Godulike

michael · Can anybody hear me? Joined: 19 Jun 2023 Posts: 152

Hey SG, this site looks really interesting. (I admit I'm not Helen)
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Clinging leads to separation from the real.

Candrodaya

seattlegal · Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2023 7:02 pm Post subject:

michael · Can anybody hear me? Joined: 19 Jun 2023 Posts: 152

Chuang Tzu, now he smoked some stuff Laughing

_________________
Clinging leads to separation from the real.

seattlegal · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:09 am Post subject:

michael · Can anybody hear me? Joined: 19 Jun 2023 Posts: 152

Yes, exactly like this! Does your Christianity and Daoism snuggle up together happily in your mind? (and whatever other interesting stuff is in there)?

Can you remember a joke in Chuang Tzu involving a house and a pair of trousers? I can't find it but I always remember it cracked me up???

Anyway, it all just shows that drugs are a BAD thing!!!!!!

(PS the koan was not an accusation I think but a compliment!)
_________________
Clinging leads to separation from the real.

elena · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 8:58 am Post subject: too much information

Dear SG,

I read all that stuff about the Bible written between you and another
poster. Whoever it was really challenged my belief system in the
good old Black Book. I have to realize that God did not write the
book.

So where does that put my faith? I took the part of the Bible I can
believe. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
For some reason that one verse makes a whole lot of sense to
me and I have been trying to live by that principle for years.
It has been difficult because many times I did not care about how
people treated me and I didn't care how I treated them. I have been
sorry for those times and since have tried to be careful so I would
not have to say, "I am sorry."

The one thing I can't shake off is love and how it manifests itself
to us. Love is the greatest gift I ever gave to myself because I
believed the stories in the Bible. So maybe while many claim that
the Book is full of untruths, lies, deceptions, etc., believing that I
am supposed to love others the way I love myself really hasn't
hurt me whether there is a God or not.

So if I never use the Bible as a source of truth or not, I can maintain
the kind of love that is exemplary of God by heeding this principle.
What I have learned on godulike is that most every major religion
in the world somewhere in its teachings mentions the Golden Rule.
Therefore, at least I can accept the Golden Rule because of its
Universal appeal to all religions of mankind.

So if I accept the Golden Rule, I have to accept who said it, and if
I accept who said it, I must accept the One who gave it to Him.

So, no matter what, I end up to be a believer in God anyhow!

I guess it isn't so much what I believe that counts, but what I do
with what I believe.

I get real tired examining everyone's theories about God. And
I find that what people use to prove or not prove God to themselves
is their own personal insights and ideas. Maybe that is why it is
just best to let people believe in God however they want to understand
God and hope that love will prevail in all their choices.

Who am I to judge what is going on in someone's mind? We are all
free to believe anything we want. I am sort of glad that all the
arguments presented against the Bible really doesn't phase my faith
because I challenged its validity a real long time ago but I could
never conclude that it did not contain the truth I needed to establish
a satisfying personal relationship with God, The Father.

Peace and Serenity to All
Helen

Thank you SG for sharing all that knowledge. It did help me a whole
lot. The opposing views were equally interesting.
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I am who I am

seattlegal · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:53 am Post subject:

seattlegal · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 9:57 am Post subject:

michael · Can anybody hear me? Joined: 19 Jun 2023 Posts: 152

elena · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 2:49 pm Post subject: truer words were never spoken

Obviously, you to have found the pearl of great price that Jesus said
would be your most valuable possession - the knowledge of how to love and be loved.

I have no doubt there is nothing you need to know further about how I
believe because we are already alike. How we both got there does not
matter. The fact is, without this manufacturer directions we could never
survive.

Our world is on the brink of destruction because people have gone about
to do what is right in their own eyes and have not sought the truth of
the righteouness of God which is based on this love found in the Golden
Rule that realizes we are not to harm or injure each other as human
beings. I am beginning to think there is an epidemic of brain numbness
going on in our world leaders who have not yet caught on that bombs,
guns, knives, and hatred kills. There should be a war on hatred and
everyone should go against it if they find it in their own heart. Terror
is just a by-product of hate.

I thinik I will pray that whatever needs to be done be dohe so the men
who wish to harm innocent women and children shall wake up out of their
sleep to realize killing off men does not promote life. We need our men
at home to be loving their wives and children. What is up with taking
men from their families and homes to kill other men who have been
taken from their families and homes to participate in activities that only
cause death and destruction? Don't our leaders really have any idea
what they are doing to families when they bust up homes for their
own selfish, self-centered desires. I think the love of money is the
root of all evil, just like Jesus said so.
_________________
I am who I am

elena · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2023 2:55 pm Post subject: thank you

Dear Michael,

I cherish your words. Reading them knowing that someone felt that way
was like having a nice warm, buttered piece of home-made bread to my
soul. Truly satisfying. Just a real good feeling knowing that for you to
express your mind so beautifully gives me more faith and confidence
than ever that the Truth cannot be destroyed no matter what. It took
me a long time to boil down to where I knew what it was but now I can
just cherish it in my heart no matter who or what anyone says or does.

I know what I know and I know who I am. I shall not be moved,
just like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved!

Thanks again and may God grant your light shine even until the darkness
comes, when no man can work.

Helen
_________________
I am who I am

elena · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2023 5:53 pm Post subject: truth is where I find it

Thank you Seattlegal for the Kalama Sutta link.

I read the whole thing and discovered an idea that is identical to the
teachings of Jesus: " These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworty; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to harm and to suffering - then you should
abandon them."

While they do not say the Ten Commandments, they mention greed,
killing, stealing, coveting, lying, or anything which induces others to
to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm and suffering.

I had a forum writer try to tell me that not doing harm or injury to
another is not the basis of love. If our thoughts arise us to action,
we must ask ourselves is it for welfare or harm? In other words,
will what I am about to do harm or injure anyone? If you can
honestly pass this test with a negative, then obviously it would be
all right to proceed.

Now that is what I have been trying to say for the last three years
but because I associate the thought with Jesus it gets instantly
rejected as a fundy remark. When I observe that humans who
have no connection to Christianity or Jesus come up with the same
conclusion as written in Romans l3:8-10, I am all the more convinced
that it is the truth. It took about seven pages for the Kalama Sutta
or Buddha's carte blanche for following one's own sense of right and
wrong to be explained and Jesus can say the same thing in one
eleven word sentence.

It is my conclusion once Divine love has entered the human being,
they can do anything they want to do because love is the motivation.
Divine love will not enter into anyone who is not willing to obey
the standards set forth as manifestations of that love. The fruits
of God's spirit are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness
faith, meekness and temperance. Individuals who
are not capable of manifesting these traits of personality do not know
nor do they understand how God's love works in the human psyche.
Self will run riot is what people who do not desire to God's will
are busy doing.

I have thoroughly tested the beliefs set forth by Jesus and have tested
if He is a wise person and I know that I can't go wrong by putting faith
in His teachings because no matter how I look at it, it all makes good
sense plus the products of a happy life are the result.

The Kalama Sutta and Jesus, to me, teach the same truth. Do not
harm or injure each other and so fulfill the law of God or whoever
your divine being is that you have chosen to follow if that teacher
alludes to the same love that Jesus is representative of.

Helen

P.S. See, Rolling Eyes

I can know the truth and it can set me free!
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I am who I am

michael · Can anybody hear me? Joined: 19 Jun 2023 Posts: 152

The Buddha (if we accept he existed) taught for 45 years and so there is lots to read should one wish to. In his lifetime his teachings were not being written down, this did not happen until a long time after his death; during his life there was a tradition of oral transmission. He therefore used a lot of repetitions simply to aid memory. So this long time of 45 years together with a lot of repeating can make for heavy going reading sometimes. My understanding of the essential point of the Kalama discourse is he was asked how people could decide which teacher or teaching was the “right one.” The Buddha said they should apply their own sceptical minds to whatever teaching was offered and the Kalama discourse is essentially “10 reasons NOT to believe.” Put succinctly, he offered these as guidelines to the people who had asked:

Do not accept a teaching...

1. Just because it is repeatedly recited.
2. Just because it is written down in scriptures.
3. Just because it has been handed down from teacher to disciple.
4. Just because other people believe it.
5. Just because it has metaphysical qualities. (“What is the nature of reality?)
6. Just because it agrees with what you believe anyway.
7. Just because you can rationalise it.
8. If it requires a viewpoint that you need to defend.
9. Just because the teacher is a reputable person.
10. Just because the teacher says so.

(I can imagine he got up a lot of peoples noses!!!)