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Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 18, 2015 at 11:38 am
Sir I think a Christian prayer is asking for a miracle to happen. If one prays asking to cure someone of an illness and if that person somehow gets cured by this act , I would call it a miracle. Not all the time , at least in that example. One doesn't have to be a Buddhist to practice meditation. If one practices it for the right reasons (to improve ourselves) it's benefits can be seen or felt. Sir Rob I think you might agree.
They are different because one is calling out for someone and one is to improve self.
"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path" - Gautama Buddha
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 18, 2015 at 12:14 pm
(This post was last modified: November 18, 2015 at 12:16 pm by robvalue.)
Meditation can certainly be a useful tool on the road to self improvement and mental health, but I wouldn't say if just makes you "better" on its own. If you spent your whole life in a room meditating, you haven't achieved much.
As for someone getting amazingly healed in a seemingly impossible way, that would just be an unexplained event. I find the word miracle to be meaningless. There would also be no way to establish a causal link between someone muttering to themselves beforehand, and this event.
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 18, 2015 at 1:43 pm
(This post was last modified: November 18, 2015 at 1:46 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
You certainly couldn't learn anything you didn't already know....by looking within, lol. You, Mia, are hoping that meditation makes you "better"...which would also be a miracle.
One doesn't have to be a christian to pray. Many, many people pray. Some folks will even pray to gods they don't believe in, imagine that.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 3:38 am
Meditation does make a person better Sir. I don't think you have practiced and made that claim. It is certainly not a miracle. Of course one doesn't learn anything new. What you already know and what you will do will be more productive.
"Jenny Edwards CBE, Mental Health Foundation: "Mindfulness meditation helps people change the way they think and feel about their experiences, especially stressful ones. By paying attention to your thoughts and feelings you become more aware of them and better able to manage them. Mindfulness helps induce relaxation, which is a physiological response that slows heart rate, drops blood pressure, and decreases the levels of stress hormones."
"A prisoner at HMP Wymott: "Meditation practice is working for me. It helps me to be calm, relaxed and not get angry and irritated. It helps me not react to people in a bad way and to take people’s opinion on board. Recently, when someone went a bit too far, instead of reacting to it I just walked away."
Source : BBC
Again, I tell you, Meditation and praying are totally different.
"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path" - Gautama Buddha
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 3:40 am
(This post was last modified: November 19, 2015 at 3:43 am by robvalue.)
Better as in healthier, sure. And perhaps more able to cope, leading to more rational and calm decisions.
It can be a tool in self improvement, but the act itself doesn't make you a more moral or worthwhile person.
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 10:23 am
(November 19, 2015 at 3:40 am)robvalue Wrote: Better as in healthier, sure. And perhaps more able to cope, leading to more rational and calm decisions.
It can be a tool in self improvement, but the act itself doesn't make you a more moral or worthwhile person.
Precisely. There are studies and claims that any practice that gives a person "quiet time" - that takes the mind away from worries and concerns for even a few minutes - is positive for overall health. Even the current "adult coloring" fad in the US is making the same claims. Periods of calm are a good thing.
Many say that prayer has the same effect. Sure. Take the mind away - check. Too many people think of prayer as similar to writing a letter to Santa anyway. Of course, as an atheist, I prefer coloring. I'm not sold on the idea of spending time telling nobody how great he is.
"The family that prays together...is brainwashing their children."- Albert Einstein
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 11:04 am
(This post was last modified: November 19, 2015 at 11:10 am by The Grand Nudger.)
Coloring is awesome....and in contrast with meditation....at the end of the day you have a nice picture of Mickey to show for all of your time spent "improving" yourself.
Again, Mia, I have demonstrated that they are not so different (either in principle or practice)....because just telling you wouldn't have worked anyway..unless, ofc, I was the buddha....then you'd have eaten it up. Just as the christians and muslims did regarding prayer and their own messianic figureheads. I'm not telling you that you need to see meditation as a pointless endeavor, as I do....only suggesting that prayer is equally worthwhile or pointless, by the same metric, and for the same reasons. If you see value in meditation...it shouldn't be difficult for you to see value in prayer. Did the buddha value rational and consistent thought, or dogged apologetic adherence to doctrine? How well are you representing buddhism right now?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 12:19 pm
The Buddha never asked to adhere to the doctrine. Rather to see what it is ourselves and only if it agrees , then practice.
"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path" - Gautama Buddha
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RE: Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 12:22 pm
(This post was last modified: November 19, 2015 at 12:24 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Judging by your last post, either the buddha or yourself has a habit of duplicity.
"Don't adhere to my doctrine..see if -x- agrees with my doctrine..and if it does, then adhere to it".
Buddha's sweet nothings fall so tenderly upon my ears, lol.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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Questions of Novena Prayers and Offerings
November 19, 2015 at 12:34 pm
No sir, I'll try to explain it. The Buddha has thought us as to how to live a righteous life. It is up to us to use logic and reason to see if it agrees with us, then practice it. Not adhere. If anything else , if there is any other way to live life it is solely our decision. Buddha never said we go to hell if we lose faith in what he thought. By the way Buddha was human. Just like you and me.
"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path" - Gautama Buddha
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