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  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 5:11 am on November 23, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , , , Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas   

    Why Christians Need Buddhism—and Islam 

    We’re the love monkeys we’re the hate monkeys, we’re the f*ck monkeys we’re the abstention monkeys, we’re the drunk monkeys we’re the sober monkeys, we’re the selfish monkeys we’re the caring monkeys, we’re the active monkeys we’re the passive monkeys, we’re the hot monkeys we’re the cool monkeys, we’re the species that desperately needs some law and order to make sense of it all—or maybe just some Buddhist wisdom or some Muslim discipline.

    There are just too many contradictions to being human to leave it all to chance. We need some direction. We Westerners, Americans in particular, love to feel superior about our upbringing and traditions, but what works for us—or not—doesn’t necessarily work for anyone else. We hold up democracy, capitalism, and Christianity like the great trinity that all should follow, or else, lest they should suffer the consequences of their own ignorance. This is unfortunate. This is chaos.

    There are limits to love, even Christian love. Christianity elevates the reproductive act to the paradigm for life, as if everything should match that intensity and bliss, Protestants favoring the foreplay, while Catholics just settle for more babies. Our passion should rule our lives, so goes the theory, no need for wisdom, little need for discipline. Welcome to the 21st century. Welcome to the Apocalypse. I hope it’s not too late.

    “Live in the moment” is the great mantra of the age, sounding all Buddhist and enlightened, but coming off and being carried out more like carpe diem—seize the day—in Roman fashion, drunk and in love, giving no thought to the morrow. This is not Buddhist mindfulness—i.e. awareness. This is Western recklessness—wreckfulness. Christian pop culture seconds the emotion by elevating Roman romantic love above Greek agape—brotherly love—which is closer to the true Christian meaning.

    The Church’s founding fathers quickly realized the limits of love, and Saint Augustine mixed in as much of Plato as any epistle to any apostle would allow, just like St. Thomas later did with Aristotle, trying to match content with form, rationality with emotion. That’s a nice try, but still not enough. The Age of Reason was no match for the Age of Capitalism and the doctrine of democracy and their Christian handmaidens, and the resulting chaos which would follow, which has brought us to the brink of catastrophe. We’re not facing extinction because of anything Buddhists or Muslims have done wrong.

    This is why the world needs Buddhism. This is why we need Islam. God takes over where Science leaves off, just as intuition takes over where logic fails. We don’t need more doctrines and dogmas. We need cool heads and warm hearts, common sense and discipline. Our love of money is leading us to a no-man’s-land of self-imposed doom, an air-conditioned nightmare as we drive over the cliff, pedal to the metal, and the seat-belts unfastened. May God’s love be with us—if He exists. May Buddhist wisdom and Islamic discipline be with us regardless.

     
    • Kc's avatar

      Kc 10:57 am on November 23, 2014 Permalink | Reply

      Semantics, literalism, God, a he? If you don’t believe in anything but darkness, what is there to lose?

      • hardie karges's avatar

        hardie karges 4:28 pm on November 23, 2014 Permalink | Reply

        They call God a ‘He’; I don’t… Come over to the light whenever you like…

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 6:17 pm on November 9, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , ,   

    Buddhism 101: All Life is suffering—ouch! 

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/tonybphotos/298662953/in/set-72157594378558519/

    All Life is suffering. That’s the First Truth of Buddhism, of course, and as far as many people get in their study of Buddhism, with comments like, “That sounds so negative;” or maybe, “Doesn’t sound like much fun.” Such is life, though, life after childhood, at least, when the realities kick in, and it’s time to get a job—ooh, double ouch!

    The Second Truth doesn’t help much: the cause of suffering is desire. Yeow! I always thought Buddhists were cool, and had more fun than this. The Third Truth follows pretty logically: to remove the suffering, add water and allow to cool, i.e. remove the desire. Duh. For anyone still interested in something a little deeper than such simplistic action and reaction, there’s a Fourth Truth, the Middle Way, the avoidance of extremes. If you need that spelled out for you, there’s even an Eight-fold Path—very handy.

    The big boys of Buddhism, Inc. realize that that’s not the best business model, of course, not for fun-loving Americans, anyway, so furiously back-pedal the ‘suffering’ rap, dukkha in Sanskit, going on for hours about how Buddha he no speakee Engrish, and how translations are inadequate, and how he really didn’t mean ‘suffering’ as such. Ahem. Yes, he did. He meant exactly that. Saying he didn’t is like saying that Jesus wasn’t talking about rich people having difficulty getting to heaven. Yes, he was. (More …)

     
    • Esther Fabbricante's avatar

      Esther Fabbricante 5:36 pm on November 11, 2014 Permalink | Reply

      I don’t understand Buddhism at all –

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 11:27 am on November 2, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , ,   

    Buddhism 101: ‘Letting Go’, and all that jazz 

    One of the Buddha quotes currently making frequent rounds on Facebook these days goes something like (I’m paraphrasing, since my Pali is a little rusty anyway): ‘…the important thing in life…is how well you let go’…

    Let’s assume for the sake of discussion that that quote is accurate and correct, if not entirely complete nor definitive. Now that’s interesting, because I’d always credited Buddhism (from Hindu precedents) as advocating ‘non-possession’. But ‘letting go’ is not ‘non-possession.’ ‘Letting go’ implies that there was previous possession, and that’s an important point. I think I was wrong all these years. (More …)

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 9:16 am on October 19, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , , , , , , , ,   

    Religions Gone Awry, Systems Rendered Asunder 

    Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka

    Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka

    Islam promotes discipline and ends up glorifying violence. Christianity promotes love and ends up glorifying sex. Buddhism promotes non-possession and ends up glorifying money. Hinduism promotes India. Judaism promotes Israel. How did our major religions go so badly wrong? Good question. An even better question is how to set them right again. It won’t be easy.

    Religion was long ago taken over by politics, and used as a tool for manipulation, souls for sale as the price of politics, people’s desire for meaning in life reduced to authoritarian submission and hopes for the best. Truth, beauty, and goodness have been traded for sex, money, and violence in some devil’s bargain, arbitrage of the soul, leveraged buy-outs of vestigial beliefs, so much debris and detritus… (More …)

     
    • chicagoja's avatar

      chicagoja 11:22 am on October 19, 2014 Permalink | Reply

      I agree whole-heartedly. However, understanding God never required a religion, a church or even a holy book.

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 10:34 am on June 26, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , , , ,   

    #Buddhism #Christianity #Islam: Time for a New Religion… 

    At their best Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are the head, heart and muscle of the One True Religion (as yet unnamed), the bush of which they all beat around furiously, passionately and mindfully, Buddhism with its ‘many books’ and philosophical approach, Christianity with its Sermon on the Mount and “Love Your Neighbor” One Best Commandment, Islam with its Qur’an Third Testament to the Torah, the Tales of Jesus, and much much more, maybe the greatest one book of all religions which includes all the others on a good day, whether in chapter or verse, sutra or suture…

    At their worst they degenerate into Buddhist passivity, purple passion and pragmatism of the worst kind, thousands of pragmatists plying the streets of Bangkok on any given night, sucking from the rich and giving to the kids, and parents, and anyone who’ll listen to the sad tales of femmes fatales and homos erectus…

    (More …)

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 9:29 am on July 20, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism,   

    Thai Buddhist monks are the ultimate slackers of all time. 

    They drop out of society to join a government-supported temple, don orange robes, and parade the streets once a day begging for food, all to the admiration of a somewhat jealous Thai society, for whose sins they die a little bit each day, not physically but socially. Most Thai males shave their heads and join the brotherhood for at least a temporary period of time. Some Farangs do also, though many more could certainly use it, considering the excesses they put themselves. Cool indeed, but it sends a mixed message to many Thai youths who see it as official vindication for their own slacker tendencies. Most Thais like nothing better than sabai sabai, which translates loosely as ‘fucking off’. The work ethic finds fertile ground only among the business-oriented community, some of them filthy rich, though still far out-numbered by the filthy poor. Of course the average Thai figures that anybody who’s rich simply got lucky and anybody who’s lucky will get rich. Work ethic is a well-guarded secret and admittedly is best utilized by those in an inside position to take full advantage of it. Tang’s teen-age son sees no reason to study beyond the bare minimum necessary to keep moving that desk up to a new level each year. Like many people caught in the gap between fantasy and reality, Thais are lost in their own mythology.eHH

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 12:19 pm on July 19, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, colonialism,   

    Did the passive society create Buddhism 

    or did Buddhism create the passive society? Certainly the two go hand in hand in Thailand. Whether it’s been to their long-term benefit is another question. It’s interesting to compare Thailand and Vietnam, with similar geographical and historical backgrounds. They’ve both occupied virtually the same region for at least the last two thousand years, Vietnam long an explicit colony of China. Though Thailand’s history is far murkier, they, too, received heavy influence from China, before ultimately rejecting it. Both were militant and heavily expansionist half a millennium ago until the arrival of the Europeans. Thailand could see the writing on the wall and co-operated, even giving up land to the French and British in exchange for sovereignty. They are now one of Asia’s newest ‘tigers’ and are steadily moving out of the ranks of the unemployed Third World poor. Vietnam caused problems, over and over and over. They are now one of the poorest countries in the world. How do you spell ‘dignity’ anyway?

     
    • Joram Arentved's avatar

      Joram Arentved 3:09 pm on September 10, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Now, that my labor situation has become a too big complication to me, you’re welcome to receive any of my further & most relevant information, i.e. about, what’s my obligation, so that I can of course tell & e.g. help us both & maybe some good lawyer find out, what’s a good future & maybe even why: to be continued.
      Greetings from Yours, faithfully, Jo-
      ram Arentved, arentved@in.com.

    • Joram Arentved's avatar

      Joram Arentved 11:57 am on November 10, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      It also spells out in another way, & of course I can reveal it to you, honesty! Greetings, arentved@in.com

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 7:29 am on July 18, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , temples,   

    Some Thai boys too young for sex or labor 

    renounce their worldly attachments to join the priesthood, a shortcut to fulfillment. To renounce something they never had has no meaning. They’re just lazy, looking for an easy life. Their heads are already shaved for school, so it’s not much of a transition. For most it’s just a summer session, then back to the real world. Some kids have no choice. They end up at the temple because there’s literally nowhere else, just like cats and dogs abandoned by their owners. You can even crash there if you’re too poor for a hotel. Don’t abuse that privilege like the Thai parliament members who travel around the country staying in hospital VIP rooms because they’re entitled to free medical care. Temples in Thailand are literally the last resort, for life and death, religion and cremation, social activity, even marriage. Tang and I got married like that in Thailand. We just showed up in the temple first thing in the morning, taking food prepared for the monks, then proceeded to kneel in front of a monk as he lectured us on our responsibilities, ultimately blessing our union. Later we feasted with family and only then did we actually get ‘hitched’, literally. Family members took turns lashing our hands together with white cord while food and drink flowed in the periphery. Fortunately Boy Scouts here don’t learn real knots.

     
  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 11:36 am on May 12, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism, , , ,   

    GOD’S MANY FACES 

    Jesus Christ is now starring on the God channel, speaking from the grave in tongues and English, parables shining through the fog with colored lights and music. He broadcasts his message with satellites and stars to lands where Muhammad still speaks with sword and scimitar. Buddha can’t compete head-to-head with his non-message of middling accommodation between extremes of aggressive violence and aggressive entertainment. He communicates heart-to-heart with a message of non-aggression and reconciliation at all costs. The costs can be steep, payable in dignity and self-esteem, poverty and need. Some things just can’t be bought and some things just can’t be sold. Buddha picks a middle path through a maze of lotuses on one side and chrysanthemums on the other. Jesus can’t make up his mind between the conformists and the protesters. Muhammad tolerates no pussy footing. The Muslim Channel blares from loudspeakers five times a day in thirty some-odd (some VERY odd) countries. The middle path for Islam lies somewhere between a rocket launcher and a razor blade. The true middle path chooses no sides. If it doesn’t lead to eternal bliss, at least it leads to another tomorrow and an infinite, if indefinite, future. All paths lead to God.

     
    • Joram Arentved's avatar

      Joram Arentved 5:02 pm on July 7, 2008 Permalink | Reply

      Helt i orden, Andreas V., hvis du VIL have det at vide, er det netop Buddhismen, du jo ér vel- kommen til at tage op med mig, så jeg lettere kan forklare & sætte dig & f.x. mig selv etc. ind i, hvad min status som ‘sund-fornuft-tilhænger’ egentligt er ensbetydende med & mærkeligt nok p.g.a. en ufortjent arbejdssag, jeg stadigvæk ikke rigtigt tror på, ikke rigtigt ved, om jeg kan
      se mig selv som ‘nu-igen-skyld’ i.
      Ven- & ærlig hilsen fra Din, fortroligst,
      Joram Arentved, Santiago, Chile.

  • Unknown's avatar

    hardie karges 1:13 pm on April 24, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Buddhism,   

    BUDDHIST BUCKS 

    The power of money, like karate, is the power of the empty hand. To have money and not spend it is power, the power of non-action, literally potential. How many do-dads do you really need anyway? The worst thing about money is having to think, worry, or obsess over it. This can happen with either too little or too much of it, and becomes all you ever think about. As with everything, the middle path is the best, avoiding extremes. Buddhism is at its best as an antidote to high-stress modern Western-type lifestyles. In the absence of such, it might seem like a religion of passivity. It’s almost as if the Buddha foresaw what was to come and prescribed a cure in advance. This might violate causality, but nothing better has been prescribed that doesn’t. Maybe there was something innate in the Indo-European mentality that knew what was likely and that the Indo would have a prominent role to play as antidote to the Euro. You can always back-fill logic later: how do I know what I mean until I see how much money’s at stake? People who can save their money are masters of the world; those who can’t are slaves. The former are creditors; the latter are debtors. Little by little money accrues to the creditor’s account at the expense of the debtor, over and beyond the current debt load. This is trickle-up economics.

     

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