A rational religion...?

[rasetsu]

Doing a smash-up job of refraining and desisting, Rum.

[rasetsu]

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Talk about passing your genes on!

[Svartalf]

Needs more attention-whoring.

It's about religion, how much more do you think it can hold?

[Svartalf]

Needs more Valium.

Who had dart gun duty today?

Wait, I thought the dart gun was loaded with ketamin

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Needs more Valium.

Who had dart gun duty today?

Wait, I thought the dart gun was loaded with ketamin

Hawkeye loaded us one of his dial-a-round quivers.

[rasetsu]

Hope you brought extra darts.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Hope you brought extra darts.

In the one-, two- and four-quart sizes.

[rasetsu]

This sutra is known for its extensive instruction on the concept and usage of skillful means – (Sanskrit: upāya, Japanese: hōben), the seventh paramita or perfection of a Bodhisattva – mostly in the form of parables. It is also one of the first sutras to use the term Mahāyāna, or "Great Vehicle", Buddhism. Another concept introduced by the Lotus Sutra is the idea that the Buddha is an eternal entity, who achieved nirvana eons ago, but willingly chose to remain in the cycle of rebirth (samsara) to help teach beings the Dharma time and again. He reveals himself as the "father" of all beings and evinces the loving care of just such a father. Moreover, the sutra indicates that even after the Parinirvana (apparent physical death) of a Buddha, that Buddha continues to be real and to be capable of communicating with the world.

The idea that the physical death of a Buddha is the termination of that Buddha is graphically refuted by the movement and meaning of the scripture, in which another Buddha, who passed long before, appears and communicates with Shakyamuni himself. In the vision of the Lotus Sutra, Buddhas are ultimately immortal. A similar doctrine of the eternality of Buddhas is repeatedly expounded in the tathāgatagarbha sutras, which share certain family resemblances with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is a hybrid of three sources of teachings:

1/ Bon tradition, a pre-Buddhist religion (gods worship, magic beliefs,… etc…).
2/ Tantrism (Tantra : Hindu based doctrines aimed at self-realisation),
3/ Mahayana Buddhism : Heart Sutra and Prajna Paramita Sutra.

Having non-Buddhist influence (of Bon and Tantra), Tibetan Buddhism is considered as distinct from other schools of Buddhism. However, it can be regarded as a Mahayana branch because of incorporating a central belief in Bodhisattva practice and attaining Enlightenment.The practice of Tibetan Buddhism includes meditation, chanting and various esoteric rituals depending on the level of spiritual advancement of practitioner, the highest of which is the stage of Lama or High Priest. Another name for Tibetan Buddhism is Vajrayana Teachings, transmitted today in all sects of the tradition.



Tibetan chant: Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum:

TIbetan Buddhism has a common link with Nichiren Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra through its main mantra, implicitly referring to the “Law of the Lotus” [i.e. The Lotus Sutra].

The literal meaning of the Tibetan mantra is : “Praise to the jewel in the Lotus”.

Nichiren’s chant: “Devotion to the Law of the Lotus” (Nam-Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo)

was derived from the title of the text of the Lotus Sutra. The Tibetan mantra, however, cannot be traced to a precise origin. Researchers attribute its emergence to the mythological figure of Bodhisattva (Avalokitasvara), called also Bodhisattva “Perceiver of World Sounds”. This Bodhisattva (being a central a pillar of Tibetan Buddhism) appears in the Lotus Sutra as one of the functions operating within the workings of the Mystic Law.

— Comparison Between Tibetan and SGI Buddhism

In religious terms, the Dalai Lama is believed by his devotees to be the rebirth of a long line of tulkus who are considered to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteśvara. Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is thought of as the latest reincarnation of a series of spiritual leaders who have chosen to be reborn in order to enlighten others. The Dalai Lama is often thought to be the leader of the Gelug School, but this position belongs officially to the Ganden Tripa, which is a temporary position appointed by the Dalai Lama who, in practice, exerts much influence. The line of Dalai Lamas began as a lineage of spiritual teachers; the 5th Dalai Lama assumed political authority over Tibet.

Anybody see any conflict between the idea of an immortal being as the father of all beings and biological evolution? Cognitive science?


Rum, you've asserted that you are knowledgable about Buddhism and you are also the person who posted the OP in which you quoted the Dalai Lama.

What is your chosen reconciliation between the claims of the Lotus sutra and biological evolution. Any corrections to the summary provided by Wikipedia are also welcome.

However, there are limits to the power of science to critique Buddhist dharma. For the Dalai Lama, modern science can critique Buddhist claims about the material realm, the realm of matter and energy, but not the non-material realm – the realm of the inner, subjective experiences of images, feelings, and awareness. If one were to claim scientific reasons for rejecting the possibility of the Buddhist idea of rebirth (or reincarnation), by pointing to the fact that most people do not claim memories of a past-life, or to psychological evidence of the mind's dependence upon the physical organ called the brain, then, the Dalai Lama argues, one has entered into an realm that scientific method and instruments cannot competently study. If Buddhist scriptures describe material realities that are not literally true, then that fact should be acknowledged. Thus, when it comes to non-material realities (like ideas, thoughts, and consciousness), scientific claims about such realities, though accurate in some ways, do not and cannot fully describe what those realities are.

The Dalai Lama argues that the particular forms of reason and experience that modern science values places a limit on the domain of scientific authority:
“Science deals with that aspect of reality and human experience that lends itself to a particular method of inquiry susceptible to empirical observation, quantification and measurement, repeatability, and intersubjective verification — more than one person has to be able to say, ‘Yes, I saw the same thing. I got the same results.' So legitimate scientific study is limited to the physical world, including the human body, astronomical bodies, measurable energy, and how structures work.”

— A Buddhist Perspective on Science, Evolution, and Naturalism: Implications for Buddhist-Christian Dialogue

Last I checked, the brain is a part of the human body. Does one have to embrace a form of dualism to consistently maintain the [Tibetan] Buddhist worldview? Rum?

[Jason]

Dood.

[pinkfld42]

Any other "religions" willing to step up to that plate?

I'm not sure that any religion stepped up to the plate, but I can tell you that individuals from all major religions would willingly step up to the plate and have a similar attitude toward science and their specific religion.

[FBM]

Any other "religions" willing to step up to that plate?

I'm not sure that any religion stepped up to the plate, but I can tell you that individuals from all major religions would willingly step up to the plate and have a similar attitude toward science and their specific religion.

You'll get no argument from me there. Welcome to Ratz.

[pinkfld42]

Any other "religions" willing to step up to that plate?

I'm not sure that any religion stepped up to the plate, but I can tell you that individuals from all major religions would willingly step up to the plate and have a similar attitude toward science and their specific religion.

You'll get no argument from me there. Welcome to Ratz.

Thanks, FBM! Are you a fellow Pink Floyd fan?

[FBM]

Any other "religions" willing to step up to that plate?

I'm not sure that any religion stepped up to the plate, but I can tell you that individuals from all major religions would willingly step up to the plate and have a similar attitude toward science and their specific religion.

You'll get no argument from me there. Welcome to Ratz.

Thanks, FBM! Are you a fellow Pink Floyd fan?

And then some!

[cronus]