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  1. J

    Wrapping my head around this...

    Carlita; since you are also interested in Mahayana Buddhism, I'd like to respond from a Mahayana Buddhist's perspective and try to connect it to Christianity. You are interested in knowing who/what you are and interested in knowing who/what God is. Well, you are the enlightened mind. You are...
  2. J

    Why Isn't monotheism the first form of spirituality?

    I'd argue against that point, but this is not the right thread. I'll just say that we BELIEVE that we experience independent objects, but they are not really independent objects.
  3. J

    Buddhism and Atheism?

    Like others have said, Buddhism has some of the Hindu deities and Tibetan Buddhism has added some local deities. To some Buddhists deities are important. Some forms of Buddhism, such as Pure Land, even depend on deities--if you consider Amitaba Buddha a deity. Many Buddhists see Kuan Yin...
  4. J

    Is the Lama Selection Process Legit?

    It has become clear to me that there are neither things nor the "I" associated with the body. These are only mental constructions and the world is really formless. And the Tathagata makes that very clear in the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra. In that sutra he does speak of an "I", but it's not...
  5. J

    Is the Lama Selection Process Legit?

    You asked for opinions. He gave his opinion. You don't like his opinion, so want him to leave the thread. I guess you don't want any opinion, just certain opinions that are in line with yours.
  6. J

    Dislike and distrust of atheists?

    You seem to be equating secular with atheist, but they don't mean exactly the same thing. For example, I'm not secular since I'm Buddhist, but I'm atheist since I don't believe in gods. However I do believe in secular government, since the government should represent everyone--not only those of...
  7. J

    Nerd math jokes

    I ate some pie.
  8. J

    Nerd math jokes

    Here's one: There are 10 types of people in this world: those who understand binary and those who don't.
  9. J

    Offer it up

    I think that any act one performs with good--spiritually pure--intentions is spiritually beneficial.
  10. J

    Offer it up

    I'm sorry; I don't mean to give the impression that your idea isn't good.
  11. J

    Offer it up

    How about this idea instead? Offer any merit you receive for doing things to all people--or even to all sentient beings. So in effect, you are not spiritually rewarded for doing these things, but all sentient beings are spiritually rewarded. That's what we do in Mahayana Buddhism.
  12. J

    Treason?

    You are completely misreading me. Though I agree with him on some issues, overall I don't like Trump either. No-matter how I feel about Trump, I can still recognize when his adversaries are playing games.
  13. J

    Treason?

    I agree. I don't take most of the politicians in Washington seriously anymore. This is all part of a political game to either contain Trump, so he is limited in what he can do, or to eventually get rid of him.
  14. J

    First cause?

    Yes, all we can really see is transformations. We think of things transforming, but in reality there are no things, just empty transformation.
  15. J

    What is wrong with those people who defame Jesus and Mary?

    And we don't even know that this person is a Muslim. One problem with the Internet is that it's very easy for persons to pretend to be someone they aren't.
  16. J

    From new age to christian to atheist

    Hi Sheon. Your take seems quite reasonable to me. I used to be Christian to; I was born into a Christian family. I converted to Buddhism, but don't really believe in the "magical" aspects of Buddhism, things such as reincarnation. I do like the self-improvement aspect though. I think that in...
  17. J

    Heaven and Hell Now

    I see Heaven/Hell as being where I am currently at, not some other place. Though it is not totally within my control, I can create Heaven or Hell like conditions in my life. Also, I can interpret the present conditions as being Heaven or Hell. I don't think that there is only one Heaven and...
  18. J

    The universe

    This is a difficult subject for me and I don't claim to understand it, but I think you may be on to something. In Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra the Buddha speaks of his eternal life. I think that when he refers to himself in Chapter 16 he is not referring to his carnal body that is subject to...
  19. J

    "Trump falsely accuses Obama of wiretapping his phone"

    Clapper is the last person who I would trust. Clapper also denied that the NSA was collecting information on a massive scale. That was proven to be a lie. I read something interesting about the "wiretapping." An ex-CIA officer said that Trump wasn't actually wiretapped, but there was...
  20. J

    John the Baptist was a bum

    I agree with you. Many today would think the same of Buddha as well, since he was homeless and begged for food. Many persons today don't recognize and appreciate true spirituality. There are deeply spiritual persons living like this, even today. I respect them, just as I respect anyone who with...
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