Religion Has Largely Hampered The Road Ahead.....

Conversations As They Happened

(with corrections to some typo errors et al)

khi  

it is unfortunate that every religion is deeply divided. each religion has many sects and denominations. the christians have hundreds if i am not mistaken. islam has two major groups - the sunnis and the shias and hundreds of other sub sects. the sunnis and the shias fight each other and other more crazy groups like the isis guys kill everyone who don't buy into their madcap creed. the buddhists too have two major group adherents - the mahayana and the theravada. fortunately they don't tear into each other's throats.

the theravadists don't buy into the heart sutra becos they say it was the teaching of avolokita who was not a buddhist. words spoken to sariputra, one of sakyamuni's noted disciples.

that is why i said sakyamuni did not have any teachings. sakyamuni was only trying to tell people not to be caught up in anything such that they are unable to let go. he was only telling people to remain detached while they might very deeply be into anything and then to let go and move on. the allusion to nirvana was a clever ruse to hold the people's attention. just like what jesus did. if there were any teaching jesus was said to be propagating it was love. but if you only told people about love nobody is going to take you seriously. so he came out with the promise of heaven and the threat of hell.

                        

M's response

a quote on the meaning of 'nirvana' from a source not attributed:

'It is our sense of values therefore that makes us calm or not calm. You
have heard the word "Nivarna" or "Nibbana" which is regarded as the
ultimate goal of the Buddhist. Some think that Nirvana is some kind of
Heaven but that is not what Nirvana is. Nirvana simply means the
Imperturbable Serenity of Mind. ("nir" is the negative prefix like the
English "non" and "vana" means shaking) Nirvana is the tranquility of mind
that is not shaken by anything, even in the face of death. It is a
tranquility of mind that can never be disturbed. This is why it is called
the imperturbable serenity of mind'

khi

haha precisely what i was saying. there is no nirvana as a physical destination. neither is the unshakable tranquility any use in the face of death. beyond anything known for an incontrovertible fact is what mankind should concern themselves with and not a minute to waste. unfortunately religion as a whole has largely hampered the road ahead