Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Poppinjay
I agree with most of that, except Buddhism isn't a religion. It's a system of Philosophy based on a teacher's lessons, much like Taoism or Platonic practice (Plato, by the way, believed many were too stupid to make it on their own and should be slaves under their mental and social betters)
|
It's alternatively a religion and a philosophy. Tibetan Buddhism, for example, is a religion. The difference being the religious Buddhism has practices and symbols outside what the Buddha taught. They are materialistic "tools" for reinforcing the teachings. But this is more or less a religion. The philosophy more or less describes the states attained by Buddhas and the path on which they travelled to get there. Monks aren't just philosophers; they're religious members.
__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
|