too bad most Malaysians know little about Chinese Buddhism....what little they know is from the theravada branch which is very different from the Chinese Mahayana branch.
qqq3 11322 posts Posted by qqq3 > May 27, 2019 8:11 PM | Report Abuse
too bad most Malaysians know little about Chinese Buddhism....what little they know is from the theravada branch which is very different from the Chinese Mahayana branch.
When the time has come for the 5th Patriarch to choose his successor, he ask his disciples to write him a poem. He said from the poem, he is able to know which of his disciples has attained his True Nature and will be made the 6th Patriarch. Only 2 of his disciples submitted their poem. Among his disciples, the instructor wrote the following poem :
Body is the Bodhi-tree Mind is a clear mirror's stand Diligently we keep cleaning And let no dust alight
Meanwhile, his disciple, Hui Neng, who pound rice at the monastery's kitchen wrote
Bodhi has no tree Clear mirror has no stand Originally nothing, Where is dust.
Knowing that Hui Neng has attained his True Nature, he was made the 6th Patriarch.
The essence of Buddhism is : "Originally Nothing".
meaning that there is no creator. Buddha-nature is present inside everyone. The late Master Hsuan Hua said: "I came from empty space and I shall return to empty space".
History...history determines every thing and history is most interesting.
For one reason of another, Malaysians are familiar, at least with the basics of Theravada Buddhism but not many are familiar with Mahayana Buddhism..........the historical context, its development in China, the various sects of china, the focus, the emphasis, the practitioners, the differences,
Its actually a sad state of affairs when Malaysians are not familiar with Mahayana Buddhism...............I think it is not possible to talk about Chinese culture without even knowing the basics of Mahayana Buddhism.
Hahahaha The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal" and presents his teachings as non-sectarian and open to people of all faiths or no faith. "Liberation" in this context means freedom from impurities of mind and suffering
Buddism is gaining popularity in Western countries. Teaching of Buddism.The 4 Noble truth, The Middle Path or the 8 fold path, The law of karma. For common peoples like us, we should observe the first 4 of the 8 middle path.These are Right thought, Right Speech,Right Action and Right livelihood.The other teaching of buddism are the practice of Right States of Mind. The 4 states right state of mind are metta (loving kindness), Karuna (Compassion),Mudita(Sympathetic Joy or the joy of delighting others)and lastly Equainimity ( neutrality,tranquility,calmness,peacefulness,no anger,no hatred,no jealousy,no envy,no sadness ).
too bad isn't it? Every one seems to understand the differences between catholics and protestors...but not many malaysians understand the differences between Theravada and Mahayana.....their principles, history, objectives, even the statures are not of the same personality.
What Malaysians know as Buddhism is what the British knows of Buddhism...and what the British knows is what they learn from the Indians and Sri Lankas because they know English.
Dear all, Religion usually entails adhering to a certain dogma or belief system. Spirituality place little important on intellectual beliefs but is concerned with growing into and experiencing the divine consciousness, the inner self. Spiritual seek to conquer self whereas religion seek to conquer others into believing and adhering to a certain belief system. Spiritual is inner whereas religion can be inner but mostly external. Spiritual emphasis more on self-actualization in this earthy world whereas religion emphasis on the afterlife. You can be an atheist but still remain spiritual. You can be religious but lack spirituality. https://www.biographyonline.net/spiritual/articles/religion_vs_spiritu...
I recalled watching a TV program: The Journey of Civilization. The guest speaker said, “From Confucianism, (Ruler has ruler responsibility, subject has subject responsibility, father has father responsibility, and son has son responsibility.) I learn to take on responsibility. (拿得起) From Buddhism, (Things are in flux never still. It’s begins from emptiness, will end in emptiness and reemerge from emptiness. Life is cycles of birth and death until Enlightenment and Nirvana.) I learn when to relinquish my responsibility and let other take over. (放得下) From Taoism, (Heaven and Earth are one. Nature and Man are one.) I learn to live with nature, at peace and at ease with myself and others.” (看得开) How beautifully and elegantly this speaker summary what life is about?
As Chinese Malaysian we were brought up with the influence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism which are more about philosophy, spirituality, way of life and tradition belief/practices than religion. As such we do not go around wearing our religion cap and telling the whole world the greatness, wholeness and holiness of our religion. We believe religion is a personal choice and to be kept between you and your religion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism
Sslee, there is a scholar in Taiwan who summarise and compile the three teachings of Confucianism (濡),Buddism (釋)and Taoism (道)into one . Among the 3 teachings, Confucianism has the greatest influence on Chinese Culture. Lee Kuan Yew is a confucianist. During an interview with CCTV 4,he was asked which aspect of confucianism he like.the most. His answer is the 五倫 as what you described .
Sslee, there is a scholar in Taiwan who summarise and compile the three teachings of Confucianism (濡),Buddism (釋)and Taoism (道)into one . Among the 3 teachings, Confucianism has the greatest influence on Chinese Culture. Lee Kuan Yew is a confucianist. During an interview with CCTV 4,he was asked which aspect of confucianism he like.the most. His answer is the 五倫 as what you described .
I like SSLee's deep insight on Buddha very much..waloe..SSLee can be a monk la. wakaka quote*** Religion usually entails adhering to a certain dogma or belief system. Spirituality place little important on intellectual beliefs but is concerned with growing into and experiencing the divine consciousness, the inner self. Spiritual seek to conquer self whereas religion seek to conquer others into believing and adhering to a certain belief system. Spiritual is inner whereas religion can be inner but mostly external. Spiritual emphasis more on self-actualization in this earthy world whereas religion emphasis on the afterlife. You can be an atheist but still remain spiritual. You can be religious but lack spirituality.
osted by Sslee > May 28, 2019 6:02 AM | Report Abuse
Dear all, Religion usually entails adhering to a certain dogma or belief system. Spirituality place little important on intellectual beliefs ============
whether it is spiritual or intellectual, it is still rather sad that Malaysians know little of Buddhism as practised in East Asia and knows so much of Theravada Buddhism.......
the statures one see all over East Asia is not even of Sakamurni Buddha.........
Many began as astromythology.........sun, star or moon worshipping......evolved into pschosocioeconomicopolitical complex......over centuries
One of the next recipients of revealation or enlightenment would be an artificial intelligence and the 'product' would invariably be ........most complete.....flawless......and perfect one, no?
hahahaha, out of convenience they put the religion as Buddhism at their IC
this will answer why people said majority don't know what is different between Buddhism practice locally because they are not even a Buddhist to begin with.
admittedly my interest is more intellectual than spiritual.....I am interested in Pure Land Buddhism and Zen and learning bits and pieces of all schools / sects of Buddhism.
Posted by Sslee > May 29, 2019 6:50 AM | Report Abuse
Dear all, Buddhism teaches inner peace and harmony by “Know thyself” Do you have the wisdom to know your inner-self? Seeing the non-attachment?
Thank you
=================
Balance is the best way to live life....the problem with archaic indoctrination is their obsession and attachment to some principles.......they are based on situations, opinions, and knowledge at those times.........
.....although have been adapting, re-interpreted and evolving over time.......but neither fast nor flexible enough to incorporate new scientific evidences.....
........to stay relevant these days
Specific example, school children are spending too much time indoor these days.....increasing numbers wearing glasses
......given recent publication about 'Sunlight exposure reduces myopia in children'
"This cluster-randomized, intervention-controlled study examined the effect of a school-based program encouraging outdoor activities on myopia.
Study design Researchers recruited grade 1 school children from 16 different Taiwanese schools. Of the 693 students included, 276 were encouraged to spend 11 hours/week outdoors through a school-based program. The remainder of children were in the control group and continued regular activities.
Outcomes Light intervention reduced both myopic shift (0.35 D vs. 0.47 D; P=0.002) and axial elongation (0.28 mm vs. 0.33 mm; P=0.003). Risk of rapid myopia progression was also 54% lower in the intervention cohort compared with controls. Effects were significant in both nonmyopic and myopic children.
Investigators noted that longer exposure to moderate sunlight intensity (i.e., hallways, under trees) was as effective as short exposure to high sunlight intensity for preventing myopia."
Only a scientific minded who has a heart to pursuit evidence-based principles and practices can do well for the people......education minister and children respectively in this case.......
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Posted by qqq3 > 2019-05-27 19:54 | Report Abuse
Ah Mi Tou Fo.