I'm running into a bit of a problem with Buddhism. It's disappointing really as I was starting to enjoy the ride. My concerns are with the diet and I do enjoy me grub.
As I said yesterday, I have been looking at reincarnation today and that's where I discovered that I might have a problem. The first Precept in Buddhism is often interpreted as ‘do not harm,’ and many Buddhists choose to be vegetarian as a result of this precept. One basic tenet of Buddhism is that of reincarnation and the belief that animals can be reincarnated as humans and vice versa. As a result, Buddhists do not kill animals, and many do not eat meat or fish because this is considered to be bad for their karma and you could end up eating someone that you know. I suppose it would be like being part of the “Meet and Eat” team at a Sunday service.
I'm not opposed to becoming a veggie per se as the forbidden meat list seems to be predominantly humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, boars and hyenas. I'm fairly certain I could give those up. I am partial however to the average meat stocks of cows, pigs, sheep and cattle. Also I'm not sure I could give up ant eaters either, after all a little aardvark never hurt anybody! (BOOM BOOM!)
Possibly more difficult for me would be to refrain from eating the “Five Pungent Spices” such as garlic, onion and leek, because they are considered to increase one’s sexual desire and anger – Well I don't believe that for a minute and I'll fight anyone who says different although my wife might like the idea of my constant begging becoming a thing of the past.
Anyhow. Enough of the food talk. It's making me peckish. Back to reincarnation.
Although the idea that Kate Bush and I might get the chance to become intimate (but not if i keep up with the pungent spices) is possible via reincarnation it seems the odds are stacked against me. I'm more likely to be a fruit fly or similar so the chances of me taking a stab at romance with the lovely Kate would be pretty slim even if I lead a really good and spiritually faithful life – so balls to that.
STOP PRESS: I just used a reincarnation calculator and the odds are that I'll be coming back as a rhino. It says; 27% of folk will get a higher life form reincarnation than me...... I still get the horn though eh? (sorry). www.reincarnationstation.com
Obviously 2 days as a Buddhist isn't really giving it a real chance but I think I've sussed enough to embrace the philosophy. The non-aggressive, moral and philosophical system expounded by the Buddha, which demands no blind faith from its adherents, expounds no dogmatic creeds, encourages no superstitious rites and ceremonies, but advocates a golden mean that guides a disciple through pure living and pure thinking to the gain of supreme wisdom and deliverance from all evil, is in fact I reckon a rather brilliant philosophy.
I'm fairly sure I could add this philosophy to my cannon of beliefs and still let Jesus be the governor.
Simplistically Jesus and the Buddha agree that pursuing happiness in transient things is futile, but they direct us to opposite solutions. The Buddha says suffering is caused by desire and “happiness” is overcoming all desire and treasuring nothing. Jesus on the other hand says desire is not the cause of suffering per se, but is in part due to desiring the wrong things.
Perhaps then true happiness is discovering, pursuing and treasuring what is truly important in the “Kingdom of God”.
To end with I'll let you take a peek at a web site that would certainly keep me from seeking Jesus and would prohibit my becoming a Buddhist due to the ill thought and violence i could bring upon it's authors... what a load of twaddle.
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