₦airaland Forum

It would be most useful if we can have the perspective of m_nwankwo on the life and identity of the Buddha.

Eminence Nwankwo?

JeSoul:
This is interesting.

I can kinda appreciate the "harmony" argument especially when it comes to nature. I'm less convinced that the formula will remain this simple and this true, when applied more complex problems like say - humankind? our intricate, complicated and depraved spiritual nature etc. Interesting write-up nonetheless.

Hi Jesoul. Maybe we should step back and ponder -

1. Not what we think we would LIKE to be BUT

2. What we ARE in fact.

Does that help?

David and Suhaibu - Can you please take the xtian-muslim fight elsewhere? I really dont want to have this thread derailed.

Thanks in advance and cheers.

Krayola:
@ deepsight. I sought an explanation. I wasn't challenging u. Lol. Abi u no wan explain

No vex my brother. Even challenges are nice!

What i meant to say is for example you have a magnet. We understand that opposite ends of its polls attract. The positive to the negative and vice versa.

This for me evinces puristic balance.

It may thus be real balance when it is said that the positive (active and strong) may attract, compel or subsume (draw to itself) the negative (passive. . .). This can work the other way round as well, but i will discuss that some other time.

Did you ever understand what Jesus meant when he stated - "To them who have, more will be given, but to them that do not have, even the little that they have will be taken away from them?"

Could it not be that when you have something, you are able to attract that vibration to yourself and so steadily increase. But that when you have too little, the vibration is weak and cannot attract anything - rather it gets attracted away from you by those with stronger vibrations.

That is balance at work - but it ends up looking as though some are well off and others are in dire straits.

The paradox of the weak and the strong.

The 7th Day Adventist view -

Jehovah's Witnesses Interpretation

In the Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream,[19] the statue is said to represent the following kingdoms:

1.The gold head - Babylon
2.The silver breast and arms - Medo-Persia
3.The copper belly and thighs - Greece
4.The iron legs - Rome
5.The feet partly of iron and partly of molded clay - Anglo-American dual power

The Anglo-American power is seen as the last dominant world power, emerging from a part of the Roman Empire (the iron legs) first as the British Empire, and then with the formation of the United States of America, to develop into the present-day special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. The dual nature of iron and clay (hard and soft), seemingly incompatible materials, is said to indicate the dual aspects of 'hard' and 'soft' power - military strength and diplomacy - both of which have been used to full effect by the USA and UK, while also hinting at inherent differences and even weaknesses in the relationship between the two powers.

The "kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and , not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever", in verse 44 of the prophecy, is said by Witnesses to be the heavenly kingdom established by God, with Jesus as appointed King, which will ultimately bring to an end human rulership.

Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the sequence of world powers in Nebuchadnezzar's dream parallels that given in the vision in the Book of Revelation Chapter 17, verse 10 which speaks of "seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived". (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece having "fallen" by the time Revelation was written; Rome was the world power at the time - "one is" - while the British Empire and subsequent emergence of the United States and their later alliance was then yet to come, hence "the other has not yet arrived".)

So any takers?

toba:
Of what?

@ Krayola - Please try to contextualize the definitions of "perfection" and "harmony" with the definition of balance and the magnetic principle of attraction.

@ MyJoe -

This is utterly brilliant -

"No ('tis reply'd) the first Almighty Cause
Acts not by partial, but by gen'ral laws;
Th' exceptions few; some change since all began,
And what created perfect?" -- Why then Man?
If the great end be human Happiness,
Then Nature deviates; and can Man do less?
As much that end a constant course requires
Of show'rs and sun-shine, as of Man's desires;
As much eternal springs and cloudless skies,
As Men for ever temp'rate, calm, and wise.
If plagues or earthquakes break not Heav'n's design,
Why then a Borgia,(11) or a Catiline?(12)
Who knows but he, whose hand the light'ning forms,
Who heaves old Ocean, and who wings the storms,
Pours fierce Ambition in a Caesar's(13) mind,
Or turns young Ammon(14) loose to scourge mankind?
From pride, from pride, our very reas'ning springs;
Account for moral as for nat'ral things:

Man whines and whines for perfection and cannot recognise it even if it dwelt beneath his nose.

^^^ That is not fair David. I quoted the book of Acts in defense of what i was saying in that thread.

Please i do not want to derail this thread. I will return to that thread and revert there to your concerns.

^^^ Jesoul, the book of Daniel contains end time prophecies as well.

What do you make about the dream of the King of Babylon about a huge statue with feet of clay and other parts in bronze, gold and silver?

Do you remember Daniel's interpretation of that Dream?

Now the image above is an image of nature at work.

Let us reflect on it for an instant.

We have all these ideas about the love of God and many a sincere soul has wondered why “evil” exists and why “bad things happen to good people” and other such.

Let us observe the natural world.

The Zebra in the picture would not consider the happening depicted there as “fair” or “right” in any degree.

Does this tell us anything about the nature of God’s principles as it relates to Harmony in Creation?

It tells us –

1. That God’s love is not mushy. God is no lovy-dovy teddy bear. God is strict, unrelenting and exact.

2. That God’s “Harmony” deals with the “Harmony” of entire systems – and not necessarily individuals. God being at the summit of creation sees the “Big Picture” – thus the terrible picture above in God’s sight represents not a tragic and brutal scene but a balanced ecosystem with an orderly food-chain in which cattle population is carefully controlled. 

3. That things that may appear brutal or evil – (such as the image above)  - may very well have a macro-effect on fostering the balance of all existence – which big picture cannot be seen by the victim or the individual but takes effect at the level of one who has a bird’s eye view.

4. That there is a power dynamic inherent in existence and which devolves upon the laws of God: namely that embedded in existence is the eternal magnetic principle of plus and minus; thus implying “more” and “less” – and thus that active positivity – which is magnetic strength must continuously subsume  passive negativity. Part of the implication of this is the picture you see in the post above and this rule also manifests itself in human affairs by the domination of the strong over the weak and the continuous despoil and oppression of the majority by powerful minorities.

5. That thus a proper understanding of the word “harmony” may actually exclude such concepts as absolute peace. There is harmony in the wild: and everything keys into every other thing perfectly. This does not mean that animals will not fight and kill each other – or eat each other for food. The continuous competition inherent in the wild keeps the best species surviving and eliminates weaknesses in the ecosystem – the system – strife and all – is thus perfect and Harmonious.

6. That seeming “good” and seeming “evil” are thus balancing elements necessary in the workings of Divinity.

Ladies, gentlemen - We live in a perfect world.

Have a look at this -

_{*blushing* . . . thanks for your sarcasm . . .} . . . but i am still going to hijack the thread.

There have been about three or more Earthquakes within the last six weeks alone. . .

I am worried that the Earth may be entering a period of heightened siesmic instability. . .

My worry is not helped by the fact that I have had a dream THREE TIMES in recent weeks showing the same image. . . a large ball of fire in the sky hurtling towards the earth. . .

I just hope that Mayan calender has nothing to it sha. . . because the planetary alignment comes up in 2012, and the last time there was such an alignment 70% of living species went extinct. . .

JeSoul:
Please this topic is mostly for christians, but thoughts and opinions from other really cool people like MyJoe are welcome.

Is this an attempt to exclude me from this thread? ? ?

Are you insinuating that i am not a "really cool person? ? ?"

How dare you.

For this I am going to hijack this thread.

Ok.

noetic16:
1. 1 corth 1:18 states that the gospel is silly to those who perish. . . . , the silliness of the above is not a new thing.

This can equally be used to defend the Hindu idea that cows are divine, no?

That idea sounds silly to the non-Hindu. . . perhaps we can conclude that the Hindu “gospel” is “silly” to you who will perish? ? ? ?

2. do u think that man and all that is in existence is in perfect harmony with its creator? if yes. . why?.
if no. . . why not?

No: man is clearly not in perfect harmony with the purposes of the creator, in my view.

I believe that the reason is simply man’s exercise of his freewill in a negative direction.

Nevertheless I am shortly opening a thread on what may really be considered harmony. Do you think there is harmony in the wild?

3. would I be wrong to trace your position (as to the silliness of the gospel) to your preconceived notions. perhaps u assumed that if the world needed redemption it should be by simple spiritual grace (at the discretion of the creator) without the need for a human sacrifice like Jesus. . .

Well there you have it. . . you have plainly said – “the need for a HUMAN SACRIFICE” –

Do you believe God to be a ritualist who is into human sacrifices? ? ? ? ?

what ever your preconceived notions are (that serve as a basis for your belief in the silliness of the xtian gospel) would it not totally contradict your ontological belief in God, to assume that u have a better idea than God? since deism accepts the existence of God. . .how then do u explain your ability to have better plans than Him?

I can be certain that human sacrifice is not a plan that would emanate from God.

4. can u think of a seventh organ necessary for man to survive on this planet. why do u think the creator did not create this organ?

I can think of no such organ. And this proves the point that the creator has set his laws in motion and made a perfect creation which works according to his laws.

One of such laws is the law of Karma – which Jesus himself affirmed in saying “verily verily I say unto you, whatsoever a man sows, the same shall he reap.”

It is thus impossible that God would violate his own perfect laws by bringing someone else to reap the evil that man has sown through a human sacrifice.

Barbaric ain’t it?

^^^ With reference to the admonition from MyJoe. . .I hereby withdraw that insinuation.

Inesqor - please i await you to address the topic.

Thanks.

I would like to invite some of my Atheist friends on this Forum to consider what might actually turn out to be the best path for the Atheist - Buddhism.

My conception of the worship of God does not necessarily entail the conventional methods of worship - such as Praise, Prayer, etcetera.

For me the worship of God simply involves a pursuit of harmony and love and perhaps also a living passion for the wonder of existence.

Thus, strictly speaking, it is possible, in my view, for the Atheist mind to actually be a better "worshipper" of God than a Theist who does not actually practive love of his fellow man.

Nevertheless i digress.

Buddhism as a religion does not make reference to God. It centres around connecting with "the self" and rising above the mundane cycle of desire inherent in existence and thereby attaining an elevated consciousness (Nirvana) or, as it is said - becoming an "awakened" or "elightened one."

The Four Noble Truths were set forth by the Buddha, Siddharta Gautama shortly after he attained the enlightened state.

They are -

1.The Nature of Suffering (Dukkha):

"This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering."[8][9]

2.Suffering's Origin (Dukkha Samudaya):

"This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination."[8][9]

3.Suffering's Cessation (Dukkha Nirodha):

"This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it."[8][9]

4.The Path (Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada Magga) Leading to the Cessation of Suffering:

"This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."[10][11]


This seems reasonable, lucid, simple and pure.

In this thread let's discuss the merits of Buddhism, and perhaps see if this is not the ideal worldview for all of us afterall. . .

Atheists, come on board. . . Don't worry, it says nothing about God!

^^^ Are you feeling left out?

^^^ Haha. Let us not derail this thread. I will go back to that thread and respond to you shortly

Inesqor  -

Please share with us your views on the salvation of non-christians - let us use the other great monotheistic religion - Islam - as a reference point.

Thank you.

@ Karo93. . .

My Nairaland experience has taught me a few things - one of them is the extent of the power of the blindfold of dogma.

There is NOTHING YOU CAN DO OR SAY: NO MATTER HOW REASONABLE, NOT EVEN IF IT IS RIGHT THERE IS THE BIBLE THAT WILL CONVINCE A TRINITARIAN THAT JESUS THE JEWISH CARPENTER IS NOT ALMIGHTY GOD. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

This thread has run 10 pages already and the pointers are starkly clear to those who choose to see. . . that Jesus cannot be God - not biblically, and not even by simple logical inference without reference to the bible.

I advise you to drop the subject. Your last post was particularly incisive: the whole idea of power being "given" to the son is more than enough to conclude the debate - it is obvious that giver and receiver cannot be the same person.

Just leave it - no one will listen. You will only get unnecessary insults for your efforts.

Stay blessed.

And how did Noetic suddenly arrive on this thread?

I am permanently convinced: David is Noetic

How come Noetic's absence on this forum also coincided with your absence? ? ?

Were you both busy together?

OOOOOOOOPPPPPPPS!!!

^^^ Thus showing only 2 requirements -

1. Fear God

2. Work Righteousness (which is another word for harmony)

^^^ Here is the Biblical authourity for my proposition -

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him;" (Acts 10: 34)

David abeg confess jaare. . . Are you noetic? ? ?

davidylan:
what is your own alternative?

What is wrong with the following -

1. Recognise God exists

2. Recognise the purpose of God as Harmony for Creation

3. Pursue Harmony and Humanism

Haha ilosiwajuice. . .

U wud not believ I am downing a BIG STOUT HERE!

Jus came back to from Dubai dis afternoon and I suffered one week of crappy oyibo food and tasteless alcohol.

As i enter house my mama hammer me one hot eba with okro and fresh fish. . .

I dey fantastico. . .

Really? Ok, I apologize. I herewith admit everything i have said in the past to be nonsensical.

I will now employ true reason and common sense.

In that regard, here is my new common-sensical realization -

A. God Exists.

B. He has a Jewish Son

C. The Jewish Son was born by a woman who did not copulate prior to that

D. The Jewish son is God

E. The Jewish son was judicially sentenced and murdered by the Romans

F. That murder results in mankind being redeemed - if they will embrace the Jewish son

G. Those who do not embrace the Jewish son will go to a place of Torment called Hell


Do i Sound commonsensical and reasonable enough now?

Suhaibu:
@Deepsight Welcome to Islam. May Allah be with you.

Abeg o. I am not a muslim.