karma

No, in fact there is no difference essentially, as in regards to what Buddha said, only in the way it is understood. The Buddhists took the word and the concept from the Hindu's but they Buddha did not change it. If you read again what I wrote, you will find that what I just said is actually leaning more towards the Buddha's explanation than the Hindu explantion (which is what I am more associated with) when I wrote that the insubstantial nature of, or point to, life itself can be in harmony with Love and in fact it is. How does the negativity of the 'void' surrounding every atom cause an attraction? That itself is the very basic example but a perfect one in every sense.
What need's to be realized is that Buddhism is not atheistic it is simply unconcerned with both fantasies of God existing and God not existing because they are both empty thought's formed in the mind, and are fragmentations to the whole. Buddha never said there was no God nor did He say there was a God, but He did say that thought is empty. This is the perceived difference between Buddhism karma and Hindu karma, Buddhist's see karma as resulting in rebirth but dont call the transcendence of it God, and Hindus see karma as resulting in rebirth but call the transcendence of it God. Either way you look at it, the saints and sages from both religion's agree that thought is empty and any life energy spent with the intention of satisfying desire is a waste.
Buddha said in the first sentence of the Dhammapada "all that exists is the result of thought" and being that thought is empty, so is the object of perception (gross matter), the sense of perception, and the sense organ of perception as well as the discrimination. And the first noble truth as most of us know, is that live is suffering.
This is not in any way a disagreement with Hinduism, one lives for God in a Universal Form, the other lives for Essence of Mind in a Universal Form.
Namaste.

 

What is there not to believe? Karma is not some cosmic system of punishment and rewards, it is simply a word denoting everything one does, says and thinks, and if you do not do, say, nor think, then you do not exist. And if what one does, says and thinks has no affect on their life, what's the purpose of living?

 

Karma simply put, is cause and effect.
We reap (effect) what we sow (cause).

The effect may be immediate or might take awhile, depending on when conditions are ripe.

It doesn't matter whether you believe in karma or not, whether you're Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, atheist, etc.

Sooner or later the effects of karma will manifest on you.

Karma is the natural law.

 

yeah, like I said, I'm not very well-versed in scriptures. I really don't want to get into a discussion about religion with you (you'd kick my ass) but when I read your post I got the impression you were talking about the hindu explanation, because you seem more inclined towards hinduism.

but one of the definitions of atheism is the absence of belief in deities. since the Buddha wasn't a god, doesn't that make at least certain paths of Buddhism atheistic in nature?

 

No Jimmy :tongue: Buddhism is filled with mention's to deities, especially sutra's like the Surangama Sutra, when Buddha gives the most perfect teaching and all the Buddhas from the ten quarters of the universe bless the congregation of monks by shedding divine light from their foreheads haha. They just never say the word God, they call it Essence of Mind, which is One, it is rooted in Love, we all share it when we transcend the ego, we all come from it and go back to it, and it pervades all the universes. I mean seriously, that sound's like a description of not only God but a roundabout mention to the Soul as well, but whatever your right, no point in arguing religion, not because Im well versed, but because religion is seperative dualist discrimination, the very thing the scriptures preach to be ignorance!
Namaste