Afterlife (Introduction)

by dhw, Saturday, December 03, 2011, 16:54 (4717 days ago) @ xeno6696

MATT: For the Buddha... I do think he really did believe in Karma in the Hindu sense... remember that he was originally training to become a Brahmin. But the understanding of his words have clearly been transformed to mean different things to different people... and these things are all also true. The history of Buddhism parallels many other religions, in that there have been several breaks and schisms required as times change and the religion is forced to adapt to new conditions. Thankfully, it was built with adaptation in mind...

As you say, this applies to most religions. And when teachings have been passed down orally for centuries, who knows what was said originally? Ancient texts are just as unreliable, since we often don’t know who wrote them, or when they were written, but we do know that the records of events and statements have all passed through the filter of a subjective and fallible author, that language changes down through the centuries, and that translation and interpretation entail more subjective filtering. All the major religions are capable of adapting to new conditions, and the texts can always be twisted to allow for whatever slant is needed. That’s why you find so many different branches, and why down through the ages there have always been devout believers practising slavery, apartheid, and cold-blooded murder. I’m not sure, though, that Buddhism has ever been associated with such inhumane practices – you will know better than I do. But then Buddhism has always seemed to me more of a philosophy than a religion.