Clarification of terms

[Semantic]

Ah.. You're a Mahayana-style buddhist, gotcha. In that case your lines are finer than most

I was merely asking those questions to get a fix on where you were coming from, my apologies for any offense caused.

I believe your beliefs would put you in the action for thyself section, to continue to use that simplistic demarcation. There are some stark similarities between your path and that of a muslim - the dharma would be analagous to the Shariah - the will of Allah (swt), ie the Islam of a muslim, the actions by which he must abide to return. There is an element of the second leg of the tripod too, ihsan - essentially a return to the Absolute truth and an awareness of it (although as a Mahayana, you do not achieve enlightenment, do you?). What's missing is the third leg, which we term iman, belief. The final linking line to the Absolute as it were. Under standard Islamic thought, this would put you in the category of carrying out these actions for your own sake I believe.. However, it is impossible to say and Allah (swt) knows best who gets rewarded and who does not - he does say he may forgive any sin except one - shirk, associating partners with him. That one has to repent for, so it's pretty much monotheism or bust..

Some of the analogies I've drawn above are a dash crude, please accept my apologies as I have to rush out to a dinner engagement.

Here is an article I came across from a Buddhist pov.. I don't agree with certain bits of it of course (Islam being Truth and all ), but you may find it an interesting read:
http://www.berzinarchives.com/islam/..._buddhism.html

edit: I should have guessed by your location

[Vajradhara]

Salaam Semantic,

thank you for the post.

Vajrayana adherent actually

Originally Posted by Semantic

I was merely asking those questions to get a fix on where you were coming from, my apologies for any offense caused.

no worries and none caused

I believe your beliefs would put you in the action for thyself section, to continue to use that simplistic demarcation.

but.. but... we don't understand that there is a "self" for whom to act

There are some stark similarities between your path and that of a muslim

agreed. though this is fairly common between Buddhism and any other world religion that has a sound moral and ethical basis.

[quote]
- the dharma would be analagous to the Shariah - the will of Allah (swt), ie the Islam of a muslim, the actions by which he must abide to return. There is an element of the second leg of the tripod too, ihsan - essentially a return to the Absolute truth and an awareness of it (although as a Mahayana, you do not achieve enlightenment, do you?).
[quote]

sure we do all sentient beings will... though, technically, it's not "me" that this would happen to

What's missing is the third leg, which we term iman, belief. The final linking line to the Absolute as it were.

well... we have some beliefs as well... though i think that you mean a specific form of belief.. is that correct?

Under standard Islamic thought, this would put you in the category of carrying out these actions for your own sake I believe.. However, it is impossible to say and Allah (swt) knows best who gets rewarded and who does not - he does say he may forgive any sin except one - shirk, associating partners with him. That one has to repent for, so it's pretty much monotheism or bust..

well... you could be an atheist and you'd be ok in so far as you aren't associating partners with God...

the thing that i keep stumbling on, as it were, is the requirement to believe in an afterlife and a judgement day for those things are simply beyond me.

Some of the analogies I've drawn above are a dash crude, please accept my apologies as I have to rush out to a dinner engagement.

no problems.. enjoy your dinner

Here is an article I came across from a Buddhist pov.. I don't agree with certain bits of it of course (Islam being Truth and all ),

'natch

but you may find it an interesting read:
http://www.berzinarchives.com/islam/..._buddhism.html

edit: I should have guessed by your location

if you'd be interested... i'd be willing to go through those features one by one.. so we can bring out the full flavor of the discourse and, i'll admit, to satisfy my own curious nature.