"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."
2006-08-16 11:45:12 · 28 answers · asked by NHBaritone 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Those two statements of Buddha underline what truly having living faith is all about. In order to have faith, there must be room for doubt. And in order to have a faith that grows and thrives, one must continuously examine it in context of what one has learned (science, art, theology, any field) and experienced.
To me, what Buddha is saying is that one shouldn't believe just because one is told to or because the belief has been around for centuries. One should believe because that belief resonates deep within the person. I also think Buddha is talking about Truth (with a capital T) instead of man-made laws that help shape religions, although those laws aren't exempt from examination either.
2006-08-16 11:57:57 · answer #1 · answered by Church Music Girl 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Dear NHBaritone: I respond, "Brilliant!" As you know Buddhism and Zen Buddhism are filled with Truth, Light, and Poetic Beauty. The Eastern Religions speak in a poetic vein that we don't receive in quite the same way, in our Western Christianity. Nepal, India and other Eastern regions have a different melody from ours. Their notes take off in a flow - like a great river.
I would like to add also, that we always choose the language that suits our soul the greatest. BUT. . .the same things are being said in all religions, in different ways, yet meaning the same.
In the Beginning of man's history, the Holy Spirit existed. Since there were no "great teachers" at that point - man knew nothing but what the Holy Spirit breathed into his mind and wrote across his heart. The Holy spirit made the great teachers.
This means the Holy Spirit is the Voice for God behind the thoughts of Buddha, the Voice for God behind the thoughts of Socrates, The Voice for God behind Confuscious, and certainly, Our Christ.
Within you is a piece of God Himself - your soul or spirit-mind in which the Holy Spirit is resident. What touches that soul, what ignites it, inflames it or unleashes in it it's hunger for it's own likeness - The Holy Creator - is the right path for you that Buddha speaks of, as long as it is conducive to the good and benefit of One and all !
All that was spoken by the Holy Spirit to His original, and ancient teachers, is expressed through their personalities. I suggest that each heard the same things from the Holy Spirit, but the expression of that - as it traveled through their human mind and personality - causes the Holy Spirit's thoughts to manifest outwardly in variations of how to travel the path of enlightenment.
The studies I have done on Religions of the World (lightly) have shown me, most simplistically, it is all One - as the Kingdom is - as God intended it to be. The variations on what each teacher focused upon - in all that the Holy Spirit imparted to them - gives the Sonship the spices of the East and Middle East.
2006-08-16 19:43:33 · answer #2 · answered by Lana S (1) 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am not into relativism. It promotes carnality.
I do agree that we are not to believe things simply because we read or hear about them. That makes sense. I converted to Christianity after giving up traditions. So, I can see the point. However, to believe in nothing....that just seems....hollow and pointless.
Oh and Buddha certainly does not agree with my own reason and common sense.
God does not encourage brainless drones. That is why we have free will and he gives us wisdom.
2006-08-16 18:55:12 · answer #3 · answered by Quinn 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Bible says "Blessed is he who has not seen but still believes". There would be no reason to have any faith if we had to have everything analyzed and "proved". I have chosen to have faith in the Lord, and because I have chosen to do that, I have been incredibly blessed, and now I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is SO real... Everyone has to believe in something, and true faith believes even though you may not be able to logically and scientifically prove everything. So, "seeing" is not always believing
2006-08-16 18:59:53 · answer #4 · answered by DanielleJane 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I read into these verses the Buddha teaching us to think for ourselves, investigate what we are taught, take nothing we read and hear as gospel, as absolute, and certainly not as pure as from God.
All teachings come through the filtering minds of women and men whose agenda it is to be right in their own eyes and in the eyes of the group to which they belong. No Sacred Text is without the influence of the people who originally wrote it and the people (and corporations) who mass produce it. An excellant example is The Holy Bible and it's many, many different versions and translations.
Take, for instance, the Hebrew word for God in Genesis 1:1. Elohim is both masculine AND feminine. Also, in it's form in Gen 1:1, Elohim is PLURAL. Despite the plurality of "In the beginning, Elohim created..." it is translated into english as singular.
Likewise, the english word "love" translates three forms of love (agape, philia and ero) with no differentiation outside of an offhand explanation ("Jesus meant physical love here and spiritual love there").
Question any authority and verify the answer yourself!
2006-08-16 19:37:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
if your quoting some one else ...do you beleive that ? its all good just be a true person no matter the faith most are miss quoted and perjudiced by the translation of the text the only thing i can say is do unto others as you would have done to yourself. when the day comes does it matter whos at heavens door if you were a creep in any religion?
2006-08-16 18:55:52 · answer #6 · answered by eve 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically, why should Buddhists believe in Buddha? lol
And even though Buddha says it, it doesn't necessarily have to be true. We don't have to follow his teachings. Basically, he's just contradicting himself considering millions of Buddhists believe in him and he tells them otherwise.
The end of the second quote says that 'after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason...', I think there are alot of things about my religion that can be explained by reason, and conducive to the good.
2006-08-16 18:51:11 · answer #7 · answered by bloake 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As for the first quote, many do believe that the Bible is written metaphorically.
The second: The many authors and translators of the Bible, cause for inaccuracies and contradictions.
2006-08-16 18:54:31 · answer #8 · answered by Terri C. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
2 Timothy 3
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Psalm 119:24
Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
2006-08-16 18:56:57 · answer #9 · answered by Just David 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That's the way I've always thought people should believe things, I'm glad people listen to that philosophy!
2006-08-16 18:52:16 · answer #10 · answered by Adam G 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋