Buddhism is the best religion... if you had to pick one.

There are more Buddists up here than in Texas Arizona New Mexico and Nevada combined (Hell I know Buddists who go to Temple Beth Israel & Unity Church & even Religious Science (Sprituial Enrichment Center) Hell they are everywhere up here ... (And I was unaware of "Buddist" Countries ,thats like saying America ids a Christian Country

 

No one is saying that Buddhists don't get intoxicated. We are saying, according to their religious precepts, they are not supposed to. Lizarddust mentioned living in a Theravada Buddhist country. I don't think anyone is going to argue that Theravada Buddhists don't believe in the Five Precepts. I understand they violate their precepts, but the precepts are there.

 

Well you did state that generally Buddhists dont drink alcohol and in my experience thats not true as generally they do. I dont doubt your knowledge of Buddhism itself but most of them probably pay as much attention to the 5 precepts as Christians do to the ten commandments. At least in the Buddhist countries Ive been to anyway. Im not a big fan of the religion myself, I think the western fascination with it is a bit misplaced.

 

My word.. You need to get out an travel a bit and see for yourself. These "Buddhists" you speak of aren't "true" Buddhists by any way, shape or form.

Come to some of the countries I've listed below and see how Buddhism is actually practiced. It's in very fabric of society,, even how food is prepared.

Laos 65%. The reason why Laos is lower than other countries, is because of the many ethnic groups who still practice their tribal religions, most of which are animists. But Lao Buddhism combines many animist beliefs within their Buddhism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Laos

Thailand 95%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Thailand

Cambodia 95%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Cambodia

Myanmar 89%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Myanmar

Bhutan about 70%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Bhutan

Sri Lanka 70%.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Sri_Lanka

 

I intended to say that Buddhism forbids drinking (or at least drinking to the point of intoxication). I was mistaken to say that Buddhists do not drink

Exactly!

Same here.

 

It has been misplaced and most westerners have the wrong impression of Buddhism.

I'm irreligious, but there is something special about attending a Buddhist (I'm talking Theravada here) ceremony. Colourful and at times quite light hearted.

In Laos, wedding ceremonies are heaps of fun. The wedding is performed by a monk or shaman (who's an exmonk) and is given in Pali. The monk actually challenges the grooms sexual prowess and at certain tmes during the ceremony the women, including the bride whoop and holler (wish I could understand Pali). Could you imagine a Catholic priest challenging the sexual prowess of the groom?

Funerals are actually fun too, but a bit more reserved, where the life of the deceased is celebrated but his/her death isn't openly mourned. Buddhists are cremated and after the ceremony, fireworks rockets are shot into the funeral pyre to ignite the pyre. Going out with a bang!

While we're on funerals check out the Tibetan Sky Burial. Interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial

 

You mean the WICKER MAN they burned in a fire every fall, when the crops were collected?

 

I have, and Buddhism is like all religions, spiritual nonsense.

 

I think that human fascination with religion is a LOT misplaced!

 

All sensefull rules are always under pressure. This doesn't mean that this rules are not helpfull. For sure nothing is good what gives the illlusion only to be happy while the real situation is often not in this way that someone is able to be satisfied with. Even Epicurus said once: 'If I have the choice between a talk with a friend or a glas of wine I will take the talk with a friend.' Seems to me he was also not convinced that we are able to communicate with each other in a satisfying way while we are under drugs. Also lots of Muslims are drinking alcohol for example - and there are in general always thousands of good reasons to drink thousands of good bottles of wine. But not to miss alcohol or drugs is much more better. The paradox: Not to miss alcohol means not to drink alcohol. To drink it means to miss it.

http://youtu.be/wU7_Jg70syY

 

I'm high on Weed!

 

Not something I'd boast about, personally.
Yanks think it IS worthy of boasting of, for some reason best known to themselves....

 

Personally speaking (again) Buddhism is one of the few (I can't think of another, maybe Judaism, mainly because it annoys the politically correct vermin if anyone respects them - because their islamacist masters order them to do so) religions I actually like and respect.
They're kind of the opposite of islam and to a (slightly) lesser extent, catholicism in that they're not aggressive and intolerant against other religions

 

What a shame, but, I, if I had to pick a religion, would select WICCA. I religion that allows anything, as long as it does not harm others. Only religion that makes sense, if you eliminate the superstition, which is the first thing I would do, for my Wiccan worship.

 

No, I would pick Pagan/Wiccan. It would basically be just like playing Dungeons and Dragons, except you really believe the fiction is true.

 

It's a tourism slogan for this place: Weed, CA.

 

It's a tourism slogan for this place: Weed, CA.

 

Oh, Buddhism is definitely different than Islam.

However, I think the fascination in the West with Buddhism rises at the exact same time modern atheism for a simple reason: It's not one of the Abrahamic Faiths.

Quite frankly, anything, as long as its not one of these religions is fine.

However, given the lack of familiarity I so often encounter with my religion in this forum, I wonder if atheism 'likes' about religion are any better informed than its 'dislikes'?

For example, did you know that Buddhism is the embrace of suffering? Do you believe that human life is defined by suffering?

Do atheists now embrace the idea of reincarnation?

Do you believe in Preta now? Ghosts if you will?

Asuras? Low dieties?

Do you think Yoga rather than a church service is the way of true teaching?

Do you realize that there are strong dictates about sex, including celebacy, against dancing? Aganist alcohol? No high and luxurious things for your body like beds?

Again, there is much to the wisdom of Buddhism, and certainly suffering exists in all other religions (the idea of a fast for example), but there are some concpets in Buddhism that I think many Westerners, and particulary atheists, in the anti-Christian zeal, are simply unaware of.

I simply do not understand how an atheist can reject God and then say Asuras are fine? For example.

 

OK, you lost me, I have no idea what you were trying to say.

 

Unlike your goodself, evidently.

 

This is all news to me, especially the dancing bit.

 

I can certainly understand why you would feel that way. I had to study Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism etc... in college. Here's my two cents on Buddhism:

* Some people will say it's not a religion because Buddha does not claim to be god or have an exclusive contract with god, so to speak. I disagree. When it comes down to it, religions tell people how to live. They usually have a pretty simple message and it usually comes down to stuff like: love each other, don't hurt or kill each other, put people ahead of possessions and so on. Buddha did all of this.
* There have been no wars, mass-murder, torture or terror done in the name of Buddha. That's a pretty big plus!
* I'm not so down with the whole ignore everything that makes us human thing but hey, there's a lot of people who feel that's the way to go so whi am I to judge?

 

many wars in Japan, India, China and other places have been fought by buddhists. There are almost as many forms of Buddhism as there are of Christianity. Some of them have gods (usually the Hindu gods) some don't.

Basically all religions are a bit nuts, including the ONLY one I could join, if forced to join one, WICCA. I could never believe in the nonsense, but I could stand being called a Wiccan when the primary precept is --do it, unless it hurts others.

 

I didn't say no Buddhists ever fought in a war, I said no wars were started in the name of Buddhism.

 

Buddhists did fight and do fight in wars.

Tibetans fought the Red Army as the Red Army advanced into Tibet.

Many dead Khmer Rouge soldiers were found with effigies of Buddha in their mouths (many Buddhist soldiers hang an effigy of Buddha around their necks and when facing battle would put the effigy in their mouths). The Royal Cambodian Army soldiers did the same thing.

Pathet Lao soldiers were mostly Buddhist as were the Pathet Lao hierarchy. The Royal Lao Army were also Buddhists. Today, the Laos Lao People's Army are also mainly Buddhists.

Today, the Royal Thai Army is mainly made up of Buddhists as is Royal Cambodian Army. In the last 18 months or so there have been border clashes between the Thai and Cambodian armies over the Preah Vihear temple. Quite a few deaths on both sides.