can a non Buddhist ever fully understand Buddhism? (Jesus, beliefs)

[Mike182]

well, can they?

[Pardus]

Depends on how open-minded they are.

[Engyo]

Mike -

Of course the teachings of Buddhism can be understood intellectually. That does not mean that they can be fully grasped (intellectually, emotionally, and in terms of changing one's life) without putting them into practice. One could certainly put them into practice without "believing" in Buddhism, of course. That is how I began my practice. Does such a person qualify as a non-Buddhist per the OP? I don't rightly know.

I also know that I have only practiced a very small portion of all the possible Buddhist practices. I doubt that anyone has practiced all of them, ever. So, much of my knowledge of Buddhism is knowledge and not experience. However, I can understand certain things through having experienced something similar; possibly a practice with a similar goal to the one in question, for example.

So, like most such questions, we are down to definitions: what exactly is meant by "fully understand", and what exactly is meant by "non-Buddhist".

Sorry for being long-winded here, but I didn't think an off-the-cuff answer did the question justice.

[Ozzie]

Originally Posted by Mike182

well, can they?

Good question! That depends how much time you want to spend on it and which particular direction you head out on. Much of Buddhism is belief based like any other religion so it is an abstract thing. Beyond Buddhist beliefs however, I think there is a kernel in that cuts across all sects much like the personage of Jesus cuts through Christian sects.

So no, a Buddhist cannot know all of Buddhist belief for the reasons Engyo stated (given enough time maybe). But whatever path is chosen may allow progression towards the kernel of Buddhist teachings which is beyond sectarian Belief IMO. The same goes for Christianity and any other major religion. Knowing the kernel is to know Buddhism IMO.

This position leads onto speculation whether all religions have the same kernel. Well, maybe they do. What do others think?