Love Your Neighbor as yourself.

[sky]

Originally Posted by ImthatIm

I think this is a romanticized view of Buddhism.

There are all kinds of do's and don't in Buddhism.
As I understand Buddhism the main goal is to end suffering.

So the path that leads to suffering is discouraged in Buddhism.
This can be viewed as right/wrong IMO.
There are some of the same social failings in Buddhist countries I've been to
as there are in non Buddhist countries.

Though the wordings and phrases maybe different and translated differently
human nature is still human nature.

I try to boil everything down to 2 aspects, Love or fear emanating from within. Which direction is one traveling?

No it is not romanticised at all
Buddha never gave does or dont's, what he taught was,

"Believe nothing until you have experienced it and found it to be true. Accept my words only after you have examined them for yourselves; do not accept them simply because of the reverence you have for me." He advanced his teachings as a method that each person could experiment with for themselves, and made no demand that his followers "believe" on his authority. He told his others to accept each aspect of his teaching only after they had tried it out for themselves and found it to work '

Part of Kalama Sutta.


Buddhists Countries don't always follow Buddha's Teachings as with Christian Countries...

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by sky123

' After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church. (Ephesians 5:29) '

Paul assumed that we love ourselves as it's part of human nature, part of what it means to be a human being, but that is wrong as we all know some who do not love themselves...

I wonder if self hatred is something not recognized so much by our Ancestors....

sky123,

I know that this has become a question of resolving self-hatred. But I look at it through a different lens. I like to rephrase "love your neighbor as yourself" into "love your neighbor as BEING yourself". This is a step to removing ego as the separating factor between your neighbor and one's self. i.e. we must come to believe that what is good for our neighbor is ultimately and actually good for ourselves. The intention is to remove duality in favor of unity.

Originally Posted by sky123

No it is not romanticised at all
Buddha never gave does or dont's, what he taught was,

"Believe nothing until you have experienced it and found it to be true. Accept my words only after you have examined them for yourselves; do not accept them simply because of the reverence you have for me." He advanced his teachings as a method that each person could experiment with for themselves, and made no demand that his followers "believe" on his authority. He told his others to accept each aspect of his teaching only after they had tried it out for themselves and found it to work '

Part of Kalama Sutta.


Buddhists Countries don't always follow Buddha's Teachings as with Christian Countries...

I can honestly say that here in the USA, we are sent into a system of learning and social development that emphasizes pass or fail. So early on
we get rated and categorized.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

sky123,

I know that this has become a question of resolving self-hatred. But I look at it through a different lens. I like to rephrase "love your neighbor as yourself" into "love your neighbor as BEING yourself". This is a step to removing ego as the separating factor between your neighbor and one's self. i.e. we must come to believe that what is good for our neighbor is ultimately and actually good for ourselves. The intention is to remove duality in favor of unity.

Yes I understand what your saying but....

How can you love your Neighbour if you hate yourself, that's what's puzzling...

' What's good for your Neighbour is actually good for yourself '


That doesn't work either for one who hates themselves, how would they know what's good for them if their ' State of mind ' is filled with loathing.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Honza

I am slowly learning about the eastern spirituality. I some ways I am drawn to it. But my past beliefs put up a fuss.

Just enjoy what your learning and have an open mind

Originally Posted by sky123

No it is not romanticised at all
Buddha never gave does or dont's, what he taught was,

"Believe nothing until you have experienced it and found it to be true. Accept my words only after you have examined them for yourselves; do not accept them simply because of the reverence you have for me." He advanced his teachings as a method that each person could experiment with for themselves, and made no demand that his followers "believe" on his authority. He told his others to accept each aspect of his teaching only after they had tried it out for themselves and found it to work '

Part of Kalama Sutta.


Buddhists Countries don't always follow Buddha's Teachings as with Christian Countries...

If I were to sign up for a Buddhist retreat I will bet there are all kinds of right and wrong rules to follow.
Just as with any other religious gathering.

[sky]

Originally Posted by ImthatIm

If I were to sign up for a Buddhist retreat I will bet there are all kinds of right and wrong rules to follow.
Just as with any other religious gathering.

I am referring to Buddha's Teachings ( Suttas) not Retreats

[Molearner]

Originally Posted by sky123

Yes I understand what your saying but....

How can you love your Neighbour if you hate yourself, that's what's puzzling...

' What's good for your Neighbour is actually good for yourself '


That doesn't work either for one who hates themselves, how would they know what's good for them if their ' State of mind ' is filled with loathing.

sky123,

What comes to mind is the parent-child relationship. I think many parents are quite capable of telling their children....."Do not make the same mistakes that I made"...….they can loathe themselves for the mistakes that they have made but can reach outside of themselves to an object of potential.....with loving and hopeful thoughts and prayers.

[sky]

"People make a distinction between good and evil, but good and evil do not exist separately. Those who are following the path to enlightenment recognize no such duality, and it leads them to neither praise the good and condemn the evil, nor to despise the good and condone the evil"

"It is a mistake for people to seek a thing supposed to be good and right, and to flee from another supposed to be bad or evil"

Buddhism teaches that morality is something we create for ourselves based purely on what is found to be beneficial rather than objectively right or good. There can be no standard outside ourselves and no one to hold us to it. As Buddhist scholar and activist Thich Nhat Hanh says:

"Right and wrong are neither moral judgments nor arbitrary standards from outside. Through our own awareness, we discover what is beneficial ("right") and what is unbeneficial ("wrong")."


"There is no discrimination between right and wrong, but people make a distinction for their own convenience "


As this is a Christian Thread, i'd better shut up before I get told off, lol.

Hate is just a mask.
A mask that is a covering for hurt.
Hurt that sees the self as vulnerable.
Vulnerable because of fear, fear to express Love.

Christ said fear not He also said deny your self.
Then He said pick up your Cross (giving of your life)
Follow Him which is the Way of Love.(God is Love)

No real rules just sound advice.