What do you know about Buddhism?

[Thinktank]

They don't kill animals.

they have compassion.

they try to have peace of mind.

all life is suffering.

what else do you know?

[cliffy1]

All life is suffering when you come from the ego. The point of meditation is to get beyond ego and experience oneness with all life, the divine. Life is but a dream. What we call the dream state is where the soul or higher self resides. The highest form of divinity we can experience is our soul. God is so beyond our capacity to comprehend that it may as well not exist, the great mystery.

[kibbs]

There is just as many different types of Buddhists as there are Christians and combinations of both.Its all wheel spinning money burning sacred ritual .No better or worse than any other.Good and bad in all.It all depends on how extreme it ritualizes your life to know weather its good or bad.

[cliffy1]

There is just as many different types of Buddhists as there are Christians and combinations of both.Its all wheel spinning money burning sacred ritual .No better or worse than any other.Good and bad in all.It all depends on how extreme it ritualizes your life to know weather its good or bad.

One path is good as the next if you know how to navigate it. People rarely follow the finger pointing the way. They would rather suck on it for comfort than to let go and make the journey.

[kibbs]

People rarely follow the finger pointing the way. They would rather suck on it for comfort than to let go and make the journey.

The true meaning of many of the great spiritual philosophies are lost on the mass who still follow the literal childrens' version to keep in line. True enlightenment and spiritual maturity is lost on many.I hope you are enjoying your journey as much as I am mine.You seem well on your way out of this level.i love the way you think and hope our spirits cross paths in another time and space.

[cliffy1]

The true meaning of many of the great spiritual philosophies are lost on the mass who still follow the literal childrens' version to keep in line. True enlightenment and spiritual maturity is lost on many.I hope you are enjoying your journey as much as I am mine.You seem well on your way out of this level.i love the way think and hope our spirits cross paths in another time and space.

The same goes to you. Blessings.

The journey so far has been wild and wooly. Wouldn't change a thing.

[fluffy]

Well there was that one part with the trained seal and all that jell-o. If I had it to do over I'd leave that out.

[Thinktank]

The Buddhist temple on Oahu is famous - nicely landscaped and nice location
makes you feel calm and peaceful.

But their ideas of reincarnating into some bird or animal is complete weirdness.

[steven lloyd]

all life is suffering.

Suffering is created by desire. One of the Buddhist truths. Certainly in no way is all life suffering as the cessation of suffering is attainable through human activity.

The Four Noble Truths
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

http://thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html

But their ideas of reincarnating into some bird or animal is complete weirdness.

Good thing that’s not a Buddhist idea.

[fluffy]

But their ideas of reincarnating into some bird or animal is complete weirdness.

Not entirely weird when you get into the ideas behind Buddhist philosophy. Birds and animals other than humans, for the most part, have the benefit of living totally in the present, unburdened by any wreckage from their pasts or fears and expectations of the future. Although I don't believe there is any belief of human consciousness living on in other forms, it could be an extension of the idea that the soul is separate and apart from our physical bodies, an energy that goes on to become part of another life-form.

[kibbs]

Although I don't believe there is any belief of human consciousness living on in other forms,

Sometimes I think flies that bother me are begging to be released from their crap eating existence.

[alexoliversen]

Buddhist seek out three things:

Meaning - thus Buddhists like to meditate and contemplate with what is called mindfulness.
Spiritual Peace - they seek inner and outer peace.
Balance between the self and the community - to be able to serve one's community while also to fulfill one's own needs thus the middle way.

[A_Britishcolumbian]

i think one would find a common element of all manner of buddhism is this, it is within our capacity to be/exist in a perfect/ideal state.

all teachings and examples are essentially how to's and exercises to attain the above.

a very long time ago now i applied the simply philosophy of 'living without want' to guide my own progression along the path. this single precept, i feel, is all that is needed to attain enlightenment.

[GoStumpy]

Not entirely weird when you get into the ideas behind Buddhist philosophy. Birds and animals other than humans, for the most part, have the benefit of living totally in the present, unburdened by any wreckage from their pasts or fears and expectations of the future. Although I don't believe there is any belief of human consciousness living on in other forms, it could be an extension of the idea that the soul is separate and apart from our physical bodies, an energy that goes on to become part of another life-form.

Well said Fluffy. This is one of many ideals I am becoming very intrigued in. We as humans have burdened ourselves by fabricating different "selfs", of which we invoke with fear, jealousy, anger, etc. We look to the future and to the past, rarely living in the present. Wild animals live in the present almost exclusively, and that is something we could learn from.

I've just started my research on Buddhism, so far it appears to be top-notch.