Recent content by Obvious Child

Sorry, I can't find the edit function to get the right names in the right places :(

Only if you believe in a truly existent evil. Which I do, but there you go. In practise, many monotheism worship god indirectly and are in a sense polymorphous too. Cults of saints etc. spring to mind. He is not a true opposite God though as he has no independent power. Mainstream Christians...

It is questionable whether what you set out here would truly be 'polytheism'. A popular term at the moment is 'polymorphous monotheism': one God, many forms. It seems that this may best describe Hinduism in particular.

This is not accurate. There is no religion that clearly makes this statement, or rather that clearly makes this statement and doesn't make statements leading in the opposite direction as well. Christianity: 'No-one comes to the Father except through me': but Jesus is meant to be the...

I would say that art is defined by the one appreciating the art, not the one who makes it or anything intrinsic. Therefore, I can appreciate the artform of nude modelling in Playboy, or I can jerk off to a statue of Venus (or Mona Lisa if I've got a thing for weird smiles). It's my attitude...

I think the important thing is that it is neither running nor retaliating. The clear modern example of this is Gandhi: he went out of his way to confront his opponents but would not fight against them. It is believed in on principle: but it is also a very effective method in many circumstances...

The 'just from culture' may be your Christian background talking. The focus on confessed belief is a very Christian thing. I am not talking about changing texts per se. The Hindu approach seems to me to be into adding rather than taking away. Take the history of Krishna worship Krishna is...

For many, 'Hindu' is more of a culture than a religion. Various religious reformers in India considered themselves Hindu atheists, and others were Hindu Christians/Christian Hindus. As for your specific points: check out the Brahmo Samaj and its various offshoots. Many ate beef, rejected animal...

How does it do that? :confused: Beautiful picture at any rate: my girlfriend has a copy.

They weren't written down but they were chanted by groups of monks, and memorised like poetic sagas in Europe. The Buddha did not say 'few are able' but 'they bring no benefit'. This is the same point as made with the man pierced by an arrow and asking what wood it was made from etc: so is the...

I just remembered the interesting Epicurian take on this Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who said pleasure/happiness was the highest good, and is thus associated with luxury and extremes. However, his own school believed in eating enough to live and developing quiet of mind without...

Interesting topic: I've always felt that within a Therevada type of Buddhism you have a clear choice between directly aiming for enlightenment and living a lay life - romance being part of the second. If you feel so strongly for a person, I personally would go for it. You describe yourself as...

OK. It was the former that I thought was being referred to as the impartial witness of karma. Surely one's individual character is involved in action?

OK. My bad. But I thought that jiva was used less technically as 'living being', where atman was the underlying? It's been a while since I read it... Firstly, I was referring to the Buddha, not Krishna. Secondly, I suspect many Buddhists and followers of the Gita would say you were free from the...

Though we can't know how, I'm sure the Buddha said karma was unavoidable. I'll try to look it up...