How do buddhist calculate their good deeds?
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I No Stupid......
//please define buddhist!//
There is no one simple definition of what makes a person a Buddhist, but if you are one who wants to be called a Buddhist and does some rituals or some Buddhist meditation or some study of Buddhism, then you can be considered a Buddhist.
Hope this simple definition will be of some guide for you to answer the question of whether you are a Buddhist or not? It is just a simple Yes or No answer which you can of course choose to totally ignore as well.
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Originally posted by Aik TC:
I No Stupid......
//please define buddhist!//
There is no one simple definition of what makes a person a Buddhist, but if you are one who wants to be called a Buddhist and does some rituals or some Buddhist meditation or some study of Buddhism, then you can be considered a Buddhist.
Hope this simple definition will be of some guide for you to answer the question of whether you are a Buddhist or not? It is just a simple Yes or No answer which you can of course choose to totally ignore as well.
Exactly, there is no one simple definition. Most people would say they are Buddhist by association with Buddhist rituals, practice, study or just simply to embrace a religion for religion's sake. Some called themselves Buddhists because their parents are.
And I am also aware of the taking of Refuge which is described as officially marking one as a Buddhist.
In Buddhism, the goal is freedom from suffering. It does not make any distinction whether one is Buddhist or not. Hence, a simple Yes or No to the question whether you are Buddhist or not, is redundant.
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Why ask when the yes/ no answer is redundant?
"Let your yes be yes, let your no be no. Anything else..." - Jesus???
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Originally posted by I No Stupid:
And I am also aware of the taking of Refuge which is described as officially marking one as a Buddhist.
In fact, taking refuge is only a path along inherent supreme enlightenment. It needs something for worldly beings to address. A mother can't simply address her child as "darling". Likewise for the term buddhist. So, for unsurpassed meritorious deed, there is neither term nor no term - it resides at supremely. However, for majority of the living beings, meritorious deed such as life liberation is forthcoming among others, as it is for the good of others. Basically, the calculation is the understanding of mind/heart with the cosmos or buddha world. Secondly, a wealthy person and a less wealthy person do same amount of charitable deed is measurable based on its wealth. As you do may aware that the wealth is abundant on earth, but not all is materially wealthy, it has its karmic forces. Take a look at the lottery, so many people trying their luck, the luckier one only a few and it never always the same luckier few. Some may have tried whole life and were never had his luck on it but their hope of joys continue with them even under soil
Ritual is an expediency though and it is the same as human putting on attire to decorate themselves, and worldly kind of festivals and celebrations etc. So, ritual of buddhism develops skilfully in line with worldly ritual as mentioned to being more joys, bliss and peace to the life of the people. As a matter of fact, school students exercise the ritual & ceremony of singing national song to embrace the love, brotherhood and equality that all shared together.