A Bodhisattva is a person of loving kindness, which I have practised all my life and still try to achieve. I did not mention Ego, which is a different, narcissicist concept of "the Self". Buddhists can believe in a sub conscious state, to be achieved in deep meditation. But, we are still human beings with free will and I can and will call myself a Bodhisattva.

I agree that the concept, or doctrine, of original sin is a fallacy. How can a new born baby be a sinner? This belief can lead to a lifetime of subliminal and undefined guilt. I see this guilt as a way of certain religions controlling people. As an adult one should feel guilty if one causes harm or behaves badly. But guilt alone is useless. Apology and making amends is the way to deal with justifiable guilt.
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my perso al definition of Spirit is that it is the very essence of who we are as human beings. It is very difficult to articulate this belief in words. I could say that it is our Source, our Soul, our essential Energy. And, as energy never dies, our Spirit never dies. It is strongly connected to our true nature, our character. I had a very strong bond with my late mother. If I need extra courage, for example, I ask her to help me. And I have felt her loving presence very strongly at those times. I would call that her Spirit
But nothing whatsoever to do with "ghosts". I dont believe in all that rubbish. I realise this is all very subjective! It is an interesting question.

You say "the world is alright as it is". Such smugness! Maybe your world is alright. But have you ever visited a refugee camp and spoken to war traumatised people? Have you ever worked with homeless people? Do you know what it is like to be made redundant and suddenly not be able to pay your rent? I have met with these people during my working life. Inequality, caused by our current system of capitalism based on greed and rampant consumerism, is the cause of much human suffering today. It is not our world that needs changing. It is our selfish attitude of "I'm alright". To have the desire and willingness to help others less fortunate is what we need. Helping others, even in a small way, brings great joy to one's life. Yes. We need to change the world.

Equal in what way? You must define what you mean. If you mean are all people born with equal intelligence, for example, then obviously not. One can inherit a gift for maths from a parent. Or, do you mean socially equal? Sadly not. One can be born into poverty or riches. But I would like to think that all humans, whatever their background, would be given equal respect and help to progress in life. We are all entitled to a fair chance, to live a life of fulfilment and joy, whatever our circumstances

I believe to ban religious icons would be a backward step. A step to more intolerance. What next? Ban all national flagS? Ban all national songs? Religious hatred is based on ignorance. We see religious people as "different" to us. But, we need to see the bonds of common humanity. We all weep when we lose a loved one. We worry if we lose our job. Our shared humanity should help us be tolerant . There is a place for both religious belief and secularism in society. We should young people to understand different cultures. An outline of world religions as a school subject, would be a good starting point. Ignorance leads to hatred. Knowledge leads to tolerance.

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