Let's Talk Religion

Buddhism does not consider a Creator God, nor one who gives rules to obey (as the idea of God in the Abrahamic religions). But many schools of Buddhism do believe in the existence of spiritual beings (what some religions might call "gods" or demigods). Some might be more like heavenly saints or even more like "angels" in the Abrahamic religions that can be called on for help along the spiritual path. What other religions (like Hinduism) might call a "god" Buddhism might call an "enlightened being". Ultimately, the Buddhism goal is to BECOME enlightened rather than to worship those who are enlightened. Ultimately the Buddhist goal is not even to become an enlightened BEING (bodhisattva) but to move beyond all "being" - that is what Nirvana is about: "beyond both being and non-being." There IS a "realm of the gods" but the Buddhist goal is to move beyond all realms of being. In essence, Buddhism does recognize that god...

Understanding the relationship between the ONE and the MANY: Is Hinduism monotheistic or polytheistic? With over 330 million deities it surely looks  like a polytheism. Yet Hindus say they are monotheistic.* How are we to make sense out of this apparent contradiction? This is the classic philosophical problem of the one and the many: what is the relationship between the one overarching singular ultimate reality vs. the many things that appear to the eye? In Hinduism, the one is the Brahman while the many are the personified deities or manifest forms (murtis) of the One. Regarding the question of Oneness in relation to all beings... Perhaps this analogy will help: Compare the One and the Many to a Forest and the trees. One forest is comprised of many trees. We can look at the whole (forest) or the individual trees (many).  If you are in  the forest, among the trees, it is hard to see the forest. You tend to only see many trees. You are too close to see how they are all jus...

The Analects of Confucius Book 7 chapter 8: The Master said, 'I do not open up the truth to one who is not eager to get knowledge, nor help out any one who is not anxious to explain himself. When I have presented one corner of a subject to any one, and he cannot from it learn the other three, I do not repeat my lesson.' This makes it sound like Confucius was a strict and stern teacher. But I do feel for him, as sometimes I too have to repeat myself for students who are distracted/don't listen the first time (that can be frustrating). Or I may have to explain something in a different way before some students will understand. I think a good teacher will be willing to explain things again, but in different ways.  However, there are some people who just do not have the capacity to understand some things. In such case, the teacher just has to accept that and give up trying.  But the second part of the passage sounds like he is giving his potential students a test: To see how n...

Hair is an interesting topic in religions. Different religions address it differently. Native American Hair and its Cultural and Spiritual Importance: Hindu renunciants do not bother to care for their physical appearance: In contrast, Buddhist monastics eliminate the need to care for their physical appearance by shaving off the hair: And then there are the Sikhs, who, like Hindu renunciants and unlike Buddhist monks, do not cut their hair. However, they are to keep their hair neat (with the kanga/comb) and under a turban: For Sikhs, keeping their hair and keeping it neat is a symbol of living within society (vs. the monastic life, where it is typically cut or unkempt). As far as western religions go. We have Christian monks who also shave their hair (keeping the fringe is called a tonsure): And orthodox Jews do not cut their beards (similar to Sikhs except the Jews  do  cut the hair on their heads): Muslim men also often wear a beard, some may also cove...

    How much of who you think you are has really been put upon you by your life experiences? By your parents? By your culture and society? Most significantly, are your beliefs really yours or have you unwittingly adopted the beliefs of the people who've influenced you? Are you really yourself?     To find ourself we must distance ourself from all external influences. Our religious beliefs perhaps more than anything else about us are usually not our own. My premise here is that God communicates with each of us in the core of our own being but so long as we are what the world has made us we are not in touch with our true self and thus are not in touch with God within. The truth which comes from outside us, from society, is relative and subjective. Absolute truth comes only from within, is revealed to each of us directly if only we are open to receiving it. God is who God tells us God is. We are who we are. Neither God nor ourself is what we are led to believe by...

Why I believe in God: Throughout my youth I was an agnostic - I did not know what to think about God. Was there a god or not? I simply did not know. It took a mystical experience - a direct personal encounter with God - to convince me that God is real. I cannot deny that experience even as I continually question the nature of that God which was revealed to me. Why I question the nature of that God (why I do not believe God is a "person"): Initially, I assumed that God is what I had been taught God is: a personal god, a supreme being, sort of a superhuman person with a mind, a conscious awareness, emotions and desires in relation to what people do (i.e., God is often pleased with us or angry with us, God has certain things "he" wants us to do and not do). But, after some time I began to question whether what I had learned from other human beings was actually the true nature of that which we call "God". I gradually began to suspect that God is actual...

Being the Ramblings of a Religious Rebel This Blog is a collection of "stray thoughts" about religion and spirituality. Special focus on common themes across religions along with issues related to interfaith relations and dialogue. Please feel free to comment and continue the dialogue amongst yourselves. The author may also respond. Author is a life long student of the world's religions, holding a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies and being a professor of religion at Northern Virginia Community College. Professional website:  https://faculty.nvcc.edu/nvlshulman/