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[Dainin]

Hey Jun,

Thanks for that info. That sounds reasonable to me. Very similar things happened to the stories about Jesus - the birth narratives written way after his death as "proof" that he was the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Bible.

Regardless, however, I agree with Jung, Campbell, and others that say that if we scratch the surface of these myths we may see that they really have to do with our own lives. Interesting stuff.

Gassho,
Keith

[Jun]

Hey Jun,

Thanks for that info. That sounds reasonable to me. Very similar things happened to the stories about Jesus - the birth narratives written way after his death as "proof" that he was the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Bible.

Regardless, however, I agree with Jung, Campbell, and others that say that if we scratch the surface of these myths we may see that they really have to do with our own lives. Interesting stuff.

Gassho,
Keith

Hello Keith,

Yes I agree.

Christianity was the ultimate product of religious syncretism in the ancient world. Its emergence owed nothing to a holy carpenter. There were many Jesuses but the fable was a cultural construct. Nothing in the 'Christian message' was original. The Christian faith was a vulgarised paganism, set to the theme of the Jewish prophets and debased by religious intolerance.

Egypt provided many of the themes and much of the detail for the Christian religion. From Egypt, Catholicism copied its rituals and ceremonies, including relics, demonology, and monasticism. The Patriarchs of Alexandria wrote much of Catholic theology and it was probably in Alexandria that a profound and detailed Buddhist influence impressed itself upon the faith. From Persia, too, came a Saviour God and notions of rebirth, a Mithraic dress rehearsal for Christianity.

Ancient cultures around the Mediterranean shared standard ideas about Gods and their powers and place in the universe—and Christianity simply adopted those ideas and applied them to the fictional Jesus.

Gassho

[Ankai]

But we all do! Ass--shit--toilet--sewer (septic tank)--fertilizer--soil--bulbs--flowers!!


Ah, but from dung to flowers is a long process, and a lot of us (certainly me often enough) are guilty of assuming that our own deposits in their original form smell just like the end product.

[Kelly M.]

:lol:

[will]

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[Jun]

Should we be supporting the illegal uploading of copyrighted movies onto YouTube? It strikes me as wrong.

gassho

[will]

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[Hans]

Hello!

I would just like to echo Jundo's thoughts with regards to Joseph Campbell and his writings. Myths and legends are absolutely wonderful vehicles for transmitting eternal truths, since they manage to become more than the sum of all their parts in the minds and hearts of their audience. Sometimes they are just good stories, and boy do I love a good story! The trouble really starts once metaphorical truth gets mixed up with physical truth. Add to that mixture a theocratic instituition and an unhealthy will to power, stir-fry it for a few minutes with a few grains of "end justifies the means"-logic and taraaa you'll get an organisation that tries to organise and put into boxes that which cannot be organised.

I wouldn't want to change those stories for the world, though I DO wonder about some people's approach to them sometimes. It's funny that some folks find the Christian stories about turning water into wine etc. utterly ridiculous, yet seem to have no problem with taking the same kind of stories literally, just because they happen to come from their new and shiny born-again buddhist outlook on life. To each his own.

Gassho,

Hans

[Dainin]

Ah, excuse me ... WHO was the first to bring up Joseph Campbell??

[Hans]

Hey Keith!


How dare you disrupt my "sucking up to my teacher"" plan?

The enormous power of myth must have overwhelmed me....Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

All hail mighty Keith.

Gassho,

Hans

[Dainin]

Hey Hans,

Okay, I'll forgive you ... this time! :twisted:

And by all means, please continue your sucking up ... :wink:

Gassho,
Keith

[hamlin81]

I adore Little Buddha. It's the movie that first got me into Buddhism. It's still one of my favorites. I also personally love the fantastic tales. I don't really care if they are true or not.

[Jundo]

I adore Little Buddha. It's the movie that first got me into Buddhism. It's still one of my favorites. I also personally love the fantastic tales. I don't really care if they are true or not.

WHERE did you did up this old thread? I think when it was started, the actual Buddha was still alive!

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS - I still feel the same way about that corny movie, but to each their own.

[Mp]

WHERE did you did up this old thread? I think when it was started, the actual Buddha was still alive!

Gassho, J

SatToday

PS - I still feel the same way about that corny movie, but to each their own.

LOL .... oh yes, a blast from the past.

Keanu Reeves played a good Buddha. =)

1a7d583cb42cdf37be1082271f135aaa.jpg

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[hamlin81]

I like searching around for old conversations. LOL I have no clue what I typed in to make this one come up! I was doing some random browsing here last night.