Batgirl, Superboy, and BuddhaBoy?
"We do not believe he is Buddha. He does not have Buddha's qualities," said Mahiswor Raj Bajracharya, president of the Nepal Buddhist Council, a centre for Buddhist study and research in Kathmandu.
"He may have achieved great heights in meditation, but that alone does not make him a Buddha. A Buddha needs life experience, a young man who has not seen the world at all cannot be a Buddha," said Bajracharya.
I doubt this young man is Buddha, but the statement above seems weird to me. For one thing, in all I've read about Buddhism, I've never heard that achieving bodhi depended upon life experience. For another thing, why would somebody who believes in reincarnation dismiss life experience from previous lifetimes? If one has to start from scratch in every lifetime, that would dismiss the whole basis for their beliefs.
10 comments:
"If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him."
Of course, I realize, this would not be meeting the Buddha on the road, but it certainly comes to mind.
I never understood that saying. Seeing as Buddhists are the most non-violent people on the planet, why would they promote killing anybody, much less one of the most accomplished of their own faith?
"If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him."
- the meaning is this: If the Master ever becomes a hindrance on your path to enlightenment, drop him.
And I agree with you, Eolake. It is a weird statement from that Buddhist Council. My guess is that Buddhism suffers from the same problem as all the other stablished religions: They are dominated by politics and by people seeking power. Genuine spirituality does not thrive under those circumstances.
Another part of the saying is, I believe, if you meet your father on the road, kill him.
I am not even remotely a Buddhism expert, but I believe it refers to the releasing of all attachments and hindrances. Only by being free of everything can you achieve enlightenment; even the Buddha must not get in the way.
Of course, such sayings seem intended to be obtuse and give pause for thought.
So... if he can't stay months without eating or drinking, he couldn't possibly be the Buddha?
Shit, I'm so fed up with people who can't find grounds to worship/believe without fuckin' miracles shoved in their gullible faces!
Let's keep this reasoning on the conventional theological plane. I'll just say this: Satan notoriously can accomplish unthinkable prodigies as well; is it a valid reason to follow Satan?
And what about Saint Copperfield or the Prophet Houdini? ):-P
I've met a true saint during my very uneven school years. His sole miracle, to my knowledge, was being a man full of christian Love and Joy. But guess what? He kept alive in me the hope for some valid grounds in religion, immensely more than all the other ceremonious stiffs and the fire-and-brimstone zealot bigots who shatter their own lives and entire happiness. As they say in French, Father Francis was good like good bread.
Oh yeah, I think I know a genuine holy person when I see one. They eat and drink and sleep and pee and crap like everybody else. [Presumedly: I have an aunt who claimed for years that she, like all well-behaved people, did not fart... until that fateful day of June 26th, 1964, at 3:14pm! But I digress.] They can have sex as well, so long as it's not Jerry Springer Show shenanigans. What makes these people holy, is the miracle of Love. And guess what? Anybody can be holy. All it takes is goodwill.
"Or a good drill." -- (Bob Vila)
Prasad analyzed...
"Buddhism suffers from the same problem as all the other established religions: They are dominated by politics and by people seeking power. Genuine spirituality does not thrive under those circumstances."
First of all, I want to state that Prasad is not a clumsy alias for Pascal. ;-)
Second, if you want to see religions dominated by politics and by people seeking power, smothering all genuine spirituality, you people REALLY should come to Lebanon. It's the Mecca and Jerusalem of such, um, "accomplishments".
"Another part of the saying is, I believe, if you meet your father on the road, kill him."
There's a similar saying in the Gospel: "I come to bring strife between father and son, brother and sister", something of that sort.
"Of course, such sayings seem intended to be obtuse and give pause for thought."
The ancestors of koans?
Pascal [P-04referent] said...
"There's a similar saying in the Gospel: "I come to bring strife between father and son, brother and sister", something of that sort."
Matthew 10:34-42 http://www.myccm.org/post/crownbearer/blog/peace_and_strife.html
lemme try that link, again:
http://www.myccm.org/post/crownbearer/
blog/peace_and_strife.html
There it all is... :-)
Satan notoriously can accomplish unthinkable prodigies as well;
Only if you are a Christian. Before Christianity the word Satan did not refer to an entity (spiritual or otherwise). And even today outside the Christian belief system, Satan does not signify an objective entity let alone one capable of accomplishment.
is it a valid reason to follow Satan?
I'm sure Robert Tilton (video) knows the answer. And if not him then refer to Genesis (video).
Second, if you want to see religions dominated by politics, and by people seeking power
What else is religion except a form of politics?
smothering all genuine spirituality
What has religion got to do with genuine spirituality?
Methinks you doth preach too much.
Ah. Thanks, TC. I was too tired to recall the reference and then find in on Wikisource.
Although "the daughter in law against her mother in law" is kind of a no-brainer! Doesn't need divine intervention, that one, 'tis what I say!
TTL insisted...
"Satan notoriously can accomplish unthinkable prodigies as well":
Only if you are a Christian.
Naturally! That's precisely what I meant by "reasoning on the *conventional* theological plane". Basic Geometry!
Not that the company around here is very conventional... ;-)
"Before Christianity the word Satan did not refer to an entity"
Obviously. The etymology of Satan is "God's Adversary".
They did, however, shamelessly rip off the name of Lucifer, "the Light Bearer", a minor Roman divinity. Or the Cananean god Baal-Zebob, "supreme god Baal, Lord of the Flies". (And I should know, those were my direct Phoenician ancestors in Lebanon. Lebanity item #60)
(sigh) Even some 2.000 years ago, it was hard as Hell to come up with truly original concepts and never-before-seen material. Batman in his black vehicle? Zorro on Tornado, the cleverly disguised rich and shallow playboy! And Bernardo became Alfredo, no? Muy bueno.
[Bob Kane himself openly admitted the inspiration.]
"What else is religion except a form of politics?"
You'd be amazed how easily I could find you whole crowds of blokes ready to call you delirious.
On second thought, no, I don't think a smart fella like you would be even remotely surprised...
:-(
Okay, enough already. I'm training in short posts. Back at ya in a while. When I'm finished downloading those videos of yours... if they're not too huge!
(A megabyte costs me five minutes of patience. Sorry, DSL still hasn't quite reached my hillbilly area of residence. Yet. "CURSED BE HADES!")
"Methinks you doth preach too much."
Methinks not, me KNOWETH! :-/
Hell a looya! My patience is rewarded, in spite of algebrically infinite sacrifices!
Bless you, TTL, now I have finally seen your movies, the Light, AND an African-American in the White House. I've stepped in the April shower from Heaven and my sins have been washed away without the need for any soddy soap suds. (Whodda thunk those durn smudges were so easy to rinse?)
Hey, I'm going to market this holy detergent and make a fortune, while all along spreading the Name of the Lord. All together, now: "VA-DER-SAVES. VA-DER-SAVES."
Now I sith beside my lordeth.
Endor, my brothers. AND my sithters.
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