--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> --- In [email protected], "llundrub" <llundrub@> wrote:
> >
> > Buddhists don't beleive in God and yet they are happy.
> > They cannot therefore be controlled.
>
> That's actually a pretty insightful remark. Back
> in Buddha's time, the Hindu priests ruled (and
> profited, and controlled) mainly through super-
> stition. The rites and rituals that the rabble
> paid for were to *propitiate the gods*, to make
> them look benevolently on the person forking
> over the cash, and *not* look malevolently on
> them.
>
> Take away that fear of God or the gods, and as
> you say you no longer have a populace that can
> easily be controlled by saying, "If you don't
> do what we say Shiva will smite the shit out
> of you" or "If you don't pay for this yagya
> bad things will happen to you."
>
> In a way it's exactly what got the Cathars per-
> secuted back in medieval times. They rejected
> the need for the intercession of priests, and
> rejected the need to pay those priests for
> ceremonies and rites performed in their name.
> Thus they too cut into the income of the
> established religion. As a challenger of the
> income of the predominant religion, Buddha got
> off pretty easy; the Roman Church killed all
> the Cathars.
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "TurquoiseB" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > To: <[email protected]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 3:37 AM
> > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: 'The Happiest Man in the World'
> >
> >
> > > Just a general comment on the kneejerk posts by Sparaig
> > > and Nablus in reaction to the mention of the Dalai Lama
> > > and other Buddhists today.
> > >
> > > Isn't it fascinating how THREATENED TMers are by
> > > Buddhists and Buddhism? I mean, it's like they're still
> > > acting out the way that Hindus were threatened by him
> > > and dissed him when he first appeared. Weird, if you
> > > ask me...
> > >
> > >
There is nothing to be threatened about;
I saw the Dali Lama in Madison, a few years back; nothing to speak
of; just seemed overly humbly; had a lot of weird stuff going on from
Tibet; I can see why the Chinese are a little freaked by that stuff.
They do a lot of hand motions, and have weird pictures of The Buddha
with dragons and all kinds of strange stuff; I guess the hashish must
be really strong there up in the mountains, where those Tibetan
hippies live and paint those imaginings...
Anyway, Dali Lama says, he's not enlightened, and I felt that was
true, after hanging out with him for a few hours.
So, nothing to be threatened about.
Buddha is a misquoted as Jesus, or Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, or any of
the other Masters...
R.G.
