Eastern Orthodoxy, Theravada Buddhism and Zen. Hello!

[Basilius]

Hello everyone,

I was baptized as a child when I was just 3 years old in a famous Orthodox church in Moscow in the 90s. My "ethnic" roots are very different, Russian, Jewish and Caucasian (Caucasus region) We moved to Western Europe when I was just 5 years old, and I am now over 30 years old. I have always been interested in religion and philosophy. I went through some philosophical writings, especially Husserl's and Heidegger's phenomenology, and could easily get into Buddhism. Where I still feel more or less at home today, I tend towards the orthodox variant of the ancient Buddhism (Theravada) but I have a fondness for Soto-Zen because of its aesthetics, simplicity and poetic charisma and the approach for silent meditation. The same applies to Chinese Chan, which is where Zen comes from, but Theravada is more the place where everything became clear for me - I meditate daily and am now very familiar with the Pali Canon, which is a kind of holy scripture for orthodox Buddhists,
you could possibly compare it to the Bible, but not really. It is much larger and more extensive and is not considered the word of a god. But the words of a Buddha (an awakened person who has completely seen through being-time / reality)

Well, why am I here, you ask? I am tormented by a question: How can something have come into being out of nothing? Or to put it better: Why is something and rather nothing? Or even better expressed by Wittgenstein: The mystical is not how the world is, but that it is.

Buddhism responds to this phenomenologically: the whole world is already contained in this "body", the beginning and the end of this world. I won't go into this any further as it becomes too complex.

BUT, I'm somehow dissatisfied with the answer that comes from Buddhism.

After some research, I find orthodoxy the most interesting for me and that's where my roots are. I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask the people here from the bottom of my heart and finally decide for myself to go deeper into Christianity or to turn my back on it for ever.

Thank you.
Basilius

PS: I use a translator, sorry my English is bad.

 

[zippy2006]

Welcome

 

[Basilius]

To understand what exactly I mean, perhaps take a look at this Wikipedia article about this question, which has been terrorizing me for years and putting me in a state of anxiety:

Why there is anything at all - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

and this video:

 

[HTacianas]

Hello everyone,

I was baptized as a child when I was just 3 years old in a famous Orthodox church in Moscow in the 90s. My "ethnic" roots are very different, Russian, Jewish and Caucasian (Caucasus region) We moved to Western Europe when I was just 5 years old, and I am now over 30 years old. I have always been interested in religion and philosophy. I went through some philosophical writings, especially Husserl's and Heidegger's phenomenology, and could easily get into Buddhism. Where I still feel more or less at home today, I tend towards the orthodox variant of the ancient Buddhism (Theravada) but I have a fondness for Soto-Zen because of its aesthetics, simplicity and poetic charisma and the approach for silent meditation. The same applies to Chinese Chan, which is where Zen comes from, but Theravada is more the place where everything became clear for me - I meditate daily and am now very familiar with the Pali Canon, which is a kind of holy scripture for orthodox Buddhists,
you could possibly compare it to the Bible, but not really. It is much larger and more extensive and is not considered the word of a god. But the words of a Buddha (an awakened person who has completely seen through being-time / reality)

Well, why am I here, you ask? I am tormented by a question: How can something have come into being out of nothing? Or to put it better: Why is something and rather nothing? Or even better expressed by Wittgenstein: The mystical is not how the world is, but that it is.

Buddhism responds to this phenomenologically: the whole world is already contained in this "body", the beginning and the end of this world. I won't go into this any further as it becomes too complex.

BUT, I'm somehow dissatisfied with the answer that comes from Buddhism.

After some research, I find orthodoxy the most interesting for me and that's where my roots are. I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask the people here from the bottom of my heart and finally decide for myself to go deeper into Christianity or to turn my back on it for ever.

Thank you.
Basilius

PS: I use a translator, sorry my English is bad.

Hello Basilius. You are not far off the mark. Buddhism, at its core, is the study of the conscience. A person meditates on the conscience and determines based on the conscience right and wrong. If a thing appeals to the conscience it is right, if a thing does not appeal to the conscience it is wrong. Christianity addresses that in the letter to the Romans:

Rom 2:14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,

Rom 2:15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)

You see that Christianity holds that there is a law written in the hearts of all men, and Buddhism is an example of the study of that law. But while Christianity acknowledges where that law comes from, Buddhism does not answer that question, but only acknowledges that the law exists. You then ask the question, "How can something have come into being out of nothing?". Christianity answers that all things come from God, even the conscience. I know that it still leaves the question as to where God came from, and we might say that we are then right back where we started from.

But as I said, with Buddhism you are not far off the mark, but Christianity takes it one step further. While Christian meditation also examines the conscience, much the same as Buddhism, it goes on in an attempt to unite the soul with the origins of the conscience. That may well be the difference between the two.

 

[Basilius]

Hello Basilius. You are not far off the mark. Buddhism, at its core, is the study of the conscience. A person meditates on the conscience and determines based on the conscience right and wrong. If a thing appeals to the conscience it is right, if a thing does not appeal to the conscience it is wrong. Christianity addresses that in the letter to the Romans:

Rom 2:14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,

Rom 2:15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)

You see that Christianity holds that there is a law written in the hearts of all men, and Buddhism is an example of the study of that law. But while Christianity acknowledges where that law comes from, Buddhism does not answer that question, but only acknowledges that the law exists. You then ask the question, "How can something have come into being out of nothing?". Christianity answers that all things come from God, even the conscience. I know that it still leaves the question as to where God came from, and we might say that we are then right back where we started from.

But as I said, with Buddhism you are not far off the mark, but Christianity takes it one step further. While Christian meditation also examines the conscience, much the same as Buddhism, it goes on in an attempt to unite the soul with the origins of the conscience. That may well be the difference between the two.

Thank you for your reply.

So you have to say very clearly that there is not ONE Buddhism, there are different traditions, but let's start from the original and oldest form, that is Theravada Buddhism. Everything there is based on the teachings of the Buddha and in contrast to Mahayana, which argues "Non-Dualistic", beyond good and evil, Theravada Buddhism is actually dualistic. There is bad behavior and good behavior, it's a lot about ethics, in fact there is a hell and a heaven in Buddhism, but they are not eternal. It is also about calming the mind, purifying it, cooling the senses. Don't let all this mainstream Woo Woo Buddhism ala Dalai Lama (Tibetan Buddhism, has almost nothing to do with Buddhism) fool you, it is a truly deep teaching that can profoundly transform lives. It is a kind of slow path that leads to dispassion towards this transitory world. However, the meditation is rarely contemplative in the sense of thinking about what is good or wrong; often the body is considered in all its individual parts, first the surface, skin, etc., then organs, up to bones and contemplation about death, but the main meditation is certainly, rather a letting go of these concepts in order to experience that there is no self, all things are not ME, neither my arm (where is it. If it is sawed off, I am no longer me?) nor the closet is "Mine" - But Buddhism is so radical that it does not even see consciousness as the ego, but rather a constructed form that consists of seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, thinking, etc. Everything is dissected and chopped up until nothing is left. And that is in STRANGE OPPOSITE to Christianity, which assumes an eternal soul that is clearly ME.

The question of where God comes from is not really relevant to me if God is eternity and doesn't need time, he has neither beginning nor end. THIS is a mystery that I can relate to.

I have to admit that I am almost terrorized by this metaphysical question, which almost causes me anxiety attacks, I often see myself struggling with this question in dreams and every time I wake up I say to myself in a sweat: NO, it HAS TO GIVE A GOD! You see, I'm really struggling.

Thanks again for your answer.

 

[linux.poet]

Welcome to CF! I'm hoping that we will be able to answer your bottom of the heart questions and relieve some of your emotional suffering.

To understand what exactly I mean, perhaps take a look at this Wikipedia article about this question, which has been terrorizing me for years and putting me in a state of anxiety:

Why there is anything at all - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

and this video:

I would be interested to see what my friend @2PhiloVoid has to say about this. He may be able to provide some insight into this philosophical question for you.

I have to admit that I am almost terrorized by this metaphysical question, which almost causes me anxiety attacks, I often see myself struggling with this question in dreams and every time I wake up I say to myself in a sweat: NO, it HAS TO GIVE A GOD! You see, I'm really struggling.

I strongly recommend starting a thread in Struggles By Non-Christians as that forum is designed for exactly these sorts of issues. The existential question, the anxiety, and further questions to ask us could all be included in a thread there.

The Anxiety, Panic and Agoraphobia section may have resources that are helpful to you if this persists, but I think the strong emotions will fade once your crisis of belief is resolved.

 

[Christoph Maria]

.

Welcome to Christian Forums!
_________________________________________________________


LORD, those who know you will trust in You.
You have never deserted those who look to You.
Psalms 9:10
_________________________________________

"Here is what I am commanding you to do:
Be strong and brave.
Do not be terrified.
Do not lose hope.
I am the LORD your God.
I will be with you everywhere you go."
Joshua 1:9
_________________________________________

"Judah, listen to me!
People of Jerusalem, listen to me!
Have faith in the LORD your God.
He'll take good care of you.
Have faith in his prophets.
Then you will have success."
2 Chronicles 20:20
_________________________________________

Some trust in chariots.
Some trust in horses.
But we trust in the LORD our God.
Psalms 20:7
_________________________________________



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​

 

[maintenance man]

Welcome to CF! Thanks for sharing your story. I pray you find what you're looking for here.

 

[Basilius]

Welcome to CF! Thanks for sharing your story. I pray you find what you're looking for here.

Thank you!

 

[Lukaris]

We have an Orthodox sub forum also. It has been less active recently but it is definitely alive.

The Ancient Way - Eastern Orthodox

Greek, Russian, Antiochian

www.christianforums.com

The Orthodox saint, Maximus the Confessor, might be of interest to you.

Venerable Maximus the Confessor

Saint Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 and raised in a pious Christian family. He received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. He was well-read in the authors of antiquity and he also mastered philosophy and theology. When Saint Maximus…

www.oca.org

Here is a link to his writings that appear in the Philokalia:

St Maximos the Confessor: Four Hundred Texts on Love

orthodoxchurchfathers.com

.

St. Maximos was a monk speaking mostly to other monks. We should not embrace calls for dire fasting etc. but just consider something like having a penitent attitude ( for ex.) instead.

 

[Andrewn]

Welcome to the CF. Personally, I think Buddhism is an excellent introduction to Christianity, and Christianity is a great fulfillment of Buddhism, which steered away from describing God. I'm looking forward to seeing your posts. I suggest you post in the following forums.

Exploring Christianity

Struggles by Non-Christians

 

[Michie]

Welcome.

 

[Apostle95]

Hello everyone,

I was baptized as a child when I was just 3 years old in a famous Orthodox church in Moscow in the 90s. My "ethnic" roots are very different, Russian, Jewish and Caucasian (Caucasus region) We moved to Western Europe when I was just 5 years old, and I am now over 30 years old. I have always been interested in religion and philosophy. I went through some philosophical writings, especially Husserl's and Heidegger's phenomenology, and could easily get into Buddhism. Where I still feel more or less at home today, I tend towards the orthodox variant of the ancient Buddhism (Theravada) but I have a fondness for Soto-Zen because of its aesthetics, simplicity and poetic charisma and the approach for silent meditation. The same applies to Chinese Chan, which is where Zen comes from, but Theravada is more the place where everything became clear for me - I meditate daily and am now very familiar with the Pali Canon, which is a kind of holy scripture for orthodox Buddhists,
you could possibly compare it to the Bible, but not really. It is much larger and more extensive and is not considered the word of a god. But the words of a Buddha (an awakened person who has completely seen through being-time / reality)

Well, why am I here, you ask? I am tormented by a question: How can something have come into being out of nothing? Or to put it better: Why is something and rather nothing? Or even better expressed by Wittgenstein: The mystical is not how the world is, but that it is.

Buddhism responds to this phenomenologically: the whole world is already contained in this "body", the beginning and the end of this world. I won't go into this any further as it becomes too complex.

BUT, I'm somehow dissatisfied with the answer that comes from Buddhism.

After some research, I find orthodoxy the most interesting for me and that's where my roots are. I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask the people here from the bottom of my heart and finally decide for myself to go deeper into Christianity or to turn my back on it for ever.

Thank you.
Basilius

PS: I use a translator, sorry my English is bad.

Maybe an Orthodox can help you to come back to your roots.

Let's start with something

So , every ancient alphabet , bar none , has always from day one,with each letter had a mystyreous number assosiated with a letter

The study of that code is called gematria - atomic mass of the elements.

The numbers of the atomic mass are the numbers that equate to the mysterious letters in the ancient alphabets.

What that means is when you look at human DNA or the DNA in every life the numbers that equate to those become 1 , 5 , 6 , 3

Element
Hydrogen: 1 - mass , 1 - gematria
Nitrogen: 5 - mass , 5 - gematria
Oxygen: 6 - mass 6 - gematria
Carbon: 3 - mass , 3 - gematria

Literally reads , literal

God - eternal - within - the body

It is in Hebrew , in Arabic and in Sanskrit(an ancient Indo-European language of India) - three of the root languages

And never forget this term 'You will know the truth and the truth will set you free'.

And , btw how you define truth?

So i suggest that someone in charge should give us instructions where can we continue discussing because i am also new here.

 

[Yusuphhai]

Hi,

About Orient and Jewish Zen, I would say : A Chinese is a Japanese is an Indian.

 

[linux.poet]

So i suggest that someone in charge should give us instructions where can we continue discussing because i am also new here.

I think your discussion could belong in Physical and Life Sciences, since you’re talking about atomic elements, but it could also work in History & Genealogy, since it’s a historical take on numbers and where they came from. It also has to do with Languages. It just depends on what aspect of gementria you want to emphasize/discuss, but from what I’m reading so far it sounds like it’s a historical topic, hence my link.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Hello everyone,

I was baptized as a child when I was just 3 years old in a famous Orthodox church in Moscow in the 90s. My "ethnic" roots are very different, Russian, Jewish and Caucasian (Caucasus region) We moved to Western Europe when I was just 5 years old, and I am now over 30 years old. I have always been interested in religion and philosophy. I went through some philosophical writings, especially Husserl's and Heidegger's phenomenology, and could easily get into Buddhism. Where I still feel more or less at home today, I tend towards the orthodox variant of the ancient Buddhism (Theravada) but I have a fondness for Soto-Zen because of its aesthetics, simplicity and poetic charisma and the approach for silent meditation. The same applies to Chinese Chan, which is where Zen comes from, but Theravada is more the place where everything became clear for me - I meditate daily and am now very familiar with the Pali Canon, which is a kind of holy scripture for orthodox Buddhists,
you could possibly compare it to the Bible, but not really. It is much larger and more extensive and is not considered the word of a god. But the words of a Buddha (an awakened person who has completely seen through being-time / reality)

Well, why am I here, you ask? I am tormented by a question: How can something have come into being out of nothing? Or to put it better: Why is something and rather nothing? Or even better expressed by Wittgenstein: The mystical is not how the world is, but that it is.

Buddhism responds to this phenomenologically: the whole world is already contained in this "body", the beginning and the end of this world. I won't go into this any further as it becomes too complex.

BUT, I'm somehow dissatisfied with the answer that comes from Buddhism.

After some research, I find orthodoxy the most interesting for me and that's where my roots are. I have a lot of questions that I would like to ask the people here from the bottom of my heart and finally decide for myself to go deeper into Christianity or to turn my back on it for ever.

Thank you.
Basilius

PS: I use a translator, sorry my English is bad.

Every religion and philosophy is only an approximation. But some sort of non-dualism makes most sense to me. Two, or plurality only makes the question more complex. So, why is there a unity, Being itself, existence? That is indeterminable. I was talking with an atheist once who believed that existence is not actually a good thing.

I like Sri Aurobindo's approach to all this. It is all consciousness and consciousness is simply eternal. We are all expressions of it. We borrow our existence from it. It changes our notion of God. God is that eternal consciousness who spins off the plurality of our existences. Jesus comes a long with full realization of his unity and tris to share it, teach a morality that aligns with it.

It all comes down to love, solidarity and service, training the ego.

 

[Psalm51Flower]

Welcome,

Your story sounds very interesting, and your open mindedness is a blessing. My husband is Russian and aligns with some aspects of Buddism too