He suffered for our sins.

1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him Isaiah 53:1-3

16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.

18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. Psalm 22:16-18

bohiruci SG

First ,as a Proponent of Mahayana I will answer exactly what he say

1.Philosophical completeness doesnt see that you are "realised"
there are scholar like Wittgenstein and Renes Descartes who insist on a certain theory of the human world ,which challenge by other philosophist

It like trying to delink others with a new viewpoint and refuse modification when one is flawed

Secondly this person havent practise much of Buddhism ,so how can he said he knows Buddhism .
Have he tried going to the Mountain to meditate in the cold icy peak in Korea,
have he ever tried to understand he is standing on a pedestal judging other people religion ?

Nah ,he never realise

St Augustine is a womanizer when he realise the harmful thing he is doing ,thus lead to his work ,the 7 Deadly Sins

the thing i can see is His Flaw when comparing a Omni-potent God and a Personal God .

I wont tend to fault him , If i manage to know this pastor ,i will have a religious engaged chat with him Smile

From the observation I learnt from Great Master like Je Tsongkhapa to Shantideva , I do able to see his perturbing mind

As the Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva say

"there is no suffering, no eye, no nose ...."

bohiruci SG

post deleted ... i dun think i want to be so down to slam him , i would rather he see the Encompassment of Buddhism Universal Compassion extended to him

I will Pray for the Buddhas of Ten Direction to made him a Buddhist Rinpoche anyway Smile

Laughing

Spnw07 SG

I myself find it hard to explain the term 'Nirvana' to anyone as what I have learnt so far about it is that it is not a place, nor a dimension created by a God.

It is something that a Buddhist practioner will understand and live, yes live, in the sense that there is complete eradication of suffering of any kind; no births, no deaths, no illnesses. It is considered the ultimate and true state of bliss attained by a Buddhist practioner who has diligently followed the Buddha's teachings.

When the Buddha talked about relying on oneself for salvation, he most probably meant that we have to make effort to follow his teachings. Just like saying that you accept the salvation of Jesus, doesn't mean you do nothing. You spread the word and you continue to be actively involved in activties which benefits the community, the country and the world. A person cannot claim to be really accepting the salvation of Jesus if he/she makes no effort to observe the Ten Commandments and other rules laid down in the Bible in real life. Obeying God means to make an effort to obey his laws.

To me, for any religion, personal effort of some form is definitely required. It's just how much. Another thing is members of a certain faith may seriously feel that another faith teaches nothing but points out a lonely and refugeless path for their followers. That is based on using their own teachings to judge others.

In Buddhism, the Buddha has reminded us not to use his teachings to look out for flaws or shortcomings in any person, and this applies to how we interact with members of other faith as well. Any Buddhist who does not follow this is not following the Buddha's teachings. It is because of this that I decided on Buddhism rather than Christianity though Christianity is considerably much easier to follow in real life and generally the community support is rather alive and strong even among different denominations and churches.

If one were to ask specifically whether there is any teaching in Buddhism that closely resembles that of the salvation of Jesus, my personal opinion would be the Pureland teachings expounded by Sakyamuni Buddha.

It is a very special dharma door that emphasises both individual effort and divine empowerment. In one of Amitabha Buddha's 48 vows to attain Buddhahood, he vowed that he would personally appear in front of a person on his death bed along with his retinue of countless Bodhisattvas and welcome the deceased to his Pureland when the dying person continues to recite his name for at least 10 times before his last breath.

Even when the person is still healthy, the light of Amitabha Buddha would always be shining upon him, giving him strength and courage, when he/she recites the name wholeheartedly. He/she has to consistently believe and wholeheartedly wishes to be reborn in Amitabha Buddha's Land of Ultimate Bliss.

When his time comes, Amitabha Buddha and countless bodhisattvas would surround him, take hold of his/her hand and immediately he/she would be reborn in a lotus at the lotus pond in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. This newly reborn person will have an infinite lifespan and his appearance is exactly the same as Amitabha Buddha.

The above is what I would tell to any non-Buddhist who comes to ask me about Buddhism with a humble attitude and an open mind. His intentions should only be to know more and not to create doubts and suspicion in the mind of the speaker or the organisation.

For a person with true religious knowledge and cultivation will always know that the Truth will always agree with itself and other parts of it, even if it is manifested in different ways and forms. The difference is created by human attachment and ignorance. Hence it can be difficult to see that love and peace is the real goal, not who is the saviour.

oldkid SG

All major religons have the same basic intention, which is to create better human beings that are kind, compasionate and helpful toward others. Of course a christian will say their religon is better and of course for me, I will say Buddhism is better. Comparison will bring us no where, in fact it will generate alot of negativities. Use the mirror to reflect upon oneself, not others. Develop the compassion for someone having lost the precious 3 jewels and aspire to help them one day rediscover the jewels in their mind. Very Happy

An Eternal Now SG

One only needs to start reading the scriptures to realise that the Buddha had ample description of what Nirvana is.

The pastor said "Christian missionary, James Stephens, a former Buddhist who founded the Sonrise[5] Center for Buddhist Studies suggest Christians ask Buddhist about their concept of Nirvana, most followers of Buddhism will have no clear explanation opening up the door for the following analogy.[6]"

This is true because most people don't know Buddhism.

I will be posting a topic on Nirvana, called 'Attending to the Deathless'. I highly recommend reading it.