Thursday, February 7, 2008

Buddhists Stuck in a Quandry


Because some lost souls did not lead good lives, the nuns explained, they are agonizingly stuck between this life and the next. So each night, at precisely 8:30, the nuns take turns striking a large gong with a wooden mallet and reciting a “hell-breaking mantra” to release them from their pain.


These words found here refer to the practice Buddhist nuns who are doing things in an attempt to help others become free from their predicament and move on toward nirvana. However, would you not agree that this very practice flies in the face of (/is inconsistent with) the words of Buddha who on his own deathbed in instructing a young monk said "So, Ananda, you must be your OWN lamps, be your OWN refuges. Take refuge in NOTHING OUTSIDE YOURSELVES. Hold firm to the truth as a lamp and a refuge, and do not look for refuge to ANYTHING BESIDES YOURSELVES. A monk becomes his OWN lamp and refuge by continually looking on his body, feelings, perceptions, moods, and ideas ... Whoever among my monks does this, either now or when I am dead,... will reach the summit." (CAPS, my emphasis)

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