Minobu wrote: ↑Thu Oct 11, 2018 5:04 pm
I was always under assumption that buddhism would always hold up to scientific investigation.
In the thread on atheism some of the material got me to thinking .
these are the main culprits!
Wayfarer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 11, 2018 3:46 am
One of the things to be mindful of, is that many of the arguments deployed by atheism against Christianity also apply to Buddhism. It used to be said that karma was 'scientific' like 'the law of cause and effect' but it's clearly not, as it concerns intention, whereas the laws of motion only concern matter.
Reality is reality and superstition and mumbo jumbo are just that.
It's one thing to have faith in Lotus Buddhism , it's another to let slide "Truth" .
Hopefully the whole emptiness nihilistic misunderstandings does not make too much of a drift..Like ..it's all not real anyway .
so clearly Karma involves the lesser hard scientific reality with intention via ethics and morality.
Then it's unto what is gleaned from Cārvāka
From
Charvaka, originally known as Lokāyata and Bṛhaspatya, is the ancient school of Indian materialism. Charvaka holds direct perception, empiricism, and conditional inference as proper sources of knowledge, embraces philosophical skepticism and rejects Vedas, Vedic ritualism, and supernaturalism.
SO just how much of what we believe in is superstition?
A few examples.
Did Hachiman really protect Nichiren from the ronin executioners on the beach?
Was the Divine wind that swept away the mongols really an act of a protector god?
Did Nichiren actually cause the rain to fall?
Did I or gohonzon cure my father of an incurable leukemia ?
Did Buddha really exist and is Mahayana truly His work.
Do we believe that NMRK is the actual source of all things?
Is this really the Buddha's land?
What's the difference between an almighty God and an almighty Buddha in charge of reality ?
are we splitting hairs when using the word Buddha and Almighty God?
are all of the above just superstition or reality?
hopefully no one's toes get stomped on here....i'm just opening up my long term baggage.
There is a Lotus Sutra Buddhism called Nichiren Secular Buddhism...
https://sites.google.com/site/buddhistrealism/home
I don't agree with his premises and conclusions but he put a lot of work into his philosophy.
In Lotus Sutra Buddhism, Karma = thoughts, word's, and deeds. Intention plays a part but not a major part. For example, one may be sincere (usually a good thing) but sincerely wrong (a bad thing). Due to Anger, Avarice, and Stupidity, one's intentions may be noble but as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Without an Enlightened perspective, our thoughts, words, and deeds may or may not lead to lessening karmic retribution.
"Did Hachiman really protect Nichiren from the ronin executioners on the beach?"
Since Hachiman is an emanation of Shakyamuni Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra saved Nichiren.
"Was the Divine wind that swept away the mongols really an act of a protector god?"
Was it chance, a protector god, the stupidity of the Mongols, or Nichiren's prayers to the gods, Shakyamuni Buddha, and the Lotus Sutra or a combination of all of these things?
"Did Nichiren actually cause the rain to fall?"
Why don't you try praying for rain, for example when the meteorologists predict no rain for the next several weeks. Make a real concerted effort to test the Lotus Sutra, lets say for 5 days and let us know. I myself have caused rain to fall chanting Namu Myoho renge kyo.
"Did I or gohonzon cure my father of an incurable leukemia ?"
There are Four Powers: The power of faith and practice (you); and the power of the Buddha (Gohonzon) and Law (Namu Myoho renge kyo). They all work together to create auspicious results.
"Did Buddha really exist and is Mahayana truly His work."
Yes and yes.
"Do we believe that NMRK is the actual source of all things?'
Entity, not source. One of the Four Powers.
"Is this really the Buddha's land?"
To the Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened.
"What's the difference between an almighty God and an almighty Buddha in charge of reality?"
We can become an almighty Buddha but never an almighty God. Buddha is one third of the cause and effect of reality. We and the Law make up the other two thirds.
"are we splitting hairs when using the word Buddha and Almighty God?"
Not at all. As I mentioned above, we can become Buddha but not God in the Christian, Muslim, or Brahman sense.The universe (or multiverse) has always existed and will continue to exist, at least, cyclically. In a sense, we create our environment (universe) according to Vasubandhu. The Eternal Buddha may be thought of as an "Inconceivable Omni-Present Field of Cognition" (from Tendai).
"are all of the above just superstition or reality?"
If you believe my answers, though not yet a supremely and perfectly enlightened Buddha, then it is reality.
Mark