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General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: davidclay123 on 12/08/2017 13:41:04

Title: Deliberately change the role of Buddha
Post by: davidclay123 on 12/08/2017 13:41:04

Hi guys,
I've been to China, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea and I've done some sightseeing. one thing I've noticed is that people there often go to pagodas to ask Buddha for health and prosperity. I'm not really a Buddhist but that's not the way Buddha works. He only offer knowledge, he's the enlightened one, not a god.
I really want to know why people there worship in such a strange way.

Title: Re: Deliberately change the role of Buddha
Post by: RD on 12/08/2017 21:20:50

Islam has the right idea: if you don't have a logo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniconism_in_Islam), that makes it more difficult to steal your brand, (and the audience attached to it).

Title: Re: Deliberately change the role of Buddha
Post by: alancalverd on 13/08/2017 15:59:24

It can happen to anyone. Jesus never claimed to be divine, just a fundamentalist rabbi, and look at all the damage done in his name since religious professionals deecided to use it for their own purposes.

Title: Re: Deliberately change the role of Buddha
Post by: Zer0 on 11/12/2017 18:53:53

I've visited a few monasteries myself.
At the time of entering inside I was filled with energy & enthusiasm, was lucky/fortunate enough to meet the head monk n have a brief dialogue with him but when he started mentioning life after death n concepts of rebirth/reincarnation I respectfully bid him farewell n walked out utterly disappointed.

But giving a second thought to the concept of Buddhism, I now realize that knowledge & wisdom might help almost anyone, but not everyone seeks it.

Some folks living on this planet go through a daily fight for survival. I might plan to go n dine outside next week, probably go sightseeing next month n maybe an international trip next year...but for them its about planning from where n how would they arrange for their next days bread & butter.

The extent of their poverty is so far wide that they literally have nothing else in their lives to hang on to except hope/faith, nothing that they own except their religion, no one they could rely upon or call their own except their god, n expect nothing else in their lives except  miracles.

Wise words fall on deaf ears with empty stomachs, they do not seek the fruit of knowledge cause it ain't their soul which is starving.

The Buddha cannot help them, but Lord Buddha sure can.