Jesus and Buddha (page 4)

professor

Q: What did Buddha say to the hot dog vendor?
A: Make me one with everything.

TheContagion

So the 3 Magi may not have been as evil or as duped

Magi are Zoroastrian priests. The story of the there Magi bringing frankincense and mirrth quite possibly could have been Matthew trying to make Jesus out to be the second coming of Zoroaster. Zoroaster before even the time of moses had commanded his priests to watch for a sign in the starts, some constellation or something that would guide them to his return, and to bring frank incense and mirth. Or so the story goes according to some baha'i a studies with shortly. The funny thing is though that king Cyrus was most probably a Zoroastrian. Cyrus was called a messiah and an anointed king by god in the bible. The baha'i believe that as Jesus was from the line of David so Baha'u'llah was from the line of Cyrus. What you wrote above made me think of my studies with baha'i because they consider the buddha to be a manifestation of god just as Jesus was. They would explain what you have wrote by saying that they were the same person.

However myself i wouldn't get so caught up in this. The people who wrote the sayings of the buddha were not his closest disciples. I think that Buddhism is completely bastardized from what the buddha taught. From what i have read i think that the buddha was just a happy cynic. No god no everlasting life, no devine savior. Just this life of self-inflicted agitation that can be lessened by calming the mind and losing your attachments then the external peace of Nirvana(death). As far as i can tell the difference between "nirvana" and "nonexistence" is purely a semantic one.

Introspection

First of all, the following message is a general response to the thread, not to the post immediately before this one.

Look, if you really understand there is no need to get into the history and learn volumes of scriptures. To investigate from the standpoint of "did Jesus/Buddha really say this or that" is an approach without insight in the truest sense of the word. Why does that matter? If a saying makes sense then it does, if it doesn't it doesn't. This stuff reminds me of the Far Side cartoon with the short scientist explaining his "little bang" theory to others taller than himself. I'm not one that's big on history in general, and while I think it can be interesting and revealing, it seems people get lost in it. Whatever your view of ultimate reality, it's clear that these teachings touch on human nature, and that's where it's most relevant to you, you're a human. Of course, this is where people might confuse it with ego nature, but it just points back to just what does it mean to be human. If you don't really care, fine. But if you do it just makes sense to look at what that is, honestly and openly, unless you're content with the egoic version of it.

"There can be only Juan!" -Ramirez gets cocky (The Highlander)

seven006

Realist,

No, I have not been hypnotized but I have hypnotized people myself. I learned TM at a very young age and after leaving the JW's I started to research why as a little kid I could put myself into a trance to zone out the meetings. As I investigated it I found a relationship between TM, hypnotism, controlled breathing techniques, color and light phenomenon and several other things. I met a few hypnotist and began to study it myself. I started practicing it a few years back just to see if I could do it and I could. I did it mostly with girlfriends...(don't ask).

I don't do it very often anymore because without proper training it can be a little dangerous for the person you are putting under. I had a couple weird instances and after that backed off until I could study a bit more, than I lost interest. You can really do some weird shit with it if you have a mind to.

Gumby,
I heard somewhere about god having rocks cry out preach for him. To me it makes just about as much sense as talking snakes. Some people will believe anything.

Dave

Siddhashunyata

There is much confusion in this thread because the experience of Buddha is not understood . He was not recommending anything more than that you find out your true nature. That voice you hear is your desperate ego trying to be immortal and reasoning on these things. That's why this is so difficult. The very thing doing the seeking must cease to exist. When that happens your true nature comes forward with an intelligence beyond human reasoning. Once you experience your true nature you will smile with Buddha, you will not worship or berate him. Was Jesus a Buddha (enlightened one) ? One must conclude that he was because the experience of our true nature is real. It is unlikely that he was denying or avoiding such an obvious truth that is verifiable by every human that ever lived and , to add , that it is an experience so profound that it rivals , if not defeats , any conception ever expressed of God or Heaven , including those exhalted interpretations put on Christ"s words by the ecclesiastical traditions of this world. This truth is a threat to this world because its realization ends the manipulation of the individual. He is liberated and can resist all that is contradictory to his true nature. There is no fear of death because there is only one true nature and it is immortal. This is what is realized!

beckyboop

Siddha,

What a concise way to sum up this post! It is so true that when we have the "truth" about individuals like Jesus, Buddha or others, we are freed from the influences and manipulation of religions and their leaders. We are truly able to be liberated from all the fetters hoisted upon us by the limited scope of their teachings. Instead of being repressed emotionally, physically, mentally, sexually, socially etc., we are free to view people of all types as the reflection of light they are.

Becky

Fredhall

OO7,

And you can lick Budda fat belly.

Jesus and Buddha