Buddhist network that actively promotes peace, culture and education.

[d_guy1024]

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Buddhism aims to awaken people to the limitless potential and value of their own lives. Buddhist philosophy and practice bring about a positive transformation in the depths of life, transforming fear into courage, deluded impulses into wisdom, and egotism to compassion.

Buddhism begins with individuals deciding to take responsibility for their own individual lives, reforming first themselves and their immediate surroundings and relations, and then gradually extending their wisdom, courage and compassion into a wider sphere.

[Gwynhuever]

bro...ako catholic ko...pero practice ko Buddhist principles....

"everything is nothing...and nothing is everything"....

ginagmaya lang imo posts bro ha...aron ato ma internalize and ma discuss...ayaw lang mi i-flood ug information kay ma drown intawon mi...di na nuon motuhop...

as i said...dako sad to impact nako ang movie Seven Years In Tibet....

dili man ni conversion atoa dire...discussion man lang ni sa different views in life...diba...so other istoryans please feel free to post ...pero sabot ta dili welcome ang holier than thou attitudes....RESPECT jud ang rule number 1 ani nga thread...ako to send dan ug PM si shoeless_rebel...mora ganahan to ani nga thread sad...

[d_guy1024]

Treasuring Diversity


The question of how we are to live in a diverse world has perhaps never been more pressing than now. If humanity is to survive, it is imperative that we find a way to accommodate worldviews and value systems different from our own. The alternatives of either isolated withdrawal into our separate spheres or a uniform set of values imposed by economic and technological forces can hardly be termed viable. Increased contact and interaction among the world's diverse cultural traditions seems inevitable.

How can we learn not to be threatened by difference? How can we learn to communicate successfully with those whose vision and understanding of the world differ from ours? Diversity can either spark conflict and violence or mutual creativity and progress. How can we assure that the latter is the case?

to be continued...=)

[shoeless_rebel]

at long last...

m not a christian nor a buddhist but i experimented with principles of buddhism.

i am an agnostic but m interested sa concept sa buddhism because it is more universal compared to other religion.

keep posting d_guy and gwyn... i'll dropby here everyday to learn more. i need a refresher and in the end... who knows. i might finally find my religion.

[Gwynhuever]

@shoeless...kanumdum lang ko sa kanta bro da "losing my religion"...

bitaw...way blema if you don't have religion oi....ako catholic ...si d_guy morag buddhist...ikaw free spirit...as long as we can have a discussion without biting each other's head off ...diba...

ako bro di kaayo ko maayo mo quote ug dogmas...kay as i said in my other posts....i don't care much about intellect...i believe God listens to what is in the heart...but sometimes there are phrases that catch my interest and then i use that to meditate....i wanna share one with you now...this is from Jesus: "Those who know all, but are lacking in themselves, are utterly lacking".....

[shoeless_rebel]

nice

gwyn: yeah... i've tried goin buddhist, hindu, muslim and stuff but i can't seem to find a religion na comfy ko. i even tried my hand at OBL (order of the black light) la gyapon ayo...

so i went agnostic

but of all religions in my past murag nahan ko buddhism. pacifist ayo... dili maka inspire ug fanaticism unlike islam and christianism.

[d_guy1024]

Here's the continuation:

In this connection Daisaku Ikeda has written, "The Buddha's teaching begins with the recognition of human diversity. . . . The humanism of the Lotus Sutra comes down to the tenet of treasuring the individual."

According to Buddhism, each individual is a unique manifestation of the ultimate truth. Because each of us manifests this truth in the form of our particular, individual character, each of us is a precious and indeed indispensable aspect of the living cosmos.

In his writings, Nichiren uses the metaphor of different flowering trees--cherry, plum, etc.--to express this principle. Each blossoms in its unique way, with its own special character. Together, they create a brilliant seasonal portrait of vitality and beauty. Nichiren describes this as each "manifesting its true nature" (Jpn jitai kensho).

to be continued...=)

by the way, if you want to ask like what Lotus Sutra is, here it goes...

The teachings of Shakyamuni, the historical founder of Buddhism, are recorded in an enormous body of texts, known as sutras.

The title of the Lotus Sutra in Kumarajiva's translation, Myoho-renge-kyo, contains the essence of the entire sutra, and it was on the basis of this realization that Nichiren (1222-1282 C.E.) established the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as his core Buddhist practice.

The Lotus Sutra is considered the sutra that fulfills the purpose for Shakyamuni's advent in the world, expressed in these words: "At the start I took a vow, hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us." In other words, the purpose of Shakyamuni's advent was to enable all people to attain the same state of perfect enlightenment that caused him to be known as "Buddha," or "awakened one."

Enjoy reading...=)

[shoeless_rebel]

keep posting bro!

[d_guy1024]

In Nichiren Buddhism, enlightenment is not a matter of changing ourselves into something which we are not. Rather, it is a matter of bringing forth those positive qualities we already possess. More precisely, it is developing the wisdom and vitality to ensure that the unique characteristics that form our personality serve to create value (happiness) for ourselves and for others. The quality of impatience, for example, can either be a source of irritation and friction or a driving force for prompt and effective action.

The key here is the belief that each person is a unique manifestation of a universal life force. As such, each person is seen to possess infinite possibility and inherent, inviolable dignity and worth. Yet, compared with the supreme, universal treasure of life we all share, distinctions of gender, ethnicity, cultural or religious background, etc., are of only limited significance. As this understanding takes root, we can learn to overcome excessive attachment to differences and related feelings of aversion or fear.

Just as each individual has a unique character, a unique experience of life, each culture can be understood as a manifestation of cosmic creativity and wisdom. In the same way that Buddhism rejects any hierarchical ranking of individual humans, it adopts an attitude of fundamental respect toward all cultures and traditions.

The principle of adapting the precepts to the locality (Jpn zuiho bini) reflects this. The practitioners of Buddhism are encouraged to take a flexible, open approach to the cultural context in which they find themselves. Thus, as they uphold the Buddhist principles of respecting the inherent dignity and sanctity of human life, they follow local customs and practices except when they are directly contrary to those core principles.

Accordingly, SGI organizations worldwide work to develop the kinds of activities that will be most appropriate to their cultural setting and will make the most lasting contribution to their respective societies.

The original purpose of Buddhism is to awaken people to the infinite value of their own lives and, by extension, of the lives of others. Ultimately, our ability to respond creatively to diversity hinges on our ability to develop a palpable sense of the preciousness of life itself, and of each individual expression of life.

selection source: http://sgi.org/english/Buddhism

[Gwynhuever]

d_guy...thanks a lot bro....

puede sad ta break gamay and discuss gamay if naa questions...hinay2 lang ta bro aron ma absorb...nya nindot man sad naa gamay sharing of personal experiences aron mas sayon ug relate diba....

ako post lang sad ko ginagmay quotes from Jesus nga inspirational jud kaayo para nako....this one is especially dedicated to shoeless ...kay wa man daw siya relihiyon nya pirmi man tawn ni siya ma target sa uban nga "naluwas" na ... bitaw bro read on...

Jesus: Show me the stone that the builders rejected ..that is the keystone.

OM