I agree with atheists fully that the physical or bodily resurrection is not according to science.
-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
How are these Great Beings explained?
- Thread starter loverofhumanity
- Start date
I agree with atheists fully that the physical or bodily resurrection is not according to science.
I think we all have to do our own research and come to the conclusion we feel closest represents truth for us. I can only share with you the outcome of my own investigation and that is there are parts of the Bible that were clear such as the moral and spiritual teachings and there are the mystical things which require spiritual insight and intellectual discernment to be able to distinguish between what is allegorical and what is literal and then there are the prophecies which could not be fully understood until the Messiah returned.
But you must go with what you feel is truth to you and what your heart and mind tell you.
Last edited:
I think we can take criticism in an emotional way or use it as a vehicle for improving our character. I am in debt to those who point out my weaknesses and faults.
Abdu’l- Baha explained it also.
Thou didst ask as to the transfiguration of Jesus, with Moses and Elias and the Heavenly Father on Mount Tabor, as referred to in the Bible. This occurrence was perceived by the disciples with their inner eye, wherefore it was a secret hidden away, and was a spiritual discovery of theirs. Otherwise, if the intent be that they witnessed physical forms, that is, witnessed that transfiguration with their outward eyes, then there were many others at hand on that plain and mountain, and why did they fail to behold it? And why did the Lord charge them that they should tell no man? It is clear that this was a spiritual vision and a scene of the Kingdom. Wherefore did the Messiah bid them to keep this hidden, ‘till the Son of Man were risen from the dead,’ 1 —that is, until the Cause of God should be exalted, and the Word of God prevail, and the reality of Christ rise up. (Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha)
Last edited:
There are a lot of free ebooks here dealing with all the topics you may wish to investigate.
They are very well written.
The Knowledge of God
I'm confused too?
Hi Adrian. We are all unitedly confused. So here is a link to some great books for you and everyone here who wishes to be further confused.
The Knowledge of God
It was a vision like on Mount Tabor.
Have you ever dreamt of a person? They didn’t seem real? I’ve dreamt of speaking with people, telling jokes and even woke up laughing the joke was funny so in the world of dreams and visions things can be real or seem real.
Last edited:
Thanks for that David. Confusion isn't such a bad place to be. We just need to make our way back to the light. Easy
Thanks for the link.
Yep. Thats the local abbot in the middle. To the left is the nun who invited me. I was at a resterant near the temple. We were in line when I asked her if she was a nun and what lineage since nuns here are a dime and a few. She asked if I were buddhist after small talk and I told her I follow Buddhist teachings but havent formally taken precepts. She invited me to the ceremony and I recieved the precepts then. I was lucky because I wouldnt have given the language barr
Thier and we had to make prearrangements to take them. There was an English translator so something about my karma must have helped out.
It is excellent to be reunited with Buddhism again after such a negative experience the first time round. I'm really pleased for you.
The Tibetans were the first Buddhists to set up a Buddhist community in my town. It just so happened they purchased the house I had been living in for over half a year. I'm looking forward to going back there through the interfaith group.
It was nearly 30 years ago that I was searching for my spiritual home. On Saturday nights it would be firesides with the Baha'is, Sunday mornings chanting with the Buddhists, and Sunday evening singing praises to Jesus with the Baptists. Someone told me my weekends would be a scary proposition for most New Zealanders. It was certainly intense at the time. There was no internet back then. I've been a Baha'i for nearly 28 years now.
With BDK its just a book. I haven't had anyone come knocking at the door as yet.
Its just fantastic to contemplate the reality of Buddha. Obviously its a different experience as a Baha'i compared to when I sought my spirital abode.
Evidently there is only one way to discover our Buddha nature and that is through Buddha. It sounds a little like John 14:6 that the Christian fundamentalists like to quote:
'Once upon a time a king gathered some blind men about an elephant and asked them to tell him what an elephant was like. The first man felt a tusk and said an elephant was like a giant carrot; another happened to touch an ear and said it was like a big fan; another touched its trunk and said it was like a pestle; still another, who happened to feel its leg, said it was like a rope. Not one of them was able to tell the king the elephant's real form.
In like manner, one might partially describe the nature of man but would not be able to describe the true nature of a human being,
the Buddha nature. There is only one possible way by which the everlasting nature of man, his Buddha nature, that can not be disturbed by worldly desires or destroyed by death, can be realized, and that is by the Buddha and the Buddha's noble teaching.'
.
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Wow. Small town?
Ha. That sounds confusing. I think I did my search in two year intevals. From I dont know when to about fourteen, my mother introduced me to witchcraft and pagan views. At about sixteen, she took us to church out of the blue. She wanted to have the perfect family: white picket fence, christian family, labor dog, single family home, with a boy and girl and husband.
I would have never been christian if she didnt take us to church. She didnt go though. I remember saying I didnt believe in god so I wrote mt jesus prayers. I read the bible. Then I met my Catholic friend. Intrigued by devotional lifestyle I wanted to be a priest.
After five or years (of 2012 to 2014) going to Mass with my friend, her influence let me made the jump. This was during the same timeline I came out as lesbian. Not a good combination with The Church. I was offended that the Church has conversion program foe so calles homosexual attractions. Within the program they tell converts not to refer to themselves as LGBTQ.
Anyway, I slide some and studied paganism (going back to childhood). Then I practiced Zen Buddhism. I hit the wall being in the middle of the Shoshu and SGI debate.
I came back and thats when I took the precepts and now practice with the Kadampa tibetan tradition and school.
Yes. I would guess so.
Buddha nature, the nature of being enlightened once one has full wisdom isnt like a soul, spirit, or mystical spark inside a person.
Here Buddha nature is called an embryo. Its a strictly Mahayana concept. Wiki Buddha Nature. Id have to find a non wiki source.
"According to the Ratnagotravibhāga, all sentient have "the embryo of the Tathagata" in three senses:[48]
- the Tathāgata's dharmakāya permeates all sentient beings;
- the Tathāgata's tathatā is omnipresent (avyatibheda);
- the Tathāgata's species (gotra, a synonym for tathagatagarbha) occurs in them.
The Ratnagotravibhāga equates enlightenment with the nirvāṇa-realm and the dharmakāya.[41] It gives a variety of synonyms for garbha, the most frequently used being gotra and dhatu.[47]"
They use theist terms to describe eastern concepts. That and Mahayana Buddhism, some traditions, treat The Buddha as a savior while in Theravada, there is no such concept that I know of in the suttas.
King James Bible
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
That's weird you got Buddha nature out of this. The Buddha is not god and we don't get The Dharma from an outside party, so we don't get it from The Buddha. He isn't a god nor someone we get "anything" from.Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
It's an "absence of" not something you get by going through anyone.
This is the result of enlightenment. Buddha nature (the potential nature/seed of an enlightened nature) just means the potential to be enlightened not the enlightened. The "seed" of enlightenment. Ten Tai tradition sees every thing with a Buddha nature, animals and plants included.
Did The Buddha create suffering and compassion?
The Dharma isn't physical.
About BDK: You would think-> BDK (Bukkyo Kendo KaiyoKai)
Quick note on Buddha Nature and Omnicent Mind (Not The Buddha Siddhartha)
Knowing the mind
With transcript under the audio
Thubten Chodron is a Tibetan Buddhist
“Is the Buddha’s omniscient mind permanent?” No, because if it were permanent it
couldn’t change, which means it couldn’t perceive anything. It perceives everything, so it changes. It is conditioned. Regarding the wisdom aspect: the wisdom truth body of the Buddha’s mind is a conditioned phenomena. The nature body of the Buddha’s mind, which is the emptiness of true existence. The objective existence of phenomena through their own entity without being posited by thought."phenomenon. We talked about this some time ago and so those videos are somewhere on YouTube. But they’re there because we went through this. We talked about the four bodies of the Buddha. We need to hear these things many times because we don’t always get it at first. We don’t always get it the second, third, fourth or fifth time."
Each of our Buddha Nature cannot be something permanent such as a soul. It is ever changing (impermanent) so one moment is not the same as the next.
Last edited:
Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
@adrian009
One extra thing. Im more Theravada in study though I believe everyone has potential to be enligtened (has a buddha nature).
If Sidhartha became eternal, he would still be in samsara. The point of Siddhartha's enlightenment to knowledge of birth, life, and death which we are all including him is subjected to (as I quoted above) is to Not be eternal because no such thing exist. All is changing. Ending rebirth isnt becoming eternal. Its absent of thinking we are eternal and absent of attachment thereby no need to be reborn. Its a very straightforward dogma not dependent on gods and spirits.
Edit: Here is an commentary about theravada and mahayana and how the Mahayana concepts arent complete taken from The Buddha and modern Theravada adapting some concepts of Mayahana beliefs in relation to being a bodhissatva. Buddha nature is also new if comparing it to early buddhist teachings.
Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas
The idea of suttas and sutras is not validity and sacredness. If that be the case, we would need to read over thousand of The Buddhas teachings and thats not counting sutras.
Instead, they are ideals for laity and instructions for monks in acheiving boddhisatvahood in the former and an arahant in the later.
One extra thing. Im more Theravada in study though I believe everyone has potential to be enligtened (has a buddha nature).
If Sidhartha became eternal, he would still be in samsara. The point of Siddhartha's enlightenment to knowledge of birth, life, and death which we are all including him is subjected to (as I quoted above) is to Not be eternal because no such thing exist. All is changing. Ending rebirth isnt becoming eternal. Its absent of thinking we are eternal and absent of attachment thereby no need to be reborn. Its a very straightforward dogma not dependent on gods and spirits.
Edit: Here is an commentary about theravada and mahayana and how the Mahayana concepts arent complete taken from The Buddha and modern Theravada adapting some concepts of Mayahana beliefs in relation to being a bodhissatva. Buddha nature is also new if comparing it to early buddhist teachings.
Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas
The idea of suttas and sutras is not validity and sacredness. If that be the case, we would need to read over thousand of The Buddhas teachings and thats not counting sutras.
Instead, they are ideals for laity and instructions for monks in acheiving boddhisatvahood in the former and an arahant in the later.
Last edited:
So man is incapable of being good? He is forever a sinner? In dharmic paradigms, each person at the core is divine. Such contrast! I think common sense brings a lot of good. Lots of atheists are outstanding citizens, benefits to mankind. OTOH, the opposite is also true. Lots of 'religious' people, are monsters.
I like to look for the good in people, although sometimes one needs a magnifying glass.
Last edited:
A good friend of mine, in her wisdom added: "Consider the source." In other words, a glance from a sage is worth a thousand times more than advice from fools. So we need to apply some wisdom to any criticism, I think. Spouse, good friends, sure, but strangers on line, or people who come from totally different backgrounds and paradigms, not so much.
Yes you speak wisely.
Yes, you certainly shouldn't be listening to me at all. I'm a non-Baha'i way outside the Baha'i box of valid religions, a lowly outcast. You should be heeding the advice of your fellow Bahai's, as they are the only onew who know the real truth.
That was not said in that quote. That is a thought based in Negation or a glass half empty way of seeing what was quoted.
We discussed previously this is the day of Affirmation. Mindsets must be changed to appreciate what God has now offered us.
No contrast but our own. The contrast is in the way a person who is looking at what was said, decides what is being said.
That each person at the core is divine is what is being said and confirmed in that quote. The Bible says it as 'we are created in God's Image', with all the virtues wrapped up within us.
I think a willingness to look for the good in all things is required
That is the offer of this thread and has always been the forefront of the information presented by the Baha'i on this thread. Look for the good in all things.
The great beings are our source of all Good, they bring out the virtues.
It is great you look for that Good in all people, it is the foundation of acceptance of all the Great Beings.
So lets again do the quote adding words to show what the quote is saying.
All good within us and what we are capable of and choose to do is from God, all that is not of God is from our own selves.
Thus when we do Good we thank God for the opportunity and strength, there is no self in service, it is pure bounty.
The rest is our choices in life, to which we ask God to help us change, so we can do naught but good, to be a polished mirror for the unconstrained
Regards Tony
Last edited:
Look for the good in all things.
A Fool might just need someone to see the light of good within them.
Abdul'baha was the example of this and gifted by Baha'u'llah.
We all benefit from reading stories about His life and how he treated all people. The people that suffered the greatest injustices while living a life of Justice, are our examples.
Regards Tony