A wikipedia straw man case against being a buddhist, with respect of course.

Unlike islam, Buddhism has its merits. It is very similar to christianity in the sense that one can improve his moral status in his life in this religion and it is specifically devoted to morality. This religion is in every way superior to islam in every way except its lack of a well defined God which is a really big deal actually. I don't look down on it though because it is extremely peaceful and if only they would use christ as an example instead of Buddha but follow their morals they could easily be christian! I see religions around the world like this as attempts and near revelations but incomplete, they miss the point in one way or another but they are very respectable for what they've done for people who could never have heard about christ in because of geographic distance or obvious pretemporality.

Karma: Cause and Effect

Main article: Karma in Buddhism
Karma (from Sanskrit: action, work[20]) is the energy which drives Saṃsāra, the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being. Good, skillful (Pāli: kusala) and bad, unskillful (Pāli: akusala) actions produce "seeds" in the mind which come to fruition either in this life or in a subsequent rebirth.[21] The avoidance of unwholesome actions and the cultivation of positive actions is called Śīla (from Sanskrit: ethical conduct).
In Buddhism, Karma specifically refers to those actions (of body, speech, and mind) that spring from mental intent (Pāli: cetana),[22] and which bring about a consequence (or fruit, Sanskrit: phala)[23] or result (Pāli: vipāka). Every time a person acts there is some quality of intention at the base of the mind and it is that quality rather than the outward appearance of the action that determines its effect.
In Theravada Buddhism there is no divine salvation or forgiveness for one's Karma. Some Mahayana traditions hold different views. For example, the texts of certain Sutras (such as the Lotus Sutra, the Angulimaliya Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra) claim that reciting or merely hearing their texts can expunge great swathes of negative Karma. Similarly, the Japanese Pure Land teacher Genshin taught that Buddha Amitabha has the power to destroy the Karma that would otherwise bind one in Saṃsāra.[24][25]

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While it is definitely wonderful that Buddhism has a moral system and a credit to it, the purpose of morals is based on a cause and effect, not for others but for you. True in Christianity it seems we are good for the sake of getting into heaven but in reality what God wants is for us to cultivate a love of him in us, something that is very difficult. You do something bad and it will be bad for you so don't do something bad because you want life to be good. This is great, and I agree with it to a degree but it is not true, people like hitler lived too freely in their evil, numerous other horrible people lived too easy a life and got away with it. Karma is nonexistent. Also, this does not explain the origin of good karma. If for generations prior to buddha there have been people who didn't know Buddha's teachings how could anyone have good karma already, how was Buddha so great to begin with, a man like him must have been following buddha's teachings for generations! Give me a break. He was a good influence but today his teachings are not complete. I don't hate buddha because his intentions were GOOD!!! God bless him for what he did for humanity up till now.

Rebirth
Main article: Rebirth (Buddhism)
Rebirth refers to a process whereby beings go through a succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of sentient life, each running from conception[26] to death. It is important to note, however, that Buddhism rejects concepts of a permanent self or an unchanging, eternal soul, as it is called in Christianity or even Hinduism. As there ultimately is no such thing as a self (anatta), rebirth in subsequent existences must rather be understood as the continuation of a dynamic, ever-changing process of "dependent arising" (Pratītyasamutpāda) determined by the laws of cause and effect (Karma) rather than that of one being, "jumping" from one existence to the next.
Each rebirth takes place within one of five realms, according to Theravadins, or six according to other schools.[27][28] These are further subdivided into 31 planes of existence:[29]

1. Naraka beings: those who live in one of many Narakas (Hells)
2. Animals: sharing some space with humans, but considered another type of life
3. Preta: Sometimes sharing some space with humans, but invisible to most people; an important variety is the hungry ghost[30]
4. Human beings: one of the realms of rebirth in which attaining Nirvana is possible
5. Asuras: variously translated as lowly deities, demons, titans, antigods; not recognized by Theravada (Mahavihara) tradition as a separate realm.[31]
6. Devas including Brahmas: variously translated as gods, deities, spirits, angels, or left untranslated

Rebirths in some of the higher heavens, known as the Śuddhāvāsa Worlds (Pure Abodes), can be attained only by anāgāmis (non-returners). Rebirths in the arupa-dhatu (formless realms) can be attained only by those who can meditate on the arupa-jhānas.
According to East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism, there is an intermediate state between one life and the next, but Theravada rejects this.[32]

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If there is no self what is the motivation for living in a moral way ultimately? Why bother doing it for someone who will not remember who he was nor be you! This is a flaw in my mind. Sure it is very selfless (no pun intended) to be like this but come on you do need to. And though I won't try to prove it, there is only ONE GOD so all this stuff about many gods is incorrect.

The Cycle of Samsara

Main article: Samsara
Sentient beings crave pleasure and are averse to pain from birth to death. In being controlled by these attitudes, they perpetuate the cycle of conditioned existence and suffering (Samsara), and produce the causes and conditions of the next rebirth after death. Each rebirth repeats this process in an involuntary cycle, which Buddhists strive to end by eradicating these causes and conditions, applying the methods laid out by the Buddha.

Suffering: Causes and Solution


The Four Noble Truths

Main article: The Four Noble Truths
According to the Pali Tipitaka, the Four Noble Truths were the first teaching of Gautama Buddha after attaining Nirvana.[33] They are sometimes considered as containing the essence of the Buddha's teachings and are presented in the manner of a medical diagnosis and remedial prescription – a style common at that time:

1. Life as we know it ultimately is or leads to suffering (dukkha) in one way or another.
2. Suffering is caused by craving or attachments to worldly pleasures of all kinds. This is often expressed as a deluded clinging to a certain sense of existence, to selfhood, or to the things or phenomena that we consider the cause of happiness or unhappiness.
3. Suffering ends when craving ends, when one is freed from desire. This is achieved by eliminating all delusion, thereby reaching a liberated state of Enlightenment (bodhi);
4. Reaching this liberated state is achieved by following the path laid out by the Buddha.

Described by early Western scholars, and taught as an introduction to Buddhism by some contemporary Mahayana teachers (e.g., the Dalai Lama).[34]
According to other interpretations by Buddhist teachers and scholars, lately recognized by some Western non-Buddhist scholars,[35] the "truths" do not represent mere statements, but are categories or aspects that most worldly phenomena fall into, grouped in two:

1. Suffering and causes of suffering
2. Cessation and the paths towards liberation from suffering.

Thus, according to the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Buddhism[36] they are

1. "The noble truth that is suffering"
2. "The noble truth that is the arising of suffering"
3. "The noble truth that is the end of suffering"
4. "The noble truth that is the way leading to the end of suffering"

The early teaching[37] and the traditional Theravada understanding[38] is that the Four Noble Truths are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them. The Mahayana position is that they are a preliminary teaching for people not yet ready for the higher and more expansive Mahayana teachings.[39] They are little known in the Far East.[40]

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Again, the 4 truths are very similar to some tenets of orthodox christianity so I can say Buddha was very wise and perceptive. The problem though is again there is no God in particular or any way to be sure of salvation. You have numerous lives never know who or what you were or will be and it could go on forever because you never know what you were before and where you will go. SO! Salvation is pure luck! Good luck! This is the biggest flaw of all in buddhism that it is up to pure chance that one reaches nirvana. No memory of teachings or what you learned in a past life leads you ultimately nowhere! Buddha got something right! We need to get over our temptations and cravings but some of them are missing and ultimately we are not ourselves so why bother? As long as in this life you are not in nirvana why do you care?

Buddhism served its purpose, now it is time to put it to rest as far as new converts go I would not recommend it at all. It is a waste of time if you are looking for salvation. Let us for the sake of argument say christ was a buddha, follow him! He teaches you to reach nirvana after only one life, why bother with buddha himself. He was a good man but totally ignorant and a thing of the past. May God have mercy on him for trying!

The Nihilist said:

Buddhism and christianity are similar in that they make virtues of out weakness and impotence. Of the two, though, at least Buddhism is honest enough not to promise ridiculous things after death.

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You're right. Buddhism doesn't promise anything, it just excites the idea that someone, may as well not consider it you might be saved if in the very very low probability (near nill) someone continues along in the same positive karmic chain every cycle of life (why is that not ridiculous- that you're reincarnated, where does the memory of your being come from in a physical universe). Buddhism is like, you know I want you to think there's a reason for being moral but I admit there isn't, Mr. Buddha was very perceptive and subtle as they say but not insightful enough.

The Nihilist said:

In christianity, the promise of heaven is all that motivates. In buddhism, the practice is its own reward. The goal is the cessation of suffering, and once the goal is met, nothing else is desired. That various mythologies exist are ancillary; in christianity, however, they are primary.

Islam, though, has guts. Its holy book doesn't tell anyone to castrate himself. It has a vitality and a virility that your religion doesn't have, so I can see why you don't like it.

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The thing about christianity is that suffering is its own reward. One suffers and their ability to suffer is attenuated to the point where suffering becomes a joy. Buddhism has no reward and nor is there a guarantee you will stop suffering because this world is an unpredictable place. Islam has a virility that reaches a point where it becomes roid rage. In that religion the men are so masculine they need to cover their women to lay their hands off of them and have 4 wives so that they can keep themselves under control because God won't do it for them. There is also a layer of what I would call viciousness to their teachings. Tell me, is it masculine to stone a woman for being raped?? <staff edit>

The Nihilist said:

Pff, you know gullible isn't in the dictionary, right?

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Really? You know with a name like yours I wonder why you even bother. Nihilism brings about chaos brings about death to man. Sounds great, for a rational person to take up such a stance. If only all christians were nihilists, I imagine you'd be dead.

And that stuff about suffering and the devil, it comes entirely from personal experience in addition to readings I've done. The lord takes your suffering and turns it into sheer pleasure. You're really missing out on the ability to be a true "nihilist" in the sense of self denial and detachment from all the world's ideologies and life wasting ploys. To tell you the truth the only thing left in the world that I care about is food and the occasional visit to the fish store to look at the aquariums, the temptation is still great to buy fish for my tank. other than that I'm thankfully pretty dead! A better "nihilist" than an atheist can be. I am still on my path of repentance but believe me if buddhists adopted orthodox christianity they would find the dispassion and enlightenment they are looking for with guaranteed results. I am not bragging but testifying to the tremendous pleasure that a life in christ can bring through self denial of all things.

Tenka said:

I'm atheist an even I can see that Islam has merits ...and Christianity and Buddhism and Confucianism and Humanism.
Wow that sounds messed up, I'm sure a great many Christians disagree with you.

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I'm sorry you don't understand what I'm talking about. The bible is clear on this. Such as this: (I know this won't convince you):

Mark 8:34-35 (New International Version)


34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.

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Suffering brings an end to suffering and indeed that is the reward.



I don't want to sound like a know it all, but if you are totally not suffering and infact very comfortable with no hint of trouble you're probably not a christian. The key is the worldview of the christian, that suffering brings peace, even in this lifetime and that suffering is not an end but a transformative experience. Clearly the self denial of buddhism will seem like suffering until the non-god of buddhism transforms you to a point where you don't suffer. Again, sorry you don't like this idea. No wonder you're not a christian.

Just thought I'd make a little plug for orthodoxy which really is very different in practice than western christianity- with absolutely no superiority for those who are saved... Just a more mystical bent








Hesychastic practice

Hesychastic practice bears some formal resemblance to mystical prayer or meditation in Eastern religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sufism, compare with yoga), although this similarity is often over-emphasized in popular accounts and rejected by actual Orthodox practitioners of Hesychasm.[3][4] The practice may involve specific body postures and be accompanied by very deliberate breathing patterns. However, these bodily postures and breathing patterns are treated as secondary both by modern Athonite practitioners of Hesychasm (e.g. Elder Ephraim of Katounakia, p. 114 [Greek edition]) and by the more ancient texts in the Philokalia (e.g. On the Two Methods of Prayer by St Gregory of Sinai), the emphasis being on the primary role of the uncreated Energies of God.
Hesychasts are fully integrated into the Liturgical and sacramental life of the Orthodox Church, including the daily cycle of liturgical prayer of the Divine Office and the Divine Liturgy. However, Hesychasts who are living as hermits might have a very rare attendance at the Divine Liturgy (see the life of Saint Seraphim of Sarov) and might not recite the Divine Office except by means of the Jesus Prayer (attested practice on Mt Athos). In general, the Hesychast restricts his external activities for the sake of his Hesychastic practice.
Hesychastic practice involves acquiring an inner stillness and ignoring the physical senses. In this, Hesychasm shows its roots in Evagrius Pontikos and even in the Greek tradition of asceticism going back to Plato. The Hesychast interprets Christ's injunction in the Gospel of Matthew to "go into your closet to pray" to mean that one should ignore the senses and withdraw inward. Saint John of Sinai writes: "Hesychasm is the enclosing of the bodiless primary Cognitive faculty of the soul (Orthodoxy teaches of two cognitive faculties, the nous and logos) in the bodily house of the body." (Ladder, Step 27, 5, (Step 27, 6 in the Holy Transfiguration edition).)
In Step 27, 21 of the Ladder (Step 27, 22–3 of the Holy Transfiguration edition), St John of Sinai describes Hesychast practice as follows:
Take up your seat on a high place and watch, if only you know how, and then you will see in what manner, when, whence, how many and what kind of thieves come to enter and steal your clusters of grapes. When the watchman grows weary, he stands up and prays; and then he sits down again and courageously takes up his former task. In this passage, St John of Sinai says that the primary task of the Hesychast is to engage in mental ascesis. This mental ascesis is the rejection of tempting thoughts (the “thieves”) that come to the Hesychast as he watches in sober attention in his hermitage. Much of the literature of Hesychasm is occupied with the psychological analysis of such tempting thoughts (e.g. St Mark the Ascetic). This psychological analysis owes much to the ascetical works of Evagrius Pontikos, with its doctrine of the eight passions.
St. John Cassian is not represented in the Philokalia except by two brief extracts, but this is most likely due to his having written in Latin. His works (Coenobitical Institutions and the Conferences) represent a transmittal of Evagrius Pontikos’ ascetical doctrines to the West. These works formed the basis of much of the spirituality of the Order of St Benedict and its offshoots. Hence, the tradition of St John Cassian in the West concerning the spiritual practice of the hermit can be considered to be a tradition parallel to that of Hesychasm in the Orthodox Church.
The highest goal of the Hesychast is the experiential knowledge of God. In the 14th Century, the possibility of this experiential knowledge of God was challenged by a Calabrian monk, Barlaam, who although he was formally a member of the Orthodox Church had been trained in Western Scholastic theology. Barlaam asserted that our knowledge of God can only be propositional. The practice of the Hesychasts was defended by St. Gregory Palamas. (See below.)
In solitude and retirement the Hesychast repeats the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The Hesychast prays the Jesus Prayer 'with the heart'—with meaning, with intent, 'for real' (see ontic). He never treats the Jesus Prayer as a string of syllables whose 'surface' or overt verbal meaning is secondary or unimportant. He considers bare repetition of the Jesus Prayer as a mere string of syllables, perhaps with a 'mystical' inner meaning beyond the overt verbal meaning, to be worthless or even dangerous. This emphasis on the actual, real invocation of Jesus Christ marks a divergence from Eastern forms of meditation.
There is a very great emphasis on humility in the practice of the Jesus Prayer, great cautions being given in the texts about the disaster that will befall the would-be Hesychast if he proceeds in pride, arrogance or conceit. It is also assumed in the Hesychast texts that the Hesychast is a member of the Orthodox Church in good standing.
While he maintains his practice of the Jesus Prayer, which becomes automatic and continues twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, the Hesychast cultivates watchful attention (Gr. nepsis). Sobriety contributes to this mental askesis described above that rejects tempting thoughts; it puts a great emphasis on focus and attention. The Hesychast is to pay extreme attention to the consciousness of his inner world and to the words of the Jesus Prayer, not letting his mind wander in any way at all.
The Hesychast is to attach Eros (Gr. eros), that is, "yearning", to his practice of sobriety so as to overcome the temptation to acedia (sloth). He is also to use an extremely directed and controlled anger against the tempting thoughts, although to obliterate them entirely he is to invoke Jesus Christ via the Jesus Prayer.
The Hesychast is to bring his mind (Gr. nous) into his heart so as to practise both the Jesus Prayer and sobriety with his mind in his heart. The descent of the mind into the heart is taken quite literally by the practitioners of Hesychasm and is not at all considered to be a metaphorical expression. Some of the psychophysical techniques described in the texts are to assist the descent of the mind into the heart at those times that only with difficulty it descends on its own.
The goal at this stage is a practice of the Jesus Prayer with the mind in the heart, which practice is free of images (see Pros Theodoulon). What this means is that by the exercise of sobriety (the mental ascesis against tempting thoughts), the Hesychast arrives at a continual practice of the Jesus Prayer with his mind in his heart and where his consciousness is no longer encumbered by the spontaneous inception of images: his mind has a certain stillness and emptiness that is punctuated only by the eternal repetition of the Jesus Prayer.
This stage is called the guard of the mind. This is a very advanced stage of ascetical and spiritual practice, and attempting to accomplish this prematurely, especially with psychophysical techniques, can cause very serious spiritual and emotional harm to the would-be Hesychast. St Theophan the Recluse once remarked that bodily postures and breathing techniques were virtually forbidden in his youth, since, instead of gaining the Spirit of God, people succeeded only "in ruining their lungs."
The guard of the mind is the practical goal of the Hesychast. It is the condition in which he remains as a matter of course throughout his day, every day until he dies. It is from the guard of the mind that he is raised to contemplation by the Grace of God.
The Hesychast usually experiences the contemplation of God as light, the Uncreated Light of the theology of St Gregory Palamas. The Hesychast, when he has by the mercy of God been granted such an experience, does not remain in that experience for a very long time (there are exceptions—see for example the Life of St Savas the Fool for Christ (14th Century), written by St Philotheos Kokkinos (14th Century)), but he returns 'to earth' and continues to practise the guard of the mind.
The Uncreated Light that the Hesychast experiences is identified with the Holy Spirit. Experiences of the Uncreated Light are allied to the 'acquisition of the Holy Spirit'. Notable accounts of encounters with the Holy Spirit in this fashion are found in St Symeon the New Theologian's account of the illumination of 'George' (considered a pseudonym of St Symeon himself); in the 'conversation with Motovilov' in the Life of St Seraphim of Sarov (1759 – 1833); and, more recently, in the reminiscences of Elder Porphyrios (Wounded by Love pp. 27 – 31).
Orthodox Tradition warns against seeking ecstasy as an end in itself. Hesychasm is a traditional complex of ascetical practices embedded in the doctrine and practice of the Orthodox Church and intended to purify the member of the Orthodox Church and to make him ready for an encounter with God that comes to him when and if God wants, through God's Grace. The goal is to acquire, through purification and Grace, the Holy Spirit and salvation. Any ecstatic states or other unusual phenomena which may occur in the course of Hesychast practice are considered secondary and unimportant, even quite dangerous. Moreover, seeking after unusual 'spiritual' experiences can itself cause great harm, ruining the soul and the mind of the seeker. Such a seeking after 'spiritual' experiences can lead to spiritual delusion (Ru. prelest, Gr. plani)—the antonym of sobriety—in which a person believes himself or herself to be a saint, has hallucinations in which he or she 'sees' angels, Christ, etc. This state of spiritual delusion is in a superficial, egotistical way pleasurable, but can lead to madness and suicide, and, according to the Hesychast fathers, makes salvation impossible.
Mount Athos is a centre of the practice of Hesychasm. St Paisius Velichkovsky and his disciples made the practice known in Russia and Romania, although Hesychasm was already previously known in Russia, as is attested by St Seraphim of Sarov's independent practice of it.