I've had a soft spot for Buddhism for a number of years now, but only to the extent that I enjoy a poetic representation of their ideas. For example, I do not believe that I will ever materialize on this planet again once I've died. I accept that the "stuff" that makes me up now will dissipate into the Earth and be passed back through the food chain and be present in new life for as long as life can sustain itself. In such a sense the idea of "rebirth" can be played in a poetic fashion, and as I understand it, the Buddhist interpretation of rebirth isn't that "the self" goes on into another life, as Buddhists would reject the notion of "self" to begin with. As such, I find myself agreeing in a strictly poetic sense with the concept of life being a continuum of beings paving the way for new beings.
Also, I do believe that what I do in this life could potentially affect the life of organisms after me. If I plant a tree and ask to be buried beneath it when I die, I'll be providing some source of nutrients to this newly growing tree and directly affecting it's life. The "stuff of me" will go into that tree and my wish to be a part of the tree will be embodied within it. However, I do not accept for a moment that if I have bad thoughts and act upon them that future life will consciously or subconsciously be affected by this. I only accept this to the extent that I would accept "Politician A created policy X and it has affected life long after Politician A has died". You see, Buddhism appears to capture concepts which are entirely valid yet places a weird mystical air about them. So I would accept that my actions in this life WILL affect future life, but not in the sense that there's some weird conscious seeds being planted in future life by way of my actions.
On another note, lets take a look at suffering.
The first statement is misleading at best, wrong at worst. Some suffering is purely and simply caused by being kicked in the face and it hurting. We have a nervous system and when something is going wrong, it tells us so. Your personal cravings for tranquility, happiness or a steaming hot night with the waitress will have nothing to do with the pain you feel from a stab wound. You'll be craving comfort and wishing the pain to go away, but that is most certainly not the cause of your pain. If it was, medicine would come in the form of a doctor saying "just accept the pain, don't crave recovery" or something equally ridiculous and non-constructive.
However, if the statement read "much suffering is caused by craving" then I'd entirely agree. I can speak from personal experience and say that I had a painfully intense craving for something which lasted 18 months and took me to the brink of insanity. It was only when I let go of that craving and stopped wishing for something I couldn't have that I was finally mentally healed. Living in a world of fantasy, a world that does not exist (living in the future I guess) can cause a lot of pain. Wanting things you don't have can make you feel down about your current situation. There are plenty of instances where this is the case. As such, I'd agree that in some cases, suffering ends when craving ends.
Once again though, I cannot stress enough that this idea shouldn't be taken at a fundamentalist level of absoluteness. All voluntary actions stem from a desire to do something. If we did not "want" food, we wouldn't go out and buy it. It is through acting on cravings that we can function as beings. Craving also leads to personal achievements. Even seeking "enlightenment" and letting go of your cravings is in itself a craving for enlightenment. Simply, you shouldn't take the ideas of a religion to their logical extreme. With moderation, you can accept many of the ideas surrounding a religion without subscribing to it in a devotional manner. In that fashion, I find myself quite attracted to Buddhism and Taoism but not to the extent that I'd become a Buddhist or Taoist.
This just about sums it up. I practise meditation myself and read into yoga, Taoism, Shinto and Buddhism (each to varying degrees) and find many concepts that are complementary to my desires and my lifestyle. However, I understand that accepting one single religion as being correct, all-encompassing, etc, would be foolish as they all have their own shortcomings, delusions and unjustifiable claims. The fact that you've realised this shows that you're well on your way to a more (healthy?) perspective on life, and I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better for it.
Best wishes
Also, I do believe that what I do in this life could potentially affect the life of organisms after me. If I plant a tree and ask to be buried beneath it when I die, I'll be providing some source of nutrients to this newly growing tree and directly affecting it's life. The "stuff of me" will go into that tree and my wish to be a part of the tree will be embodied within it. However, I do not accept for a moment that if I have bad thoughts and act upon them that future life will consciously or subconsciously be affected by this. I only accept this to the extent that I would accept "Politician A created policy X and it has affected life long after Politician A has died". You see, Buddhism appears to capture concepts which are entirely valid yet places a weird mystical air about them. So I would accept that my actions in this life WILL affect future life, but not in the sense that there's some weird conscious seeds being planted in future life by way of my actions.
On another note, lets take a look at suffering.
Wikipedia - Buddhism Wrote:"# Suffering is caused by craving. This is often expressed as a deluded clinging to a certain sense of existence, to selfhood, or to the things or phenomena that we consider the cause of happiness or unhappiness. Craving also has its negative aspect, i.e. one craves that a certain state of affairs not exist.
# Suffering ends when craving ends. This is achieved by eliminating delusion, thereby reaching a liberated state of Enlightenment (bodhi)"
The first statement is misleading at best, wrong at worst. Some suffering is purely and simply caused by being kicked in the face and it hurting. We have a nervous system and when something is going wrong, it tells us so. Your personal cravings for tranquility, happiness or a steaming hot night with the waitress will have nothing to do with the pain you feel from a stab wound. You'll be craving comfort and wishing the pain to go away, but that is most certainly not the cause of your pain. If it was, medicine would come in the form of a doctor saying "just accept the pain, don't crave recovery" or something equally ridiculous and non-constructive.
However, if the statement read "much suffering is caused by craving" then I'd entirely agree. I can speak from personal experience and say that I had a painfully intense craving for something which lasted 18 months and took me to the brink of insanity. It was only when I let go of that craving and stopped wishing for something I couldn't have that I was finally mentally healed. Living in a world of fantasy, a world that does not exist (living in the future I guess) can cause a lot of pain. Wanting things you don't have can make you feel down about your current situation. There are plenty of instances where this is the case. As such, I'd agree that in some cases, suffering ends when craving ends.
Once again though, I cannot stress enough that this idea shouldn't be taken at a fundamentalist level of absoluteness. All voluntary actions stem from a desire to do something. If we did not "want" food, we wouldn't go out and buy it. It is through acting on cravings that we can function as beings. Craving also leads to personal achievements. Even seeking "enlightenment" and letting go of your cravings is in itself a craving for enlightenment. Simply, you shouldn't take the ideas of a religion to their logical extreme. With moderation, you can accept many of the ideas surrounding a religion without subscribing to it in a devotional manner. In that fashion, I find myself quite attracted to Buddhism and Taoism but not to the extent that I'd become a Buddhist or Taoist.
Laurens Wrote:I think there is a lot of good stuff I can get out of Buddhism - being a decent person for instance, and also meditation can be good to reduce stress etc. I just feel of late like the illusion of Buddhism being different to other religions has worn off and I'm starting to see the parallels.
This just about sums it up. I practise meditation myself and read into yoga, Taoism, Shinto and Buddhism (each to varying degrees) and find many concepts that are complementary to my desires and my lifestyle. However, I understand that accepting one single religion as being correct, all-encompassing, etc, would be foolish as they all have their own shortcomings, delusions and unjustifiable claims. The fact that you've realised this shows that you're well on your way to a more (healthy?) perspective on life, and I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better for it.
Best wishes
