A Question From Atheists

[Jackalope]

Ugh, then you'd have to deal with all those buddhists!  Maryjane.  Just keep loading the bowl until you forget that you're not one with everything.  Pretty much the same thing, right?

Hello, I am Cthulhu and I approve of this message.

[Jackalope]

Ugh, then you'd have to deal with all those buddhists!  Maryjane.  Just keep loading the bowl until you forget that you're not one with everything.  Pretty much the same thing, right?

It seems to me like if you're Buddhist you'd have to believe in some kind of afterlife, otherwise you'd have really wasted the only life you have not developing attachments.

They believe in reincarnation, as I understand it. Possibly badly.

[nosferatu323]

Ugh, then you'd have to deal with all those buddhists!  Maryjane.  Just keep loading the bowl until you forget that you're not one with everything.  Pretty much the same thing, right?

It seems to me like if you're Buddhist you'd have to believe in some kind of afterlife, otherwise you'd have really wasted the only life you have not developing attachments.

I think Buddhists believe attachments are the cause of all sufferings. Once the attachments are removed suffering will cease to exist and absolute, unaffected peacefulness/ happiness remains which cannot be interrupted.

[vorlon13]

It seems to me like if you're Buddhist you'd have to believe in some kind of afterlife, otherwise you'd have really wasted the only life you have not developing attachments.

They believe in reincarnation, as I understand it.  Possibly badly.

If you reincarnated repeatedly, would you have mouth tentacles every time ?

[The Grand Nudger]

In the cthulian karmic scheme, the reward is being reincarnated into his mouth tentacles first.  Others will not be so lucky.

[Astonished]

It seems to me like if you're Buddhist you'd have to believe in some kind of afterlife, otherwise you'd have really wasted the only life you have not developing attachments.

I think Buddhists believe attachments are the cause of all sufferings. Once the attachments are removed suffering will cease to exist and absolute, unaffected peacefulness/ happiness remains which cannot be interrupted.

That sounds an awful lot like the desire to be an automaton. Or to not care about one's own life or the lives of others. Try making that make a lick of sense.

---

In the cthulian karmic scheme, the reward is being reincarnated into his mouth tentacles first.  Others will not be so lucky.

Isn't it nice that the Old Ones are nice and up-front and unambiguous about that? Not like this selectively interpreted shit we get in other practices.

[nosferatu323]

It seems to me like if you're Buddhist you'd have to believe in some kind of afterlife, otherwise you'd have really wasted the only life you have not developing attachments.

I think there is the concept of life after death in Buddhism, it is believed in Buddhism that you will enter a new realm according to your Karma after your death. Either a step lower (more suffering) or a step higher(more peacefulness). In Buddhism, Samsara (death and rebirth) is an endless and infinite cycle. Some attain Nirvana and escape from the cycle by attaining absolute peacefulness, some remain in Samsara and alternatively enjoy/suffer the ups and downs eternally.

I think it doesn't implied by Buddhism that "you shouldn't develop attachments to attain something better after death" in fact it is believed in Buddhism that if you want to remain in Samsara you need attachments otherwise you cannot remain, the more is the attachments the more you will progress in your next birth. Lots of good attachments (good Karma) pushes you very high in peacefulness, lots of bad attachments (bad Karma) pushes you very high in Suffering. But if one chooses to end the endless cycle he can do so by releasing from all attachments, good or bad, to attain Nirvana.

[Astonished]

It seems to me like if you're Buddhist you'd have to believe in some kind of afterlife, otherwise you'd have really wasted the only life you have not developing attachments.

I think there is the concept of life after death in Buddhism, it is believed in Buddhism that you will enter a new realm according to your Karma after your death. Either a step lower (more suffering) or a step higher(more peacefulness). In Buddhism, Samsara (death and rebirth) is an endless and infinite cycle. Some attain Nirvana and escape from the cycle by attaining absolute peacefulness, some remain in Samsara and alternatively enjoy/suffer the ups and downs eternally.

I think it doesn't implied by Buddhism that "you shouldn't develop attachments to attain something better after death" in fact it is believed in Buddhism that if you want to remain in Samsara you need attachments otherwise you cannot remain, the more is the attachments the more you will progress in your next birth. Lots of good attachments (good Karma) pushes you very high in peacefulness, lots of bad attachments (bad Karma) pushes you very high in Suffering. But if one chooses to end the endless cycle he can do so by releasing from all attachments, good or bad, to attain Nirvana.

Wow, it's a shame they aren't actually using that mentality to take advantage of people like Scientology. If you can convince people that giving up all their attachments is the thing to do, and don't capitalize on it, shit, they've really bought into it. But then that's even worse than how the Judeo-Christian worldview goes as far as how this life is completely worthless and pointless; at least the afterlife (the fake good one) is usually said to resemble this one, but that whole Nirvana concept sounds completely opposite. What a pointless cock-tease this whole world is under that view.

[nosferatu323]

I think there is the concept of life after death in Buddhism, it is believed in Buddhism that you will enter a new realm according to your Karma after your death. Either a step lower (more suffering) or a step higher(more peacefulness). In Buddhism, Samsara (death and rebirth) is an endless and infinite cycle. Some attain Nirvana and escape from the cycle by attaining absolute peacefulness, some remain in Samsara and alternatively enjoy/suffer the ups and downs eternally.

I think it doesn't implied by Buddhism that "you shouldn't develop attachments to attain something better after death" in fact it is believed in Buddhism that if you want to remain in Samsara you need attachments otherwise you cannot remain, the more is the attachments the more you will progress in your next birth. Lots of good attachments (good Karma) pushes you very high in peacefulness, lots of bad attachments (bad Karma) pushes you very high in Suffering. But if one chooses to end the endless cycle he can do so by releasing from all attachments, good or bad, to attain Nirvana.

Wow, it's a shame they aren't actually using that mentality to take advantage of people like Scientology. If you can convince people that giving up all their attachments is the thing to do, and don't capitalize on it, shit, they've really bought into it. But then that's even worse than how the Judeo-Christian worldview goes as far as how this life is completely worthless and pointless; at least the afterlife (the fake good one) is usually said to resemble this one, but that whole Nirvana concept sounds completely opposite. What a pointless cock-tease this whole world is under that view.

I agree. In Judo-Christian religions, Earth is between the Heaven and Hell, having characteristics of both. Comparing these religions and Buddhism, I think Samsara resembles Hell, and Nirvana resembles Heaven, and there is no Earth in Buddhism, so in Buddhism, this life would be the Hell of Judo-Christian religions which is the exact opposite of Nirvana/Heaven. According to Buddhism, most people choose to remain in Samsara forever, very few choose to end the cycle. Judo-Christian religions, similarly, suggest that most people will be cast to hell and few will be saved due to their own decisions.

[The Grand Nudger]

Always with the carrot and the stick, isn't it?