Buddhists: Some Questions

[Treks]

Hi Buddhist RFers

I watched a discussion between a Buddhist and a follower of another path. I wanted to test if the statements I noted from what the Buddhist said hold true for you. I apologise if I've misunderstood something terribly and made a right mess of any of these statements.

Many thanks.

S1: Buddhism has an emphasis on maintaining equanimity in the face of adverse circumstances, or any circumstances.

S2: Buddhism has a ranking system of lay people, monks and enlightened people. There is sometimes argument about whether or not someone has truly reached enlightenment.

S3: Buddhism is a little similar to Christianity where Christianity has original sin, Buddhism believes people are born with some degree of confusion of the actual nature of reality and alleviation of suffering/liberation produces a clearer view of reality.

S4: Buddhism does not correlate well with Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference." Buddhism's aspiration is to be indifferent to all forms adversity and places much less emphasis on changing things you can control.

S5: Buddhism has no concept of an omnipotent creator god, but a natural order is implied and Buddhiss want to live in accord with. The universe is benign, not providenial.

S6: In Buddhism, you want to alleviate your own suffering and are on a quest for truth ad clarity - these things improve your own wellbeing but also make you a morally better person. There is an alignment of self-help and moral improvement.

S7: Buddhism doesn't make a distinction between one's own welfare and someone else's - the idea of not-self means the bounds of the self are illusory, so there's creater continuity between yourself and others. We are either all one, or all nothing (the practical difference is inconsequential but Buddhists believe the latter).

S8: Anger is acknowledged as a bad thing, and it is recognised that our emotional state of mind and cognition are intertwined. Mindfulness provides cognitive objectivity to be able to coexist with emotions objectively. Mindfulness meditation helps to let thoughts pass or be accepted.

S9: In Buddhism, it is believed that many of the things making people suffer are simply mental constructs/narratives and the emotional impact associated with narratives nees to be examined.

S10: The mind is playing tricks on us.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I figure I go first since I stay up late when I have a lot to do and I sleep in when I don't. Don't ask.

S1: Buddhism has an emphasis on maintaining equanimity in the face of adverse circumstances, or any circumstances.

Yes.

S2: Buddhism has a ranking system of lay people, monks and enlightened people. There is sometimes argument about whether or not someone has truly reached enlightenment.

No. The only person who is enlightened are The Buddha and buddhas after him. Everyone, monks included, are practicing to be enlightened. As for rank, it's cultural based. In America, rank isn't as important as in other countries. This influences religious views as well.

S3: Buddhism is a little similar to Christianity where Christianity has original sin, Buddhism believes people are born with some degree of confusion of the actual nature of reality and alleviation of suffering/liberation produces a clearer view of reality.

The Buddha taught there is suffering due to attachments. Suffering is because of our actual birth (not inherited sin), growth, aging, and death. We prolong our rebirth because of our attachments. In Buddhism "sin" is the thought/the attachment. Christianity sin is the action. Thoughts are not inherited but learned attachments. So no inherited sin.

S4: Buddhism does not correlate well with Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference." Buddhism's aspiration is to be indifferent to all forms adversity and places much less emphasis on changing things you can control.

It agrees with this. It does not agree with "god grant me to change the things I can change, knowledge to know what I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference."

S5: Buddhism has no concept of an omnipotent creator god, but a natural order is implied and Buddhiss want to live in accord with. The universe is benign, not providenial.

Buddhist don't believe in a creator. The Buddha did believe in gods (Hindu gods) and he does believe the Hindu god, creator, Brahma exists. He does not believe in him though. I don't know if Brahma is omnipotent.

S6: In Buddhism, you want to alleviate your own suffering and are on a quest for truth ad clarity - these things improve your own wellbeing but also make you a morally better person. There is an alignment of self-help and moral improvement.

Yes.

S7: Buddhism doesn't make a distinction between one's own welfare and someone else's - the idea of not-self means the bounds of the self are illusory, so there's creater continuity between yourself and others. We are either all one, or all nothing (the practical difference is inconsequential but Buddhists believe the latter).

I'll get back to you on this. It sounds like a smorgasboarg of thoughts.

S8: Anger is acknowledged as a bad thing, and it is recognised that our emotional state of mind and cognition are intertwined. Mindfulness provides cognitive objectivity to be able to coexist with emotions objectively. Mindfulness meditation helps to let thoughts pass or be accepted.

It's acknowledge as an attachment. Bad and good are illusions. Mindfulness and meditations helps one see these things don't exist in and of themselves. Anger is of the mind not something concrete or an identity.

S9: In Buddhism, it is believed that many of the things making people suffer are simply mental constructs/narratives and the emotional impact associated with narratives nees to be examined.

Yes. Everyone has their way of explaining it. To me, it's balled down to attachments and training of the mind.

S10: The mind is playing tricks on us.

No. The mind can be trained. It's a catch-22. The mind traps us but by the mind and training we can be liberated. So, I guess when the mind tricks us we can trick it back.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Hi Buddhist RFers

I watched a discussion between a Buddhist and a follower of another path. I wanted to test if the statements I noted from what the Buddhist said hold true for you. I apologise if I've misunderstood something terribly and made a right mess of any of these statements.

Many thanks.

S1: Buddhism has an emphasis on maintaining equanimity in the face of adverse circumstances, or any circumstances.

S2: Buddhism has a ranking system of lay people, monks and enlightened people. There is sometimes argument about whether or not someone has truly reached enlightenment.

S3: Buddhism is a little similar to Christianity where Christianity has original sin, Buddhism believes people are born with some degree of confusion of the actual nature of reality and alleviation of suffering/liberation produces a clearer view of reality.

S4: Buddhism does not correlate well with Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference." Buddhism's aspiration is to be indifferent to all forms adversity and places much less emphasis on changing things you can control.

S5: Buddhism has no concept of an omnipotent creator god, but a natural order is implied and Buddhiss want to live in accord with. The universe is benign, not providenial.

S6: In Buddhism, you want to alleviate your own suffering and are on a quest for truth ad clarity - these things improve your own wellbeing but also make you a morally better person. There is an alignment of self-help and moral improvement.

S7: Buddhism doesn't make a distinction between one's own welfare and someone else's - the idea of not-self means the bounds of the self are illusory, so there's creater continuity between yourself and others. We are either all one, or all nothing (the practical difference is inconsequential but Buddhists believe the latter).

S8: Anger is acknowledged as a bad thing, and it is recognised that our emotional state of mind and cognition are intertwined. Mindfulness provides cognitive objectivity to be able to coexist with emotions objectively. Mindfulness meditation helps to let thoughts pass or be accepted.

S9: In Buddhism, it is believed that many of the things making people suffer are simply mental constructs/narratives and the emotional impact associated with narratives nees to be examined.

S10: The mind is playing tricks on us.

S1

It's not nessessarly a question of maintaining equmanity. This has more to do with detaching oneself the effects adverse conditions and circumstances oftentimes brings to people. If you're less likely to attach and suffer the effects, equanimity would naturally follow making things go much more smoothly.

S2

Never heard of Enlightenment being used or identified as a monistic rank..... O' enlightened one. He he.....:0)

S3

Well where Buddhism essentially "blows away the dust" off the obscure revealing true nature as it really is to which understanding or illumination comes through, Christianity perceives "true nature" as a corruption requiring salvation by a perceived higher power by which such can be corrected.

There is no sin or corruption in Buddhism.

Big difference between the two.

S4

I think the Serenity Prayer correlates very well with Buddhism. Just take out the God part.

S5

Being that we're not in any way exclusive from universe, it's more a question of balance or practicing the middle way, as opposed to ...." in accordance with". There is no separation.

S6

There's some truth there, I practice a holistic form applicable to this lifetime by which its benefits are invaluable.

I don't think I would need or require any quest for truth however, givin the case that the truth isn't really missing, or requires any type of finding.

That's like going around and asking people where your head is, and just where possibly it could have gone? !0)

S7

Sounds like the Three Musketeers.

S8

Pretty close. It's an acknowledgement and then letting things go. A good practice when it comes to emotions and cognitive function.

S9

Drop a sledgehammer on your toe. It's a really good way to answer the question.

I do recommend seeing the doctor if pain persists afterwards.

S10

It is?