Buddhism's 3 evils: Ignorance, Hatred, Greed = Politics, Religion, Money

Growing up, I learned that there are certain things you're not supposed to talk about at social gatherings, Politics, Religion, and Money. Even if the party is intellectual graduates, you DEFINITELY don't talk about Politics, Religion, or Money. It's weird that even supposedly open minded people want to steer away from these topics.

And it's no surprise that Buddhism had 3 very similar terms that described all the evil of the world: Ignorance, Hatred, and Greed

Ignorance = Politics

Are politicians informed? Or in fact do they thrive on their ignorance? Previously, most if not the majority of politicians could say they were blissfully ignorant of the federal reserve, recently they are forced to accept this, but they are still ignorant of much of what is going on in the war on terrorism, and the congress has almost no access to the CIA, homeland security, or the TSA.

Hatred = Religion

George Orwell would be proud, religion which supposedly preaches love and forgiveness, is all about hatred. They must hate, they argue, because otherwise God would be mad. So their abusive housekeeper forces them to hate outsiders otherwise their "God" would punish them.

Greed = Money

This is an obvious one. The greed which is never ending is just like the money supply, and the more greed there is, the more money, and the more money, the more greed. It is an infinite cycle with no end in sight.

What is Buddhism's solution to these 3 evils? The eight fold path

Right View: Understand that these 3 evils are the cause of all the world's problems, so rather than running away scared from them, we should actively engage in intellectual discussion.

Right Intention: You should strive to free yourself from these evils, as opposed to feeding your greed and hatred.

Right Speech: Don't say things that lead to ignorance, hatred, or greed, rather say things that help to alleviate these menaces.

Right Action: Take positive action that leads to peace and tolerance rather than hatred.

Right livelihood: Do not live a lifestyle of greed and hatred

Right Effort: strive diligently towards these ideals.

Right Mindfulness: do not forget that these evils will arise again if you let your guard down

Right meditation: think well on how these evils can disrupt the world.

S&F - and well summarized insight into key errors of our time. Imagine the world if everyone in politics, religion and corporate circles woke up tomorrow and realized their ignorance, hate and greed were based on an illusion of separation, and that in reality they had been hating, hoarding, and ignorant towards their very selves.

Thank you for the thread.

reply to post by filosophia


Get a grip because your understanding of religion is utter bull#.

What an irony, you do know that Buddhism is a religion, right?

Originally posted by Kemal
What an irony, you do know that Buddhism is a religion, right?

Is it? I've always thought of it as more of a philosophy than a religion. We have much to learn from the tenets of Buddhism.

reply to post by Kemal


Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion. It is based on intellectual arguments rather than divine word of God.

reply to post by filosophia


no no no you cant do that, you cant say so and so is evil and so we should punish them, in other words the jews are no better than the germans, and the germans are no better than the arabs, and the arabs are no better than the mexicans, and the mexicans are no better than the americans and so we are all equal.

you give 2 different people the same book, it is them, its up to them how to interpret it and act on it.

religion doesnt spread hate, man spreads hate.

same thing goes for your other examples, not all rich are greedy and not all politicians are ignorant.

Buddhism teaches balance, i'm surprised you didnt mention that because all the things you mentioned above need balance to function properly.

reply to post by filosophia


There's two trains of thoughts regarding Buddha. Some believe him to be nothing but a mere mortal who attained Nirvana while others believed he was some sort of deity. And although not a god in the classical sense, the origins are at still supernatural.

From Wikipedia:

While Theravada Buddhists view the Buddha as a human being who attained nirvana or arahanthood, through human efforts,[13] some Mahayana Buddhists consider him an embodiment of the Dharmakaya, who was born for the benefit of others, and not merely a human being.[14] In addition, some Mahayana Buddhists worship their chief Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara[15] and hope to embody him.

Source

BTW: I like Buddhists. My best friend is one, and we particularly enjoy theology discussions. I've even been to the temple down the street from me. (Cool place.)

Ignorance Hate and Greed are synonymous with...

the United Police States of America

Originally posted by filosophia
Growing up, I learned that there are certain things you're not supposed to talk about at social gatherings, Politics, Religion, and Money. Even if the party is intellectual graduates, you DEFINITELY don't talk about Politics, Religion, or Money. It's weird that even supposedly open minded people want to steer away from these topics.

And it's no surprise that Buddhism had 3 very similar terms that described all the evil of the world: Ignorance, Hatred, and Greed

Ignorance = Politics

Are politicians informed? Or in fact do they thrive on their ignorance? Previously, most if not the majority of politicians could say they were blissfully ignorant of the federal reserve, recently they are forced to accept this, but they are still ignorant of much of what is going on in the war on terrorism, and the congress has almost no access to the CIA, homeland security, or the TSA.

Hatred = Religion

George Orwell would be proud, religion which supposedly preaches love and forgiveness, is all about hatred. They must hate, they argue, because otherwise God would be mad. So their abusive housekeeper forces them to hate outsiders otherwise their "God" would punish them.

Greed = Money

This is an obvious one. The greed which is never ending is just like the money supply, and the more greed there is, the more money, and the more money, the more greed. It is an infinite cycle with no end in sight.

What is Buddhism's solution to these 3 evils? The eight fold path

Right View: Understand that these 3 evils are the cause of all the world's problems, so rather than running away scared from them, we should actively engage in intellectual discussion.

Right Intention: You should strive to free yourself from these evils, as opposed to feeding your greed and hatred.

Right Speech: Don't say things that lead to ignorance, hatred, or greed, rather say things that help to alleviate these menaces.

Right Action: Take positive action that leads to peace and tolerance rather than hatred.

Right livelihood: Do not live a lifestyle of greed and hatred

Right Effort: strive diligently towards these ideals.

Right Mindfulness: do not forget that these evils will arise again if you let your guard down

Right meditation: think well on how these evils can disrupt the world.

Can't say I disagree with their philosophy at all.
But they don't mention addiction? Most of these super wealthy are addicts, what else would explain why they always need more, more, more than that of a very strong addiction to money? Fiat money at that.

reply to post by filosophia


What a great post. That was very interesting. I had a similar idea with mathematics. Debt is incurred when a person takes something from life or fails to give something in life. For instance, if a person throws trash out their car window, this is a negative. I can pick up the trash and throw it away. This cancels the negative. I can even go one further and recycle the trash creating a positive for the debt the other person creates.

Jesus said to forgive those who persecute you. If we are called a name, this is a negative against us. We can bless the other person cancelling the negative. We can curse them back creating two negatives. Consider this with politics and society at large:

Greedy people and politicians have found a way to steal (negative) from others which creates a debt for those who are robbed. We currently see a debt in this country of 15 trillion dollars, mostly stolen from others. This becomes a debt for the innocent and a positive for those who steal. How is this situation fixed? The debt must be transferred back where it belongs.

In the real world, the feds have forced other countries to use the dollar for petrol purchases. This revenue flows through the Federal Reserve. Corporations and Government then takes this revenue as capital to purchase cheap goods from China and free oil for themselves. The debt is transferred to the people while the greedy corporations, banks and politicians take the profit with no debt for themselves. How is this fixed?

It is fixed on judgment day. Since we are talking about many negatives multiplied by many people, multiplication is how this is fixed. A negative must be multiplied by a negative to get a positive. Those in debt must receive payment from those with a positive for justice to take place. How does this transfer happen?

We sin. This is negative. Jesus died on a cross as payment for our sin. This is another negative. The two negatives are multiplied in favor of the righteous in this world. The debt is transferred to those who take their reward now form others. This is solved by knowing the truth. The truth sets you free. Those who are taking reward now from others will pay the price of the debt they create.

How can this be avoided in the future? Cling to positive in all circumstances. If we only make positive choice for others, we all benefit by the fact that negative is eliminated. No debt and no repayment necessary. This is why Jesus said to forgive those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Why? Because they will suffer on judgement day and not at the hands of those they persecute.

Jesus died to set us free from debt of unrighteousness.

Buddha sought enlightenment 500 years before Christ. Confucius sought what was best for the people through virtue. These are called the way. Philosophy is called truth. Jesus said he was the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to God apart from the name of Christ. In the Bible, a name is the character of the person. Taking the LORD's name in vain is taking on the character of God but not the actions. The character of God is love for others.

Greed isnt money. Greed is ownership.

The idea of owning something grants the oppurtunity to not share it. Keeping what is yours and collecting assets is a way to build a better foundation for the next generation. money doesnt cause greed, insecurity causes greed, money is used to grant more ownership, which comes from the insecurity one feels after sharing what could be theirs alone. just my opinion

reply to post by SuperiorEd


Sorry for being a little offtopic, but:

"Jesus died on a cross as payment for our sin."

How does that even make sense to you? According to your claim and logic, there's no hell because there's no sins to punish anyone then. I'm just trying to understand as to why some of the Christians think that Jesus (peace be upon him) died for our sins.
"Truth sets you free". Indeed. I, as a Musim, think that I do know the turth, just like you think you know the truth. We in Islam believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) is not the son of God but one of the most important prophets. Neither did he die on the cross (and nor would he die for anyone else' sins...). He was "raised to the Heavens" and will return with "two Angels on his shoulders" (spaceship, huh??) to kill the Anti-Christ and "kill the swine and break the cross". The one that died on the cross "was made to appear like Jesus"...

Peace

reply to post by ldyserenity


Addiction in Buddhism is the cycle of birth and death which is fueled by ignorance, hatred, and greed. We are "addicted" to material objects so we cling to them again and again in the hopes that they will satisfy our desire, but the desire still remains until we liberate ourselves from the need for those objects.

Originally posted by Kemal
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Sorry for being a little offtopic, but:

"Jesus died on a cross as payment for our sin."

How does that even make sense to you? According to your claim and logic, there's no hell because there's no sins to punish anyone then. I'm just trying to understand as to why some of the Christians think that Jesus (peace be upon him) died for our sins.
"Truth sets you free". Indeed. I, as a Musim, think that I do know the turth, just like you think you know the truth. We in Islam believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) is not the son of God but one of the most important prophets. Neither did he die on the cross (and nor would he die for anyone else' sins...). He was "raised to the Heavens" and will return with "two Angels on his shoulders" (spaceship, huh??) to kill the Anti-Christ and "kill the swine and break the cross". The one that died on the cross "was made to appear like Jesus"...

Peace

Jesus never existed, Mohammad did exist but he was a murdering womaniser who put any who would not convert to the sword. both red herrings.

reply to post by auraelium


Detects troll. Off topic discussion commensing....

Originally posted by Kemal
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Sorry for being a little offtopic, but:

"Jesus died on a cross as payment for our sin."

How does that even make sense to you? According to your claim and logic, there's no hell because there's no sins to punish anyone then. I'm just trying to understand as to why some of the Christians think that Jesus (peace be upon him) died for our sins.
"Truth sets you free". Indeed. I, as a Musim, think that I do know the turth, just like you think you know the truth. We in Islam believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) is not the son of God but one of the most important prophets. Neither did he die on the cross (and nor would he die for anyone else' sins...). He was "raised to the Heavens" and will return with "two Angels on his shoulders" (spaceship, huh??) to kill the Anti-Christ and "kill the swine and break the cross". The one that died on the cross "was made to appear like Jesus"...

Peace

Here is the problem for the Muslim. Jesus message was very clear. As you say, he was had an important message. His message was found in Luke 10. His message was to love others as yourself and to love God. An expert in the law asked Him what he needed to do to find eternal life and please God. Jesus told him to answer since he was an expert in the law. The expert replied to love God with heart, mind a soul. He also said to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus stated that he answered correctly. Jesus goes on to define a neighbor.

A Jew fell on the path of life to robbers (Those who steal, kill and destroy). They left him for dead. The Jewish enemy (Samaritan) came along and assisted the Hebrew, even paying for his room and board at an Inn. Jesus says, now go do likewise.

We must define the believer according to Jesus. Jesus said to love God. A good Muslim will follow this. Jesus also says to love your enemies. Here is the problem. Muslims do not love Christians or Jews. Most will go so far as to seek their destruction. This is what the Bible calls pride. Pride sets the 'self' over others for reasons of belief or selfish gain. Racial prejudice is produced by pride. Jesus calls the true believer one who loves enemies.

Since Issac is Ishmael's brother, the Muslim is in the same tribe as Abraham. This goes even further in God's eyes than neighborly love. This is brotherly love. The bonds of family for God go even deeper than that of associations outside the family. We need only look at the fruit of each religion to see the true from the counterfeit.

True religion seeks to preserve, honor and protect. False religion seeks to steal, kill and destroy. Faith trumps religion when we love God and others. No religion is necessary when we follow God's law of love. Judgment of others is not love. Judgment by the law is from God. My words here reflect the subject of God's law and not the object of judgment. The subject judges much more clearly than I ever could.

By the way. The Quran is a book of judgment against false believers. Jesus message is clearly stated for defining this status.

Hello, we're talking Buddhism here. Can we get back to the topic please?

Originally posted by intrepid
Hello, we're talking Buddhism here. Can we get back to the topic please?

Yes. I have a question about Buddhism. I really enjoy reading the Dhammapada. It strikes me that the message of Buddha was so close to Confucius and Jesus. I read several places in the Dhammapada that Buddha describes heaven and hell and the afterlife. Here is where I am not clear. I have also read several places that Buddha did not believe in God. This seems to contradict his own words. I am aware that true Buddhism is not a religion, but a philosophy. What are your thoughts on this? Did Buddha have a conception of God?

I was inspired to write an article on some of the words and concepts of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy several months ago. LINK

reply to post by SuperiorEd


If you look at Buddhist parables you will see that god is involved. See the Tiger and the Strawberry. The teachings aren't religious though. The moral is to savor every aspect of life. Separating dogma from thought was Buddha's way imo. The best way.... again imo.

reply to post by SuperiorEd


There are 33 gods in Buddhism, but the Buddha is a teacher of gods and men, so while the Buddha believed in gods, nirvana is defined as the end of cyclical existence and true immortality. As the story goes, the highest god Brahma begged the Buddha to teach the world, so the historical Gotama was in no way an atheist, however Buddhism is more a way of life, a Dharma, law, as opposed to a belief in God.