TSR Pagan Society

Exactly, im one of the few Western Buddhist's I know, who doesn't seem offended by the notion that Buddhism is more than just a Philosophy, I recognise and revere my Bodhisattva's and Deva's quite nicely.

It's kind of sad that im the only really active Buddhist here though.

For some reason, I think a lot of people don't really view Buddhism as a pagan religion- probably because it is a recognised religion, and much of the general public seem to think that paganism is another term for satanism. The product of years of Christian indoctrination! :P

For some reason, I think a lot of people don't really view Buddhism as a pagan religion- probably because it is a recognised religion, and much of the general public seem to think that paganism is another term for satanism. The product of years of Christian indoctrination! :P

Hi guys
I just had a week of Hellenic heaven looking at ancient temples And my hand luggage got searched because I had a statue of Athena all wrapped up so it didn't get broken and they thought it was suspicious!

For some reason, I think a lot of people don't really view Buddhism as a pagan religion- probably because it is a recognised religion, and much of the general public seem to think that paganism is another term for satanism. The product of years of Christian indoctrination! :P

Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but it was only through this thread that I've learnt that Buddhism is a pagan religion. I like the idea of Buddhism anyway, I've never had any problems with it .

Sorry, I really shouldn't laugh .
Lucky you seeing the temples! I'm so jealous
Good luck with your AS results tomorrow by the way .

It is quite funny :L I thought they thought I had a bomb in there or something and it was only a statue I reeeealllly want to go to the Parthenon but we only went to Thassos and not Athens :/
I'm waiting for my GCSE results but I appreciate the sentiment

I read your sig saying 2013 and got my years mixed up
I'm waiting for some GCSEs too, so good luck .

It says in my sig "currently awaiting GCSE results " ! Good luck to you too

Selective vision Thanks .

pagan yatts.

Haha!
And about your sig, I just read the Hobbit yesterday and Emma a couple of days ago

The Hobbit is brilliant, I love it! I really want to read Emma but I she didn't come across very well in a TV adaptation I watched. Did you like the book?

Exactly, im one of the few Western Buddhist's I know, who doesn't seem offended by the notion that Buddhism is more than just a Philosophy, I recognise and revere my Bodhisattva's and Deva's quite nicely.

It's kind of sad that im the only really active Buddhist here though.

For some reason, I think a lot of people don't really view Buddhism as a pagan religion- probably because it is a recognised religion, and much of the general public seem to think that paganism is another term for satanism. The product of years of Christian indoctrination! :P

Buddhism is a strange one. Technically, it is pagan, because it's both non-Abrahamic (which is the Christian definition of pagan) and it's also polytheistic (the rest of the world's definition), in theory. However, the worship of Buddha and the Devas is a point of theological debate in Buddhism, because it doesn't actually advocate the worship of these beings, even though in reality, they do get worshipped.

It's soooo much easier than LOTR which took me forever to read! Emma is amazing! Although not much happens for quite a while and then lots towards the end...according to my blurb it has been described as Austen's most perfect novel! I think next on my reading list is either Sense & Sensibility or Dr Zhivago which is completely different to what we have been discussing but I recently fell in love with Russia all over again

I'm plowing through TFOTR... I just wish it would revert to The Hobbit language . There's just so much description! Brilliant story though.
I'll definately try and find a copy of Emma, and hopefully Sense and Sensibility. I'll look into Dr Zhivago, never really considered reading it before .

I thought the Hobbit would be really hard because I read it afterwards but was pleasantly surprised...it kind of makes you think if he could write in such an easy way to understand then WHY DIDN'T HE?!?! And I love how the Hobbit has the ring in! Have you read any other Austen apart from P&P?
Dr Zhivago won Pasternak the Nobel Prize for Literature

Lord of the Rings is an amazing book, though.

There's a distinction between faith and religion. I have faith in the Buddha, but I don't feel part of a religion, and I still count myself as an atheist as well as a Buddhist. It's a really tricky question because in my view nobody believes in nothing. Everyone has faith in something... for some it might be Jesus or money or their ego, for me it happens to be universal Buddha-nature. So to distinguish between those that have faith and those who don't feels like a false dichotomy.

The more "religious" aspects of Buddhism like the Devas, the Maitreya Buddha, even to some extent Nirvana and Karma.. I struggle with them and they sit uneasily with my atheism. I am very ignorant, they are important parts of Buddhist doctrine, and so I don't dismiss them outright, but there is a conflict. I can accept them as metaphor in the same way as I can accept some Christian teachings as metaphor, but that's not quite the same as believing in them. It's probably one of the reasons why I follow the Zen tradition as it has far less of a focus on the Bodhisattvas and sutras than other branches. Just sitting in zazen is enough to attain enlightenment, according to the Zen way. Is that a religion?

Bearing in mind that it's also problematic to say "Buddhism is this or that" when there are so many different branches or schools. Tantric Buddhism is very different to Soto Zen which is very different to Pure Land and so on.