If you want to come at the issue that way, you'll have to admit/concede/accept that the Buddha was clinically depressed and obsessed as it were with suffering i.e. the Buddha was non compos mentis. Wisdom of Buddhism should be the — TheMadFool
As for the link between Buddhism and psychology, all I can say is the latter reduces humans to things, objectifies them, — TheMadFool
For example, the contradiction in the dictom "An eye for an eye" versus "Turn the other cheek" is such a fundamental one I don't see how the two could ever be reconciled. — Tzeentch
In Early Buddhism, there are four Brahamaviharas (or four sublime attitudes, or four divine abodes) (see here in the index for links at the entry Brahmaviharas. [/quote]Pali metta is the equivalent of Sanskrit maitri which seems to be more like friendliness, goodwill, or benevolence, the opposite being ill-will.
In the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, maitri is supposed to be practiced together with other attitudes like compassion (karuna), happiness (mudita), and indifference (upeksanam). — Apollodorus
Universal metta is supposed to be univeral goodwill, meaning one would have goodwill for everyone, ie. for the tiger, for oneself, and for everyone else. Note: for oneself. Sacrificing oneself to the tiger would not be an act of goodwill for oneself.It is debatable how to best apply this in practice, though. For example, when coming across a tiger in the forest. I think the idea is that when practiced properly, the object of your metta, in this case the tiger, will be moved to respond in kind and be nice to you instead of having you for breakfast or lunch. But I don't know how many Buddhists have developed their metta to the degree that it would work out as intended.
The salient point of the Jataka tales is that they are accounts of the actions of an _un_enlightened being. Some Theravadans see them as cautionary tales about what not to do.On the other hand, if the ultimate objective of metta is to eradicate selfishness, then perhaps offering yourself as food to the tiger may be the quickest way to achieve it.
In the Jataka Stories, the Buddha in a previous life met a starving tigress that was about to eat her own cubs, and offered himself to her as food out of metta and karuna (Āryaśūra's Jātakamālā, Vyāghrī-jātaka).
Neither religion is "about morality" IMO. Christianity is mainly concerned with eschatology and Buddhism is mainly concerned with soteriology. And yes, Christianity consecrates suffering like Jesus and Buddhism practices ways to reduce suffering. 'Moralities' have been derived from these premises, respectively, but that is not their functions (re: the first few centuries of each religion, respectively). — 180 Proof
a Jew wrestling with other Jews — Valentinus
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28)
Yes, absolutely.If you want to come at the issue that way, you'll have to admit/concede/accept that the Buddha was clinically depressed and obsessed as it were with suffering i.e. the Buddha was non compos mentis. Wisdom of Buddhism should be the last thing we should be discussing, no? — TheMadFool
The Buddha's happiness couldn't be further away from what psychologists consider happiness.I agree Buddhism is a serious attempt to solve a real-world problem, that of suffering. And that's why I believe it contains wisdom which if practiced in ones life seems to me to be in line with modern psychologists description of a happy life. — Ross
By the way what's wrong with feeling better about yourself. That's the consequence of happiness. People normally feel better when they are living a better life.
Only superficially.True. Buddhism does seem to be closer to psychology than other traditions. — Apollodorus
Buddhism (the kind that strives for the complete cessation of suffering), is, essentially, a death project. It can't possibly be popular in the world that is interested in the perpetuation of life.Could this be why it is less popular? In India, at least, after some initial successes it got nearly wiped out by Hinduism (and to some extent by Islam) and it has never recovered.
The Buddha's happiness couldn't be further away from what psychologists consider happiness. — baker
Unfortunatly the more she explained the deeper the puzzeled expression grew on the poor fellows face.
— praxis
I would say that's a good outcome for both the interlocutors, buddhist and christian. It's the WTF? moment every buddhist aspires to and wishes to elicit from would-be converts though it is a fact that buddhist sanghas lack an evangelical wing. — TheMadFool
The Buddha's happiness couldn't be further away from what psychologists consider happiness.
— baker
Why do you say that. — Ross
You need to be more precise here and source your claims about Buddhism.So compassion, love, kindness which the Buddha teaches you think psychologists don't think that those values improve happiness. — Ross
You need to be more precise here and source your claims about Buddhism. — baker
:fire:There are various aspects of Judaism with which one wrestles or struggles, including struggling to understand what is required of you. Jesus speaks from within this tradition and not in opposition to it. When he says things that appear to be in opposition or contradictory it may be that it is this opposition that we must struggle with if we are to understand. — Fooloso4
Granted.I don't conflate, or confuse, "about" with "central to" – Jesus' "Love thy neighbor as thyself" plus his "Beatitudes" are just as morally central to Christianity as the sila of the "Noble Eightfold Path" is to Buddhism, yet these 'codes of conduct' are only means and not the ends, or goals (i.e. what about), of these religions. — 180 Proof
I asked you for a canonical reference, ie. an actual Buddhist source. — baker
They are just some quotes that someone attributed to the Buddha.
— baker
Nonsense. — Ross
Unfortunatly the more she explained the deeper the puzzeled expression grew on the poor fellows face.
— praxis
I would say that's a good outcome for both the interlocutors, buddhist and christian. It's the WTF? moment every buddhist aspires to and wishes to elicit from would-be converts though it is a fact that buddhist sanghas lack an evangelical wing.
— TheMadFool
On principle, Dharmic religions (notably, Buddhism and Hinduism) are not expansive, evangelical religions, the notion of religious conversion is foreign to them — baker
As for the link between Buddhism and psychology, all I can say is the latter reduces humans to things, objectifies them,
— TheMadFool
What kind of psychology have you been studying. Are you seriously saying that Victor Frankls book Man's Search for meaning and Carl Jung's notions of The Shadow and Individuation are reducing humans to things. Those two very famous psychologists in fact are against the kind of empirical reductionist materialistic description of the human condition that you find in the logical positivists or Analytic philosophy — Ross
f you want to come at the issue that way, you'll have to admit/concede/accept that the Buddha was clinically depressed and obsessed as it were with suffering i.e. the Buddha was non compos mentis. Wisdom of Buddhism should be the
— TheMadFool
I'm afraid I don't understand your point here. Ive never it said that the Buddha was depressed, he May have had moments of unhappiness but that's irrelevant because his teaching has inspired a whole tradition of Wisdom for thousands of years and is one of the main world religions as well as a major world philosophy. — Ross
He did not talk about his being a Jew or not. — Valentinus
There is the problem of sourgraping, presenting socioeconomic success as less relevant than it is. — baker
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