Faith in Belief Systems

last SG · 2007-08-12T12:27:28+00:00

Ok so... when beliefs cannot check against reality, then, there is only reality?

Chin Eng SG

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:
Shocked I don't understand what you are trying to say.

accepting reality = faith in reality.

/\

Herzog_Zwei SG

Originally posted by sinweiy:

[b]accepting reality = faith in reality.

/\
[/b]

Accepting religion = not having faith in reality?

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
Accepting religion = not having faith in reality?

depend if one equal religion to be reality anot.

/\

sinweiy SG

from the simile of the baby walking.
it had got from "testing faith" (somewhat blind) in taking the first steps to a more mature faith of walking.
why it begin with blind is because there's a possiblity that it might take a fall. but no choice, it need to go thru the mistake before it can walk.
after less and less falls it gain confidence (in reality). even so after it had grow up and are able to walk and run. can we say it has 100% confidence in walking? you may say it has "full" confidence/faith, BUT adults also take a fall sometimes.
can name me something u have "full" confidence where it cannot go wrong?

tis why, in Buddhism, faith is said to be the root of all dharma/reality/nature, be it blind, or wrong or right or true etc.
faith is required. but i am refering to a neutral faith. Utimately, it must turn into Right faith or Confidence.
Yet that Confidence cannot become arrogance as arrogance oppose reality in the reality of cause and effect.
arrogance will not oppose reality unless you live alone by yourself. but we live as a whole. hence there's reality of cause and effect. if you act badly, people around will get affected. as people normally dislike arrogance. if you want to become a bad apple, you'll be outcast by people.

/\

TheGoodEarth SG

Easy to say and easy to quote from the holy book. Don't preach, practice!

For me, the reason why I practise 'love thy neighbour' is based on the belief that I am in love with my neighbour's daughter.

Chin Eng SG

my answer to andrew was based on his question: basis for love in the Christian context. nothing more nothing less. the verse I quoted was the basis for love, not fear of punishment from God as he had first written.

it also has nothing to do with me insomuch that I've already stated many times that I am not an exemplary Christian, so there!

your england still quite bad hor Laughing and you can't seem to follow the flow of the thread hor.

longchen SG

I think I have said that in another topic " Question about the Source".

"God/Source" is too direct to be seen!!! It's nature is love and bliss. In fact, from my experience that may be no distinction between love and bliss.

When it is seen/experienced, "you or self" must completely dissolve/disappear! This is the true meaning of surrendering one's will to God. That is also why in Buddhism there is 'no self'. But the 'Source' abide in all of us... We simply fail to see IT because our self/ego/I has not dissolved or surrendered enough.

Unfortunately, holy teachings have been misused and misinterpretation countless of times and countless of sequence by manipulative and unenlightenment leaders. Don't be a naive and trusting blind-follower!

Please do not believe in the honesty of mankind... however holy they may appear to be. Trust only in Direct Experience!

Seriously, I do not wish to recieve mental arguments... it really does not help at all. It is much much better to re-evaluate one's own understand by honest self-experience and understanding of one's own mental and personality inclinations.

Thank you for reading.

Herzog_Zwei SG

What is the litmus test of reality?

Chin Eng SG

...my original reply was made solely with the intention of replying andrew. everything else is not important.

...i also have no wish to discuss theology here. Wink

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
What is the litmus test of reality?

imho, i think can base on a simple rule of jie ding hui.
ie. discipline of body & mind => calmness/stabilization/concentration => wisdom/knowledge(see the real reality)

simile: in order to see the bottom of the water, one need to calm down the water (or the mind), which is often running all about.

agitate or eagerness wouldn't help see reality.
need to calm down first to see reality as it really IS.

/\

sinweiy SG

however, people seldom do litmus test wan, school teach what, they accept it as truth. internet say what, they also accept. media say what they also accept.
u know what? science had nowaday become a 'religion' liao. Laughing

hence reality is not fixed. it depends on the mind of the person that accept it.
this is what Buddha discovered. it's empty of existence. it is an illusion. the mind is the root source. your MIND make reality real and your MIND make it unreal. All in the MIND.

/\

Isis SG

Nice simile BTW. Very Happy

Just to add: To fully comprehend the truth ( for realization ), one has to practice and see this phenomenon (i.e thing as it is ) themselves. Buddhism deals not only internal and also external. There are actually related.

Herzog_Zwei SG

I disagree, even the body or mind is calm, if there is no river, how can we see a river?

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
I disagree, even the body or mind is calm, if there is no river, how can we see a river?

why want to see river? if no river, then no river lo.
got river or no river is still the mind.
agree or disagree is still the mind.

/\

longchen SG

Yah... all is the MIND Very Happy

laoda99 SG

What is "Direct Experience"?

I do agree with u that man is too depraved to be holy. In fact, Men are totally depraved.

BTW, Christians do have honest self-experience too.

Mr. Green

Thusness SG

Truly insightful and wonderful post! Thank you! Very Happy

Herzog_Zwei SG

If there is a river, and your mind claims to see no river.... Is your mind moving or is the river moving?

sinweiy SG

Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:
If there is a river, and your mind claims to see no river.... Is your mind moving or is the river moving?

invalid query, as nobody who truely understood Dharma say there's NO river.

/\

« Previous Page Next Page »