To all Christian members

[gashin]

It's not logical to ask questions? Christianity has been the stable base on which Western society was built - it has to be somewhat correct in its moral teachings.

I don't think pissing off Christians, who make up a large minority of this board, is good marketing This is a question of faith, which I lack, and which is why I'm asking Christians.

Regarding faith - I've noticed that the majority of Christians were raised from birth in Christian faith. Most of my friends/family are faithful Christians since birth while my atheist friends were not raised in a religious environment. Is faith environmental/social conditioning or is it an actual concept that a person believes in or feels?

I'll admit I did have faith - but it was destroyed by personal experiences and observations of the suffering of others in which a God did not seem to have any role in causing or resolving.

gashin, two comments. You have stated the original intent of this thread several times through four pages. For someone who claims to be logical and a critical thinker, stating "I want to believe in Jesus. It's just I can't. Why do you believe in him?" makes no sense. I think you basically know what problem(s) is bothering you in your life and what you believe, but you are not yet ready to make that jump to accept your own decision or you have not found that one thing that is missing to make you whole.

Second, you are a pretty active forum supplier/member/sponsor and start many threads. Is this part of your marketing plan?

Lastly, on faith. The best definition of faith I ever heard was from Father Mulcahey in the TV series M.A.S.H. - "Faith is the belief in unseen things". While not a very scientific, it certainly describes something most all of us have experienced whether it be a faith in a religion, faith that an apple will always fall to the ground from a tree, faith that the driver of an oncoming care is not going to veer into you or faith in a loving relationship.

And no, I am not a Christian nor spiritual.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

No. I want to believe in Jesus. It's just I can't. Why do you believe in him? Throw away all the doctrine and give me examples of how he has helped you in your life.

Hi Gashin,

What is it that you want to believe about Jesus?

There's so much that I believe about Jesus that I don't think I could write it all down in a years time while writing full time non-stop.

What I think and believe may or may not be true to some people, but I think we all have our own personal walks that will eventually lead us all to the same realizations.

Anyway, what is the "in" that you want to believe in Jesus about?

Sorry for my obtuseness.

 

[gashin]

Basically it's this - Jesus taught great things (some teachings that are very similar to Buddhist teachings regarding compassion) but I can't believe that he was the son of God or that there even is a God because I can't see/feel/touch them. I can't take the Bible as we know it today seriously, because it can't be accurate - it's been translated hundreds of times over thousands of years by humans in languages that have changed significantly. How have you experienced Jesus in your own life?

Hi Gashin,

What is it that you want to believe about Jesus?

There's so much that I believe about Jesus that I don't think I could write it all down in a years time while writing full time non-stop.

What I think and believe may or may not be true to some people, but I think we all have our own personal walks that will eventually lead us all to the same realizations.

Anyway, what is the "in" that you want to believe in Jesus about?

Sorry for my obtuseness.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Hello Gashin,

Thank you for your response.

Basically it's this - Jesus taught great things (some teachings that are very similar to Buddhist teachings regarding compassion)...

Yes, they would be very similar. They are brothers afterall, imo. Before responding to your thread I did try to find this story I had read about a Buddhist student returning to his monastery (is that what they are for Buddhist monks?) to tell his teacher about a most amazing teaching he had run across during a travel he took. Alas, could not find it. Perhaps you have heard or read of it? The story ends with the Buddhist disciple being told by his teacher: "That is what I have been trying to teach you for 20 years."

And the teaching the disciple was so excited about was due to a one line quote attributed to Jesus.

...but I can't believe that he was the son of God or that there even is a God because I can't see/feel/touch them.

In one of your previous responses you wrote: My current (Zen) Buddhist beliefs consist of the following:

All concepts of reality arise from the mind and are therefore inaccurate.
All suffering comes from attachment to and obsession over these false concepts.
Everything is one - there is no dichotomy between object and subject because the subject always creates an incomplete and inaccurate concept of the object.
There is no life after death because there is no evidence of life after death.

Apply the quoted part to that which has been bolded... especially that part about everything being one. You, I believe, are part and parcel part of the object. Just because you, the subject, can not feel the object within you does not mean the object does not exist.

Follow?

Since I was asking you what it is that you want to believe about Jesus... is it that he was God? Again, thou art that... object and subject is all one.

I can't take the Bible as we know it today seriously, because it can't be accurate - it's been translated hundreds of times over thousands of years by humans in languages that have changed significantly.

I sincerely understand, truly.

What is also not widely known is that the bible is an occult book and that there are many levels of understanding to be had from each verse found therein.

How have you experienced Jesus in your own life?

As said earlier I could not tell quickly all that I have experienced/come to believe and etc, but let me just say, for now, that He taught me Buddhism. I hope that none find that too surprising. Afterall, Jesus did say that he had sheep from other folds (other than Israel).

P.S. I'm off to bed now. Be well, and I look forward to the discussion you have started here.

 

[gep]

Do you see how many different responses you get to your questions? That's how many answers there are and they will keep coming. I can't tell you why or what made me believe in God and Jesus Christ. It was a lifetime of learning and watching and living. I believe what I believe. Choose for yourself.

... But again you did not answer my question - how can you believe in what is in the current bible knowing full well that it may not be 100% accurate?

My belief is not in the book itself but in the philosophy and promises within. My faith tells me that even though mankind has had a hand in it's development, the life lessons and guides to redemption and the gifts of grace will allow me to be a good "sister" to the family of man.

My current (Zen) Buddhist beliefs consist of the following:

All concepts of reality arise from the mind and are therefore inaccurate.
All suffering comes from attachment to and obsession over these false concepts.
Everything is one - there is no dichotomy between object and subject because the subject always creates an incomplete and inaccurate concept of the object.
There is no life after death because there is no evidence of life after death.

Nothing that you have written here is diametrically opposed to the belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The only thing stopping you is taking the leap of faith. What's the big deal? You have nothing to lose.

These were truths I came to on my own based on my own interpretation of Buddhist teachings - I believe them to be true because I have experienced them subjectively and because there is objective scientific evidence supporting my beliefs.

OK, well, maybe it's not time for us to have the objective scientific proof of God's existence, of the grace that Christ's sacrifice has provided to those that believe in him. Maybe we are not enlightened enough to understand or maybe we need to "evolve" a little more. (ROFL!!! ) After all we used to think the world was flat until we found a way to prove that it was round. Patience, grasshopper.

My lack of belief in Christianity arose from the lack of evidence and the possible manipulation and misinterpretation of the original texts.

Well, a bit of skepticism isn't bad. One would not want to be mislead by false prophets. Keep reading and searching if it makes you feel better.

I guess I'm looking for answers from Christianity that will satisfy the facts that my study of Buddhism and science has led me to. I personally have found most contemporary Christian teachers to be intellectually shallow who rely on emotional rapture to explain why we should believe in Jesus and God. I am a critical thinker - I am looking for logical and well supported answers from Christianity to the daily phenomena that dominate our lives - because I really cannot feel this faith that Christians always tell me is the sole reason why they believe in what they believe.

It's just a label. Get past it and get to the meat of the belief and keep an open mind.

I'd get a mean Nun to smack you in the knuckles with a ruler every time you questioned her. If you paid 12$ an hour for her to do it, I'd bet you'd believe before long. lol

Those .....es! I hated them. One slapped me across the face because I didn't say "Yes Sister de Sade." I was in 2nd grade! And when I was 12 the Monsignor at my church told me not to attend the teen folk mass on Saturday if I was gonna wear blue jeans. So I stopped going. I still believe in God and Jesus Christ but the RCC can kiss my ...

Don't use me as a role model hehe, I curse like a sailor and have been known to get "tore up from the floor up" (southern slang hehe). Modern churches with thier 5000 dollar plexiglass pulpits and hypocrytes that ooze greed make me want to vomit. I couldn't find the straight and narrow with a garmin. When I finally kick the bucket one day the pearly gates will pinch me in the ... if I make it in. Every time I set foot in a church they send the "God Squad" after me hehe. I am who I am (no popeye jokes) I've accepted I'm lazy and I'm cool with that. I won't get on my soapbox and tell ppl how to live their lives, when I'm not willing to do the same.

You sound like me!!!

If you just have faith the size of a mustard seed, ask God to help you believe and he will. The Bible says God is the giver of faith but that we must respond to it. He will set you free with the Truth......He is the only one that can do it.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Someone's knocking at your door....turn your music down. (LOL!)

Hello Gashin,

Thank you for your response.

Yes, they would be very similar. They are brothers afterall, imo. Before responding to your thread I did try to find this story I had read about a Buddhist student returning to his monastery (is that what they are for Buddhist monks?) to tell his teacher about a most amazing teaching he had run across during a travel he took. Alas, could not find it. Perhaps you have heard or read of it? The story ends with the Buddhist disciple being told by his teacher: "That is what I have been trying to teach you for 20 years."

And the teaching the disciple was so excited about was due to a one line quote attributed to Jesus.



In one of your previous responses you wrote: My current (Zen) Buddhist beliefs consist of the following:

All concepts of reality arise from the mind and are therefore inaccurate.
All suffering comes from attachment to and obsession over these false concepts.
Everything is one - there is no dichotomy between object and subject because the subject always creates an incomplete and inaccurate concept of the object.
There is no life after death because there is no evidence of life after death.

Apply the quoted part to that which has been bolded... especially that part about everything being one. You, I believe, are part and parcel part of the object. Just because you, the subject, can not feel the object within you does not mean the object does not exist.

Follow?

Since I was asking you what it is that you want to believe about Jesus... is it that he was God? Again, thou art that... object and subject is all one.



I sincerely understand, truly.

What is also not widely known is that the bible is an occult book and that there are many levels of understanding to be had from each verse found therein.



As said earlier I could not tell quickly all that I have experienced/come to believe and etc, but let me just say, for now, that He taught me Buddhism. I hope that none find that too surprising. Afterall, Jesus did say that he had sheep from other folds (other than Israel).

P.S. I'm off to bed now. Be well, and I look forward to the discussion you have started here.

Nicely put, let,there,be,vaping

 

[sparkomatic]

Hey gashin, When I read your first post I was a little concerned that you were just trying to snare someone into a debate. After reading through the thread it seems that the intent of your post is honest. It's a pretty tall order to ask anyone to say something that would make you believe in Jesus. I was raised Christian, but in adult life I often wonder if I believe only because it's what I was told and what I learned as a child, or if I truly believe. I try to apply logic and absolute fact in all that I do, and very often that conflicts with my faith. However, here's how I apply logic into my faith:

- This universe must have a creator, an architect. There's just too much order and complexity and art in everything around us. I just cannot fathom that all the planets, stars, this earth, and all its living creatures are the result of some explosion or accident.
- Therefore, if we and everything around us were created and not simply the result of random occurrences, that creator (God) must have a reason and purpose for us.
- If we were created with purpose, then the creator must want to communicate that purpose to us in some way.
- For as much intelligence (or lack thereof) as we humans have, there's no way we could comprehend the enormity and thinking of our creator. Our creator, knowing this, must know this and have found a way to communicate our purpose to us at a level in which we can understand and grasp. I feel that He has done this in Jesus. The teachings of Jesus and the Bible serve as our manual of sorts - the Wiki that our creator setup so that we're not completely lost in this place He created.

I don't know that anyone has asked me before "How do I believe in Jesus/Christianity?" That question really exposes my lack of confidence in providing a solid answer. I don't think I would say "read the Bible" necessarily in my opinion. The word of God and the teachings of Jesus are no doubt present in the good book, but it is such a hard read. I still struggle with it. The word of God is there but it was written down by the hand of man, and translated as well, and there's certainly plenty in it that's confusing and some contradiction... My best advice would be to find a Christian church in your area that has a welcoming and non-judgmental congregation and a solid, intelligent pastor that can decipher and explain the Bible's teaching in an engaging and easy to understand way. Keep your mind and heart (yes, "heart" metaphorically speaking) open, and just listen. Go back the next week, and the next, and listen and immerse yourself with it. I think that if you take those steps, the faith will come. Hope that helps you in some way. As far as my personal experience with Jesus, I have never seen Him, nor have I heard His voice, but I do know that in times of fear and struggle, I've prayed and asked for His mercy, forgiveness, and guidance, and every single time I have felt an unexplainable rush of peace and confidence within myself. Could my mind just be playing tricks on me? Sure... But I choose to believe that something larger than myself or anyone else is giving me that peace and strength.

Best wishes to you and your pursuit to find your faith. If you get it all figured out one day, drop me a line and clue me in because I certainly have more questions than answers. And anyone else of a different faith please do not take any offense to my words or try to lure me into a debate. I'm not a biblical scholar and I'd be no match for you. I'm just hoping that my words are helpful in some way.

 

[gep]

Well said, sparkomatic.


Everyday, I find new answers and then more questions. But I keep plugging along and standing strong.

 

[Darkest]

I am a Christian because it works for me and has repeatedly worked in my life. I believe a relationship with God is a personal one, and has nothing to do with what everyone tells you or tries to force on you.

Why don't you try what I did, get on your knees and pray "Lord, if you are really there, prove yourself to me" Then stand back and watch what happens in your life.

I believe there is one God, and many people see him in many different ways, I don't worry about all the discourse and fighting, or what others chose to believe, that has nothing to do with my personal relationship with God and for me, that is through Jesus Christ.

Just my two cents.

 

[Logan4_uk]

......so who created god and so on.......,,,the more i try and think about it the more confuded i get. I think we are better off not thinking about it to much and believe what you personally want to believe.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Do you see how many different responses you get to your questions? That's how many answers there are and they will keep coming. I can't tell you why or what made me believe in God and Jesus Christ. It was a lifetime of learning and watching and living. I believe what I believe. Choose for yourself.

Yes, people believe what they decide to believe, or not. As with anything, individuals will be at different stages in their walk/path, with some finding certain issues/points to be held to more tightly than other issues/points. A result, no doubt, of their own personal understanding/s.

Nicely put, let,there,be,vaping

Thank you.

 

[pattyjo]

If I were you I would find a Bible believing church in your area and go Listen to the Preacher, Hearing the Word is how one comes to believe.

 

[gashin]

Hello Gashin,

Thank you for your response.



Yes, they would be very similar. They are brothers afterall, imo. Before responding to your thread I did try to find this story I had read about a Buddhist student returning to his monastery (is that what they are for Buddhist monks?) to tell his teacher about a most amazing teaching he had run across during a travel he took. Alas, could not find it. Perhaps you have heard or read of it? The story ends with the Buddhist disciple being told by his teacher: "That is what I have been trying to teach you for 20 years."

And the teaching the disciple was so excited about was due to a one line quote attributed to Jesus.

Very possible - Buddhism is supposed to be an open religion and non-dogmatic, although most contemporary Buddhist institutions/teachings contradict this - which is why I study Zen Buddhism which lacks a doctrine.

In one of your previous responses you wrote: My current (Zen) Buddhist beliefs consist of the following:

All concepts of reality arise from the mind and are therefore inaccurate.
All suffering comes from attachment to and obsession over these false concepts.
Everything is one - there is no dichotomy between object and subject because the subject always creates an incomplete and inaccurate concept of the object.
There is no life after death because there is no evidence of life after death.

Apply the quoted part to that which has been bolded... especially that part about everything being one. You, I believe, are part and parcel part of the object. Just because you, the subject, can not feel the object within you does not mean the object does not exist.

Follow?

But it can also mean that what others say exists, may only exist to them.

Since I was asking you what it is that you want to believe about Jesus... is it that he was God? Again, thou art that... object and subject is all one.

So using Buddhist and scientific understanding of perception, a belief in a higher power can be completely subjective.

I sincerely understand, truly.

What is also not widely known is that the bible is an occult book and that there are many levels of understanding to be had from each verse found therein.

So I should just view the Bible as a book of metaphors for guidance - this is identical to what Buddhist teachers preach. Try understanding The Tibetan Book of the Dead .

As said earlier I could not tell quickly all that I have experienced/come to believe and etc, but let me just say, for now, that He taught me Buddhism. I hope that none find that too surprising. Afterall, Jesus did say that he had sheep from other folds (other than Israel).

P.S. I'm off to bed now. Be well, and I look forward to the discussion you have started here.

[/quote]
Buddha's and Jesus' teachings are similar in morality but in the goal they are total opposites. The goal of morality in Buddhism is to achieve perfect and complete awareness free from material, social, emotional, and even self-attachment, while Jesus taught us to be moral to please God and to live with him in heaven. Thus, I still find it difficult to combine the two beyond their moral teachings.

Thanks for your input!

 

[gashin]

Hey gashin, When I read your first post I was a little concerned that you were just trying to snare someone into a debate. After reading through the thread it seems that the intent of your post is honest. It's a pretty tall order to ask anyone to say something that would make you believe in Jesus. I was raised Christian, but in adult life I often wonder if I believe only because it's what I was told and what I learned as a child, or if I truly believe. I try to apply logic and absolute fact in all that I do, and very often that conflicts with my faith. However, here's how I apply logic into my faith:

- This universe must have a creator, an architect. There's just too much order and complexity and art in everything around us. I just cannot fathom that all the planets, stars, this earth, and all its living creatures are the result of some explosion or accident.
- Therefore, if we and everything around us were created and not simply the result of random occurrences, that creator (God) must have a reason and purpose for us.
- If we were created with purpose, then the creator must want to communicate that purpose to us in some way.
- For as much intelligence (or lack thereof) as we humans have, there's no way we could comprehend the enormity and thinking of our creator. Our creator, knowing this, must know this and have found a way to communicate our purpose to us at a level in which we can understand and grasp. I feel that He has done this in Jesus. The teachings of Jesus and the Bible serve as our manual of sorts - the Wiki that our creator setup so that we're not completely lost in this place He created.

The problem I have with the above proof is that the universe is NOT perfect. Our environment may seem designed for our survival but this only arises from the fact that we developed as life as a result of these conditions and thus we necessarily view our environment as being conducive to life. For example, our perception of what seems to be designed for our own survival is far different from the perception of a perfect world by a deep-sea fish that cannot survive direct sunlight and even relatively low oxygen levels. Another problem I have with the theory of design is that our environment and ourselves are not perfectly designed - natural disasters kill thousands of people every year while naturally arising diseases kill even more. Another example I find that baffles the theory of the intelligent creation of humans and other creatures is that we are genetically programmed with several anatomical and physiological structures that are detrimental to our survival and well-being - such as the imperfectly designed vertebrae we have that results in chronic back pain for hundreds of millions of people throughout the world as well as our tendencies to develop cancers and neurological disorders.
Thus from a scientific perspective, life may have indeed been a random result of random occurences - the fact that we think it was designed arises from our awareness of our existence within the context of these occurences.

I don't know that anyone has asked me before "How do I believe in Jesus/Christianity?" That question really exposes my lack of confidence in providing a solid answer. I don't think I would say "read the Bible" necessarily in my opinion. The word of God and the teachings of Jesus are no doubt present in the good book, but it is such a hard read. I still struggle with it. The word of God is there but it was written down by the hand of man, and translated as well, and there's certainly plenty in it that's confusing and some contradiction... My best advice would be to find a Christian church in your area that has a welcoming and non-judgmental congregation and a solid, intelligent pastor that can decipher and explain the Bible's teaching in an engaging and easy to understand way. Keep your mind and heart (yes, "heart" metaphorically speaking) open, and just listen. Go back the next week, and the next, and listen and immerse yourself with it. I think that if you take those steps, the faith will come. Hope that helps you in some way. As far as my personal experience with Jesus, I have never seen Him, nor have I heard His voice, but I do know that in times of fear and struggle, I've prayed and asked for His mercy, forgiveness, and guidance, and every single time I have felt an unexplainable rush of peace and confidence within myself. Could my mind just be playing tricks on me? Sure... But I choose to believe that something larger than myself or anyone else is giving me that peace and strength.

I'm planning on taking your advice and start attending Church again. If I don't come to faith, maybe I'll come to an understanding of why people have faith.

Best wishes to you and your pursuit to find your faith. If you get it all figured out one day, drop me a line and clue me in because I certainly have more questions than answers. And anyone else of a different faith please do not take any offense to my words or try to lure me into a debate. I'm not a biblical scholar and I'd be no match for you. I'm just hoping that my words are helpful in some way.

Hopefully! Thanks!

 

[gashin]

So you have personal experiences that reinforce your beliefs. For me it was the opposite - it was the lack of personal experience and observing the lack of divine intervention in daily events that destroyed my faith. I tried praying as you said but still I find nothing....

I am a Christian because it works for me and has repeatedly worked in my life. I believe a relationship with God is a personal one, and has nothing to do with what everyone tells you or tries to force on you.

Why don't you try what I did, get on your knees and pray "Lord, if you are really there, prove yourself to me" Then stand back and watch what happens in your life.

I believe there is one God, and many people see him in many different ways, I don't worry about all the discourse and fighting, or what others chose to believe, that has nothing to do with my personal relationship with God and for me, that is through Jesus Christ.

Just my two cents.

 

[gashin]

You're probably right...

......so who created god and so on.......,,,the more i try and think about it the more confuded i get. I think we are better off not thinking about it to much and believe what you personally want to believe.

 

[gashin]

Do you see how many different responses you get to your questions? That's how many answers there are and they will keep coming. I can't tell you why or what made me believe in God and Jesus Christ. It was a lifetime of learning and watching and living. I believe what I believe. Choose for yourself.

I want to choose Christianity but I cannot make the leap of faith. Maybe I should stop trying and just be a Buddhist-Christian who doesn't believe in a God but does believe in the moral teachings of Jesus.

Buddhist teachings are in conflict with Christian teachings in that there is an objective reality in Christianity that determines right or wrong and Jesus taught the morality that we must adopt to enter the Kingdom of God. In contrast, Buddhism teaches that we cannot trust our reality because of our limited mental and behavioral patterns. It strives for achieving perfect awareness through the rejection of conception, emotion, and attachment. This is the sole reason for Buddhist moral teachings which surprisingly coincide with the moral teachings of Christianity,

 

[gashin]

I was a devout Catholic for most of my life and have listened to protestant and born-again pastors - the problem was I saw how imperfect the speakers were so it sort of corrupted my faith from hearing. However, I did strengthen my belief through personal study of the Bible which then dissolved when I learned about how much it may have changed from the original.... I think that the only way I will believe is through personal or objective experience of God and Jesus.

If I were you I would find a Bible believing church in your area and go Listen to the Preacher, Hearing the Word is how one comes to believe.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Hello Gashin,

But it can also mean that what others say exists, may only exist to them.

True. Fish only know life in water. Can't know life in air. To be able to know life beyond what we say exist, we must not only be willing to die (to self aka crucified into Christ), but to actually die to self and give up the false will that harms oneself and others.

So using Buddhist and scientific understanding of perception, a belief in a higher power can be completely subjective.

Beliefs are nearly always subjective. Few be they who know. Buddha knew but did not say. Jesus knew and said. Same result occurred... few be they who know.

So I should just view the Bible as a book of metaphors for guidance - this is identical to what Buddhist teachers preach.

The bible will speak to each person according to the level of understanding that they are at.

As for how you should view the bible, I am completely comfortable with letting each person come to their own view.

As for me, the bible also speaks of many mysteries and concealed secrets. When this level of understanding is gained, it is found that all religions are the same at their core.

Try understanding The Tibetan Book of the Dead .

I read it once online years ago. It was pretty wild. I think I will read it again before the year is out.

Buddha's and Jesus' teachings are similar in morality but in the goal they are total opposites. The goal of morality in Buddhism is to achieve perfect and complete awareness free from material, social, emotional, and even self-attachment, while Jesus taught us to be moral to please God and to live with him in heaven. Thus, I still find it difficult to combine the two beyond their moral teachings.

What is heaven but freedom from material, social, emotional and self-attachment? Does Zen teach/speak on Nirvana?

The differing goals, as you have stated, is only one of perception, imo.

Thanks for your input!

And yours!

 

[Skad]

A koan for you:

Jiun, a Shingon master, was a well-known Sanskrit scholar of the Tokugawa era. When he was young he used to deliver lectures to his brother students.

His mother heard about this and wrote him a letter:

"Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others. There is no end to information and commentation, glory and honor. I wish you would stop this lecture business. Shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part of the mountain. Devote your time to meditation and in this way attain true realization."

When it comes to spirituality, do not look to cues from others. Science and such things can be learned from others. Spirituality is meaningless unless it comes from within.

But what do I know; I'm just an old pagan.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

A koan for you:

Jiun, a Shingon master, was a well-known Sanskrit scholar of the Tokugawa era. When he was young he used to deliver lectures to his brother students.

His mother heard about this and wrote him a letter:

"Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others. There is no end to information and commentation, glory and honor. I wish you would stop this lecture business. Shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part of the mountain. Devote your time to meditation and in this way attain true realization."

~~~

When it comes to spirituality, do not look to cues from others. Science and such things can be learned from others. Spirituality is meaningless unless it comes from within.

But what do I know; I'm just an old pagan.

Wonderful story!

What do you know? I think you could be the mother who wrote that letter!