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No Bhuddist Freemasons?

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posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 10:44 PM
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I'm quite at odds with how a society that makes such the grandiose claims that it is tolerant of all religions etc... actually excludes the world�s largest religion from membership?
Anyone care to address this one?

My understanding of it is that its because Bhuddists are deemed atheists in that they don't believe in "the one true god."

Seems very shallow to me.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:16 PM
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MrNECROS, you are in my opinion totally correct.

I am yet to meet a Bhuddist Freemason.

Sanc'.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:17 PM
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Well first off, Buddhism is not "the world's largest religion.

Have a look at the cia world fact book.

1 / 3 of the planet claims to be Christian

1/ 4 claims to be Muslim

Buddhists are a distant third.

But size doesn't matter. Especially in matters of truth.

Frankly, Buddhists AREN'T excluded. Non-believers generally exclude themselves, by being uninterested. I've never known of a candidate who was turned away do to the fact that they didn't acknowledge a supreme being (I'm sure it happens, somewhere, though.)

And it depends on the Buddhism, doesn't it? After all there is as much variety in Buddhism as in any other faith. The Atman, the Universal Self, is pretty much a supreme being, is it not?

In the Grand Lodge of India, one of the "volumes of sacred writings" used to initiate candidates is "The Dbammapada for the Mahayana Sect of Buddhists"

I got that by googling this site: members.tripod.com...

How much about buddhism do you really know?

Why do you care, anyway. It sounds like you've already made your mind up about masonry before "asking" the question.

Here's the link to the Grand Lodge of India. Why don't you ask them?

www.masonindia.org...


[edit on 29-8-2004 by dr_strangecraft]

[edit on 29-8-2004 by dr_strangecraft]



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:25 PM
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Well, you are both incorrect. There are many Buddhist Freemasons, as there are also a number of "Hindu" freemasons.

As an example, I direct your attention to:

www.nationmaster.com...

especially the following:


Membership
Freemasons are expected to exhibit the utmost tolerance both in "Lodge" (the meeting place of a group of Freemasons) and in their daily lives. Freemasonry will thus accept members from almost any religion, including all denominations of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and so forth. Exactly how far this goes depends on the particular branch or "jurisdiction" of Freemasonry one is dealing with. Deists have traditionally been accepted. In Lodges derived from the Grand Orient of France and in certain other groups of Lodges, atheists and agnostics are also accepted, without qualification. Most other branches currently require a belief in a Supreme Being. But even there, one finds a high degree of non-dogmatism, and the phrase "Supreme Being" is often given a very broad interpretation, usually allowing Deism and often even allowing naturalistic views of "God/Nature" in the tradition of Spinoza and Goethe (himself a Freemason), or non-theistic views of Ultimate Reality or Cosmic Oneness, such as found in some Eastern religions and in Western idealism (or for that matter, in modern cosmology). In some other (mostly English-speaking) jurisdictions, Freemasonry is not as tolerant of naturalism as it was in the 18th century, and specific religious requirements with more theistic and orthodox overtones have been added since the early 19th century, including (mostly in North America) belief in the immortality of the soul. The Freemasonry that predominates in Scandinavia, known as the Swedish Rite, accepts only Christians.


A quick google search also shows hundreds of other references to Buddhist Masonic lodges.

So, another rumor and slander bites the dust.

Thanks, MrNecros, for allowing us another opportunity to put to rest another unfounded slander.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:27 PM
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This person swears he knows a Bhuddist Freemason.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Sanc'.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:28 PM
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It's merely a matter of statistics.

Freemasonry is something that exists primarily in Europe and North America. In these countries, Buddhists make up less than 5% of the population. You also won't find many Buddhists who are public school teachers in these countries simply because of the sampling effect.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:32 PM
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Thank you, that is the truth. Religious affiliations are represented in the lodges in proportion to their appearance in the population of the country in which the lodge exists. In the US, the lodges are primarily Christian, though there are Jewish lodges and Muslim lodges, and, I am sure, Buddhist lodges.

I know at least two buddhists that are masons, but you see, I knew that from OUTSIDE the lodge, because, as we have already discussed, a man's religion is NOT a topic for discussion in lodge.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:32 PM
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I'd have to take issue with you, Byrd. Freemasonry is probably one of the most widespread institutions on the planet. But granted, it has much stronger roots in the west. Still, I have met indiginous brothers in every nation I've set foot in; many risking a great deal to great me as a brother.



posted on Aug, 29 2004 @ 11:45 PM
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Originally posted by MrNECROS
I'm quite at odds with how a society that makes such the grandiose claims that it is tolerant of all religions etc... actually excludes the world�s largest religion from membership?
Anyone care to address this one?

My understanding of it is that its because Bhuddists are deemed atheists in that they don't believe in "the one true god."

Seems very shallow to me.


There is no shortage of Buddhist Freemasons, and to equate Buddhism with Atheism, demonstrates an inherent lack of understanding of Theological, as well as Masonic precepts on your part (as if THAT was something new). I would also propose that the inability to properly spell �Buddhist� while trying to further your misguided aims IS VERY shallow.

Bodi/Bodhi/Bo/Short Bo/Peepul/Ficus religiosa Tree Monkeys, not just for Enlightenment anymore�


[edit on 30/8/2004 by Mirthful Me]



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 08:48 AM
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Hey Necros . . . . still here? Another "swing and a miss", huh?

The question put to potential Masons is: Do you believe in a Superme Being? That's it. You're not asked which one, for how long, why, etc. "God" is not mentioned either, when a potential Mason is asked that question. Nothing could be more inclusive as far as religions are concerned.



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 11:01 AM
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I've had deep interest in Buddhism for years, and I can't imagine a Buddhist would find a reason to becoma a freemasons. There are more useful things to do with your time.



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 11:33 AM
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Well, obvioiusly 5 million MEN disagree with you...



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 11:47 AM
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I am a Mason and a Bhuddist sorry to blow your theory

Originally posted by sanctum
MrNECROS, you are in my opinion totally correct.

I am yet to meet a Bhuddist Freemason.

Sanc'.



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 01:26 PM
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I myself could sort of be considered a Buddhist Mason. I don't go around calling myself a Buddhist, but I'm in agreement with the majority of Mahayana doctrine.

There is absolutely nothing that prevents a Buddhist from becoming a Mason, providing he meets the other prerequisites.

Albert Pike himself was a very serious student of Buddhism; on p. 277 of Morals and Dogma, he calls Buddha "the first Masonic legislator", among other references to the purity of Buddhist doctrine.

Ironically, I was reading an evangelical Christian anti-Masonic site the other day that quoted Pike's praise of Buddhism, and then used these passages to proclaim that Masonry is "anti-Christian" because it is secretly a "Buddhist cult".



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 01:33 PM
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A conspiracy of Orange Robes no doubt ML, the common misconception that Freemasonry is a "Christian" organization dispelled once again... guess it's "do not pass go, do not collect $200" for MrNECROS.



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 01:33 PM
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Originally posted by Apollyon
I am a Mason and a Bhuddist sorry to blow your theory


You wouldn't misspell "Buddhism" if you were, sorry to blow your cover


[edit on 30-8-2004 by Aelita]



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 01:41 PM
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Hell, I know of a Buddist Mason, and he is the only Mason I know. So, sorry Necros, buddists are Masons to. Well, can become one. But yes, they only ask if you believe in a higher bieng, not what kind, sex, type, faith, whatever.

Aelita, so he was typing faster then he thinks. I do it to, like hte or nly(leave out letters or place one in front of the other) Or even when I am thinking something like "And the people think..." I say "And the the people think...."



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 01:49 PM
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Any Buddhist joining the masons will probalby screw up their Karma beyond recognition
It is their choice, of course.



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 02:01 PM
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Originally posted by James the Lesser
Hell, I know of a Buddist Mason, and he is the only Mason I know. So, sorry Necros, buddists are Masons to. Well, can become one. But yes, they only ask if you believe in a higher bieng, not what kind, sex, type, faith, whatever.


Exactly. The term "Supreme Being" is undefined...it does not necessarily indicate the belief in a "personal" God, and depends entirely on how one interprets Buddhism (or any other faith).

Necros obviously interprets Buddhism as being atheistic, but I disagree with this interpretation. I see Buddhism as being pantheistic, instead of atheistic.

Pantheism does not recognize the literal existence of an entity separate from us that we call "God". Instead, the terms "God" and "Nature" (or "Universe") are seen as synonyms. Thus, the Universe (or Nature) is in fact a 'Supreme Being".

Usually, this is understood mystically. The Kabalah is generally pantheistic, as it accepts the doctrine that the material universe is the result of emanation from the Infinite, and not a direct act of creation from an outside force. Buddhism can be understood in the same vein.

In the past, some people have attempted to argue that pantheism was just a form of atheism, but their arguments cannot withstand scrutiny. If we truly believe that God is omnipresent, we would be forced to concede that God is co-existent with the Universe, i.e., infinite. In this sense, he would not be a being separated from us by the mathematical idea of space; for if he were, he would not be omnipresent. He must fill the Universe entirely.

The Kabalistic doctrine holds that this fulfillment is through emanation, an abstract act that occured in matter at the moment of the Big Bang, and continues throughout Nature. Thus, in emanation, Creation is not something that happened X number of years ago, then stopped; instead, it is perpetual, ever changing and evolving.

This Kabalistic doctrine of ontological instability is concurrent with both the doctrines of Buddhism and the theories of relative physics.

Fiat Lvx.

[edit on 30-8-2004 by Masonic Light]



posted on Aug, 30 2004 @ 03:12 PM
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As of next month I will hold an Honours B.A. In Classics and Theology. Buddhism is CERTAINLY NOT atheistic. Any University course on Buddhism (even religion courses in high school) will make that readily apparent in the first 5 minutes.
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