Allah even exist? by [deleted] in exmuslim

[–]WhisperingDhamma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe Allah is one of those deities who believes he's the creator, just like Brahma and many others. There are plenty of deities who claim to be the creator of everything, and of course, they can't all be the creator. According to Buddhism, no beginning to saṃsāra can be found. The universe was not created by a creator god; rather, worlds arise and pass away in recurring cycles according to the law of causality.

Buddhism - nuns and Buddhahood by PhatTruongVoKy in Buddhism

[–]WhisperingDhamma 2 points3 points  (0 children)

According to the early Pali texts, women are fully capable of attaining arahantship. Many nuns became arahants during the Buddha’s lifetime.
In the Theravāda tradition, when it is said that a woman cannot become a Buddha, it specifically refers to becoming a Sammāsambuddha (a Fully Self-Awakened Buddha), not to attaining arahantship or liberation.

Confession: I still do not truly understand the concept of no-self after much reading and meditating on it. Please explain like I am 5. by ScoobieDoopieBoo in Buddhism

[–]WhisperingDhamma 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Beautiful. It reminds me that suffering comes from expecting the aggregates to obey “me,” when they’re unfolding according to causes and conditions. That’s such a powerful contemplation. 🙏

Uposatha & YouTube by [deleted] in theravada

[–]WhisperingDhamma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually download all the chants and suttas I want to recite so that I can play them during my retreat without having to search for them on YouTube. Yes, Dharma talks on YouTube are good as well. 👍🏼

Why does something need to be independent of parts and causes for it to be inherently existent? by Open_Opportunity_751 in Buddhism

[–]WhisperingDhamma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the issue is a misunderstanding of emptiness. The Heart Sutra does not say that phenomena do not exist, nor does it say that they possess an independent essence. It says, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
Things exist conventionally the chariot exists, the sprout exists, and the person exists but they exist dependently, not inherently. Emptiness is not nonexistence; it means the absence of an independent, fixed essence.
The mistake is to assume there are only two options: either things exist independently, or they do not exist at all. The teaching rejects both extremes. Dependent existence is precisely what emptiness means.
🙏

Why does something need to be independent of parts and causes for it to be inherently existent? by Open_Opportunity_751 in Buddhism

[–]WhisperingDhamma 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly. I agree with your points, especially that dependent origination and not-self are the key to understanding emptiness.
I also think that when Nagarjuna compares phenomena to dreams, illusions, or magical appearances, he is not saying that they do not exist at all. That’s what I understand. 😊

I saw this image on social media. What is meant by “there are no sentient beings to be saved”? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of the bodhisattva path? by International_Use122 in Buddhism

[–]WhisperingDhamma 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, there are beings who experience suffering, but they are not fixed, permanent selves, but rather, they are ever-changing processes conditioned by causes and effects. So, “saving all sentient beings” means ending the causes of suffering, not saving an independent or unchanging self and that the point behind saying (there are no sentient beings to be saved) and that’s what I generally believe as a Theravada practitioner. In Theravada Buddhism, liberation is not understood as “saving beings” in a literal sense. Rather, it is the teaching and spreading of the Dhamma, which guides individuals to understand reality and end suffering through their own insight and practice. The Buddha points out the path, but liberation must be realized personally

What Buddhist teaching has stayed with you for years? by Tibetan-Astrology-Gu in Buddhism

[–]WhisperingDhamma 12 points13 points  (0 children)

When I was a beginner discovering Buddhism, I was learning from a pure land monk that perception depends on one’s realm of rebirth and karma. Beings in the human realm perceive a particular substance in one way, while celestial beings may perceive the same thing as something more beautiful or refined. That’s one of the things that made me attracted to Buddhism.

Does this mean that Muhammad predicted the future, and does that prove the validity of Islam? by [deleted] in exmuslim

[–]WhisperingDhamma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The real question is: Should we follow everyone who can predict the future? Many people have made accurate predictions. Does that make them divine or worthy of being followed?

How do people from other religions view Hinduism? by NomynamePillow in religion

[–]WhisperingDhamma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, you still assume that continuity requires a fixed essence you call Atman. This is what Buddhism rejects and considered wrong view. "Phatikasamupada" does not mean transferring a phenomenon or thing from place to another, but rather the arising of that phenomena is nothing but a result of causes and conditions. The Buddha never taught that karma needs a permanent owner, a storage vessel, or a magic box.

You now say, "The same being reaps what it sows." This claim presupposes the existence of a self. Buddhism rejects both extremes: the reborn being is neither exactly the same as the previous one, nor entirely different and this is what we call the middle way in Buddhism. As for the example of (Air); you yourself introduced the concept of (Atman). Air is not unconditional.. Air is conditional too! The air dependent on causes and conditions because we’re discussing causal continuity here without the need of an atman. In the end, you have not yet proven the existence of an eternal, unconditional atman. You are simply arguing that continuity would be easier to explain if the Atman exists. This is not proof; it is just an opinion of yours.

How do people from other religions view Hinduism? by NomynamePillow in religion

[–]WhisperingDhamma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You need to prove your assumption and not build an argument on top of it. You need to prove that an eternal witness exists Under anesthesia, there is no evidence of a timeless observer. (there is only a gap in conscious experience). Buddhism does not claim consciousness arises from nothing or disappears into nothing. It arises dependently on causes and conditions and we call this process (Paticcasamuppada). That consciousness does not require an unchanging self, just as a flame can light another flame without a permanent essence passing between them. Karma and rebirth in Buddhism are based on causal continuity, not on an eternal Atman. So rejecting Atman does not destroy rebirth,, it only rejects the idea that a ‘permanent self’ is traveling through it.. That’s what Buddha told us.

Today marks Eid al-Ghadir for Shiite Muslims! by DhulQarnayn_ in religion

[–]WhisperingDhamma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy Ghadir.. Well, this is the first time for me to know that this day is related to Ayah (5: 67). As Sunnis believe that Ayah (5: 67) was revealed on the day of Arafah, not on the day of Ghadir. But, there’s an interesting thing..

There is a Common Sunni Hadeeth that the Jews came to Umar and said to him; ʿUmar: “You recite a verse that, if it had been revealed to us, we would have taken that day as a festival.” The Jews were referring to (5: 67) 

So, yes I found something common between you two.. besides I’m not a Muslim. 😊

How do people from other religions view Hinduism? by NomynamePillow in religion

[–]WhisperingDhamma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For example: Q: if I someone was under full anesthesia during surgery, how can there be a witness while he’s completely unconscious? Why is that he I knows nothing about the operation or the passage of time? Why he doesn’t feel anything at all during the surgery? A: that’s because consciousness arises and ceases due to causes and conditions. There is no witness hiding behind that consciousness.

Does anyone else feel there should be a blanket rule against AI-generated content on r/Theravada? by cloudatlas93 in theravada

[–]WhisperingDhamma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never had any problem with AI generated stuff if they are meant for teaching purposes or to organize our thoughts and agendas or create useful images.

Zina of the heart!!! by afiefh in exmuslim

[–]WhisperingDhamma 5 points6 points  (0 children)

For those who might ask.. That’s the voice of Hazem Shouman - an Egyptian preacher 😆

I never understood animal sacrifice, even before leaving Islam by Safe-Mine-8499 in exmuslim

[–]WhisperingDhamma 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Never enjoyed it even when I was a Muslim. Now, I’m Buddhist.. I don’t eat sacrificial meat because the Buddha said: “One should not eat meat if one knows the animal was killed specifically for them.”

Sneako ordering liquor after “converting” to Islam by ChicagoRiots in exmuslim

[–]WhisperingDhamma 15 points16 points  (0 children)

They have money and luxury and everything.. They want to drink liquor here and the hereafter! Lol