BUDHISM

[werewolf]

Hi! I'm a born Buddhist.Our religion does not hang on the belief of a single all mighty god.even though it has a some reference to several gods as in other beings.It relies on Karma or good and bad in simple.is there more Buddhists around? 

[Tank]

Hi! I'm a born Buddhist.

No, you were born atheist. 

You have become Buddhist as a result of life experience (passive culture & active teaching).

Our religion does not hang on the belief of a single all mighty god.even though it has a some reference to several gods as in other beings.It relies on Karma or good and bad in simple.

Please explain Karma as you see it.

is there more Buddhists around? 

Not at the moment but we have had some on the forum in the past.

[werewolf]

well not that i see budhism as a religion but more as a vision or a philosophy. Karma means good deeds are rewarded and bad are well punished

[Tank]

well not that i see budhism as a religion but more as a vision or a philosophy. Karma means good deeds are rewarded and bad are well punished

I understand the concept of Karma. Do you see a supernatural component to it or simply a natural order that one gets back in kind what one does to others?

[history_geek]

well not that i see budhism as a religion but more as a vision or a philosophy. Karma means good deeds are rewarded and bad are well punished

Well Buddhism is a worldview, if nothing else. I would call it religion, but I suppose it depends on ones definition (that seems to be the case in a lot of things, I've noticed..)

The way I've understood Karma is that: Your good deeds are followed by good events happening to you, while your bad deeds are followed by bad things happening to you. And from my own experience, it does seem to work.

Sort of.  

[werewolf]

According to teaching it does have a supernatural component but i believe mainly in the part that you call the natural order of things

[Ali]

I believe in karma to a certain extent, but I don't think that there is anything supernatural about it.  More like just plain old common sense.  If you run around being nasty to people (lying, cheating, stealing) eventually you are going to run into real world consequences for those actions.  If you get caught lying, people will stop trusting you.  If you get caught stealing, people will stop trusting you and you may go to jail, and so on.   If you go around being sweet and helpful, most people will take to you and treat you well in return. 

[Tank]

So what motivations bought you to an atheist forum?

[history_geek]

I believe in karma to a certain extent, but I don't think that there is anything supernatural about it.  More like just plain old common sense.  If you run around being nasty to people (lying, cheating, stealing) eventually you are going to run into real world consequences for those actions.  If you get caught lying, people will stop trusting you.  If you get caught stealing, people will stop trusting you and you may go to jail, and so on.   If you go around being sweet and helpful, most people will take to you and treat you well in return. 

That's pretty much what I mean when I say "it works, sort of". It isn't an universal or supernatural thing, there is no heavenly scale that keeps the universes Good/Bad Karma in balance, as horrible thing equally happen to good people (a person does charity for most of their life, and ends up with a cancer or some lethal disease, for example), and the bad guys don't always get caught (10 years to get Bin Laden...). However, like in "My name is Earl", you do good, you just might get some good back.

And sorry, but the irony of common sense is that it's never that common...

[werewolf]

I believe in karma to a certain extent, but I don't think that there is anything supernatural about it.  More like just plain old common sense.  If you run around being nasty to people (lying, cheating, stealing) eventually you are going to run into real world consequences for those actions.

yeah something  like that.

So what motivations bought you to an atheist forum?

Richard Dawkins mainly.One of our teachers was an atheist.He talked lot about limitations by religion and i had some of his speeches and read some books and then thought to join the disscussion

[werewolf]

well i dont be too hasty to judge on the universal scale thing.but Karma or no Karma i try to live and die as a good person

[Tank]

well i dont be too hasty to judge on the universal scale thing.but Karma or no Karma i try to live and die as a good person

Well let's hope you don't die for a long while yet!

In my experience on atheist forums since 2006 Buddhists generally don't have a hard time. Buddhist philosophy is essentially peaceful, thoughtful and not a proselytising/evangelical pain in the arse.

[werewolf]

Well let's hope you don't die for a long while yet!

Well i am not planning to
yes Buddhists are generally peaceful. except for the more extreme ones.but i guess that how in most religions.if you can accept what is right and what is wrong as well as what is redundant in your own religion you can go easy on every tipe of concept and vision that you meet with.as well as express your views without getting heated up

[En_Route]

well i dont be too hasty to judge on the universal scale thing.but Karma or no Karma i try to live and die as a good person

Well let's hope you don't die for a long while yet!

In my experience on atheist forums since 2006 Buddhists generally don't have a hard time. Buddhist philosophy is essentially peaceful, thoughtful and not a proselytising/evangelical pain in the arse.

Stephen Batchelor's "Buddhism without beliefs" is a stimulating read. Buddhism isn't theistic and its more mystical trappings such as  the notion of karma are not integral to its core propositions. Indeed Buddha cautioned against slavish adherence to the teachings of any guru, including himself. Personally, I find much of value in it's approach to life. Some of its principles crop up in the doctrinal
dog's dinner that is Christianity- doing unto others, forgiving your enemy, loving your neighbour etc.

[En_Route]

 If you go around being sweet and helpful, most people will take to you and treat you well in return. 

That might be how it is in Denver.