Fuck Buddhism

[Michael]

Most of that sounds like bunk, very small parts sound interesting, and the entire thing makes me ask what the hell any of it has to do with buddhism.

Especially since you came here to defend buddhism - a religion that is apparently so great with all the answers but still isn't good enough to actually make you a buddhist.

But back to the point about it - that's someone taking a small, small idea used in a religion and trying to shoehorn it to fit her scientific ideas. That's great, but it's also not buddhism. At all. And since this is a thread about buddhism, and you're trying to tell us how we've said stuff about buddhism that isn't true, what does that have to do with anything?

I'm guessing not much.

[Smellyoldgit]

Jiddir wrote

Great atricle

??


Go look up 'Vacuous Drivel'

[psychodiva]

while I'd go with Metzinger and maybe Dennet and Dawkins at a push the references above in no way go towards proving what you assert- they simply show that

1. some intelligent people can have incredibly stupid ideas and use the word 'suggest' too much with too little evidence

2. you love anecdotal evidence

3. the author of the article loves connecting dots

4. you equate 'science' with 'published in a new-age leaning journal'

5. the author of that article loves to cherry pick

6. you think neurotheology is a real science

while there have for millennia been debates about what conciousness is etc etc there is as yet no scientific evidence to show - well- anything other than a few neurons fire off when things are said / smelled / thought etc etc

I'm interested in whether you ever read the other (real) side of the 'debate'

edited to add: just as an adjunct- I teach mindfulness to my patients, I use it in therapy, I use it myself- all of it without any of the 'trappings' of 'zen'- so why include the 'zen' or Buddhism bit? why not just have the approach and the practices without all that crap? If you feel you need a 'structure' then why not just admit it and stop kidding yourself?

[psychodiva]

oh also- still no references re this 'collective consciousness'?- not much in that article about it

[Davin]

Jiddir wrote

Some errors in your response. First off I am an Atheist not a Buddhist. I have merely practiced zen in order to do scientific research on the benefits of zen meditation. I personally feel I should do actual research before making judgements about something.

Some errors in your science. You should also make sure that your test subjects aren't severely biased, you should have a sample of more than one person and you need to brush up on the scientific method. Because using yourself as your test subject and pretending to be doing science is only for bad sci-fi.

[nkb]

Jiddir wrote

Some errors in your response.

Some errors in your response to my response.

Jiddir wrote

First off I am an Atheist not a Buddhist.

I never said you were a Buddhist, only that apologists exist for every religion.

Jiddir wrote

I have merely practiced zen in order to do scientific research on the benefits of zen meditation. I personally feel I should do actual research before making judgements about something.

If that's what you call research (test group of one, control group of zero), then I'm calling bullshit on your claim that you are a theoretical physicist.

Jiddir wrote

That being said, lets have an actual conversation about the topic instead of just bashing something we actually know nothing about merely because we are anti-religion.

And you wonder why you're getting the response you're getting. Maybe if you stop being a condescending prick, pretending to be the ultimate authority on what Buddhism is, you might get catch less flak.

Jiddir wrote

I am particularly interested in these unverifiable, unproven made-up things you claim are apart of Buddhism. Please let me know what they are so I can try to explain them to you. Who knows, maybe you know something about buddhist practice I do not.

If you ever come back with something useful and even remotely credible to what Smelyoldgit asked you, then I'll add some questions of my own. I won't hold my breath.

Jiddir wrote

Buddhism is merely a philosophy that humans can find inner peace in order to avoid emotional suffering. If that is of no interest to someone then clearly they should not practice Buddhism. Luckily we can chose for ourselves how we want to live our lives.

I've heard the same from Christian apologists. Ho-hum.

Jiddir wrote

Modern science actually supports that buddhist practices such as meditation can actually achieve these goals. For example, years of daily meditation results in the thickening of the gray matter in the brain. This results in stronger focus and control over emotions.

I'm waiting impatiently, along with everyone else here, for some evidence of this claim. Again, I will continue breathing normally.