Verv
Senior Veteran
- Apr 17, 2005
- 7,244
- 624
- Country
- Korea, Republic Of
- Faith
- Eastern Orthodox
- Marital Status
- Married
I have been studying Buddhism in the Korean & Indian traditions for the last few years. It is a part of my major emphasis in studying.
Saying that Buddhism is non-theistic can be misleading.
The desire that Western 'atheists' have to usurp the Buddhist tradition is incorrect and often sickening. None of Buddhism registers or makes sense without the concept of Samsara -- the continuous cycle of rebirth and suffering.
If our life is just a one off event and not a permanent recurrence then we will face a situation where practicing the stringent morality embraced in Theraveda & Mahayana Buddhism makes zero sense.
Certainly it is not theistic along the lines of a Western tradition but to somehow say that it would make sense to an atheist is... an insult to that atheist? For believing in the 'non-scientific?'
If you want to look cool and like an enlightened person dabbling in Eastern thought I would say just go for Confucianism. It has a lot less of the religiosity of Buddhism -- however, since it has an inherently duty-bound, honor based and conservative feel to it I doubt that it will win much support except from those atheists with extreme intellectual integrity.
Saying that Buddhism is non-theistic can be misleading.
The desire that Western 'atheists' have to usurp the Buddhist tradition is incorrect and often sickening. None of Buddhism registers or makes sense without the concept of Samsara -- the continuous cycle of rebirth and suffering.
If our life is just a one off event and not a permanent recurrence then we will face a situation where practicing the stringent morality embraced in Theraveda & Mahayana Buddhism makes zero sense.
Certainly it is not theistic along the lines of a Western tradition but to somehow say that it would make sense to an atheist is... an insult to that atheist? For believing in the 'non-scientific?'
If you want to look cool and like an enlightened person dabbling in Eastern thought I would say just go for Confucianism. It has a lot less of the religiosity of Buddhism -- however, since it has an inherently duty-bound, honor based and conservative feel to it I doubt that it will win much support except from those atheists with extreme intellectual integrity.
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