The teachings of the Buddha are of such, that specially in our time, it can be comprehensible to any man and women with common sense and logical thinking.
For starters there is a book by Georg Grimm, the Doctrines of the Buddha... and old book but in English available even in the Kindle format...
I cite the introduction text of it below:
"The Doctrine of the Buddha is the fruit of George Grimm's intensive studies and practical realization of the Buddha's teaching on the nature of reality and the self. First published in German in 1915, SunWise Books is pleased to offer this new printing of the 1st English edition, completely re-typeset and re-edited.
With abundant references to the Pali Nikayas, the oldest Buddhist scriptures, the author masterfully lays out the core of the original Buddhist doctrine, showing how key ideas like Anatta or "not-self" have been grossly misunderstood and misinterpreted by subsequent generations. The Doctrine of the Buddha is essential reading for students of Buddhism and for all seekers of Truth.
About the Author:
After completing his theological studies, George Grimm (1846-1945) devoted himself to jurisprudence and was characterized as ‘Bavaria’s most benevolent judge’. His interest in philosophical problems led him to study Schopenhauer’s works, which in turn led him to Indological studies. In 1921 he founded the ‘Altbuddhistische Gemeinde’, (Old Buddhist Community). He spent the last twelve years of his life in the rural stillness of Upper Bavaria."
you're going to get downdooted AF for expressing this here as I have been, lol
I'm not some great great scholar of Buddhism, but I spent some time in the past browsing through different teachings, names for concepts and such, there are a lot. many of them seem to contradict each other and I didn't really understand why. That lack of cohesion led me towards the Zen school, as well as a bit of Toaism. It seemed to sort of, 'get to the point', more. What I was searching for was an explanation of the thing that had happened to me 15 years ago, for which I had no context, being a former radical atheist. I was simply looking for a way it had been described that I could point directly to and say 'that's it!' seeking validation...
anyway, more recently, since the assassination attempt, and things are beginning to 'happen' again, and I started seeking out the names of concepts that I had forgotten. I had grown arrogant, selfish and lazy in my 'attainment' and discarded everything. I thought I had no use for it
So I started reading the history of all the Buddhist schools, the branching teachings, schisms, heretical teachings etc. This time I was curious about why the contradictions appeared to exist and what the meaning of the different schools represented. Anyway look it's really complicated and I'm not an expert on the topic, eventually I began to read some sutras from the Mahayana tradition that developed later than the earlier schools, and came to the lotus sutra, and specifically chapter 16.
It was literally covering the topic of my recent existential dilemma that was causing me so much so much fear and panic. As I was reading it, the dharma was unfurling as the lotus, everything aligning, ultimate synchronicity sensation. Can't really explained it. Scared the hell out of me, but not in a negative sense. Fearful at the sheer almighty reality of all dawning on me, but knowing finally, having confirmation it was indeed as I suspected all along.
I think what people, specifically fundamentalist Christians, get hung up on is the different terminology used and the funny sounding words. I've already been accused of worshipping a false god demon that speaks in a foreign tongue, lol
I'm not a Buddhist, in any sense really other than that the terminology speaks to me and the way the logic flows fits with how I process things, so I just enjoy reading Buddhist stuff, occasionally, to gain insight into specific ideas. I'm not and will not ever be interested in any sort of dogmatic religious view of any kind
They get so hung up on this word Buddha and imagine it some false deity, and don't understand it's meaning at all. 'Awakened one'. It's just a title, not the name of a deity. Just as 'Christ' is a title, not a name.
I think if you are able to see within that chapter of the lotus sutra what I have seen, and if you have a belief in Jesus, you will agree with me that it is perfectly reasonable to assume that Jesus was indeed the Buddha appearing for the benefit of sentient beings, to teach them in accordance with what they were able to understand.
if you want to flip it around the other way, you can think of it as Christ appearing to all beings, even as the Buddha, etc.
and infact, ultimately and mind-blowingly and frighteningly, appearing as ALL beings, appearances and phenomena throughout infinite space and time.
and that, on some level, is what we are as well.
obviously, this very, very far out there stuff. Its the stuff that people speak of after monumental doses of acid or mushrooms, its so incredibly unbelievable, to the point of retardation and insanity, that you likely reject the concept. It simply isn't possible. And yet upon closer inspection, is the only possibility, in my opinion.
It sort of doesn't matter, ultimately, because it is what it is anyway, and that's just what it does and how it operates.
It's a completely mystery that is unfathomable, blossoming before us eternally
just to point out, the setting of the lotus sutra is at some mystical gathering of tens of thousands of fantastical beings in some pretty tripped out place. It may not actually have occurred in a literal sense, but I don't ultimately think that matters at all. What matters is the possibility. Given an infinite reality and an eternity, if the possibility exists, it happened out there, somewhere at some point. Quite literally. If you really think about it, that's how whacked out it is. In some far off corner of the universe or in some dimension or realm, there is an entire planet of Trump-like creatures, endlessly debating each other and saying 'you are fake news'. I mean that's pretty silly but it surely exists within the infinite. The implications are literally endless, and going on and on is only going to lose you if I haven't already lost you.
I just think it helps to have a sense of humour about it because it can get very 'serious' and overwhelmingly morbid at times.
Thanks brother for this present. I will read it.
The teachings of the Buddha are of such, that specially in our time, it can be comprehensible to any man and women with common sense and logical thinking. For starters there is a book by Georg Grimm, the Doctrines of the Buddha... and old book but in English available even in the Kindle format... I cite the introduction text of it below:
"The Doctrine of the Buddha is the fruit of George Grimm's intensive studies and practical realization of the Buddha's teaching on the nature of reality and the self. First published in German in 1915, SunWise Books is pleased to offer this new printing of the 1st English edition, completely re-typeset and re-edited.
With abundant references to the Pali Nikayas, the oldest Buddhist scriptures, the author masterfully lays out the core of the original Buddhist doctrine, showing how key ideas like Anatta or "not-self" have been grossly misunderstood and misinterpreted by subsequent generations. The Doctrine of the Buddha is essential reading for students of Buddhism and for all seekers of Truth.
About the Author:
After completing his theological studies, George Grimm (1846-1945) devoted himself to jurisprudence and was characterized as ‘Bavaria’s most benevolent judge’. His interest in philosophical problems led him to study Schopenhauer’s works, which in turn led him to Indological studies. In 1921 he founded the ‘Altbuddhistische Gemeinde’, (Old Buddhist Community). He spent the last twelve years of his life in the rural stillness of Upper Bavaria."
you're going to get downdooted AF for expressing this here as I have been, lol
I'm not some great great scholar of Buddhism, but I spent some time in the past browsing through different teachings, names for concepts and such, there are a lot. many of them seem to contradict each other and I didn't really understand why. That lack of cohesion led me towards the Zen school, as well as a bit of Toaism. It seemed to sort of, 'get to the point', more. What I was searching for was an explanation of the thing that had happened to me 15 years ago, for which I had no context, being a former radical atheist. I was simply looking for a way it had been described that I could point directly to and say 'that's it!' seeking validation...
anyway, more recently, since the assassination attempt, and things are beginning to 'happen' again, and I started seeking out the names of concepts that I had forgotten. I had grown arrogant, selfish and lazy in my 'attainment' and discarded everything. I thought I had no use for it
So I started reading the history of all the Buddhist schools, the branching teachings, schisms, heretical teachings etc. This time I was curious about why the contradictions appeared to exist and what the meaning of the different schools represented. Anyway look it's really complicated and I'm not an expert on the topic, eventually I began to read some sutras from the Mahayana tradition that developed later than the earlier schools, and came to the lotus sutra, and specifically chapter 16.
It was literally covering the topic of my recent existential dilemma that was causing me so much so much fear and panic. As I was reading it, the dharma was unfurling as the lotus, everything aligning, ultimate synchronicity sensation. Can't really explained it. Scared the hell out of me, but not in a negative sense. Fearful at the sheer almighty reality of all dawning on me, but knowing finally, having confirmation it was indeed as I suspected all along.
I think what people, specifically fundamentalist Christians, get hung up on is the different terminology used and the funny sounding words. I've already been accused of worshipping a false god demon that speaks in a foreign tongue, lol
I'm not a Buddhist, in any sense really other than that the terminology speaks to me and the way the logic flows fits with how I process things, so I just enjoy reading Buddhist stuff, occasionally, to gain insight into specific ideas. I'm not and will not ever be interested in any sort of dogmatic religious view of any kind
They get so hung up on this word Buddha and imagine it some false deity, and don't understand it's meaning at all. 'Awakened one'. It's just a title, not the name of a deity. Just as 'Christ' is a title, not a name.
I think if you are able to see within that chapter of the lotus sutra what I have seen, and if you have a belief in Jesus, you will agree with me that it is perfectly reasonable to assume that Jesus was indeed the Buddha appearing for the benefit of sentient beings, to teach them in accordance with what they were able to understand.
if you want to flip it around the other way, you can think of it as Christ appearing to all beings, even as the Buddha, etc.
and infact, ultimately and mind-blowingly and frighteningly, appearing as ALL beings, appearances and phenomena throughout infinite space and time. and that, on some level, is what we are as well.
obviously, this very, very far out there stuff. Its the stuff that people speak of after monumental doses of acid or mushrooms, its so incredibly unbelievable, to the point of retardation and insanity, that you likely reject the concept. It simply isn't possible. And yet upon closer inspection, is the only possibility, in my opinion.
It sort of doesn't matter, ultimately, because it is what it is anyway, and that's just what it does and how it operates.
It's a completely mystery that is unfathomable, blossoming before us eternally
just to point out, the setting of the lotus sutra is at some mystical gathering of tens of thousands of fantastical beings in some pretty tripped out place. It may not actually have occurred in a literal sense, but I don't ultimately think that matters at all. What matters is the possibility. Given an infinite reality and an eternity, if the possibility exists, it happened out there, somewhere at some point. Quite literally. If you really think about it, that's how whacked out it is. In some far off corner of the universe or in some dimension or realm, there is an entire planet of Trump-like creatures, endlessly debating each other and saying 'you are fake news'. I mean that's pretty silly but it surely exists within the infinite. The implications are literally endless, and going on and on is only going to lose you if I haven't already lost you.
I just think it helps to have a sense of humour about it because it can get very 'serious' and overwhelmingly morbid at times.