As Suanie Sees It

So THE Reverend passed away, right? Was rather sad and all, but then that’s the cycle of life.

A few people (thanks people) sent me a link to a Buddhist website which is quite informative, got lots of news and articles, all the Buddhism-buddhism stuff. Good on them for propagating the Dharma using the Internet.

But then there was this series of photographs of the Reverend’s funeral, which was supposedly not altered in any way. And one of the focus of the series was ‘balls of light’ surrounding the funeral, particularly at the cremation site. Fuwah, damn miracle all these balls of light, suddenly coming out of nowhere, must be associated with the Reverend ‘cos he was so enlightened and all, will enhance your faith in Buddhism with these miraculous sightings etc.

Some supposedly even saw the Reverend’s spirit being ‘taken to the havens’ by other Bodhisattvas. Their eyesight must have been damn on.

Right, I know it’s a case of wanting to believe what you want to believe. I suppose it doesn’t do any harm, little things like this, as long as you don’t take them too seriously in your path to learning Buddhism. But one thing lah… if the Reverend was still alive, he would have told you to shove it [voluntarily censored by Suanie]. Well maybe in a nicer way.

Back to basics — what is a Buddhist? Someone who take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Senang je aku nak cakap ‘cos in conventional manners, I am the least Buddhist of all Buddhists. Oddly enough, Buddhism saved me (insert teenage wayward sob story here). So I consider myself a Buddhist. Some people won’t because judging by this blog, nay even this very blog entry, I consciously did not observe the Eight Noble Paths (right speech lah, what else).

But I am confident enough to know what to believe and what not to believe. For instance, I don’t really believe that when Gautama Buddha was born, he walked 7 steps, each step blossoming into a full bloom lotus after him. Sure, I studied all that when I was younger, you can’t miss this chapter if you are reading about the Buddha’s life. But it seems that miracles are all it takes to convince the layman that yes, this religion works, that religion works, bla bla. I do believe in miracles, as there are many unexplainable things in this world, but not to the extent of pacifying the layman, to strengthen your faith, etc. Even Jesus got fed up with healing the sick because he knew that it was a cheap way to ask people to believe in you, your teachings. You do get a lot of half-past-six faithfuls everywhere, but who am I to judge, I am probably no better than them in other aspects, so as I was saying…

Buddhists. As a Buddhist (in the Theravada tradition) do not allow these things to influence your faith. Again I would like to quote Venerable Sujiva (whom I quoted in an earlier blog entry) from his book ‘Funny Monk’s Tales’:

“So one day I asked the Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda what he thought of relic claims. He gave me a distant look and with bulging eyes said, “These are things concerning the devotional aspects of Buddhism. We do not need all these to study and practise the Dhamma.”

That jolted me up a bit. So it’s not so important after all. It’s true, as the Buddha himself said: “He who sees my teachings sees me.” What is important is that we follow the Buddha’s exhortation and practise the Dhamma. So the Venerable Dhammananda’s answer was a good one but I wonder how I can get the message across to those people who still get frenzied over relics. Ah, faith, good faith, you should always come with wisdom, otherwise it can be dangerous.”

Change the ‘relics’ to ‘balls of light’ and you get the same context. I recently met up with my friend-turned-Buddhist-monk Bhante Sumana and discussed this with him. Well, more like 5 lines, 3 of which were, “we don’t believe in these things, we dont’ need to believe in these things”, “maybe ‘cos it was going to rain” and “I was there at the funeral, didn’t see no deity!!!”. You get the idea.

But then, I understand that faith works differently for everyone. The Reverend was a great, selfless man, some people may choose to glorify him slightly more than others. Fine. But I just hope that with all his contributions to society at large, all his hard work and efforts in emphasizing the importance of racial harmony, all his publications that stated the same thing over and over again that the Buddha is within you… would be a damn waste to have all that overshadowed by ‘balls of light’.

Om Mani Padme Hung Chant by Universal Wisdom Foundation (’Science & Buddhism’ -1998)

I’ve been so out of touch with what’s happening around the country (that’s what happens when you are cut off from the Internet — I don’t know how I managed to survive years ago), and didn’t know that the Venerable Dr K. Sri Dhammananda Nayaka Maha Thera had sadly passed away :(

The first time I met the Chief Reverend was back in 1996. He had stopped by Batu Pahat, probably at the invitation of the Kg. Merdeka temple, and delivered a talk in English which was translated to Mandarin for there were many non-English speaking people present. He was quite funny — cracked several jokes which was unfortunately lost upon those who couldn’t understand English. Luckily I could, and I thoroughly enjoyed his talk and his light-hearted mannerisms. Quite a nice change from some of the other monks we had listened to.

I didn’t know who he was then, until my seniors informed me that he was THE Chief Reverend for both Malaysia and Singapore. He sure didn’t act like it — you would expect someone of such significance to be serious and uptight and all. Well I was young, and thankfully that view of mine was proven wrong, not just by the Chief Reverend but also by a couple other monks I would later meet and get to know.

A few years later, the Chief Reverend’s pictorial autobiography was published. I bought a copy, and had the good fortune to have the Chief Reverend sign my book when we paid him a visit at the Brickfields temple. In the meantime I had read up about the Chief Reverend. From what I learnt, he was instrumental in preaching religious tolerance and harmony, especially in Malaysia when we faced so much troubles before (and still do, but a slightly different set of troubles now, I think).

The Chief Reverend himself wrote many books; I believe the most popular one is What Buddhists Believe‘. There are a couple of others that I also enjoyed, such as “Why Religious Tolerance?”, “The Buddhist Concept of Heaven and Hell” and “Life in Uncertain, Death is Certain”. You can download his free publications here.

I particularly like his logical approach to certain issues that I seek answers to, and his works were very helpful during the ‘finding-myself’ days. He was one of the reasons why I believe that Buddhism is the one religion I could most understand and relate to. I don’t claim to be a very good Buddhist; really I am far far far from it but imagine — if there wasn’t Buddhism, I could turn out worse?

Sad day for Malaysians and all of humanity indeed.

May the Chief Reverend attain parinirvana. If not this life, then surely the next.

So there was this dude who lived in Nepal/India 2,500 years ago. He was born into a family of great power, wealth, status and respect. Like Britney Spears before she got married, he had it all.

Then year before his 30th birthday, he sneaked out of his palace in search of the Truth to suffering. For 6 years he laboured and tortured his body by not eating, beating himself etc (as was the practise that time that extreme asceticism would lead to the truth). He probably couldn’t take it anymore, drank some milk offered by a cowgirl, sat under a tree and meditated and arrived at Enlightenment.

That is why we have Wesak Day (aka Vesak Day). If I remember correctly, it wasn’t the exact date of the Gautama Buddha’s birth, but it is now celebrated as such, as well as to commemorate Him reaching Enlightenment and His death. You can say that it is also to renew your commitment and vows as a Buddhist.

Last Friday, me and Fireangel went to snoop around the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. It was established in 1895 as a place of Theravadian worship for Sinhalese from Sri Lanka in Tanah Melayu (now known as Malaysia ) and today you get all sorts of people — black yellow white orange brown all congregated in this place to celebrate Wesak.

It was my first Wesak away from home (and in 5 years). Ever since the management of a small town temple I used to go got their heads all swelled up from pride and feelings of self-importance, I sort of became detached. Plus the Young Buddhist Fellowship gang that I used to hang out with everyday dispersed due to personal commitments. It just isn’t fun singing Buddhist hymns at the top of your lungs with strangers who may think your behaviour way out of line. I don’t know, I’m just saying based on what I’ve heard from very reliable sources…

Anyway we got up bright and early (haha) and made our way to Brickfields. We had to park quite a distance away and got squeezed out of RM5 by those illegal ‘parking people’ who really didn’t help much. That’s daylight robbery for you.

There were lots of people walking up and down the road leading to the temple. There were lots of stalls selling flowers, books, vegetarian fare, ice cream and so on. There was even a makeshift booth for a major bank’s credit card services. There were plenty of beggars by the roadside, some healthy and some severely crippled.

At the Brickfields Maha Vihara Sanchi Gate

We made it to the main gate, also known as the Sanchi Gate. Lots of people. Lots and lots of people. Claustrophobic tendencies setting in. But for someone who generally dislikes people and hates kids, I did pretty well

We walked around and started snapping photos.

The Bodhi Tree

The Bodhi Tree, aka Ficus religiosa is so named because Gautama Buddha achieved Enlightenment meditating under this tree species. Of course it isn’t the exact same one you see in the photo above — apparently the two Bodhi trees in the Maha Vihara were saplings from a 2000 year old Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka. Devotees like to clasp their hands in prayer walking around the tree, maybe because it’s sacred, or they believe the tree would bless them or something, I don’t know. Hopefully it is just a reminder of the Buddha’s enlightenment for them — damn wrong for a Buddhist to be asking for blessing from a tree.

Offerings of flowers, light and incense

Flowers are offered as a reminder of impermanence. That’s one of the most important things the Buddha taught — that is to let go because sooner or later everything would come to an end. By letting go, you are freeing your mind of earthly burdens and worries and thus could see things more clearly. Of course this is not to be a form of escapism from the daily grind, monetary worries and such. I suppose it has more to do with death, the loss of a loved one, etc. The flowers bloom so beautifully today but they will wilt in a short span of time. This is a reminder that things change and you too will die. Something like that. Kind of gloomy isn’t it? Though you can take solace in this verse of a hymn (Life Never Dies) that I loved a lot:

“There is no death” all nature cries.
The rose will reappear.
Its petal will more perfect be.
After the winter drear.

Light represents wisdom, in this case the Buddha’s wisdom. It is also meant to dispel the darkness of ignorance. Reminder: burning a candle and burning a forest (those paper offering stuff) are different things. Buddhism is not Taoism, at least the one I (sort of) practise anyway.

Incense is another important offering for the Buddha’s altar. I can’t really describe its significance all too well, so I’ll just quote from a couple of sources.

From this site,

When incense is lit, it fragrance fills the air. This is like the spreading of the purifying effect of wholesome conduct. So offering incense, a Buddhist not only express his veneration for the Triple Gem but also reminds himself of the practice of Good Conduct.

… and from ‘Good Questions, Good Answers’ by Venerable Dhammika,

Incense: Aromatic incense purifies the atmosphere as well as the mind. Just as its fragrance travels afar, so do good deeds extend to the benefit of all. Burning incense also embodies the transience and dissolution of phenomena.

You don’t see a single incense in the photo above, do you? I suppose they were all being used inside the main shrine, maybe because it is not financially viable to purchase incense in bulk this way, but I can tell you that this deal is rather dangerous. I was very nearly burnt by some lady who had a whole bunch of joss sticks and didn’t see where she was going.

People and other things

One of the two beggars I saw within the temple compounds (the rest were outside). I was observing him for a while; he was sitting by the steps of the main shrine, looking dejected while muttering to himself and praying a little (I think). I had wanted to take a photo of him looking up the steps to the main shrine, but there was stuff blocking my view and too many people were walking around. Also:

1) Other devotees may give me the evil eye for invading the privacy of the beggar.
2) The beggar may just suddenly stand up and hit me with his maggi in cup used as his alms bowl.

This being a holy place, the latter is more likely to happen than the former.

The lady above was making sure that the flames on your RM10 oil lamps do not go out..

I have no idea who the n00bs above are.

We waited 2 hours for an audience with the Chief High Priest of Malaysia and Singapore Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda which in the end turned to naught. It was just to see him, really. I mean, what are you going to say to this guy? He has done more for Buddhism than Keanu Reeves in ‘Little Buddha’; written so many books on the logical and practical aspects of Buddhism (What Buddhists Believe, Why Worry etc) and was instrumental in preaching religious tolerance in Malaysia and beyond.

The first time I saw him was in 1996 when he gave a talk at the temple I used to attend. He is 87 years old now, quite frail in health, when we saw him as he was assisted for lunch danna (offering) we were rather shocked by how ill he looked. That’s old age for you (The First Sight). The two previous times when I saw him, he looked so serene, for reasons I can’t explain I felt peaceful just looking at him. Must be some level 25 meditation aftermath going on.

Remind me to expand the wiki stub on the venerable.

Cute kid at the lotus fountain, used as a wishing well by many people.

Devotees offering robes to a resident Sinhalese monk. One of those costs around RM100 - RM120. When our friend Chen Zhong was ordained and became Bhante Sumana, we offered him two of the robes as danna. That’s what he wore the entire year I guess

Why these simplistic robes? Well, Gautama Buddha is said to have worn something like that made of patched pieces of donated cloth ALL HIS LIFE. If members of the Sangha community wear something elaborate and outrageous, that wouldn’t do at all, would it? Though as Buddhism spread throughout the world, the designs and style becomes different due to the climate conditioning of the country. And of course, belonging to different sects would twist the styles a little.

As we leave the temple for lunch, we noticed a bare-footed fake monk asking for donations from one of the stall keepers. Why was he fake? How would we know? Maybe because the fact is that Buddhist monks are not supposed to go around asking people for money, regardless of the different orthodox sects. Traditionally Buddhist monks are only allowed to beg for food. However in Malaysia and most places, Buddhist monks are quite well-taken care of by the level 20 devotees who would cook for them or offer them food twice a day (because they only eat breakfast and lunch, no dinner). So if you see one of those fake monks going around dinner/clubbing places with a begging bowl, please do not contribute to their scam. More importantly, please do not think that this is typical Buddhist monks’ behaviour. They have more integrity than that.

*calms down*

I’ll end this post with another one of my favourite hymns. It was one of the first songs I learnt to play using the guitar (5 basic chords) and never failed to make us sing gaily during our hymns sessions. Times like these I remember Shan Chong. Wesak has never been the same without him.

Wesak Dawn

Wesak dawn has paced in softly
Tip-toed thro’ the moonlit night
Breathed the flowers and incense smoking
Laughed thro’ bars of purple light

Bids you now to waken gently
Lift your troubled eyes of sleep
Tend’ring thoughts of homage holy
cross Samsara’s Ocean deep

To the One who taught the Dhamma
Of the Noble Eightfold Way
To the Buddha, dearest sister
Lift your tender mind today!

Entire Flickr set here.

I sometimes wonder if people just write for the sake of arguing a point that does not really exist.

Or maybe it exists but only in their own warped minds most apt to be taken away to the nearest mental hospital.

For those not in the know, this is about something minishorts linked to, about an introduction to an e-book so devoid of understanding, research, research and more research.

So ludicrous the idea, words and sentences that I am going to de-myth the boldy written ‘facts’.

Throughout the world, but especially in America and Europe, some individuals have been intrigued by Buddhism, spurred on mostly by the superstitious, secret, and awesome qualities they perceive in this religion.

Dude, we are not accountable for Richard Gere. I’m sorry he ended up gay hence crushing your childhood fantasies but really, there is no need to be nasty.

As a belief, Buddhism is contrary to logic and intelligence.

I guess I must be stupid then.

No wait, my mom said that I am not. Mothers are always right.

You insulting my ma or something?

Countries where it has been adopted have mixed it with their own idolatrous ideas, traditions and local customs, joining it with myths and deviant ideas until it has evolved into a totally godless philosophy.

I am sorry I have to bring this up, but how do you classify this then?

When the incident came to the notice of the council, it ordered that she marry her father-in-law and change her relationship with her husband to that between a mother and son.

It also ordered her to leave her home and stay away for seven month and 10 days to become “pure”.

It may seem weird that I have so much faith in Malaysia but I am positive that if something like this happens here, the aftermath would be different. Bye bye father-in-law, see you in jail.

And we are an Islamic country! Race preferential based on the official religion is stated in our constitution!

But give me one orthodox religion that has not changed over the years to adapt to the local culture and I’ll post my naked photo. Oopppss that’s deviancy. Guess I’ll see you in hell.

To ignore Buddhism’s mindless aspects and espouse it just to be trendy and go along with others will result in great loss.

Kalama Sutra? Hello? It’s there for a reason, you know.

Bla bla bla bla bla…. I’m going to skip to Chapter 1.

Since Buddhism is an atheist religion that lacks any belief in God, it also rejects the existence of angels, the eternal afterlife, Hell, and the Day of Judgment.

Lacks? I think the word should be DO NOT. Buddhists Do Not believe in a monotheism god but like the Hindus we believe in polytheism ‘gods’, only that we call them ‘bodhisattvas’. What is a bodhisattva? Well Wikipedia is your new best friend.

FYI the term ‘Buddha’ means The Enlightened One, and the fourth buddha in this kalpa is called Gautama Buddha. Why Gautama? Because that’s his family name, duh.

Some people call bodhisattvas ‘deities’, and the way they help people is something like what angels would do. I wouldn’t call them angels but what’s in a name, right? Oh… no… I guess that concept wouldn’t go down well either because everyone is too pre-occupied with status and what-not that they forget the real meaning of things.

On that same note, we do believe in Hell. That’s right, we believe in burning people for evil deeds that they have done, only that they do not get burnt for not believing in a god. Some poor souls get their hands chopped off until their bad karma runs out, some lucky souls get reincarnated to right their previous wrongs, some roam the many worlds as lost or hungry souls (in the Chinese version, they eat candles! So economical!).

But let’s take NOW as an example, after all you are living here NOW, not before not later. As you are reading this you are breathing the PRESENT air. Right NOW. I am very angry so I am in Hell. But wait, I’m not dead! Of course it is a matter of time but how could I be in Hell now when I am alive and breathing?

The Buddhist concept of Heaven and Hell applies to the present. If you are happy at this moment then you are in Heaven. If you are miserable, angry and what-not then you are in Hell. Why wait till your last breath to enjoy both worlds? Wake up dudes, you are missing out on what is around you.

There is no Day of Judgment but what judges a Buddhist? KARMA. You get judged everyday based on your own deeds. Who determines whether you go to Heaven of Hell? YOU! Yes, you yourself are responsible and WILL be held accountable for your own deeds, be they good or bad. How do you know if karma exists?

Easy. Get someone to slap you on your face; you feel pain don’t you? The slap is the Cause, the pain is the Effect. That’s karma in kindergarten form for you.

Buddhists hold Buddha in a heightened sense of love, deep respect and fear, even accepting him as a god.

Yeah because He was smart enough not to let idiots like you offend him. Me on the other hand am not that enlightened nor generous.

So, fuck you.

And in time, those who nurtured an excessive love towards Buddha came to worship these idols and consider him a god.

I have an excessive love for my dad. I worship my dad. My dad helped create me. So… my dad = god?

The most frequent question I get asked is why do Buddhists bow to the image of the Buddha. Allow me to quote from the book “Good Question Good Answer” by Venerable S. Dhammika.

Question : If the Buddha is not a god, then why do people worship him?

Answer : There are different types of worship. When someone worships a god, they praise and honor him or her, make offerings and ask for favors, believing that the god will hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship. The other kind of worship is when we show respect to someone or something we admire. When a teacher walks into the room we stand up, when we meet a dignitary we shake their hands, when the national anthem is played we salute. These are all gestures of respect and worship and indicate our admiration for certain persons or things. This is the type of worship Buddhists practice. A statue of the Buddha with its hands rested gently in its lap and its compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. The perfume of incense reminds us of the pervading influence of virtue, the lamp reminds us of the light of knowledge and the flowers which soon fade and die, remind us of impermanence. When we bow, we express outwardly what we feel inwardly; our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.

Question : Why do people do all kinds of strange things in Buddhist temples?

Answer : Many things seem strange to us when we don’t understand them. Rather than dismiss such things as strange, we should try to find out what they mean. However it is true that Buddhist practices sometimes have their origins in popular supersition and misunderstanding rather than the teachings of the Buddha. And such misunderstandings are not found in Buddhism alone but arise in all religions from time to time. The Buddha taught with clarity and in detail and if some fail to understand fully, the Buddha cannot be blamed. There is a saying :

If a person suffering from a disease does not seek treatment even when there is a physician at hand, it is not the fault of that physician. In the same way, if a person is oppressed and tormented by the disease of the defilements but does not seek the help of the Buddha, that is not the Buddha’s fault. JN 28-9

Nor should Buddhism or any religion be judged by those who don’t practice it properly. If you with to know the true teachings of Buddhism, read the Buddha’s words or speak to those who understand them properly.

This point reveals Buddhists’ idolatrous understanding, as do many others. Buddha’s followers regard him as all-seeing and all-knowing.

I am sorry but the Buddha does not see me. He is dead. It would be scary if the Buddha could see me right now because I am typing furiously, as naked as the day I was born.

Is god seeing me right now? Perv.

Buddha was a powerless servant whom God created and tested in this world; he had no ability or will of his own to influence people. It was by God’s will that he spoke, and he lived the life that God gave him, according to the fate that God had determined.

Maybe. But since the Buddha is dead, I guess he can’t tell me if he was really God’s messenger. And seeing that Buddhists do not believe in a monotheist god, well there goes your belief.

The Buddha was a man, not an idiot.

Buddhist philosophy denies the existence of God, but bases itself on a few aspects of human morality and on escaping from sufferings of this world. Without any intellectual or scientific support, it rests upon the twin concepts of karma and reincarnation-the idea that human beings are continually reborn into this world, that their subsequent lives are shaped by their behavior in their previous ones. No Buddhist scripture considers the existence of a Creator, much less how the universe, the world and living things came to be. No Buddhist text describes how the universe was created from nothing; or how living things came into being; or how to explain the evidence, to be seen everywhere in this world, of an incomparable creation. According to the Buddhist deception, it is not even necessary to think about these things! The only important thing in life, Buddhist texts claim, is suppressing desires, revering Buddha, and escaping from suffering.

As a religion, therefore, Buddhism suffers from a very narrow vision that keeps its believers from considering such basic questions as where they came from, or how the universe and all living things came to be. Indeed, it deters them from even thinking about these things and presses them into the narrow mold of their present earthly life.

Chapter 3 of “Good Question Good Answer”:

Question : Do Buddhists believe in a god?

Answer : No, we do not. There are several reasons for this. The Buddha, like modern sociologists and psychologists believed that religious ideas and especially the god idea have their origins in fear. The Buddha says:

Gripped by fear people go to sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines. -Dp. 188

Primitive humans found selves in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and of natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and volcanoes were constantly with them. Finding no security, they created the ideas of gods in order to give them comfort in good times, courage in times of danger and consolation when things went wrong. To this day, you will notice that people become more religious at times of crises, you will hear them say that the belief in a god or gods gives them the strength they need to deal with life. You will hear them explain that they believe in a particular god because they prayed in time of need and their prayer was answered. All this seems to support the Buddha’s teaching that the god-idea is a response to fear and frustration. The Buddha taught us to try to understand our fears, to lessen our desires and to calmly and courageously accept the things we cannot change. He replaced fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding.

The second reason the Buddha did not believe in a god is because there does not seem to be any evidence to support this idea. There are numerous religions all claiming that they alone have god’s words preserved in their holy book, that they alone understand god’s nature, that their god exists and that the gods of other religions do not. Some claim that god is masculine, some that she is feminine and others that it is neuter. They are all satisfied that there is ample evidence to prove the existance of their god but they laugh in disbelief at the evidence other religions use to prove the existance of another god. It is not surprising that with so many different religions spending so many centuries trying to prove the existance of their gods that still no real, concrete, substantial or irrefutable evidence has been found. Buddhists suspend judgement until such evidence is forthcoming.

The third reason the Buddha do not believe in a god is that the belief is not necessary. Some claim that the belief in a god is necessary in order to explain the origin of the universe. But this is not so. Science has very convincingly explained how the universe came into being without having to introduce the god-idea. Some claim that belief in god is necessary to have a happy, meaningful life. Again we can see that this is not so. There are millions of atheists and free-thinkers, not to mention many Buddhists, who live useful, happy and meaningful lives without belief in a god. Some claim that belief in god’s power is necessary because humans, being weak, do not have the strength to help themselves. Once again, the evidence indicates the opposite. One often hears of people who have overcome great disabilities and handicaps, enormous odds and difficulties through their own inner resources, through their own efforts and without belief in a god. Some claim that god is necessary in order to give man salvation. But this argument only holds good if you accept the theological concept of salvation and Buddhists do not accept such a concept. Based on his own experience, the Buddha saw that each human being had the capacity to purify the mind, develop infinite love and compassion and perfect understanding. He shifted attentio from the heavens to the heart and encouraged us to find solutions to our problems through self-understanding.

Question: What does the Buddha say about the origin of the universe?

Answer: It is interesting that the Buddha’s explanation of the origin of the universe corresponds very closely to the scientific view. In the Aganna Sutta, the Buddha describes the universe being destroyed and then re-evolving into its present form over a period of countless millions of years. The first life formed on the surface of the water and again, over countless millions of years, evolved from simple into complex organisms. All these processes are without beginning or end and are set in motion by natural causes.

An Oppressive, Enslaving Religion

Talking about yourself again? It gets boring at times.

In short, Islam is a liberating religion that saves people from useless customs and prohibitions, social pressures and worries about what other people may think. It calls them to lead calm, peaceful lives with the purpose of gaining God’s approval. So it is that our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), in many of his sayings, advises us to make religion simple and easy.

I do not doubt any of that. I have great respect for Islam and I probably have a better understanding of Islam than you ever will. So maybe one day you will finally head the Prophet’s words and stop trying to decipher non-existance points.

Buddhism enslaves its devotees in misty monasteries and forces them into a life of suffering and poverty. Strangely, it discourages good food, cleanliness, comfort-the blessings that God has created for human beings-accepts suffering as a virtue and advises its devotees to lead a miserable life.

If your only source of Buddhist monasteries come from a lonely mountain in the middle of nowhere, then I suggest you take a trip around the world. See more things, brighten your horizons, get your facts straight.

For Buddhist monks and nuns, life is full of all kinds of difficulties. They are forbidden to work or own property, obliged to feed themselves by going from door to door and begging among the people, with their bowls in their hands. For this reason, Buddhist priests are even called bhikkhus (beggars) by the people. Buddhist priests are forbidden to marry or have any kind of family life; they may own only one robe, which must be of poor quality yellow or red cloth.

First of all, a bhikkhu or bhikkuni is a fully ordained Buddhist monk or nun. Here’s a fun fact for you; they WERE called bhikkhus by the Buddha, not just the people. And it DOES mean ‘one who begs’. It ALSO has other meanings, one of which is “one who discerns the fears of the round of rebirths.” And despite the beggar reference, bhikkhus do not beg, but live on what others freely give them.

If you are serious about this whole dirty, uncouth, unsocialised bhikkhu thing, why not actually try to learn more about why they behave as such?

Download A Lay Guide to the Bhikkhus’ Rules by Bhikkhu Ariyesako and read all of the 93 pages.

What, I’m not the one writing an e-book on the lacking of Buddhism.

According to Buddhism, hunger, misery and pain guide the way to the truth.

Errr… huh?

When Gautama Buddha was 29 and still Prince Siddharta, he left his palace and sought knowledge from highly-revered teachers of his time to end life’s sufferings. For 6 years he practised austerism and self-mortifications as practised by a group of 5 ascetics. As we know today it led to nowhere but still he perservered, refusing food and water until he was in a state of near death. He said later that the 6 years of practise caused such severe effects on his physical body that when he touched his belly he could touch his back skin.

One day a peasant girl called Sujata (some people believe that Sujata was actually a bodhisattva coming in aid of the Buddha) took pity on Siddharta and offered him some of her milk-rice. Siddhartha realised that enlightenment could not be reached with extreme practises; but perhaps it could be reached when one in the middle between the extremes of life luxury (remember he had that when he was an ignorant prince) and the life of extreme austerism. After consuming the milk-rice, he took a shower (yes, cleanliness gets you everywhere) and then sat under a tree to contemplate. The rest as they say is history.

But I suppose the hunger, misery and pain part were in reference to the 6 years of practise, which the Buddha later denounced. And the photo of a stark thin bony monk accompanied by those words was someone’s artistic portrayal of the Buddha during that time. And I suppose you are forgiven for your ignorance.

According to the theory of karma, those who are poor, handicapped or ill are paying the price for evil deeds committed in a previous life. Therefore, they deserve their present misfortunes. This perverse understanding results in prevalent injustices in societies where belief in karma is widespread.

Hear me now, for I am a Buddhist :

YOU ARE ONE SICK BASTARD.

Karma is based on the belief in reincarnation…

No.

This idea of a “wheel of rebirth” supposes that every life influences a subsequent one. But this belief fails with one single question: how does this karma operate? If Buddhism doesn’t accept the existence of God, then who judges a person’s former life and sends him back into the world in a new body? This question has no answer!

I just did.

Those who accept the idea of karma believe that their cycle of rebirths will never end-that they live again after every death, until they attain nirvana. And so, they assume that before them lie countless possibilities. Therefore, if someone decides to commit sin, he may think he will be able to atone for it in a later incarnation, even if his very next life is worse than his present one. An understanding founded on such an erroneous foundation cannot restrain a person from committing evil.

If someone chooses to misinterpret karma that way, then it is that person’s fault. Similarly if you choose to use karma in this illogical manner, it only goes to show your shallow understanding of the basis of the law of karma. Weirdly enough, Buddhists I actually KNOW and MET choose to do good instead of bad to accumulate good karma, if you will. Knowing that the law of karma works that way inspires them not to do evil for fear of retribution.

You should probably get new friends or something.

Attachment to this world is most people’s major weakness. They believe in a perverse idea like reincarnation chiefly because they want never to give up earthly temptations.

Oddly enough, the ultimate ultimate ultimate Buddhist’s aim is to detach themselves from worldly temptations and achieve Nirvana, thus freeing themselves from reincarnation.

Bla bla bla bla bla, on to the next chapter.

Bla bla bla bla, in relation to major Hollywood stars and their undertaking of roles to propagate Buddhism in various movies and media appearances.

Bla bla bla bla bla, next chapter talks about the coming of Maitreya Buddha, the next ‘messiah’ who could be another messenger from God.

Again, this is based on our current kalpa which is actually a period of 1,728,000 solar years. Are you going to live that long to find out the truth?

Not that I am avoiding the question of whether or not Maitreya is the next Buddha and not a messenger of god.

Maybe I am but for a good reason. I just don’t know! If I were to devote my entire life to read all the scriptures and trying to find out the ‘truth’ I would definitely need an immortality pill. You can’t decipher everything there is, or everything there is not. Why are you still here then? What is the purpose of your life, your current one or only one if you do not believe in reincarnation? I am glad I am not you.

If something does not make sense to you, then you can choose not to believe it and walk away. Likewise, I do not believe that when the Buddha was born he walked 7 steps of blooming lotus then proclaimed something about heaven and earth. I do not believe that a massive snake was shelter for him when he meditated under the Bodhi tree. They may or may not happened, who really knows? Even if you knew, how would it change your life? To re-enforce your belief in Buddhism? That is sweet but the belief must have been shaky in the first place, coming from a lack of understanding of what Buddhism really is.

Somewhere between ‘an all-merciful, the most merciful’ god and “if only you could see those who do wrong at the time when they see the punishment, and that truly all strength belongs to God, and that God is severe in punishment”, you lost me.

When I was writing this, Edrei asked me if I were writing in defense of Buddhism or prejudiced idiots. I can safely say now that I wrote in defense of Buddhism against prejudiced idiots in mind.

He also scanned through the article in question and apologised to me on behalf of his religion. I told him that it was not necessary at all because he was not the one who wrote all that. There are a lot of people out there who call themselves Buddhists who are most pig-headed - I am not about to apologise for any of them. All I can say is that I feel sorry for them that they did not have the right guidance nor understanding of Buddhism.

*Feels sorry for Harun Yahya*

There is no wrong, there is no right, there is only ignorance.

Harun Yahya is the most ignorant person I’d ever had the misfortune to read. I don’t really mind that you think Buddhism is a deviant practise, but the fact is that you are dragging the good name of Islam and Christianity down the gutter with you. People like you make things worse not better.

A Lot of Nonsense
by Bhikkhu Khantipalo

“A lot of fuss
A lot of people
A lot of time
A lot of trouble
A lot of tears
A lot of money
And all for what?
A little body!

A blob of proteins
Fast unwinding
A little corpse
Quick decaying
No longer is it
Dear Father, mother
Or any darling other.
In spite of this
We must have
Consolations and coffins
Processions and Tombstones
Parties and mourning
Rites and rituals
Buried or burnt
Embalmed forever.

All for these little
Bloated bodies
Sons remember
Grandsons little.
And after them
Are the dead forgotten.
Stones and bones alone remaining
So is this not
A lot of nonsense?”

Just like your e-book.

Run along now.