Out of the 3 basic flaws of human, ignorance is the real cause actually. For example based on your statement.
Buddhists are not ambitious and don't do marketing to spread like Christianity, so slowly many Buddhist followers esp the ignorant ones are easily converted by Christianity. I advise Buddhists to share more knowledge to their children to prevent them from being influenced and converted by others. Most Buddhists still think that they should be compassionate to others and let freedom of religion to their children and everyone. This is actually ignorance too. They don't realise that Christianity is using money to spread their religion. On your last part that those 2 religions tried to convert people so that everyone can go to heaven is the highest level of ignorance and greed. I always tell people not be cheated by such beliefs. If they really believe they can go to heaven, why didn't their leaders...like the priests and pastors commit suicide ?

Knowledge is the most precious and the best remedy for ignorance.
I always encourage people not to be selfish by keeping knowledge to themselves. They should share their knowledge to others. When we share knowledge to others, our knowledge will not be reduced. We lose nothing. In fact, we gain merits. This is the effect of karma, action and reaction. Science can't be wrong.

well..9/10 so called 'buddhists' who converted to other religions do not have a strong understanding of buddhism in the first place.. they are mere followers of buddhism tradition such as going to temples, burning incenses, praying etc. without actually understanding what Buddha had actually taught (i.e. 5 precepts, the noble path etc.).

buddhism is also a 'lonely' journey compared to christianity where they have cell groups and church attendance every weekend.. members of the church are always showered with attention week in week out so this is a huge attraction point to some people from other faiths as well..

Why is the name with the word "retreat" if you meant to discuss all about Buddhism ? At a glance people will think you are announcing an event like those meditation retreats.

This is what I meant by better marketing and most people, regardless of any religions, are ignorants. The smart ones will not need to be followers of any. They would have been the leaders. Buddhism need to repackage their practice if they do not wish to lose followers. Actually more non-Buddhists Chinese convert to Christianity compared to Buddhists Chinese. In Malaysia, as long as the Chinese worship any god or ancestors, they are classified as Buddhists. Actually they should not.
Buddhism should also simplify their lessons and make it clear to the new followers what's Buddhism is about right from day one. Many Chinese convert to Christian because they don't get what they pray and Christian easily mislead them over. Once inside Christianity, they know how to brainwash them to no-return. This is marketing. They teach their followers to condemn Buddhism and other religions, so that they cannot return back or go to Buddhism. Christianity also know how to make their religion easy, appealing and attractive. Being able to be forgiven once every 7 days and still able to go heaven is definitely more appealing than doing good and sacrifices. Who want to suffer in hell as in Taoism ?
Being ignorant, greedy or aversive in nature, everyone is sure to do something wrong. So using words like sins to frighten them and then God will forgive them a are so attractive. So is their Christmas. See how they make that day into a month long celebration such that even a non Christian celebrated unknowingly.

Christianity also know how to use psychology. Passing the money bag in front of everyone will make everyone tend to pay more money. They will be embarrass not to pay. With more money, they will be able to do more marketing events and even send people out to recruit more followers. Nowadays, elderly folks are getting more lonely and they know how to target on these elderly victims too.
Now in Malaysia, they are targeting on the foreign workers too as they are mostly lonely. The church in bukit bintang always have more Myanmar people now.

Buddhism should learn from them in these aspects.
So I always advise everyone to caution their family members and friends from being tricked and converted.

This post has been edited by simpletraveler: Nov 29 2014, 01:36 PM

Hello all.

No wonder the thread All about religion is so quiet leh, as every religionist are sticking to their own thread.

I am actually very busy one but will try to find time to contribute more.

Today, I like to share with you, a Q&A from the book Good Question, Good Answer by S.Dhammika

Good Luck and Fate

What did the Buddha teach about magic and fortune telling ?

He considered such practices as fortune telling, wearing magic charms for protection, fixing lucky sites for buildings and fixing lucky days to be useless superstitions and he expressly forbid his disciples to practice such things. He called all these things "low arts". He say;

"Whereas some religious men, while living of food provided by the faithful, make their living by such low arts, such wrong means of livelihood as palmistry, divining by signs, interpreting dreams....bringing good luck or bad luck....picking the lucky site for a building, the monk Gotama refrains from such low arts, such wrong means of livelihood. D.I, 9-12

Then why do people sometimes practice such things and believe in them?

Because of greed, fear and ignorance. As soon as people understand the Buddha's teachings they realize that a pure heart can protect them much better than bits of paper, scrap of metal and a few chanted words. They will then no longer rely on such things. In the teachings of the Buddha, it is honesty, kindness, understanding, patience, forgiveness, generosity, loyalty and other good qualities that truly protect you and give you true prosperity.

But some lucky charms do work, don't they ?

I know a person who makes a good living selling lucky charms. He claims that his charms can give good luck, prosperity and he guarantee that you will be able to predict winning lottery numbers. But if what he says is true then why isn't he himself a millionaire? If his lucky charms really work, then why doesn't he win the lottery week after week? The only luck he has is that there are people silly enough to buy his magic charms.

Everything that happens has a specific cause our causes and there must be some relationships between the cause and the effect.

Then is there such a thing as luck?

The dictionary defines luck as "believing that whatever happens, either good or bad, to a person in the course of events is due to chance, fate or fortune." The Buddha denied this belief completely.

Everything that happens has a specific cause or causes and there must be some relationship between the cause and the effect.

Becoming sick, for example, has specific causes. One must come into contact with germs and one's body must be weak enough for the germs to establish themselves.

There is a definite relationship between the cause (germs and the weakened body) and the effect (sickness) because we know that germs attack the organisms and give rise to sickness. But no relationship can be found wearing a piece of paper with words written on it and being rich or passing examinations.

Buddhism teaches that whatever happens does so because of a cause or causes and not due to luck, chance or fate.

People who are interested in luck are always trying to get something -- usually more money and wealth.

The Buddha teaches us that it is far more important to develop our hearts and minds.

He said:

Being deeply learned and skilled,
Being well-trained and using well-spoken words,
This is the best good luck.

To support your mother and father,
To cherish your spouse and child
And to have a simpler livelihood;
This is the best good luck.

Being generous, just, helping your relatives
And being blameless in one actions;
This is the best good luck.

To refrain from evil and from strong drink
And to be always steadfast in virtue;
This is the best luck.

Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude
And hearing the good Dhamma;
This is the best luck.

Sn.261-6
Sadhu sadhu sadhu
........................

Better than a hundred years lived in ignorance, without contemplation, is a single day of life lived in wisdom and deep contemplation.
DHAMMAPADA 111

Don't think too much about it.

4 Pak,

You robbed me !! I am about to continue this in my thread in Real World Issues to explain Placebo and Energy Effects.
To elaborate further for you, when people have certain belief and faith, even those it is blind or wrong, they develop a positive energy in their body and that helps them happier and eventually his life and work go smoother. Of course it is only temporary but it helps for awhile. Buddha did not explain this at his time.

This post has been edited by simpletraveler: Nov 29 2014, 02:45 PM

How about deleting the word "retreat" so people can find it easier and don't get misled ?

Don't see the need for that.

Don't get your knickers in a twist over it.

I think it fine enough, no need to delete, but could use an "s" attach to retreat though

This post has been edited by 4-Pak-TuLan: Nov 29 2014, 03:09 PM

???
Do you mean to imply that my teacher don't know but you do?

Are you sure Bo, bro?

Careful with what you trying to spread here, basically there is 2 types of teaching given by Buddha one is for lay people and another is for his disciples (nuns & monks). In some of his teaching, Buddha mentioned his teaching will be most on avoiding/away from suffering, create good karma & also achieve nirvana.

Buddha wish is to spread his teaching as much as possible so that those who willing to listen gain merit, could achieve nirvana and no longer need to rebirth in samsara/cycle of birth & death.

It will be useless and wasting time, if Buddha teach about faith & energy. Like what u already answered by yourself here, those positive energy "it is only temporary".

BTW isnt Buddha already said "Everything is impermanent" ?



This post has been edited by purplebuilder: Nov 29 2014, 04:29 PM

No. I imply that Buddha did not explain how placebo effects for the body. During his time, there is no such scientific knowledge yet.

It's the same like Buddha taught karma theory but karma was believed even in Hinduism and Chinese religions long before that. Hinduism and Taoism do believe in karma but it wasn't until Buddha's arrival that explained them but Buddha did not explain how karma and rebirth takes place in the body in a scientific manner, certainly not about placebo and energy effects.
I am trying to elaborate or explain for him so that people can really "understand" the biological effect and not just "believing" it.

Why do you think it is useless ?
By just claiming rebirth and karma effects, do you know others, especially the Christians make a mockery out of it calling it superstitious or nonsense ? Don't you agree that it will be better if it can be explained in a more scientific manner to let people "understand instead of believing" ? If one will to believe, better believe in god and heaven, so much easier.
Many people don't know yet karma is related to the scientific theory of action and reaction and rebirth is related to the theory of energy discovered by enstein.
It is time the Buddha's teachings make a step forward instead of staying stagnant or permanent. Buddha said nothing is impermanent, isn't it ?

This post has been edited by simpletraveler: Nov 29 2014, 06:13 PM

[simpletraveler,Nov 29 2014, 07:03 AM]tsk tsk tsk.
It's me, i am Wei chi lah, bro

Do you still remember that book
The Buddha explanation of the universe Bo, bro.

Who or which wiki told you that, my teacher, the Buddha didn't talk about karma and rebirth, man.

Btw, didn't you Google for this book, I thought I gave you the link.

Oh, and if by "explaining in scientific manner" you mean like as in using current scientific term, them yes but that book is a translation using modern language lah.

I believe majority of Buddhist here are theravadin, gotta be, reading them talk of retreats and and others. Most too, should most probably be attending talk and chanting.

They are in good hand already therefore, you need not have to worry much

And I really would not go that far as to used the sentence highlighted in bold above, brother.

Me think, the most appropriate claimed would be, not debunk by science

It just doesn't read and sound right. If you know what I mean. Simple.

This post has been edited by 4-Pak-TuLan: Nov 29 2014, 07:09 PM

guys, wanna ask what happen to the soul after the person committed suicide. need advise cause it happen to my relative and we really need to help him