Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhism - waste of time and energy

[Jessie]

Are there any Taiwanese spiritual people in here who are either master or practitioners or followers?

 

My name is Jessie Jiang, not too famous in the West, but I like to invite all Taiwanese spiritual people in here, whom I know there are a lot, to talk about Taiwanese Humanistc Buddhism.

 

Discussion: Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhism? A waste of time and energy? Why?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Taiwan

Several of these figures have been influenced by the Humanistic Buddhism (人間佛教) of Master Yin Shun (印順), a theological approach which has come to distinguish Taiwanese Buddhism. This notion of ‘Humanistic Buddhism’ promotes a more direct relationship between Buddhist communities and the wider society. Also known as Socially Engaged Buddhism, its focuses on the improvement of society through participation in aspects such as environmental conservation.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism

Chinese Buddhism incorporates elements of traditional Buddhism and Taoism.

Common practices include

• praying with incense
• paying respect to dead ancestors during Qingming and Hungry Ghost festival
• praying to multitude of deities such as Guanyin, Deva who resides in the heavenly realm
• recognition of existence of ghosts and hell realm
• reincarnation(超生)
• retribution(報應)
• people affinity(緣份)
• perform religious ceremonies to help the soul find peace(超渡)
• vegetarianism and compassion towards all living beings^[71]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_Buddhism

Temple Nan Tien outlines the principles of humanistic Buddhism as integrating Buddhist practices into everyday life based on the nature of Sakyamuni Buddha achieving Buddhahood while bound in an earthly form. Humanistic Buddhism is based on 6 core concepts: humanism, altruism, spiritual practices as part of daily life, joyfulness, timeliness, and the universality of saving all beings. From these principles, the aim of humanistic Buddhism is to reconnect Buddhist practice with the ordinary and places emphasis on caring for the material world, not solely concerned with achieving delivery from it.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Jessie

[Jessie]

Isn't Meditation and Awareness Practices the Cores of All Things Buddhism? But the Taiwanese do not practise Meditation or any other types of Awareness Practices at all. Hey, they don't even teach Meditations and Awareness Practices to their own Taiwanese citizens, let alone outsiders non-Taiwanese foreigners. 

 

All they do is to preach nonsensical values about adhering to the precepts like Christian and Catholics fundamentalists. Taiwanese Buddhists are no different than Zealous Muslim Terrorist Fundamentalists who live and die by their religions, not spiritualities. 

 

Do any Taiwanese in here think that Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhism is a spirituality, not a religion? What do Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhism teach? Uncessant prayers to Buddhas and other non Buddhist-Gods like the 4 Heavenly Kings of Taiwan who are not even Bodhistavas, let alone Buddhas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Heavenly_Kings

 

They even organise useless, time-wasting dog-and-pony-shows ceremonies with funky costume dances and low-brow, old-fashioned, idiotic drum-beating, noisy horn-blowings as a way of showing their obsessive zealousness to all things Buddhas.

 

 

Useless Fake Time-Wasting Dog-And-Pony-Shows Mindless Chanting with songs not meant for human ear consumptions.

 

Edited April 25, 2017 by Jessie

[Jessie]

Where are the sitting meditational awareness practises in Taiwan Buddhist Religions, not spiritualities?

 

Do any Taiwanese people sincerely, honestly think that just by mindless, incessant praying to the Buddhas and zillions of nameless Taiwanese Chinese gods and goddesses like the Jade Emperor who was reported to be the chief protector and chief follower of the Buddhas, they can ascend to Buddhahood?

 

More importantly, how can you get rid of your samsara prisons just by blind faiths alone? Just by doing endless bowings prostations and offering all manner of offerings to the Buddha Altars every day?

 

Are Taiwanese Buddha Monks even taught any kind of awareness practises in the first place? If not, then aren't such Taiwanese Buddha Monks considered to be fake adherents of the fake buddha paths and should be killed on sight, just like what Shakyamuni Buddha said, "if you see a buddha, kill him."?

[Jessie]

I am going to repeat the following question again and again?

 

Why do all of you seek Enlightenments to become Buddhas?

 

Do you think any Buddhas are free from Samsaric Rebirths?

 

Why do you think the whole world is still in Samsara?

Edited April 25, 2017 by Jessie

[thelerner]

I am going to repeat the following question again and again?

My guess is Yes, you will keep repeating it.

 

Why do all of you seek Enlightenments to become Buddhas?

Because there's nothing good on TV.  So, why not work on Enlightenment til the next season of Game of Thrones comes on again.

 

Do you think any Buddhas are free from Samsaric Rebirths?

I'm not sure Samsaric rebirth is a real thing, but if it is, then Yes, I think many Buddhas are free of it.  Which is too bad because we need more Buddha babies born

 

Why do you think the whole world is still in Samsara?

I think nature is the ultimate recycler. 

[laughingblade]

Why all the antagonism towards the Taiwanese?

 

Why not just let them do them, and you do you?

[Gerard]

Hi Jessie,

 

Why dont you contact He Jinghan instead of criticising Taiwanese Buddhism? That isn't going to either help you or them.

 

Self-transformation is what Bagua will do for you if you put the right effort and concentration. Your outer realiy will also change.

 

I already suggested this in another thread you opened recently.

 

He is a genuine practitioner of a priceless and life changing art, an invaluable legacy of Traditional Chinese wisdom.

 

Good luck.

[Gerard]

I am going to repeat the following question again and again?

 

Why do all of you seek Enlightenments to become Buddhas?

 

Do you think any Buddhas are free from Samsaric Rebirths?

 

Why do you think the whole world is still in Samsara?

 

1. Worrying about the faults of others is an unnecessary addition to the worry we have over our own faults.

2. People do whatever was meant for them to do. Some become doctors, others butchers, others thieves, others teachers...whereas there will be ascetics and mystics amongst actors and politicians. Such is life's diversity of what we all do...differently. In addition to that:

 

You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?

 

Everyone in this great world has a task to fulfill. The rest is not so important, as long as you don't forget that.

 

Each person has been made for some specific work, and the longing for that work has been put into every heart.

 

Become your own fortune… Seek the bounty within yourself.

 

Be concerned with what you truly value; let the thief steal something else.

 

Conventional opinion hampers our souls.

 

 

(Jalal ad-Deen Rumi, 1207-1273)

 

 

3. Yes, but not only Buddhas. Don't get caught up by concepts. Never be enslaved to principles.

 

4. Samsara is reality, Nirvana is outside that reality. Tao is EVERYTHING. Your own HEART is the living place of the Universe’s essence.

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Gerard

[Sudhamma]

Gerald in his #8 contains good advice to you. You seems to have anger against Fo Guang Shan Monastery's practices. You even posted two videos to support your views. What is true is that all that dancing (lions included), and music will not help anyone towards spirituality, but certainly helpful in expressing faith, joy and happiness by lay-participants of the occasion. On the other hand, you don't see monks or nuns performing the dances, otherwise, they will be contravening the Vinaya rules. You don't see any 8-preceptors performing the dances or singing, otherwise, they will be breaking the 8-precepts. Incessant chanting whether or not being repetitive has a purpose of focusing the mind. Is focusing the mind not meditative? There are many Buddhist sects, each different from each other in their practice, yet the core teaching of The Buddha remains the same. Perhaps if you are eager to gain an insight into what Fo Guang Shan Monastery is doing (justice to Buddhism) you should join their rank, otherwise you as an outsider have no right to criticize them.

[Sudhamma]

Yes, if during meditation, one sees a Buddha, "kill him" or rather, vanish the image as advised by The Buddha. As the image is an illusion. Jessie, enter the Buddhist path, learn Buddhism, begin with being an 8-preceptor before saying things like fake Buddhist path, fake monks, and things like that.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Sudhamma