Forums > Social Discussion > Following Your Own Path - Discussion on Self-Based Religion

Hey all! First, thanks for reading this post and I hope the subject interests you. This thread is about what has become known to people as "unofficial religion", or as the school computers tell me when I try to do research on it; "Unofficial/Indigenous/Occult Beliefs".

After being a Buddhist for 2 years, I have found deep satisfaction in my life. Everything has changed for the better. However, I feel that there is more to the story than Buddhism tells. I believe, unshakably, that there is a God, which Buddhism attempts to, in a sense, dispel.

I find it extremely interesting that some of the people I know and love follow their own paths; their own beliefs, which no-one can distort with their own. I find these people admirable and, to say the least, courageous.

What do all of you beautiful people think about this topic?

Peace & Love

Time does not exist. In theory, everything with a beginning has an end. Therefore, only things with an end can have a beginning. As time has no end, it has no beginning, therefore does not exist. GO PHILOSOPHY!!!
Brittle Week was the shizz!!!

it was just something i heard, don't be an because you disagree
why would you need to neglect yourself, it's like saying good doesn't exist without bad...and action is no less good without an opposite

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Loving Life

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh"

Loving Life

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh"

On the conflict between good and evil. I said earlier that a key to enlightenment is overcoming dualism, without merely substituting it with monism or pluralism. Thinking in opposites (right and wrong, good or evil) makes it difficult to achieve a sense of non-duality. Buddhism does not have a notion of sin because there is no such thing as sin. There is only ignorance and false views. Evil does not spring for the devil, bit from ignorance. There will be no evil left in the world when ignorance and false views are eradicated. Imagine, a world with out conflict.


barefootwonder7, just a question for clarification. If �real Christianity� isn�t about rules and doing the right thing to get to heaven, then what is it about? Your suggestion, that �It�s all based on faith and on admitting that it�s not all about me� doesn�t really stack up. Christianity appears to be all about �me� and my �soul/ego/self� getting to heaven.

Cheers

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Loving Life

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh"

@ faithinfire: Excuse my - ness, I never meant to offend you. Maybe you are taking this matter very much more serious than I ever could

@ stone: Exactly! IMU Buddha - as Jesus and others tried to liberate people from dogmatic rule. Yet mankind as a whole still seems to be far from ready.

@barefeet: Believe me that I do hold a respectful view to almost every belief system and that I would not offend any, simply because I'm an sinner and blasphemist... (but then again, maybe I am in the views of others... )

[I] need someone to help me out of this

May I ask you whether this is not the age old and eternal urge for others to guide us, to give up our own responsibility and lay it into the hands of (charismatic) politicians and priests?

IMHO this desire fed and feeds the system, governments and casts of brahmans and priests, IMHO it is the source of abuse of power.

Now I do not really know whether Jesus really lived a life without sin, but to me it would NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE if he would have been a sinner, associating with murderers, thieves and hookers.

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Loving Life

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh"

Firetom you're totally right.. have i already said i agree with alot of the things you've said?

I think to live like Jesus did is the way to do it, its said in so many different religions (the basics anyway).. however as soon as you get into the exactness of how Jesus lived, to see that whatever god is a part of everything and to see everything as one thing is something that some religions wont teach, it takes away the power of the higher members of those religions of being the 'mediums of God' and connects the congregations directly to that source.

and i dont mean to offend anyone here.

on spam robots - "Burn the robot! Melt him down, and then we can make lots and lots of money from his shiiiny juices!"

Owned by Brenn

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

Idolized by Aurinoko

Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind....

Bob Dylan

Hi faithinfire, while I appreciate the humour in a �bootcamp 4 camp soul� . I think the continuing conflict between Christians, Muslims and Jews in the Middle East shows that the path in the OT is not a solution, and never will be.

As for the �soul�. Is the soul anything more than a story made up by an ego/self that cannot accept that human beings are mortal? Something, perhaps the Israelites picked-up from the pharaohs.

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

Moral "standards" is a term that sounds dangerous to me. Who is putting up such "standards" and when are we to compromise them.

I.E. the US as a country (like Germany) is very much committed to Christian values. How far are these taken (as in "turn the other cheek" for example)?

Whenever I have a set of guidelines and standards, I will always engage my internal lawyer, who finds a way around those and who is able to find reasons for exceptions.

But if I render for myself, out of my very own experience, these "selfmade" guidelines are much stronger - IMHO - and less likely to get corrupted in the long run, without necessarily being dogmatic.

If I (blindly) follow other peoples rulings (however 'sainty' they might be) I lack content, it feels hollow... just to me.

All books (like the Bible) are great (fiction) and we can learn a lot from them - but it's second hand and when talking (to myself) I might simply repeat the ideas, someone else put into my head...

Do I come across?

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

i find it rather offensive to call the bible a work of fiction...if you don't believe it to be true is one thing, but to go ahead and call it fiction when people here take it as a guiding Holy book is rude and insensitive
selfmade rules probably strike you stronger because they fit into your world and validate your self, other people's don't because they don't agree with who you see as your self...heaven forbid

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

faith: we seem to disagree on quite a number of topics all across the board



[edited for clarification]



I wouldn't take the Bible literally and can't claim that it is straight down to the facts, therefore I call it "fiction". No offence intended.



But even then: this doesn't make its content invalid (to me)



 Written by: faithinfire

call it fiction when people here take it as a guiding Holy book is rude and insensitive





That's your opinion and I respect that.



Yet there are a lot of books circulating and people learn all kinds of moral aspects from it. I don't respect (good) people less, just because their moral values derive from comic books or the "Celestine Prophecy".



You may want to paint it black and white, but the world ain't so. That (IMO)'s one of the reasons why people drop out of Christianity and aim towards Buddhism and Hinduism - because these religions do not as much reject other paths, but accept that we're all on a different road, leading to the same destination.



As a matter of fact many good folks got nailed for their "arrogance" and "strange opinions" before others really understood what they tried to point at.



Dezzy: I like it Especially this strikes me:



 Written by: Dezzy

the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part





This IMHO hits the nail straight on the head.

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

the best smiles are the ones you lead to

absolutely, as a trekki,
i shall wear you all down *evil laugh*

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

Idolized by Aurinoko

Take me disappearing through the smoke rings of my mind....

Bob Dylan

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

Loving Life

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh"

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed

Faith
Nay, whatever comes one hour was sunlit and the most high gods may not make boast of any better thing than to have watched that hour as it passed