Why and when have Buddhists been excluded from Freemasonry?
By what lodge ? I think it would probably be the Buddhist themselves that that decides if Buddhism is providing them with spiritual contentment!
if not, I would suggest that they are of the "laity", and are obviously searching for something more.
The Buddha means "Enlightened One". So therefore, it would not be imposible for those that are well versed in the Buddhist teachings to see the divine aspects within other religious deities- Dont forget, the Buddha was once a Hindu prince.
I don't think Atheism is the issue, its depends on what brand of Buddhist practice we speak of e.g. Zen, Ch'an. Some styles of teaching are more rigid than others, as per the Christian/ Islamic doctrines. i suppose the main difference is that one can follow the Buddhas teachings as philosophy, not dogma; Remember- BE A LIGHT UNTO YOURSELF!.

I agree with akjen in one respect -masonry has become a Boys-club for the powerful;but please remember that there are still those that join Masonry; who endeavor to understand its mystery, are of upright character, and discreetly bow to a God. They must also have tolerance for hermetic ritual.
This some would call sorcery etc, to others it is pantomime; creating psychological triggers for a deeper understanding of the rituals. It is believed to be subconsciously contained in our genetic memories from ancient times!!??
This will probably sound like a bunch of crap; I'll be happy to share my experiences!
Cheers

Originally posted by RuneSpider

Someone who only follows the philosophy, in and of itself, would not be admitted to Masonry. Masonry requires a belief in a higher power, whomever it may be.

A Christian Buddhist would be able ot be admitted, but a strict Buddhist would not be able to.

I don't think that it is possible to be a "Christian Buddhist" because the two paradigms are radically different. For example, the Christian believes in an immortal soul, in which the individual ego survives after death through salvation. The Buddhist must reject that claim.

However, being a Buddhist does not exclude one from Freemasonry. The only religious requirement is belief in a Supreme Being, regardless if one is Buddhist, Taoist, Presbyterian, or Muslim. The Buddha himself never directly answered if he himself believed in God, so who knows?

Originally posted by letthereaderunderstand


Don't forget what magic is. Illusion, not reality. Illusion is veiling reality to derive at a expected outcome. In reality anything is possible, in illusion the only outcome is wow and you are another dollar in debt.

Peace

"Magic" as defined in Hermetic philosophy is not illusionary, though. The definition of the word as used in Hermetics actually underscores the nature of reality. This is why Crowley, for example, used the spelling "Magick", in order to separate the Science of the Magi from illusion and charlatanism.

I honestly believe that all religions hold the thread of divinity. Yes , no-matter if Christian, Buddhist (if you take this as religion; as say the Tibetans or Zen Buddhists), Islam, Sikhism ,Hindu, etc.
They all hold MANS interpretation of Godhead.
Unfortunately; the merits of religious doctrine are then destroyed by particular intolerant individuals trying to point the finger at each other, and state that they are the only righteous ones etc. Also within religions there is faction infighting- don't want to name anyone in particular; you know who you are!
If one wants to put a label on it, and most want ( see point above)- one can call it "Chaoist".
Peter J. Carrol, Phil Hine to name a couple of authors, have both written interesting and intelligent volumes about the principles of Chaos.
Within this philosophy one can pick and choose the ideals of any part of any religion, and practice it, anytime they choose.
Although this can be blatantly malevolent, it can also be wonderfully positive!
Alas; for one to claim that there should only be good, only be light, only be happiness etc; there would be no extremes within human experience to gauge anything by.
I guess the thing is that certain people can be flexible enough to follow philosophies, yet regard something a God-head.I know this for a fact, because I do!!!
Its personal decision whether one chooses to be flexible or rigid, but I guess there are just some who cannot survive without others making decisions for them!!!BAAAAHH BAAAHHH, quick go run; you may miss the flock!!! ''''

And I might add, the only real money that I have spent - is the purchases to fill my own modest library, so that I may have information at hand to ponder, and formulate an ever developing outlook.
P.s: Masonry does reinforce the fact that one must be charitable- so therefore, one must support a charity of your choice.
Kind of like tithe I suppose?, except the individual is subdued into thinking they will see the money spent on the thing that they deem worthy of charity.
A conflict of interest for me; I believe that Charity Begins @ Home!

It's not about Freemasons, it's about the elite - TPTB. Some may be Freemasons, sure, but the majority of the (especially lower levels) are given the mushroom treatment just as the rest of us are.

The elite summon entities all the time, it's their little hobby. They don't want us knowing anything about it. That's why spiritual problems are usually considered "mental illness".

Originally posted by KRISKALI777
P.s: Masonry does reinforce the fact that one must be charitable- so therefore, one must support a charity of your choice.
Kind of like tithe I suppose?, except the individual is subdued into thinking they will see the money spent on the thing that they deem worthy of charity.
A conflict of interest for me; I believe that Charity Begins @ Home!

Freemasonry teaches Masons to have a charitable disposition, and says nothing about supporting a charity of your choice.

In my understanding (as a Mason), most Masons see charity as helping someone in need, not financially, but physically. For example, stopping to help someone with a flat tyre or doing the volunteering to do dishes at home, or giving someone a lift, even if its out of your way.

I believe that Masonry teaches us to think in a certain way about charity, which is beautifully illustrated by this short story:

“A young man was trying very hard to lift a heavy object. His friend saw him, and noting his struggle, asked him, “Are you using all your strength?” “Yes!, of course I am,” the young man impatiently exclaimed.
You are not”, his friend answered. “You haven’t asked me to help you.”

Thats a lovely tale.
In My experience when I was to become "Entered Apprentice', it was told to me in no uncertain terms, that one directive I was to fulfill, was to give (financially) to a charity of my choice! It was also said to me if I was unsure of which I should give to, then any Masonic based/approved charity was a good place to start.
You are right to say that in the ideals of Masonry it should be as such (story quoted above); however, I have not seen every lodge and/or how they operate.
Would it be insane to think that they dont all operate the same?
And yes I agree; the IDEALS of Masonry do teach that one should be a charitable individual. Unfortunately just like any IDEAL we must deal with the realities of human nature- that some do not know the meaning of charitable; et all.
I personally was referring to : Money as charity in my previous comment. Please forgive me if I did not make this clear! However, it really makes no difference.
Cheers