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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:23 pm
Rather than bore you with an endless list about the theories of this religion, I will instead keep this informal and short. If you want to know something about Buddhism, you ask me, and I will answer to the best of my knowledge. Okay? Wonderful.
Aaaaaand.... go.
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:57 pm
What is there view on reincarnation? I can't remember it...>.<
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:52 pm
Oh, I like her question, answer it please @ 3 @ ; ;
What do they have in common with monks? Are they concidered monks? Do they have martiel arts the way some monks do? (i seem to remember a whole sense of "non-violance" comming from the buddhists)
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Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:13 am
I did start to respond to this a while ago but the internet ate it so I will start again.
Buddhist views on reincarnation (except for Tibetan Buddhists, they believe slightly different) believe that you accumulate karma throughout life, and the karma that has not been balanced by the time you die will influence what you are born as in the next life, as well as the circumstances you are born into. There are three earthly realms (animals, humans, demi-gods) and three spiritual (realm of the hells, hungry ghosts and Gods). Only humans can become enlightened and escape the cycle of reincarnation and reach Nirvana. Of course, the realm of the hells, hungry ghosts and animals are associated with negative karma, and the other three with positive. As for remembering past lives? You don't. Life is like a flame passed between two candles. Both will burn but neither is the same flame nor the same wax and wick. The body and soul are nothing but components which can and will be replaced when you die.
As for "what do they have in common with monks", I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Yes, Buddhism has monks, and in the Therevada sect of Buddhism they are believe to be the only people who can obtain enlightenment. My path of Buddhist, Mahayana, believes that anyone can obtain enlightenment and that all people should be aided in obtaining enlightenment.
Well, the Shaolin Monks are Buddhist monks. It's said the Bodhidharma (the creator of Zen) brought martial arts to the Shaolin Temple. So some Buddhists, myself included, and some Buddhist monks do practice martial arts. Initiating violence is of course discouraged entirely, but to fight in order to aid someone or to preserve yourself is accepted. Taking life is of course, not. The Buddha, of course, put it best.
"Victory creates hatred. Defeat creates suffering. The wise ones desire neither victory nor defeat... Anger creates anger... He who kills will be killed. He who wins will be defeated... Revenge can only be overcome by abandoning revenge... The wise seek neither victory nor defeat."
One can fight, but if you ever believe you "win" a fight then you are misguided.
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Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 2:43 am
Does the word "realm" simply denote a level of reality (since animals and humans occupy the same physical world as one another)? What are demigods, and why are they assigned to the earthly realms? What is the realm of the gods, and, if you reincarnate there, is it akin to being in Heaven, only transitory? Do you reincarnate as a God (as I assume you reincarnate as an animal in the realm of animals), or do you reincarnate as a human in the company of Gods (as I assume you reincarnate as as a human in the hells)?
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Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:06 am
Mitsh Does the word "realm" simply denote a level of reality (since animals and humans occupy the same physical world as one another)? What are demigods, and why are they assigned to the earthly realms? What is the realm of the gods, and, if you reincarnate there, is it akin to being in Heaven, only transitory? Do you reincarnate as a God (as I assume you reincarnate as an animal in the realm of animals), or do you reincarnate as a human in the company of Gods (as I assume you reincarnate as as a human in the hells)? The realms are simply states of existence. There are six states of existence, but these are seperated into two realms, Earthly and Spiritual. In the Earthly realms exist all things we can see, touch and experience. In the Spiritual realms exist what the average human cannot sense. Of course, the Gods and the Hells are on difference planes of the Universe, but the Hungry Ghosts exist on Earth, yet they cannot be seen. That is part of their punishment. Demi-gods are simply humans with powers akin to that of low level gods, or gods who walk as humans. In Greek myth, demi-gods were humans with one god as a parent (like Hercules). In Buddhism, they are simply immensely powerful beings who walk the Earth. They are characterised by endless squabbling. Like humans, demi-gods are part good and part evil. Do not confuse being a God with being in Heaven. The Deva (the name for them in Buddhism) hold godlike powers; some reign over celestial kingdoms; most live in delightful happiness and splendor; they live for countless ages, but even the Deva belong to the world of suffering (samsara) -- for their powers blind them to the world of suffering and fill them with pride -- and thus even the Deva grow old and die; some say that because their pleasure is greatest, so too is their misery. So yes, it is only transitory, and you would be incarnated as a God. This type of transmigration would most likely befall and extremely passionate being who fell short of enlightenment. It'd be a respite from human life for a while, but eventually he would return: as only humans can become enlightened. You are reincarnated as a human in the hells simply because one is most likely to accumulate the negative karma necessary to go to the Hells in human form. Animals and hungry ghosts have not the capacity to reach the hells, but some Asura (demi-gods) are known to reside there also. What one must remember about Buddhist hells is they are not indefinite either. They may take exceedingly long amounts of time to "serve", but no sentence lasts forever. Many have compared a sentence in hell to emptying a sesame seed from a large barrel filled with them once a year until it's empty.
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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:09 pm
isn't zen biddhism one of those things where you follow the philosophy but believe whatever you want? or is there even a set belief system or what? how does that work? and if i said my zen could beat up your zen would you take me serious?
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:45 am
Mendele isn't zen biddhism one of those things where you follow the philosophy but believe whatever you want? or is there even a set belief system or what? how does that work? and if i said my zen could beat up your zen would you take me serious? To be a Zen Buddhist, you obviously have to be a Buddhist of a Japanese Mahayana sect. Other strains of Zen exist (the Chan school in China is where the practice of Zen was founded, but was really expanded upon in Japan) But you do not have to be a Buddhist to practice Zen itself. (Zen is simply a philosophy regarding accessing heightened thought through meditation, but was originally and is still predominantly a Buddhist pursuit) Zen Buddhism does have main principles, but the particular kind of Zen varies from sect to sect. I pointed out the central theme of Zen above, and to be a Mahayana Zen Buddhist, you simply have to believe Mahayana beliefs of endless compassion for others, transmigration, karma, deities, enlightenment etc. while also believing that the practice of Zen is the path to enlightenment itself. And, to answer your last point? No. Either you're joking or you don't understand Zen. I wouldn't get bothered if any one of the two were true.
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Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:27 am
So then, in Zen Buddhism, what are the six states of existence?
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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:22 pm
CabrionDeluviant So then, in Zen Buddhism, what are the six states of existence? Sorry I didn't see this, I thought I already answered it. Six states of existence in the cycle of rebirth: Gods (Deva) Demi-gods (Ashura) Humans Animals Hungry Ghosts Hells And this isn't regulated to Zen Buddhism. This is believed throughout Mahayana Buddhist schools.
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2008 6:13 am
Quote: If a closed-minded person tries to understand the spiritual meaning of Zen, the most that the person will understand of Zen will be a definition. A non-Zen practitioner that is open to new ideas may be able to understand the deeper meaning of the "religion of no religion" So...Zen Buddhism is nothing more than finding truth within yourself? Heh- the idea of "belief in no faith" sounds contradictory to "spirituality"- but it makes sense. A close-minded person will probably never find what he seeks. So my question- are you technically a Zen Buddhist if you don't see, say, the six states of existance the same as they do?
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