question about Buddhism (and Hinduism)

[Shunyanand]

Hello !

I'm very happy to see that there is Christians and Muslims on this forum ! Once, I've tried to created a french forum as open as this one, but it didn't work very well... No matters, I post this because I've seen that there is no Buddhist among you. It's not surprising, Orientalist have their own forums, however, Orient is full of spiritual treasures, and most of our current spiritualities (including neo-paganism) have been influenced by them.

I'm myself very close to Buddhism, and read a lot about it and about Hinduism. So, if you have any question about this exotic traditions, I'm probably able to give you answers !

[LuThorgh]

Re: question about Buddhism (and Hinduism)

What about a buddhist neo-pagan? I celebrate the wheel of the year, give praise to nature, believe in reincarnation, believe in karma cycle of birth and rebirth, gnostic state and nirvana, chi and magick, the world tree, and subscribe to the ideal of seceding from suffering, by detachment from desire or attaining enlightenment(nirvana), as well as being altruistic and empathetic of the people and world around me.

Granted, I guess I'm not the best buddhist being from America and all, but I try. I try real hard.

I think, though, that the Buddha was not a devine person(which makes me a theravadan?), or a reincarnation of some older wiser person(tho he might have been), but simply a man who came to a realization of what the world was, and diagnosed the disease of the world as suffering and the cause of suffering as attachment.

Attachment meaning that you want something(which is actually ok and good to want thing) so much so though, that your desire for it clouds your judgement. Buddhism puts forth this idea that nothing really has any value, but what we give it, and so for example, a piece of gold should be thought of and treated as if it were no more then a piece of driftwood.

You use the gold to buy food, so you need it, but the obsession of it is not needed. Your "desire" or attachment to it, is not who you are. It does not define you. You are simply you, naked, pure, and uninhibited the day you are born.

Then you become attached, and this leads to the creation of the ego, or false self, or as I find more accurate, it creates a false perception of how the world really is.

By ignoring who you think you are, and what you think you want, you realize who you truly are at your core, and thus can live a more truer or meaningful life, by detaching yourself from your perceptions and desires.

To me, this isn't so much philosophy or religion as it is common sense.