Why are Buddhists so selfish?
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First you have to learn to let go before anyone can teach you anything.Originally posted by SocialOutcast:Why is it that you guys think you know the answer to life's suffering, yet so little of you Buddhists have preached to us if you have the answer?
So many people are suffering now, yet so little people know about Buddhism.
Why you so selfish don't tell us??
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
Agreed...
Preaching does not guarantee understanding, belief or ultimately, conversion.
[b]There is no point having people blindly doing mass marketing and advertising to convert people who may end up embracing a religion before understanding it. I suppose that is why Buddhists do not preach on a wide scale - because Buddhism is a way of life and not hmm.. just a faith issue.
However, you cannot deny that it is easy for someone to access knowledge for Buddhism to get it. There are many temples, dharma classes, internet and buddhists around who are happy to discuss it. In that case, you perhaps can say Buddhists preach not with words but with their actions - I notice a lot of Buddhists who spend time doing volunteer work, or other charitable acts. [/b]
it's really not a matter of conversion..
and there is so little we can do out there, one must truly find out for oneself. -
It was never, however, the Buddhist way to proselytise - in the sense of forcing ideas and beliefs upon an unwilling audience, much less to exert pressure of any kind, or any kind of flattery, deceit or cajolery, to win adherence to one's own point of view. Buddhist missionaries have never competed for converts in the marketplace.”
-Dr. G.P. Malalasekara
“The Buddha has not merely awakened to the supreme reality: he also presents his higher knowledge that is superior to that of "all gods and men" most clearly and free from all mythological disguise and mythical clothing. Here, however, it is given in so cogent a form that it presents itself as positively and self-evident to the person who is able to follow him. For this reason the Buddha does not demand any belief, but promises knowledge.”
-George Grimm, "The Doctrine of the Buddha"
“Buddhism was a democratic movement, which upheld democracy in religion, democracy in society, and democracy in politics.”
-Dr. Ambedkar -
I do not go any dharma centre to learn. I simply seek and learn buddhism by myselfOriginally posted by SocialOutcast:See....you wait for people to search themselves? There are so many religions in this world. What if I spend most of my time researching Bahai Faith, Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism....and before I find Buddhism, I DIE ALREADY??
HOW?? You wait for people to die izzit?? And meanwhile many many people are dying because of suffering. You telling me you let them suffer until one day they find out buddhism (if they do)???
Why you so slefish dont tell us?? If one day an alien tell you that he's going to bomb the whole earth in 24 hours, you going to keep this to yourself and L:ET ALL OF US DIE???
First of all, Rethink about ur conception of Buddhism. I think there is some misunderstanding and mix-up.
-Buddhism isn't a religion where u got converted and will be saved by some higher power. Even if u are a buddhist and take refuge in their formal ritual (eg. triple Gems), you perform evil deeds. No one will save your from ur
evil-deeds karma. -
Sometime, in those poor countries.. what they need most is everyone's compassion ( everyone regardless of religion and races ) to help starving,ill and poor people. Not just religion.
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My dear friend, Buddhists do preach.Originally posted by SocialOutcast:Thank you guys for typing so much about Buddhism here. But that is not what I wanted. I don't want to know the WHAT. I want to know the WHY. Why buddhists don't preach. And by typing here you are demonstrating my point....that I won't know much about buddhism if I don't ocme online.
So why why why??? -
You are true that Buddhist don't preach, they share. What they share? Their knowledge in Dharma, their experiences after practising it, the good they have, the happiness they've got.Originally posted by SocialOutcast:Thank you guys for typing so much about Buddhism here. But that is not what I wanted. I don't want to know the WHAT. I want to know the WHY. Why buddhists don't preach. And by typing here you are demonstrating my point....that I won't know much about buddhism if I don't ocme online.
So why why why???
If you really want to receive good sharings, you may wish to attend the Weekly Spiritual & Personal Development Programme (WSDP) held weekly on Thursday evening, 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Awareness Place Well Being Place, #03-39, Bras Basah Complex. Informations could be located at http://www.kmspks.org/youth/wsdpjul.htm -
Hi SocialOutcastOriginally posted by SocialOutcast:Thank you guys for typing so much about Buddhism here. But that is not what I wanted. I don't want to know the WHAT. I want to know the WHY. Why buddhists don't preach. And by typing here you are demonstrating my point....that I won't know much about buddhism if I don't ocme online.
So why why why???
Buddhist are not active in preaching because it is lacking in the drive in the education aspect. Some also prefer a more solitude spiritual path. Our apologies. We will do better
I understand how u feel. And I devote much time in the weekend for buddhism and I preach offline. I come into contact with mainly ppl on the fringes of society. -
hmm , my structured essay answer to your questionOriginally posted by SocialOutcast:Thank you guys for typing so much about Buddhism here. But that is not what I wanted. I don't want to know the WHAT. I want to know the WHY. Why buddhists don't preach. And by typing here you are demonstrating my point....that I won't know much about buddhism if I don't ocme online.
So why why why???
First ,Buddha did told his disciple to spread the Buddhadharma for the sake of all sentient beings.
However,Buddha told us the capacity of sentient beings is different,some take longer time to understand Buddhism ,especially with its wonderful array of technical term
My viewpoint of Evangelism in General
Several Years ago, a fren of mine challenged this question why shouldnt we
be actively evangelising .
I take another fren answer which i posting here
Belief in a religion takes twofold (for beginner)
Emotional or Rational
Some sees it as a place for outpouring of emotional., like the wish to know more friends ,companionship
To Bring people to rational aspect is different and more difficult.
Some may view our teachings as pessimistic ,as we taught abt suffering , and so on.
But the crux is whether one can accept
When a person is rushing for work and met an evangelist who insist sharing
some "good news from the divine" .Will that gives the impression of
unnecessary delay in travelling time ?
At a certain state of mind ,some people may feel it is a intrusion to their lifestyle .
So if the heart moved to a certain religion ,the mind may not
Well around the world ,there is so many buddhist organisation outreaching to many
one of them is tzuchi http://wwww.tzuchi.org
http://www.ddm.org.tw
and AEN RenCheng Centre [AEN -care to provide the url ?]
and lot more .
If you have a burning question regarding to Buddhadharma ,please do ask us here .
I will be glad to answer you -
Hi SocialOutcast,Originally posted by SocialOutcast:Thank you guys for typing so much about Buddhism here. But that is not what I wanted. I don't want to know the WHAT. I want to know the WHY. Why buddhists don't preach. And by typing here you are demonstrating my point....that I won't know much about buddhism if I don't ocme online.
So why why why???
Just to share some of my opinions. Like what earthling82 had mentioned, some buddhists prefer to practice in a more solitude manner.
It's not easy to share the Dhamma as one must be sure that he/she understand what he/she is going to share. I'd met some buddhists in some gatherings sharing Dhamma, but after hearing their content, I almost laugh and died on the spots.
Their sharings were always ended up saying subjective supernatural experience more than explaining the Dhamma.
There are fellow good Dhamma brothers/sisters who do their little part in sharing the Dhamma to the people around them.
We're not as fortunate as some other religion who have huge fund in doing a large scale traning in missionaries and sponsor them to reach out. I think the last time that happened would be during King Asoka's time. Haha.
My observation is that the buddhist organisations around are not united. Every organisation has their own objectives and may not see eye to eye with another. And some big organisations may not be spreading the right Dhamma as well.
And let's not forget that money doesn't come easy.
My advise is that, let's move on, if you know it's not easy to know the Dhamma, then acquire more and share with the people around you. -
good reasoning there .Points notedOriginally posted by yamizi:Hi SocialOutcast,
Just to share some of my opinions. Like what earthling82 had mentioned, some buddhists prefer to practice in a more solitude manner.
It's not easy to share the Dhamma as one must be sure that he/she understand what he/she is going to share. I'd met some buddhists in some gatherings sharing Dhamma, but after hearing their content, I almost laugh and died on the spots.
Their sharings were always ended up saying subjective supernatural experience more than explaining the Dhamma.
There are fellow good Dhamma brothers/sisters who do their little part in sharing the Dhamma to the people around them.
We're not as fortunate as some other religion who have huge fund in doing a large scale traning in missionaries and sponsor them to reach out. I think the last time that happened would be during King Asoka's time. Haha.
My observation is that the buddhist organisations around are not united. Every organisation has their own objectives and may not see eye to eye with another. And some big organisations may not be spreading the right Dhamma as well.
And let's not forget that money doesn't come easy.
My advise is that, let's move on, if you know it's not easy to know the Dhamma, then acquire more and share with the people around you. -
Just to share this. I remember what a monk ever said:Originally posted by SocialOutcast:Why is it that you guys think you know the answer to life's suffering, yet so little of you Buddhists have preached to us if you have the answer?
So many people are suffering now, yet so little people know about Buddhism.
Why you so selfish don't tell us??
If you offer an apple to a fren, tell him the benefits of it, but your fren does not like it nor want it: respect his wishes and leave him as you have already offered him the apple out of goodwill.
However, if your fren does not like the apple and yet you insist that he take it, to the point that you get angry that he doesn't take it even after you explained to him the benefits of the apple: that is not sharing out of goodwill, but forcing one's beliefs on another.
We must learn to differentiate what the intent of sharing is and how it goes abt. Buddhists have been taught the first approach and that is the way we share with others. You will also find that Buddhists are non-aggressive and do not go around picking on other religions or claiming that Buddhism is the 'only' true reiligion, as we have been taught to accept and respect other religions by Buddha. -
I am interested not in converting other people to Buddhism but in how we Buddhists can contribute to human society, according to our own ideas. I believe that other religious faiths also think in a similar way, seeking to contribute to the common aim....
Just as Buddha showed an example of contentment, tolerance, and serving others without selfish motivation, so did Jesus Christ. Almost all of the great teachers lived a saintly life - not luxuriously like kings or emperors but as simple human beings. Their inner strength was tremendous, limitless, but the external appearance was of contentment with a simple way of life.
....the motivation of all religious practice is similar - love, sincerity, honesty. The way of life of practically all religious persons is contentment. The teachings of tolerance, love, and compassion are the same. A basic goal is the benefit of humankind - each type of system seeking in its own unique ways to improve human beings. If we put too much emphasis on our own philosophy, religion, or theory, are too attached to it, and try to impose it on other people, it makes trouble. Basically all the great teachers, such as Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, or Mohammed, founded their new teachings with a motivation of helping their fellow humans. They did not mean to gain anything for themselves nor to create more trouble or unrest in the world.
Most important is that we respect each other and learn from each other those things that will enrich our own practice. Ever if all the systems are separate, since they each have the same goal, the study of each other is helpful.
- from "The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness" compiled and edited by SidneyPiburn, published by Snow Lion Publications -
Ah, thank you! Thank you for your response. You are one of those few who knows that only through sharing can one learn, and ultimately be enlightened.Originally posted by earthling82:Hi SocialOutcast
Buddhist are not active in preaching because it is lacking in the drive in the education aspect. Some also prefer a more solitude spiritual path. Our apologies. We will do better
I understand how u feel. And I devote much time in the weekend for buddhism and I preach offline. I come into contact with mainly ppl on the fringes of society. -
This is, in essence, denying Buddhism as much as it accepts it.Originally posted by neutral_onliner:I am interested not in converting other people to Buddhism but in how we Buddhists can contribute to human society, according to our own ideas. I believe that other religious faiths also think in a similar way, seeking to contribute to the common aim....
Just as Buddha showed an example of contentment, tolerance, and serving others without selfish motivation, so did Jesus Christ. Almost all of the great teachers lived a saintly life - not luxuriously like kings or emperors but as simple human beings. Their inner strength was tremendous, limitless, but the external appearance was of contentment with a simple way of life.
....the motivation of all religious practice is similar - love, sincerity, honesty. The way of life of practically all religious persons is contentment. The teachings of tolerance, love, and compassion are the same. A basic goal is the benefit of humankind - each type of system seeking in its own unique ways to improve human beings. If we put too much emphasis on our own philosophy, religion, or theory, are too attached to it, and try to impose it on other people, it makes trouble. Basically all the great teachers, such as Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, or Mohammed, founded their new teachings with a motivation of helping their fellow humans. They did not mean to gain anything for themselves nor to create more trouble or unrest in the world.
Most important is that we respect each other and learn from each other those things that will enrich our own practice. Ever if all the systems are separate, since they each have the same goal, the study of each other is helpful.
- from "The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness" compiled and edited by SidneyPiburn, published by Snow Lion Publications
Tell me, do you believe in relieve of suffering as Buddha taught?
If yes, then automatically Christ's teachings and Muhammad's teachings and other teachers' teachings are nullified, is it not, since they all do not teach the same thing?
Secondly, I understand your desire to see people be more 'good, compassionate etc' through learning of other religions. But is this the main point of Buddhism? Or is relieving of suffering the main point? Because if the former is, then it matters not if I am Buddhist or not, since I can also be 'good etc' if I believe in another religion. If the latter is true, however, then being a buddhist makes a whole lot of difference. It means being able to defeat suffering, OR NOT. -
And please lah. I have buddhist friends. Many in fact. Just that they choose to keep mum about their religion.
If they are not my friends, I will ask them, 'Why you so selfish don't tell me?'
Haha. -
Just curious? Are those buddhist friends of yours actually into Buddhism? or just registered by birth Buddhist? If it is later, no wonder they kept mum about their religion, because they do not know what they could share with you.Originally posted by SocialOutcast:And please lah. I have buddhist friends. Many in fact. Just that they choose to keep mum about their religion.
If they are not my friends, I will ask them, 'Why you so selfish don't tell me?'
Haha.
Maybe if you have any doubts or questions, you could post your question here, ilke now, so that many dharma brothers and sisters in this forum could share with you their ideas and knowledge. -
Originally posted by SocialOutcast:And please lah. I have buddhist friends. Many in fact. Just that they choose to keep mum about their religion.
If they are not my friends, I will ask them, 'Why you so selfish don't tell me?'
Haha.Thirdly, not all who calls themselves Buddhists are Buddhists. They can be those kind of gods/deities worshippers and in actuality have nothing to do with Buddhism.
Firstly are u sure they are not among the catergory, and they have taken refuge in the three treasures and thereby became buddhist? -
Buddhism, in all, is about the Universe. Due to this Universal attitude to all things, Buddhism also respects all other religions; even acknowledging the founder of each religion a holy deity. The Lord Buddha Himself even proclaimed that Buddhist Dharma is about the Universe and not about Him - He is merely a tool used by the Universe to show how one should behave, speak and think when on the path to liberationOriginally posted by SocialOutcast:This is, in essence, denying Buddhism as much as it accepts it.
Tell me, do you believe in relieve of suffering as Buddha taught?
If yes, then automatically Christ's teachings and Muhammad's teachings and other teachers' teachings are nullified, is it not, since they all do not teach the same thing?
Secondly, I understand your desire to see people be more 'good, compassionate etc' through learning of other religions. But is this the main point of Buddhism? Or is relieving of suffering the main point? Because if the former is, then it matters not if I am Buddhist or not, since I can also be 'good etc' if I believe in another religion. If the latter is true, however, then being a buddhist makes a whole lot of difference. It means being able to defeat suffering, OR NOT.