Quote:
Originally Posted by Janszoon
I don't think issue was the analogy.
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There is no issue. Not outside your mind at least. If you look out beyond the idea of religion that you have built up in your mind, and look directly, then you will know that religion is something people do and people can be ugly and beautiful and stupid and clever and wise and foolish and kind and mean and loving and hateful and so on and so forth. Religion is whatever people are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neapolitan
Your analogy would work better those religions would be different soups since they all made up of different ingredients.
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I know, I know, it was a very bad analogy. So bad, you seem to have completely missed he point I was trying to make.
My fault. Not yours. The point is there is only one soup.
You know what, I think I've proved I'm not an eloquent man, so I'm gonna hand it over to two Japanese poets:
Many paths lead from
The foot of the mountain
But at the peak
We all gaze at the
Single bright moon.
- Ikkyu
He's not describing a mountain and the moon. He's describing the paths to Enlightenment/Oneness/God/Tao/whatever name you wanna use.
In all ten directions of the universe,
there is only one truth.
When we see clearly,
the great teachings are the same.
What can ever be lost?
What can be attained?
If we attain something,
it was there from the beginning of time.
If we lose something,
it is hiding somewhere near us.
- Ryokan
Teaching
s. Plural. Not only Buddha's words. But all the great spiritual teachers' words.
And finally an old Zen tale:
Jesus
A university student while visiting Gasan (a Japanese Soto Zen Master) asked him: "Have you ever read the Christian bible?"
"No read it to me," said Gasan.
The student opened the Bible and read from Matthew: "And why concern yourself with clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I tell you that even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these...Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow will take thought for the things of itself."
Gasan said: "Whoever uttered those words I consider an enlightened man."
The student continued reading: "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeds finds, and to him that knocks, it shall be
opened."
Gasan remarked: "That is excellent. Whoever said that is a Buddha."
And, I know, it doesn't make it true just because a few Zen masters said so, but hopefully it clears up any confusion my analogy created. Haha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen
Problems only arise when people start getting upset about people using the wrong spoon or not wanting soup at all. God forbid you should order pizza.
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Indeed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hypocrisy
You could always ritualistically slay the trouble makers. That's where my religion comes into play.
Think Witchfinder General...
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Great movie. Watched it a few months back. Don't like saying so but it's easy to hate Hopkins.
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