Is Buddhist Mindfulness compatible with Christianity?

Is Buddhist Mindfulness compatible with Christianity?

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en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_Christianity
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en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saṃsāra_(Buddhism)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhism,
studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/vajrayana/tantra-theory/visualization-practice-in-tantra,
chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/4_Powerful_Visualization_Techniques
truthabouthinduism.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/were-buddhists-persecuted-by-hindus/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Buddhists
youtu.be/Z3B_NUKgA_k?t=1253
youtube.com/watch?v=dlBBppgCSIY
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Some think so, others dont

Some people may have opinions about this.

Ive studied Buddhism on and off for around two years. I just find it strange that (from my general knowledge of Christianity) there is no mention of meditation, or any sort of mental development. Mental development seems to me to be something crucial to include in a religion, because why follow a religion if you are not contempt on a spiritual level? Of course it could all be enveloped with having faith in God. And of course you have the Rosary prayer. It makes me question if mindfulness should be pursued, and if so, should I abandon the religion of my ancestors and embrace Buddhism?

>no mention of meditation, or any sort of mental development
why don't any of the ways christians try to be virtuous, faithful, close to god/jesus, knowledgeable about the bible or spiritual matters, etc. count as "mental development"?
depending on how broadly you define "meditation" there is obviously meditation in christianity, just not buddhist meditation, but there are of course moments of concentrating the mind on some inward spiritual endeavour, like certain forms of prayer or reflection
also descartes' work was called "meditations"
just sounds to me like your attention to buddhism has warped your perspective on what counts as "mental development" or "meditation" and biased it in favor of buddhism

Perhaps what you said does in fact lead to a higher mental state, but our current Christian culture is so void of actual Christian practices and faith that nobody ever experiences it anymore. It's just devolved into "worship this book or you will go to hell." I am speaking kind of anecdotally, this is how it has always been where I live.

Augustine of Hippo talked about christian meditation, its different though.

Is it simply the same word but different meaning? Or is it meditation as in like the Buddhist meditation like walking meditation, breathing meditation, compassion meditation, mindfulness meditation, insight meditation, etc? Or is it thinking about God and your relationship with him type?

Can Christians actually be mindful?

What the fuck do you think Christians have spent their time doing in the literal thousands of monasteries that cover the world and have covered the world for almost two thousand years?

Meditation involves solitary focus on one thing and this can be done in different ways (ex: study, prayer). It's unfair to say Christians never practiced mindfulness because they aren't a 1 to 1 copy of Buddhist monks.

Christianity does contain contemplative prayer, mediation, and if you didn't receive shit-tier education then you'd know the mass and sacraments are all mysteries bounding with spiritual significance.

Try reading the saints and church fathers sometime instead of the crash course meme variant.

The Orthodox have a practice known as Hesychasm, wherein one prays with their entire being rather than the head or a focus on the heart. The aim is to unite both, so one completely loses themselves in the process and is in a state of total adoration of God.

It's different from mindfulness in that instead of getting to a point of "emptiness" and just dwelling there, the void of phenomenological sensation is filled with God via the invocation of the holy name of Jesus (the Jesus Prayer).

>The Orthodox have a practice known as Hesychasm, wherein one prays with their entire being rather than the head or a focus on the heart. The aim is to unite both, so one completely loses themselves in the process and is in a state of total adoration of God.

Fascinating

There is meditation in Christianity.

Eucharistic Adoration is an example. Also read Augustine and Meister Eckhart, for starters.

Mindfulness is an insult to any earnest meditation.

Mindfulness is a means to an end (be more productive, calm, etc.)

Meditation is not a means to an end, but an end in itself.

counting their shekels when they're not kiddyfiddling.

yes. but mindfulness =/= Buddhism.

Is Buddhism really the way it appears to be in the West? I think it's more obscure than we think

>or any sort of mental development. Mental development seems to me to be something crucial to include in a religion, because why follow a religion if you are not contempt on a spiritual level?
to feel good about yourself by believing you are not an animal.

>It's just devolved into "worship this book or you will go to hell." I am speaking kind of anecdotally, this is how it has always been where I live.
it is this or just use logic to develop your faith in god.

buddhism is the normie interpretation of the dhamma

the dhamma is the path to nibana+nibanna:

this is the path to nibanna:

>Bhikkhus, for a virtuous person, one whose behavior is virtuous, no volition need be exerted: ‘Let non-regret arise in me.’ It is natural that non-regret arises in a virtuous person, one whose behavior is virtuous.

>“For one without regret no volition need be exerted: ‘Let joy arise in me.’ It is natural that joy arises in one without regret.

>“For one who is joyful no volition need be exerted: ‘Let rapture arise in me.’ It is natural that rapture arises in one who is joyful.

>“For one with a rapturous mind no volition need be exerted: ‘Let my body be tranquil.’ It is natural that the body of one with a rapturous mind is tranquil.

>“For one tranquil in body no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me feel pleasure.’ It is natural that one tranquil in body feels pleasure.

>“For one feeling pleasure no volition need be exerted: ‘Let my mind be concentrated.’ It is natural that the mind of one feeling pleasure is concentrated.

>“For one who is concentrated no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me know and see things as they really are.’ It is natural that one who is concentrated knows and sees things as they really are.

>“For one who knows and sees things as they really are no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me be disenchanted and dispassionate.’ It is natural that one who knows and sees things as they really are is disenchanted and dispassionate.

this is nibanna:

>“For one who is disenchanted and dispassionate no volition need be exerted: ‘Let me realize the knowledge and vision of liberation.’ It is natural that one who is disenchanted and dispassionate realizes the knowledge and vision of liberation.

anything else than this is buddhism, which is the dhamma turned into a system or worse, a society

>meditation involves solitary focus on one thing
Er that's the opposite of mindfulness.

What do you mean its unfair for Christians to have never practiced mindfulness? Christian doctrines of "meditation" are completely different from Buddhist doctrines. This is why I asked when the similarity was simply the word choice or was there anything deeper to it.

Study of bible and prayers to god are not Buddhist meditation. It may however be classified as meditation as per other Hindu tradition, but its not through Buddhist one (as listed above). So christian praying/studying is not mindfulness and saying it so isn't "unfair".

there are all manner of Buddhist (and Christian) contemplative techniques. Different strokes etc.
If you are interested, OP and anons, get some guided meditation downloads and give them a shot every day for a few weeks til you find one that clicks. then stick with it. Nothing inherently religious with most of them. If interested, read up more on it, or attend a meditation class.

No, because Christianity is compassionate with others in the world.It doesn't ignore problems like Buddhism it faces them and solves them.

Buddhist mindfulness and McMindfulness are quite different in base.

Buddhist Mindfulness seeks to show the errors of ignorance/mental formations/attachments/greed/etc. Its basically getting into the roots of Buddhist ethics/morals system.

If you're a good Christian, you could learn quite a few from Buddhist mindfulness. Obviously you don't want to go too deep into Buddhism as that would cause lots of contradictions with core beliefs for both system. So just stay on the surface level, or rather human level and you'll see added benefits to your Christian faith.

However, you can still dive deep down into Buddhism and approach it with academic interest if you wish to learn more as a Christian. Many christian scientists did so when they were first venturing into science in early enlightenment era.

Sounds like Calvinism

>why don't any of the ways christians try to be virtuous, faithful, close to god/jesus, knowledgeable about the bible or spiritual matters, etc. count as "mental development"?

Not that poster but Christianity has a much much weaker and isolated tradition in this respect. Yeah there are some impressive figures like St John of the Cross, the person who wrote the could of unknowing, John Climaticus ect but these figures are rare.

Secondly it practices tend to be are contingent on believing in the claims of the church or bible.

For instance vipassana meditation doesnt require to accept any metaphysical claims or even believe in any Buddhist tennants. Meanwhile prayer and rosary do.

Its not a mental development because you don't develop your mental capacity or clarity. You develop your faith. It can be called a spiritual development tool, but not mental.

Buddhism is a practice like yoga, not a religion. The Buddha is not a god.

>MFW we will never get a catholic-buddhist syncretic religion (that isn't just hippy bullshit)
>Imagine the philosophy
>Imagine the virtue
>Imagine the pageantry of -catholo-bushhist mass

And the narrow path to heaven is Jesus.

So the answer is "No", Buddhism and Christianity are not compatible with each other.

>Buddhism is a practice like yoga, not a religion. The Buddha is not a god.

and yet there are just as many don't-do-this's and abuses as any other abrahamist analog

>Imagine the False Prophet who would be at the head of it.

Your general knowledge of Christianity is pretty weak then. You could start with the Gospels, which mention Christ meditating on several occasions.

>imagine the LARPing

Well you know, be the change n shiet. Christianity, while being based on tradition, is going through a transition period now. There's no reason not to shape it according to a peaceful, more mindful ethos, which the modern world permits.

>Although analogies have been drawn between Buddhism and Christianity, there are differences between the two religions beginning with monotheism's place at the core of Christianity, and Buddhism's orientation towards non-theism (the lack of relevancy of the existence of a creator deity) which runs counter to teachings about God in Christianity; and extending to the importance of Grace in Christianity against the rejection of interference with Karma in Theravada Buddhism, etc.[1][2][3] Another difference between the two traditions is the Christian belief in the centrality of the crucifixion of Jesus as a single event that some believe acts as the atonement of sins, and its direct contrast to Buddhist teachings.[4][5]
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_Christianity

This, Christianity was too good for the world it inhabited. Same with Buddhism.

>Sixteen hungry ghosts are said to live in hell or in a region of hell. Unlike other hell dwellers, they can leave hell and wander. They look through garbage and human waste on the outskirts of human cities. They are said to be invisible during the daylight hours but visible at night. Some hungry ghosts can only eat corpses, or their food is burnt up in their mouths, sometimes they have a big belly and a neck as thin as a needle (this image is the basic one for hungry ghosts in Asian Buddhism).[5]
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_ghost#

>is atheism compatible with christianity
not really, no.

>Buddhist cosmology typically identifies six realms of rebirth and existence: gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hells.[35] Earlier Buddhist texts refer to five realms rather than six realms; when described as five realms, the god realm and demi-god realm constitute a single realm.[6]

Buddhism focusses on a relationship with yourself and Christianity focusses on a relationship with god, that's why meditation goes inwards and prayer outwards. Anybody who disagrees has no in depth knowledge of the two.

Also OP, there is modern mindfullness which isn't contdadictory to Christian doctrines as it takes more of a scientific approach instead of a Buddhist approach toward mindfullness as science has shown that mindfullness works.

>Gods realm:[41] the gods (devas)[42] is the second realm, and typically subdivided into twenty six sub-realms.[43] A rebirth in this heavenly realm is believed to be from very good karma accumulation.[41] A Deva does not need to work, and is able to enjoy in the heavenly realm all pleasures found on earth. However, the pleasures of this realm lead to attachment (Upādāna ), lack of spiritual pursuits and therefore no nirvana.[44] Vast majority of Buddhist lay people, states Kevin Trainor, have historically pursued Buddhist rituals and practices motivated with rebirth into Deva realm.[41][note 6] The Deva realm in Buddhist practice in southeast and east Asia, states Keown, include gods found in Hindu traditions such as Indra and Brahma, and concepts in Hindu cosmology such as Mount Meru.[47]

>Demon, Anti-god or Demi-god realm:[41] the demi-gods (asuras)[42] is the third realm of existence in Buddhism. Asura are notable for their anger and some supernormal powers. They fight with the Devas (gods), or trouble the Manusya (humans) through illnesses and natural disasters.[41] They accumulate karma, and are reborn.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saṃsāra_(Buddhism)

Also Christianity is an Abrahamic Buddhist rip iff, listen. From copied passages, the popularity of Buddhism in the Greek and Roman empire, every text regarding Jesus being written decades after his supposed death, the necessity for the Romans to rival the Jews with a new religion, just like when they rivaled the Ilyad by creating the Aeneid which also is a continuation of its predecessor to Jesus being tempted by the devil vs the Buddha being tempted by Mara the devil/demon and Jesus's dissatisfaction with the priest vs the Budha and the corrupt Brahman priests in India. The list goes on so i urge you to use whatever means you have to research this claim as i can't type everything out.

I mean its something....but its wrapped up in so much dogma...With eastern traditions like buddhism and even hinduism to a degree, you have almost everything you need spiritually without less dogmatism. With the Abrahamics, you have to parse through so much to get a taste of what is abundant in other traditions

>without less dogmatism
*with less dogmatism.

>The aim is to unite both, so one completely loses themselves in the process and is in a state of total adoration of God.
> a state of total adoration of God.

Do i need to explain why this isn't meditation?

Psalm 77:12

I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.

Proverbs 6:6

Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,

Jesus: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31
Buddha: "Consider others as yourself." Dhammapada 10:1
Confucius: "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Analects 15:23

Jesus: "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well." Luke 6:29
Buddha: "If anyone should give you a blow with his hand, with a stick, or with a knife, you should abandon any desires and utter no evil words." Majjhima Nikaya 21:6

Jesus: "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." Matthew 25:45
Buddha: "If you do not tend to one another, then who is there to tend you? Whoever would tend me, he should tend the sick." Vinaya, Mahavagga 8:26.3

Jesus: "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take the sword will perish by the sword." Matthew 26:52
Buddha: "Abandoning the taking of life, the ascetic Gautama dwells refraining from taking life, without stick or sword." Digha Nikaya 1:1.8

Jesus: "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it." Mark 8:35
Buddha: "With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is liberated through not clinging." Majjhima Nikaya 72:15

Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20
Buddha: "Teach the dharma which is lovely at the beginning, lovely in the middle, lovely at the end. Explain with the spirit and the letter in the fashion of Brahma. In this way you will be completely fulfilled and wholly pure." Vinaya Mahavagga 1:11.1

Jesus: Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, "Friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You, hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
Buddha: The faults of others are easier to see than one's own; the faults of others are easily seen, for they are sifted like chaff, but one's own faults are hard to see. This is like the cheat who hides his dice and shows the dice of his opponent, calling attention to the other's shortcomings, continually thinking of accusing him.

Jesus: Your father in heaven makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Buddha: The great cloud rains down on all whether their nature is superior or inferior. The light of the sun and the moon illuminates the whole world, both him who does well and him who does ill, both him who stands high and him who stands low.

Jesus: He said to them, "When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?" They said, "No, not a thing."
Buddha: Then the Lord addressed the monks, saying: "I am freed from all snares. And you, monks, you are freed from all snares."

Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Buddha: If by giving up limited pleasures one sees far-reaching happiness, the wise one leaves aside limited pleasures, looking to far-reaching happiness.

Jesus: Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.
Buddha: With the relinquishing of all thought and egotism, the enlightened one is liberated through not clinging.

BTW Buddhism is over 600 years older than Christianity

John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I mean maybe not buddhist meditation, but its something. very comparable to hindu meditation and union with brahman

وَأَوْحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ - 16:68
And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct.

ثُمَّ كُلِي مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ فَاسْلُكِي سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلًا ۚ يَخْرُجُ مِن بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُّخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِّلنَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ - 16:69
Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰ أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ - 16:70
And Allah created you; then He will take you in death. And among you is he who is reversed to the most decrepit [old] age so that he will not know, after [having had] knowledge, a thing. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Competent.

The Monk-- So, Abu-Salamah, you believe in all what your Prophet mentioned in your Book and that (this book) was inspired by God?

The Moslem-- Yes, everything mentioned in the Koran was inspired to Mohammed.

The Monk-- The Koran doesn't mention that the Christ is the Spirit of God and his Word given by God to Mary?

The Moslem-- Not eternal (word) but created.

The Monk-- Was God, at any time, dumb, deaf, or empty from any word or spirit?

The Moslem--God forbid! God, his Word and Spirit are always (present).

The Monk-- Is God's Word Creator or created?

The Moslem-- Creator.

The Monk-- You worship God along with his Spirit and Word, isn't it?

The Moslem-- I adore God, His Word and His Spirit.

The Monk-- Say now, then, " I believe in God, in His Spirit and in His Word."

The Moslem-- I believe in God and in His Spirit and in His Word. But I do not make them three, but one God.

The Monk-- This is my opinion, too; and my beliefs and those of all Christians of Orthodox faith. I like now to explain the meanings of the Holy Eternity: the Father is God; the Son is His Word; and the third (person is) the Holy Spirit.

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ بِالرُّسُلِ ۖ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ ۗ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰ أَنفُسُكُمُ اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ - 2:87
And We did certainly give Moses the Torah and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, [O Children of Israel], with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party [of messengers] you denied and another party you killed.

Meditation in general is a journey for oneself and not for a deity.
This is seen as Brahman isn't a deity, unlike Jehova.
Brahman is the cosmos, it is nature and reality.
It might look the same on the surface, but focussing on "space" and a deity are two very different things and should have different effect imo

Yes, it's called Sufism

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ - 15:39
[Iblees] said, "My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all

إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ - 15:40
Except, among them, Your chosen servants."

قَالَ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ عَلَيَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ - 15:41
[ Allah ] said, "This is a path [of return] to Me [that is] straight.

The mythological Moses was most likely base on the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten and the Biblical Ramses was most likely based off the real pharaoh Ramesses II aka Ramesses the Great, wh during his third Syria campaign in 1300BCE laid siege on Jerusalem and Jericho making him a very "unloved" character in Palestine for centuries before they even started with the Old Trstament.
Akhenaten, who you might now, was also the man who created the worlds first monotheistic religion.

If you combine the above with this paragraph
you'll have to conclude that Judiasm nd Christianity are false, leaving no place for Islam, the religion for the middle easterners to reconquer the middle east on the Europeans, to be true.
And just like Christianity, they builded on the old religions instead of creating an entirely new one, because it's easier to adapt to something the population already knew, instead of something new.
They Romans knew this when they conquered the Greeks and it was the only reason they were able to rule so long and fluently.

The answers are there, but you have to be able to connect the dots.

Jesus taught the Law.

The Law is 3500 years old.

Buddha is not.

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत |
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् || 7||
Whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an increase in unrighteousness, O Arjun, at that time I manifest myself on earth.

The "Law" wasn't written down 3500 years ago as the "Book" was completed in 670BCE.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah
"The majority of Biblical scholars believe that the written books were a product of the Babylonian captivity (c. 600 BCE), based on earlier written and oral traditions, which could only have arisen from separate communities within ancient Israel,[4] and that it was completed by the period of Achaemenid rule (c. 400 BCE)"


You're heavily relying on myth.
The Buddha has been estimated to have lived in 600BCE btw, which is still 600 years before Jesus, supposedly, lived.

And his "teachings", at least the ones quoted are not found in the Old testament, so you're really mixing unnecessary things here.
GG

HH Dalai Llama says Christian monks and buddhist monks practice the same despite different philosophies. And some boddhisatvas consider Christ to be a high level boddhisatva but obivously buddhism isn't ocmpatible with Christianity just Christianity iwth buddhism.

Jesus is the ultimate buddhist though.
He learned to let go even his own life.

Super over simplification. There are Buddhist meditation techniques that involve visualization and even the invoking of devas. In esoteric Buddhist schools like Tendai and Shingon, "emptiness" just just considered the introductory step to more advanced methods of contemplation

neet buddha

I havent studied Christianity since I was a small child, but I just find it hard to fall for a religion which doesnt offer it's people self-reflection. This is one of the best things I have gotten from Buddhism, which I have practiced on and off for around two years via meditation and general mindfulness.

However, Christianity does have a strong culture, strong history, has influenced an entire hemisphere of the world. There is this strong sense of unity I can feel today, this very hour if I decided to go to a church. Today I find myself awestruck by Christianity, and I feel a calling to go back. But I'm not sure if I can embrace a religion that doesn't provide the self reflection/mental development provided by Buddhism.

Both are Japanese forms of Buddhism, created over a thousand years after the original Buddhism.
The function of the Buddhas is like those of the saints, you can invoke them for luck, similar to the Gods in the Shinto religion, but the only thing that occurs to me is that you might be referring to mantra's, like the famous Namu-Amida-Butsu chant, but chanting mantra's =/= meditation/.

It's almost as if heaven and enlightenment are two different things.

DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN

Should I work to win salvation in the unforeseeable future or work to purify this very life?

Similar methods are found in other schools of Buddhism, such as vajrayhana.

Its been awhile since Ive read the methods so forget the names of all the practices, but I can give a rough description of them, one involves visualization the deity and taking it in to you, while at the same time you recognize the deity exist only in your mind, thus the deity becomes both real and unreal at the same time.

Ive also heard more vague descriptions of other advanced exercises but I dont remember enough to describe them

The practices are said to be dangerous to your mental heath without a proper teacher so I dont recommend anyone try it.

Christianity does have a strong culture, strong history, has influenced an entire hemisphere of the world. There is this strong sense of unity I can feel today, this very hour if I decided to go to a church.

Naturally, it has been said that one can not speak about European history without Christianity.
It has helped form the western world as we know it today.
This is why it is the religion with the most practicing members, the most expensive prayer houses, the most elaborated religion, the most etc, etc.

But does that make it the path one must follow? Religion is not a popularity contest and i'm not sure if chanting the "Jesus mantra" is the path to enlightenment.

I'm an ex-Catholic, now an atheist, because the Christian Jehova isn't one i would like to follow if he was a human, so why would i if he was an actual god?
Then my path lead me to the conclusion that all religions are man-made by middle easterners, this includes Hinduism, as it was created by the Aryans or Iranians, who forced it on the people of the Indus valley just as an cover up for the caste-system and more.
It's pretty heinous if you get into it, like forcing the people to become illiterate as they weren't allowed to read, not the Sanskrit and their own books, meaning that we now have hundreds of pre-Sanskrit Indian books we have been unable to translate for hundreds of years now and who knows what kind of pearls of wisdom these books hold? Heinous.

And my research on Jud., Christ. and Islam has led me to this: >2742941 and this >2743235
And to show that there is a huge possibility that i'm right, you should read this page, it's about Buddhism being present in ancient Greece as early as 400BC en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greco-Buddhism, so the influences i speak of in the two linked comments are proven facts and not guesswork.

So while i agree that Christianity has its charm, for me, going back to that religion would be like fooling myself.

The Prose-Edda is just as beautiful

You know, an interesting thing to point out is that Buddhism had actually thrived in the middle east up until Islam appeared and slaughtered everybody.

Ecclesiastes 10:10

If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

>all religions are man-made by middle easterners, this includes Hinduism, as it was created by the Aryans or Iranians, who forced it on the people of the Indus valley just as an cover up for the caste-system and more.

One can make the argument that Buddhism is separated from this, because Buddhism describes the fact of non-self. There is even a parable where a monk questions the buddha if he should believe in religious priests, which the buddha replied with a counter-question: "have those priests experienced god? Have the priests of those priests experienced god?" Buddhism teaches you to learn from experience rather than blind faith (although faith is part of the path).

What do you think of this? Is Buddhism also a way to trap people like the other religions?

When i googled "visualisation techniques in Buddhism" i received this page studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/vajrayana/tantra-theory/visualization-practice-in-tantra, but the author is referring to tantra, a practice that pre-dates Buddhism and even Hinduism.

From another website about meditation:
"The idea with meditating is to completely empty the brain and allow it to go wherever it wants. You are not actively forcing any thoughts or images into your head. Start by focusing on breathing, and let your mind do whatever it wants to do naturally."
chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/4_Powerful_Visualization_Techniques

Well, Buddhism and Jainism, were created by Gautama and Mahavira whom both lived in and near India, these two religions are not implied my statement so it was good that you noticed that.
I was only speaking about Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

>Buddhism teaches you to learn from experience rather than blind faith
You are correct, this is why Buddhism was far ahead of its time.

Buddhism became so popular in India, because it was nothing like Hinduism, with the Brahmans abusing the local population as they had been "given the right" to trample on them thanks to the caste-system.
It has been said that only the Aryans were allowed to become Brahman and marry in the higher castes.
The abuse of the lower castes still happens today as seen in many documentaries.
So Buddhism was received with open arms, sadly, the Brahmans and royals revolted by ordering the deaths of the Buddhists, slaughtering and destroying entire monasteries.
When Buddhism was reduced to a size that it wasn't a threat anymore the Hindus turned the Buddha into an avatar, this is why the Hindus are bragging that their religion is the only one who accepts the leaders of the other religions into their own.
truthabouthinduism.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/were-buddhists-persecuted-by-hindus/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Buddhists
These two pages are crucial for understanding my claim.

>What do you think of this? Is Buddhism also a way to trap people like the other religions?

So, no, it was the exact opposite, it was meant as literal liberation.
"The Buddha wanted to go back to the days prior to Hinduism" i once read.
And pre-Hindu India had yoga, tantra, (possibly) meditation and more, so that's why these are found in nearly all the Indian religions.

Well alot of the stuff in esoteric Buddhism was absorbed or adapted from other sources, that doesn't make it not-buddhist

The Buddha taught that enlightenment is attainable in this life, and that the next life is of no consequence to someone seeking it. What matters are the things you can do right now, the steps you can take to improve your life and the lives of those around you, and to adhere to the five precepts (a watered-down eightfold path for laypeople).

>So, no, it was the exact opposite, it was meant as literal liberation.
you understand this is the kind of "feel" that religión use to trap people, dont you?.

Liberation from the Hindu religion and its caste system, which was and still is a real thing and very similar to slavery.
So sorry, but it's not the same promise.

Most of it is taken from the original people of the indus valley as stated here: "And pre-Hindu India had yoga, tantra, (possibly) meditation and more, so that's why these are found in nearly all the Indian religions."
So, it makes it Indian and not necessarily Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh or Jainist.

That's a rather questionable statement. Various religious practices have existed in some from since prehistory and been adopted and adapted by the religions that came after them.

That Buddhism took material from an earlier source doesn't make it less Buddhist any more than shinto rituals adapted from Buddhism are less shinto

I was only stating a fact, nothing more.

Shinto pre-dates the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, this is why the Japanese have incorporated Shinto practices into their Buddhist experience.

Yoga and Tantra were so interwoven in Indian sociegty that it makes sense to incorporate it into their religion or better put.
It was so interwoven in the Indian society that the Aryans had no other choice than to adapt and incorporate it into their Hindu religion.

Also
> Various religious practices have existed in some from since prehistory and been adopted and adapted by the religions that came after them.
>That Buddhism took material from an earlier source doesn't make it less Buddhist

It make it pre-date it, as you just admitted.
Like math is crucial in physics, but math isn't physics and physics isn't math.
It is its own seperate entity.

to be clear the only system you find for the dhamma is the sangha, ie monastic rules and the people who abides by them.
this is as far as systematic conduct goes for the dhamma and it turns out that normies need always some system, some procedures, to get some results, but of course it is natural for normies to think that the rules are more than walls to avoid getting astray by idolizing them and trying to change people who actually do not care about the goal of these rules nor the the rules.

We aren't talking about science, religions tend to view their elements, even those taken from earlier sources as part of a organic whole, changing and reinterpreting earlier material to suite a new theology and purpose.

I doubt very much esoteric Buddhist would see their tantric practices as a separate entity

It was an analogy indicated by the word "like" at the beginning.
The only point of correction would be that i had to follow up with the word "how" to start the sentence as "like how math etc".

>counting their shekels when they're not kiddyfiddling.

>monasteries
>kiddyfiddling

>it's about Buddhism being present in ancient Greece as early as 400BC
>developed between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD in Bactria and the Indian subcontinent
Go tip your fedora somewhere else, you useless autodidact.

Absolutely not. Buddhism is a cancer of a religion.
Absolute VIKANG delusion. You need to go back.

swift story about vipassana movement that plebbitors love so much

youtu.be/Z3B_NUKgA_k?t=1253

They seemed fine as roommates:
youtube.com/watch?v=dlBBppgCSIY

I wrote 400bce instead of 200bce so that's not an argument. My point still stands unrebuked.

The Edda, the Gita and the epos of Gilgamesh are all beautiful poems filled with just as much wisdom as the Abrahamic myths.
Stop being biased towards them just, because you happen to like them more.

The Eddas were written by Christian scholars.

>Snori was a Christian scholar

Get out

lol

No, they transcribed earlier poems. "written" makes it sound like it was something they came up with themselves and that is simply wrong.