I'm Converting

[Will]

I know I had a flux capacitor in my junkbox, but it seems to have disappeared.... :hmm:

[aniintheskywithtofu]

The reason ive never concerned myself with Buddhism is to me its not typical, Heres what i mean. To reach nirvana or "enlightenment" you have to do a lot of medatation or mind techniques. However in the western way of life this is just not applicable. A working mother barely has time to watch TV for herself. Just dont see her meditating for an hour. Hell, i cant meditate for an hour due to all the things i want to do. Also i just dont think its about human nature as much as it says. What Buddhism and even Christianity consist of the seven deadly sins are to me the seven deadly life sparksd of fun. I enjoy the things that even buddhism forbids. So ive always like the humanist approach.
Also Buddhism is a religion, yuck, organized religion. Another religion with beleive it or not Blood stained through history.


Another thing i dont like about Buddhism is all the suffering, its a religion that talks and talks about the suffering of humanity. With all that suffering talk its amazing they get anything good done for humanity. OH wait a minute, they dont do anything good for humanity, except talk about buddhism and the suffering of humanity.Plus i just can bring myself to be that nice. Plus the Dali Lama calls himself a God prince,in which i must agree agree with Chistopher Hitchens, thats whacked.
Please dont take offence just throwing my two cents.
I just love the whole atheism thing, to me its the true "Enlightenment".

Haxor,  your last line:  I just love the whole atheism thing, to me its the true "Enlightenment".  Is right on I 100% understand what you mean by that !!!  It is exactly how I feel.  I do not understand how people can live life otherwise.  

[Renegnicat]

The reason ive never concerned myself with Buddhism is to me its not typical, Heres what i mean. To reach nirvana or "enlightenment" you have to do a lot of medatation or mind techniques. However in the western way of life this is just not applicable. A working mother barely has time to watch TV for herself. Just dont see her meditating for an hour. Hell, i cant meditate for an hour due to all the things i want to do. Also i just dont think its about human nature as much as it says. What Buddhism and even Christianity consist of the seven deadly sins are to me the seven deadly life sparksd of fun. I enjoy the things that even buddhism forbids. So ive always like the humanist approach.
Also Buddhism is a religion, yuck, organized religion. Another religion with beleive it or not Blood stained through history.


Another thing i dont like about Buddhism is all the suffering, its a religion that talks and talks about the suffering of humanity. With all that suffering talk its amazing they get anything good done for humanity. OH wait a minute, they dont do anything good for humanity, except talk about buddhism and the suffering of humanity.Plus i just can bring myself to be that nice. Plus the Dali Lama calls himself a God prince,in which i must agree agree with Chistopher Hitchens, thats whacked.
Please dont take offence just throwing my two cents.
I just love the whole atheism thing, to me its the true "Enlightenment".

No problem, haxor, what you said makes sense, because the meditation practice came about during a time when there was much time to do so. In today's accelerated world, it can be difficult to find time to sit on the floor and chant buddhist mantras.   For example, you can not sit down to meditate for an hour because of all the things you want to do, yes? All the many whirlwhind activities that flood your brain and thoughts? You want to do this, you want to do that, and so you do it, and then you do something else, and all throughout you are forgetting to attend to just this moment. Instead you are off in lala land, thinking about the things you want to do? Instead of just attending to this moment? Do you see? By your own words, you suggest two of the noble truths right there.  

[Whitney]

wouldn't an enlightened person no longer see a need to go to war?  From my understanding, enlightenment is basically reaching full detachment from material things and desires in order to also detach from the suffering caused by desire.

Anyway, I don't think someone needs to call themselves a Buddhist in order to understand the value of being contemplative from time to time nor to understand the value of being content with whatever you have rather than always wanting more.

[Renegnicat]

wouldn't an enlightened person no longer see a need to go to war? From my understanding, enlightenment is basically reaching full detachment from material things and desires in order to also detach from the suffering caused by desire.

Anyway, I don't think someone needs to call themselves a Buddhist in order to understand the value of being contemplative from time to time nor to understand the value of being content with whatever you have rather than always wanting more.

You're right about a few things, whitney. Those who are enlightened do not see a need for war. And you're absolutely right that someone doesn't need to call themselves a buddhist in order to be enlightened. I personally, don't identify with being a buddhist at all.

But your understanding of enlightenment as full detachment from material things/the world is incorrect. Those who are enlightened still grasp. they still conceptualize, but they do so with the knowledge that they are grasping/conceptualizing. In other words, they are being mindful of the moment, even as they interact with it.

For one, it's impossible to have full detachment from the universe, and not really desirable. When you let go of all things, what you must do next is pick things back up.  

[Whitney]

i meant emotional detachment....obviously they can't magically teleport away from all materials.

[Renegnicat]

i meant emotional detachment....obviously they can't magically teleport away from all materials.

Ah, but so did I.  

[buttercupbaby]

Do you have to detach your head from your hair?

[Big Mac]

That is a question you should ask yourself.

NO!!! I'll crush you with my bare hands!!!

Sorry, I saw you put that and couldn't resist.

Buddhism is pretty cool, it's almost not a religion, isn't it?

[atheistlibrary]

If you are now a Buddhist, and yet still don't believe in a God, then aren't you still an Atheist?  :hmm:

[Ellainix]

If you are now a Buddhist, and yet still don't believe in a God, then aren't you still an Atheist?  :hmm:

What God does a Buddhist believe in?

[Tanker]

If you are now a Buddhist, and yet still don't believe in a God, then aren't you still an Atheist?  :hmm:

Atheist quite literay means without belief. A = without, theist = belief . You can have a religion or be spiritual and remain an Atheist. You just can't believe in a god and remain an atheist.