buddhism

[suzee1]

Im looking for an easy way to learn about buddhism iv always been drawn towards this, the trouble i have is im pretty much house bound with breathing problems (copd) so its hard getting to some ,classes, i wondered if there was any internet sites that anyone out there nos of or easy reading books, i borght the four noble truths by dalai lama but dident understand it at all and stopped reading it in the end, im hoping the yoga side of it would help my breathing and love the peacefullness that meditation would bring, if the classes were easy accesable and in the yorkshire area it may be possible. any help or advice on buddhism would be greatly appreciated . thanks xxx

[Kanewood]

Dear Suzee
Contact The Buddhist Society in London.
www.thebuddhistsociety.org
email@ [email protected]
Tel: [phone]
They will send you lots of free information too.

[Theland]

Sorry Naomi, I have to disagree. God, the author of creation, is perfect, and is also the author of morality. How can we judge the Judge? Impossible!
Gods' perfect justice is illustrated in the O/T where he deals swiftly and violently with those who refuse to recognise Him, but is merciful to those who will turn to Him for forgiveness.
I know you have Jewish friends, ask them their opinion as to how God built and maintained the Jewish nation, and in his mercy brought them back to their own land.

[naomi24]

Theland, that has to be nonsense both logically and historically. How can your God possibly have been the author of morality, when Buddhism, a religion that pre-dates Christianity, embraces a similar moral code? Buddha had never heard of your God, so his ideas on morality certainly didn't come from the God of Israel.

'God deals swiftly and violently with those who refuse to recognise him.' Have you really thought about what that means? Dictators do that.

[naomi24]

Theland, I know you're around because you're posting on other threads. Now come on, don't duck out of this one.

[Theland]

O.K. then, looks like I dug a hole with an unwise choice of words.
But, buddhism is totally illogical as it does not deal with justice and sin. Re-incarnation is just nutty, and perpetuates the problem of sin. There is never a clean slate. Whoever made it up the ladder from insect to mammal to human and beyond?

[Theland]

Tony Blair maybe?

[naomi24]

Aha! There you are. Buddhism is totally illogical, but your God isn't? And why is reincarnation such a nuttty idea? You believe in the eternal soul, don't you? Surely, if you think about nature, it's far more logical than the child-like concept of heaven if you're good, and hell if you're not.

I don't know why you keep saying that Buddhism doesn't deal with wrong-doing, since it clearly does. However, whilst Christians have a handy excuse and it is always someone else's fault - Satan - with Buddhism it's not so easy - the responsibility is all our own - and perhaps that's what you find hard to accept. There's no one to blame and there's no one to save you. It's entirely up to you. And there is a clean slate to strive for - Nirvana.

I really wish you could broaden your mind, Theland - there is so much more in this universe than the narrow view you take. You live your life dwelling on 'sin' and quaking in your boots at the thought of the 'judgement' that might be meted out to you by this horrendous God. Even though you believe in him, you're still unsure you've got it right - and it's all so futile and unnecessary.

And I do hope you're never again going to tell us that your God is the author of morality, because he isn't.

[Theland]

Naomi - Quake I do not. I am forgiven having accepted the free gift of forgiveness. My future is assured, I can tell you, and it may seem like "Jam tomorrow" to some, but to me it is an ever present blessing.

[naomi24]

Thelamd, if you are so sure that you've cracked it, why are you still continually obsessed with sin and judgement? You've told me before that you are too afraid not to believe - and that's the crux of it - fear.

[Theland]

My mind is broad. I have not had the pleasure of extensive travel, apart from the Middle East and Japan in the merchent navy, and I have not had a university education, I have not read as extensively as I would have liked, being otherwise engaged in the time consuming business of earning my living and rearing a large family. But wherever and whenever I could manage it, I tried to broaden my outlook by doing anything and everything towards that end.
Most of it was futile, until I discovered Christ. That made sense, and felt right as well. I was reading evolution and supernatural prior to that and it made sense at the time, but not now.
Maybe you are right, maybe my mind is in need of further broadening, but it is not for the want of trying.

[Theland]

Yes, ther is the fear. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God.
That is fear in the sense of awe at His majesty, not fear as of being in the presence of a hateful dictator.

[Whickerman]

Theland - Do you really belive that Jehovah is the all powerful creator?

[Theland]

Yes Whickerman, I do.

[Whickerman]

Sorry Theland - i feel it's ok to question you because you question others' belief systems. Don't take offence - I just want you to answer this truthfully if you wouldn't mind. It's really important that if you have faith that there's nothing that can undermine that.

you've obviously then studied the idea of the creator god- i seem to remember you're born again?

So can you answer, if that's true, how YHVH became this creator when he was originally a minor weather god? Or was he just laying low for a period in history? (The Hebrews were polytheist, YHVH being the weather god hailed as the Almighty by Moses and his sect after coming out of Egypt)

[Whickerman]

BTW - good Buddhism link (in fact, this site covers pretty much all religions)
http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm

[Theland]

Whickerman - If your information held water, all the churches would be shut tomorrow .... today!
Christians are not loonies and have our own bank of historians, academics, archaeologists and so on, to refute these claims.
Added to that, the whole of Judaism would refute your claim, and there is a nation, Israel, whose history was foretold in the bible and is now fulfilled in that those wonderful people are now back in their own land, surrounded by enemies intent on their destruction. Oh Yes, the bible is spot on, so I think that the weatherman God analysis is somewhat devoid of substance.

[Whickerman]

Sorry about this Theland - really am. My objective was not to cause you doubts.

Let's start here, Encyclopedia Britannica:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-38171/pan theism#420650.hook

at the start of the chapter God of Heaven, LHS, half way down:
http://books.google.com/books?id=yCkRz5pfxz0C& pg=PA370&lpg=PA370&dq=weather+god+hebrew&sourc e=web&ots=aFlte_nYWt&sig=jpOeH818xKI_eF3YWIXyp re67MQ

This from Christian Classics. Go to paragraph 3
http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc12/htm /ii.xxviii.ii.htm



I won't labour the point, suffice to say this isn't some airy-fairy theory I've cooked up. I know (hope?) it won't dent your faith, but it's important that when you stand up and make an argument for something that you have all the facts.
As pointed out above, these texts are from Christian and hebrew scholars, and it hasn't affected their beliefs.

[Theland]

Ever heard of Hans Kung? A Roman Catholic academic whose book, On Being A Christian, dealt with the very beginnings of faith and belief. He spent his whole life devoted to the study, and I'm sure that he and many like him would have dropped their belief in a tick if stringent research had proven other that than what they believed, simply because Kung and his associates were looking for evidence and meaning.
Now, what works?
To the simple minded like me, I read the bible and see Israels history foretold, and it corresponds exactly as the recent newspapers over the last 120 years have reported it.
That convinces me. Academics are O.K. but sometimes they go awry - look at Rowan Williams.
It's a case of, "proof of the pudding."

[Whickerman]

Theland, as I've said, your faith is yours and good luck to you. I just think it devalues your arguments a little - just a little - when you just deny your religion's history. I'm not trying to undermine you btw! the tracts i've linked to are deliberately chosen as they are scholarly works from Christian, Hebrew and secular sources, as i want to illustrate that this is a genuine history. I'm not making this up...!

None so blind and all that. I don't plan on posting on this any more, I've tried.