Kent_Mackem
Striker
Buster Bloodvessel?
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Mercia Blackcat
Striker
Not wanting to be pedantic but the fat bald "Buddha" that you see often is not the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. He's actually a Chinese monk called Budai. He was a very kind man apparently and probably a lot of fun.
Kent_Mackem
Striker
I did not know that.
So was Buddha Sakyamuni fond of sitting in the windows of amusement arcades on Chester-le-Street High Street too?
Mercia Blackcat
Striker
Not sure but I don't think his arm waves or is that a golden cat?
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The Buddha you see in a lot of temples in the East is Amitabha who is a celestial or cosmic Buddha.
Buddhism is a very mixed religion. There is the original version of Sakyamuni that was followed by a later Buddhist master called Nagarjuna.
Most of the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness is based on them. Then there are other forms like Tantric Buddhism that has several deities and also the worship of Amitabha that seems more like a religion although none accept the existence of a creator God. I think Zen (Japanese) which comes from Chan (Chinese) which comes from Dhyana (Indian) is probably closer to the original form of Buddhism. Zen/Chan/Dhyana all mean meditation.
This early form of Buddhism is effectively a form of Yoga which is ancient. Raj Yoga is the practice of Dhyana (meditation). They both go back to the oldest form of all, Shramana that pre-dates theism. This lineage is known as Sanatana Dharma (The Eternal Way). Yet millions in India still worship the Hindu god Vishnu and his falsely alleged incarnation Krishna (as if he was a god) much like God and Christ in the West.
It would appear theism is a very powerful force for most people but it is effectively what in India is called a Bhakti (devotion) religion. I suppose it is an easy way out of practicing the forms of Sanatana Dharma that require much more personal discipline and dedication rather than the rites and rituals of devotion to an external being.
I suppose the moral of the story is that people prefer an easy way rather than a hard way of doing things.
The problem is that it can make us vulnerable to being easily led and told what to think.
The inherent danger of that is obvious.
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His tongue looks a bit scary.
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