Buddha’s main thesis? 

“We can eliminate suffering when we cease to desire.”   

From my reading over the years, that seems to encapsulate it. 

Certainly there are other major themes for all Buddhists, be they eastern or western/eclectic Buddhists.

However, does that theme seem to be a self-defeating argument – the desire to put down all one’s desires?

The eclectic western Buddhists in the market last Saturday disagreed with the original statement. 

I think that many of our desires are good God-given desires. If we run with those desires in the right context, then we can be quite happy. 

If my desires conflict with that, then it would be better to put them down…

That is especially if we want to please God, and do the right thing by our neighbor. 

Your thoughts? 

Negative consequences follow from our negative actions?

They usually do, but not always. For instance, sickness doesn’t necessarily follow, unless we have been adopting an unhealthy lifestyle.

It is to do with the law of cause and effect. You could even say cosmic justice. 

Most of us would like there to be such a principle in the universe, so that the Hitlers and the Stalins et al could be held responsible for their crimes. 

However, we would rather we ourselves were not hauled up to such a court!

A reasonable question – ‘What will we be judged on?’ 

When I look at the Bible, the most reasonable place to look for this, it’s not supposed to be based on

-are you religious, or not?

-do you go to church or not?

-have you had an abortion, or not?

-do you give money to charity, or not, or how much?

But rather,

-are you forgiven by God for your wrongs against him and other people, or not?

Forgiven, or Not Forgiven? 

Only two categories of people… Not based on smartness, degrees, colour, finances, or race.

I went for that forgiveness with an open mind when I was 14. Never have I regretted it!

What is your experience? 

We all make choices about this

It probably comes down to “who do I want to please?”

Mostly, it will be ourselves. To some extent, that is reasonable, isn’t it?

However, who else?

It could be our best friend, our partner, our god, or God. It could even be the government, but that may not be at that level…

Personally, I like to try to do what Jesus said:

He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Luke 10:27 (NIV) (http://www.laridian.com)

Not very popular, but that is me nowadays.

What are your thoughts?

We all have that question sometimes

Do you keep on remembering those times in your life? They can be milestones, or they can be dark nights of despair. Is there meaning in life?

It’s all very well for the guy in the picture – the sunrise is great, the sky is beautiful, and he may be greatly encouraged.

It would depend on whether eternal life for us was going to be positive or negative, wouldn’t it?

Location is everything!

I can’t imagine someone wanting eternal life, if for them it was going to be hell!

Then there is whether we think that reality will prove that there is, or isn’t, something after the grave.

It’s one thing to not want there to be eternal life, but another to think that if we are wrong, then we are in trouble.

I would definitely like to go to heaven. That is where the God of the Bible is. That is what Jesus has prepared for us through his sacrificing himself on the cross in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. He became my substitute, taking the wrath of God for me against my rebellion against God. I am so grateful for that!

Then, to prove it was true, God brought Jesus back to life again, just like the prediction.

I live to please Jesus, since he has done the unthinkable for me.

What do you think?