Poll: Christianity and Buddhism

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yokinazu

i have read the tao te ching and found it very enlighning.
the reason i think most people who follow the teachings of lau tze refer to them self as a taoist is to simplify things for people brung up in a christan dominant society.
i myself would say that knowing in my heart that it may be wrong but it makes it easier than having to talk for 2 or 3 hours to some one who has no clue.
let face it many people dont even know about the tao. so just to make things easier for them we will say "i am a taoist" but saying "i follow taoist philosophy" would more than likly be a better way of stating it.

---

Exactly. But saying "I am Taoist" could mean anything..medieval taoists followers were obsessed with alchemy and immortality, and modern taoist followers practice ancestor worship and worship all sorts of gods. However, to say that, "I follow Taoist Philosophy" eliminates all the wacky bits of taoism that have arisen over the years, and leaves Lao Tzu and Chaung Tzu (I don't care how people spell their names)
And if you say, "I follow taoist philosophy" and someone asks you to explain, here is a simply answer that will save you 2-3 hours. "The nature of the Tao is that it cannot be explained...good day sir."

Out of all the religions i think buddhism makes the most sense. More of a way of life than a set of rules. From what i understand anyways

Jesus Buddha all the same maybe even the same soul who knows? There is just more of a stereotype with being a Christian

Im a practicing Buddhist but it is strongly against the religion to do any kinds of drugs including marijuana :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by br37tv2

Im a practicing Buddhist but it is strongly against the religion to do any kinds of drugs including marijuana :(

---

Good to see another Buddhist here! Whelcome brother. I've only now gotten back into my practice having got onto the anti-depressants and working painkillers. It's ironic that Buddhism can be the biggest help in depression, but depression completely hinderes the desire to keep up any sort of religious practice.


I personally don't smoke cannabis because the effects are nothing but negative for me. But you don't necessarily have to avoid it 100%. Do you remember the famous Buddha quote "believe nothing, no matter where you read it, no matter where you heard it, no matter who said it, even if I have said it...unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense"? One of my favorites to be sure.

This is not to say that we should willy-nilly do whatever we want of course; what it does mean is that few things are "stictly against" Buddhism. There have been a few ancient Buddhist sects who have employed cannabis in their meditations.

What it comes down to, really, is realizing that the more closely you follow his teachings, the more you will reap from them. But as the Buddha knew and thus taught, sometimes an exception to the rule is necessary, sometimes these exceptions have their place.

I once heard something from an experienced Buddhist practitioner that really stuck with me; "substances don't ruin people, habbits do". I couldn't agree more! Not only in regard to cannabis, but many halluginogens which in my experience have proved invaluable in spiritual exploration. But in order to adhere to your faith and use the substances responsibly, they must be seen as tools, not toys. When the tool is used for a specific journey and purpose, the benefits to be reaped are great. When they are used with little to no purpose, simply to "get high" or chill out; that is fine for those who wish to do so, but it becomes a habbit at that point and not benefical to your practice. lol, I'm sure I'll get some arguments here though.

Good luck on all your practices, it would seem you're very devoted to them!