Lots of people in the West misunderstand Buddhism, especially it's general lack of any divine figures. They don't realize that, for many, Buddhism is essentially an atheistic religion. People in the West are accustomed to religions all being theistic, so the idea of an atheistic religion is almost incomprehensible. Traditional Buddhism has taught that either there are no gods or, if there are, they aren’t worth bothering with — but people being people, gods have been added to Buddhist practice over the centuries. They aren’t creator gods like we find in Western religion, but they are gods nonetheless. Not all Buddhists are atheists, but there are quite a few.
Working in the medical profession I often come face to face with people that have to make such difficult decisions and often wonder how they cope... What has been your toughest decision and how has it affected your life?
I personally am turned right off with 'pet names' for ones body bits but I have known two guys...one was Pappa Smurf and the other Snuffeluffegus... I work as a doc and the amount of guys/gals that have an operation and tell me that their 'little miss sunshine' or roger is broken... The worst I have probably heard was one guy told me he had a lump on his mischievious mongrel....plllleeease!!!!
Its nice to live in a fantasy world...but sometimes you have to face the real world no matter how ugly it gets in order to help people...even if on a small scale.
The worst cruelty is obviously world wide...but when it starts within a family that apparently should love and cherish each other...well the rest of the world has no chance of peace.
Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other. An honest politician is one who when he is bought will stay bought.
Miss having animals in my life...now just the occassional one I run into at the bar or work. Only three tiny goldfish in my life called Shanti, Boo-boo and of course Yogi.
Loving to me is about giving...to never have given would make me feel so incomplete of being shaped into who I am today and who I will be in years to come.
But people learn of your successful ability far and wide. They start to journey from all ends of the globe to line up outside your house and soon riots break out and mobs become threatening. More and more people arrive to have their wishes granted and soon the city in which you live resembles the aftermath of a hurricane with the rioting and fighting. The Russian KGB have decided to capture and torture you until you comply with them to be used as a terrorist weapon so the CIA have decided to eliminate you completely incase you fall into the wrong hands....(sorry...too many movies!)
Why do you not feel confident and comfortable enough to post your picture? I certainly would not wish to meet someone that lacked that confidence as I would consider them in need of building a relationship with themselves before anyone else..
Granted but....... They also bring along their friends and their relations who happen to be the biggest family in China and it is the week you have more bills than chinese laundry so you opt to buy a bag of rice to feed them all...well they leave disappointed and thinking you are the biggest cheapskate!
I wish my patients would all be well for one day and give me a day off..
Granted by you end up with a hot chick that takes you back to her house and in the morning her twelve kids race in the bedroom and jump all over you expressing their love for their new dad.. I wish I could sleep better
Granted...but the exotic island dwellers are native head hunters that torture women for hours by coating them in honey and hanging them over ants nests until they beg for mercy and marry the tribal leaders son that suffers from dwarfism and tourettes syndrome...
I wish I could learn to ride my motorcycle better!
Yes line them up everyday...lashes for breakfast...bamboo shoots under the fingernails...the firing squad if they talk without spoken to...and the dreaded bowl of asparagus when they are really naughty and don't read their bibles!
Zarah Forum Posts (1,388)
RE: WHY ARE'NT THERE MORE BUDDIST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ?
Lots of people in the West misunderstand Buddhism, especially it's general lack of any divine figures. They don't realize that, for many, Buddhism is essentially an atheistic religion. People in the West are accustomed to religions all being theistic, so the idea of an atheistic religion is almost incomprehensible.Traditional Buddhism has taught that either there are no gods or, if there are, they aren’t worth bothering with — but people being people, gods have been added to Buddhist practice over the centuries. They aren’t creator gods like we find in Western religion, but they are gods nonetheless. Not all Buddhists are atheists, but there are quite a few.