Whispers
from the Abyss
Posts: 1,983
Joined: Oct 2007
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RE: Religous views
I believe it is both.??It just depends on what your aims are.
If you wish to simply live a happy life - free of unnecessary woes and stress - then you can do this with Buddhism whilst worshiping whatever god you so choose.??We call this the "initial scope."??This means that your aims do not extend beyond your own aversion to suffering.??Everything the Buddha taught outside of rebirth and samsara is based on absolute logic and has actually been scientifically proven.??Meditation on wisdom-inducing topics (compassion, loving-kindness, patience, etc) has shown to shrink those areas of the brain associated with negative emotions while promoting growth and productivity in those areas associated with positive emotion and better brain efficiency.
Nowhere in any religious text does it say meditation is sinful.??Rather they praise the cultivation of positive emotions to better our lives.
Now, everything beyond this, however, deems necessary a belief in reincarnation as the two further scopes - intermediate and great - deal with ones next life, or lack thereof in the case of the great scope.
Whereas the initial scope is used to ensure a lack of suffering in this life, the intermediate scope aims to both seek refuge from suffering also in future lives as well as attaining a more appropriate position in a next life so as to attain nirvana - the absolute release from samsara's plights.??It is most definitely possible for anyone to attain nirvana--the Buddha calls this innateness ones "Buddha Nature"--through intense practice and dedication but it is far easier to do so in, say, a monastery in India.??
Through more advanced practices such as meditations on the four noble truths, true sufferings, delusions and actions, death and rebirth, the twelve dependent-related links, etc. one follows the intermediate scope.??Ones aim here is to create the causes to be reborn as a fortunate being worthy of perfect instruction and practice so as to obtain nirvana in a future life.??We realize the negative karma we have accumulated since beginningless time (we see time as beginningless--everything in samsara is born, lives, and dies - including moments in time.??A moment in time is born from the previous moment and is followed by the next moment upon its death.??It's not a literal meaning of birth, life, and death, of course.).??Seeing this negative karma we know it may be a while until we reach the life of a monk/nun (even women can be Buddhas.??None of that silly sexism or racism in Buddhism??); so, we wait patiently while we purify this karma and/or wait for it to burn off.
Following any of the three scopes bars one from entering any of the three lower realms - the initial scope is not limited to those of other faiths... sometimes it's easier to do just enough.??This doesn't mean your next life as a human will be talk shows and mansions, though.??Some places in the human realm are worse than others in the animal realm (think of an animal-lover's dog ).
The great scope is the ultimate path to nirvana.??One is not merely worried about their suffering in this life, they are not aiming for a fortunate rebirth in a next life.??The aim of a person of the great scope is liberation from samsara.??More than a half hour of meditation everyday/other day.??More than taking precepts at dawn (precepts are taken by more serious practitioners and are promises of abstention from five actions:??harming or killing any living beings, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct [far different definition than the Christian one], lying and false speech, and the abusive consumption of intoxicants and drugs).??More than sitting with a sutra every now and again.??Those on the great scope eat, drink, sleep, live the dharma.??No matter what one is doing they are always contemplating the dharma, meditating, teaching, and/or reciting mantras.??They dedicate their life to obtain parinirvana (the ultimate nirvana achieved upon the death of the body.??Nirvana is usually achieved in life and is a state free from suffering, confusion, and the mental poisons [ignorance, anger, desire].??Parinirvana is the state of non-returning in that one is not reborn in samsara but is free from its fallacies).
So, you see, it can be simply naught more than a way of life when applied as a philosophy or mental science.??However, it is also a religion when used to escape from the binds of samsara.??Then again, one who is Hindu can also see Buddhism as a philosophy in that they already believe in samsara, Buddhism just shows the way out.??I doubt anyone entering Buddhism would say they are Hindu with an emphasis on the teachings of the Buddha, though.??=p
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