Attacks on Afghanistan

[fellow]

I will be flying my family back East (NJ) for Thanksgiving and right now I am praying to every God I know of.



Lean, I believe that the bombings were more than just for bin ladin. Recently, they found more evidence of nukes, poisons, etc- Casting their evil attention on us.Once again we must protect ourselves and the US must use what ever means possible, to stop another attack that may be in the works.Taliban and Al Queda are one. They must be destroyed.



Happy Holidays- to all religious sects

[Leanmean]

On 2001-11-15 16:24, Fantomas wrote:

"Can you be a Christian and a Bhuddist at the same time? Please explain to me. Thanks."

Wow! I'm trying to figure out how to explain it without being longwinded. There may be no way around it so for the rest of you who could not care less, please forgive me.



My basic beliefs from childhood are Christian. My church is called Unity (not to be confused with Unitarian). We believe in the practical teachings of Jesus, goodness

and abundance in all areas of life. We believe there is only one God, the good, omnipotent, omniscient protector -- father, mother God. We do not believe in the devil. We do however, realize that there is evil in the world. God gave us free will and we can either choose to follow God's will or our own ego-will. If we choose the latter, chaos usually reins.



Part of being a Christian is to practice meditation. Prayer is where you talk to God. Meditation is where you listen.



Sidartha Gatauma, or the Buddha, is not a god. Buddha means enlightened one, just as the Christ means annointed one. And as in Christianity there are many different denominations, so, too, are there are many different types of Buddhism. I study and practice Vipassana or Insight Meditation. It is a pratical way to end suffering which the Buddha said was caused by clinging (to old thoughts -- repetitive or in the future or in the past) and craving (the emotional urgency with which we react to situations). Once I learn to back away from clinging and craving, I am more open to receive the message from God. The teachings are from the Eightfold Noble Path.



As Vipassana students in America, we tend to practice meditation and living life the way the Buddha taught originally. In the East, they have gotten more ritualized and may have altars with a figure of the Buddha. It may appear as if they are worshipping Buddha when they prostrate themselves before the statue, but in many cases, they are simply honoring the image of a supreme enlightened one, much as Catholics revere the Virgin Mary and others kiss the cross.



The Buddha himself did not want people to have rituals or worship him. Just as Jesus said in speaking of the miracles he performed, "These works and more shall you do," the Buddha let the people know that they, too, could become enlightened.



I believe in Jesus and I look for the Christ in everyone. I also look for the Buddha nature in everyone. They are one and the same. You know, there are some people who believe that the years Christ was gone from his home, before he returned as an adult, that he was studying Buddhism. Certainly, they are parallel. But Jesus attributes all to one Source -- God, the Father. Buddha did not attribute his enlightenment to anything other than his own efforts.



There are books available that show the parallels between what Jesus and Buddha taught if you are interested.



Thanks for asking.

[Bernie]

Lean,



Since you mentioned Sidartha., read the book of the same name by Hermann Hesse. It may be out of print, but well worth the effort. It's a wonderful tale about one man's journey through life. While you are at it, read all of Hesse's books

[Dancinfool]

Leanman, you might have a point about the bombing of Afghanistan.

Maybe Bush II wants to keep that on the front page and on tv instead of ENRON.

What you think?

[Fantomas]

You sound like a "Pacifist" to me.

Personally I don't like wars. But if you bomb me and try to kill me, I'll do my best to retaliate and I'll try to rip your f**** heart out. Innocent civilians is one of the costs of war. When innocent civilians allowed such deviant elements to rule and live amongst them, they better duck or pay the price.

[DeepBeat]

First of all I have to say I was as shocked as everyone else with the attacks on the WTC. I have visited New York a couple of times and I have many friends and relatives living in NYC. What happened was absolutely terrible.

Having said that, I have to say that I cannot agree with the US playing God. If this was the only time americans bombed some far away country I would understand it maybe, but it's a pattern that repeats itself hiding behind excuses like "let's save the poor fools from dictators/fanatics or whatever". This is not a new practise of course and the whole western world seems to go along with it but I can't be so naive as to believe that US presidents just want to make this world a better place for everyone so they just send people off to war...There's always a catch. Unfortunately there are always more dead people as well...