Buddhism, like Christianity, is a missionary religion, a religion whose followers belief they have a responsibility to share their message with the rest of the world. What do you find in the story of the Buddha or in his teachings that a Buddhist mind particularly find important to share with others?
Pg 77
ReplyDeleteTo refrain from evil
To achieve the good
To purify one’s own mind
This is the teaching of all Awakened Ones
My earliest recollection of anything concerning Buddhism was when Buddhist monks immolated themselves in protest of the war in Vietnam. Being a teenager at the time I thought they were crazy but I was also amazed at their conviction to their beliefs – they did not use violence to protest the violence around them, but they demonstrated against the destruction they saw by sacrificing themselves in the fire. Simply amazing.
These monks’ actions are different than the feelings I get from reading about the belief system that created them. From the texts I envision emancipated men sitting under at tree mediating and ignoring the physical (illusionary) world around them as they strive to reach nirvana. From movies I see men isolated from the world in monasteries, chanting and burning incense while spinning prayer wheels as they pray for enlightenment.
These views are so different from the actual people I know who are Buddhists, who are regular people living regular lives. What is going on inside of them I cannot see, what their thoughts are I do not know, but their actions have shown them to be involved with the world they live in. They do not appear different from anyone else. They have never tried to share their message with me, although I have never asked them to.
oops that should have been - emaciated - dang auto spell correction
ReplyDelete…”[T]hat since suffering has a cause, it can be eliminated.” (Prothero p.183), I would say is undoubtedly the reason many a Buddhist might like to become a missionary or at least one serving in a medical mission or world relief work. I have no idea if this is a uniting bond of Buddhists on this earth or not.
ReplyDeleteThere is also the basic problem of Hinduism and its reincarnation dilemma. Of course the Buddha gives a solution, but is it a solution for all? Does the “boredom” of reincarnation or the “hope” of reincarnation win? For me, life is so wonderful that I don’t want to give it up, but knowing that no one has left this world alive, my funeral plans, like Winston Churchill’s, are titled “Operation Hope Not but Inevitable.”
The suffering that the Buddha and life promises us is a great conflict that we as human being need to address and put our minds and efforts to. Is it right to “leave this earth“ by meditation and not do something, even the smallest thing, to alleviate this quandary?
I must agree with Jerry in that my first hint of this religion was in the midst of the Vietnam War. I could not understand the self-immolation and then especially the serene ability and concentrated mind to stay seated in the lotus position while the flames burned the life from the body. This ability to continue in meditation even with great interruptions or disturbances has been studied scientifically and shown to be possible. These images along with the young, running girl, naked, burned by napalm; the police chief of Saigon executing a Viet Cong prisoner on the street; and the American soldier dying, being transfused on the front of a tank, are the rest of my images of this horrific conflict. But that serenity of the monks haunts me to this day.
With this slight introduction to the meditative abilities of this religion’s practitioners given in the lectures and in the texts, I am now able to begin to have some insight into meditation per se on a Buddhist scale. The other paths are becoming more evident as well.
The release that these Buddhist ”Ways of Awakening” could inspire, in other parts of the world, are certainly why some of that “Enlightened One’s” followers could easily do proselytizing.
In the Buddhist religion there are three gems to their beliefs. The first is Buddha is the awakened one. He is the one which has transcend and understand what it takes to remove pain in ones life. Dharma is the truthful teachings of Buddha. Lastly, the people who live by the teachings of Buddha are referred to as Sangha. Together, because of their purity, they create the triple gem of the Buddhist faith.
ReplyDeleteAs missionary religions Buddism and Christianity both offer a set of instructions. While Christians have the 10 commandments, Buddhists have the four noble truths and the 8 fold path. I think these instructions would be what Buddhists would like to share with others. Even though as a man I generally ignore instructions I will admit they can be very handy to have.
ReplyDeleteI think that one thing that a Buddhist would want to share from the Buddha's story is the amount of patience he had to practice to attain his achievements. I would show how the insights he gained were something that he had to work for; he had to try and fail a few times. He emaciated his body for 6 years, which shows great devotion, but he eventually learned that there was a better way to achieve nirvana. I would tell about this to show others that they too, with enough patience, could also achieve nirvana.
ReplyDeleteIt is a missionary religion, because it has such a caring attitude toward others. That is the main job of a missionary to care for people. Since, they believe that their's is the only path to ultimate truth, they feel the need to share it in hopes of helping others. They are also very rule oriented. There is a specific way to gain enlightenment and you had better follow it or you never will reach that apex of spiritual status. Also, the main person that they are talking about is not there to speak for themselves now, so they feel they have to do it. That is the purpose of the Dalai Lama. He is much like the Pope in Catholicism, God, or in this case, Buddha's representative on Earth.
ReplyDeleteI was reading through the devotional Buddhism and noticed that they do in some ways tend to teach the kinds of religious teaching. In the first part it talks about Buddha as the rain-cloud of grace. "Equal is enlightenment for noble and mean alike, for those who are immoral and for moral ones..." This phrase shows that is grace is not just for the upright ones but for those who also faulter along the way.
ReplyDeleteIn the second part he talks about goods works such as being kind to neighbors and the like is a sign of your belief in Buddha or that of a higher power.
I am sure I'd be excommunicated from by church for saying this so its a good thing only members of the class can see it. I do see some major similiarities within the two religions; and I also see some that I disagree with. But it does make a person wonder if all these different gods are truely one and the same.
I feel that the Buddhist missionaries will especially want to share the path that Buddha took to find Nirvana. They will want to share the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths because this is the only way to reach Nirvana. The missionaries would probably want to teach the importance of devotion, as well as the insignificance of material objects. Buddha gave away his jewels before leaving for his venture. He spent many years living by what he felt was right in order to seek a higher state of mind. They also would tell that following this path is the only way to escape the world’s suffering and end the cycle of birth and death.
ReplyDeleteI think that a Buddhist would definitely was to share the ideas about refraining for evil, achieving good and purifying the mind. I think these ideas are important to reaching Nirvana and since that is the ultimate goal, I think that they would start with those beliefs. The second thing a Buddhist would want to teach is the path to Nirvana and Buddha's story. Buddha chose to teach others how to reach an enligthened stage instead of staying there himself and I think that is very important to the Buddhist beliefs because the Buddha chose to help others.
ReplyDeleteSpread his message. The biggest difference between Western religions and Buddhism is the fact that there is no God to worship. A concept that most of us have never contemplated before but there is no doubt that If I had heard Buddha speak I would want to spread his word too.
ReplyDeleteSpread his message. Even in just reading about his attitudes towards life, his humility, and his answers (or lack there of) to the fundamental questions other religions have been trying to answer for thousands of years are intriguing. "You'd pull the poison arrow out right away, right?" It's so polar opposite of what most of us in America grew up with, outside the box. I find it easy to see how his message would have spread so fast.
Spread his message. His concept of ceasing desire to end suffering must have been appealing to the Hindus as well. With their pessimistic attitudes toward life that some posses, the idea that eliminating suffering in this world was possible, must have been refreshing.
I started every paragraph with spread his message because I can't see any reason, had I heard the great Sage speak, that I would not have become Buddha too.
I think the Four Noble Truths (including the Eight-Fold Path) is ideal to share with all humanity and is very similar in some aspects to Judea/Christian teachings. Actually, since learning about this, I've caught myself repeating/sharing some of these truths with a love-sick teen, a fast-food worker, etc... After Dr. Blanchard's contemporary view which he shared with us I've found myself subconsciously practicing...weird huh? Anyhow, it would do a world of good for more people to learn and practice most of these philosophical ideas.
ReplyDeleteI think Buddhists would find it important to share with others the fact that Buddha considered not sharing his message. They, as his followers, understand the importance of their religion and if others didn't know about the path to Peace and such, the world would be worse than it is. At first he felt inclined to take no action and if he didn't he wouldn't have made such a huge impact on the world.
ReplyDeleteI find interesting the mission of the Buddha is for the happiness of many. Buddhists want others to have serenity and peace of mind, and to be happy. It is their compassion for the world, as written on p. 61, which drives them to spread their teachings to others. They are encouraged to go their seperate ways to teach the initial meaning of the Dhamma, in order to bring happiness to others, while finding their own path in life.
ReplyDeleteThe other aspect is that doubt is natural, and this could be the basis for Buddhists to seek truth in finding their path in life. Buddhists are encouraged to find out things for themselves, and not rely on what is heard or taught. There is no penalty should doubt be upon them.