Ever learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.....
2 Timothy 3:7
သမ္မာတရားကို လေ့ကျက်ခြင်းသို့ အလျှင်းမရောက်နိုင်သော မိန်းမမိုက်တို့ကို၊ အိမ်ထဲသို့ဝင်၍ ဘမ်းသွားသောသူတို့သည် ထိုသူတို့အဝင် ဖြစ်ကြ၏။
--Buddhism's 4 Noble Truths/8 Fold Path vs. 10 Commandments
--Buddhism on a "God"
--Theravada Buddhism
--Mahayana Buddhism
----Zen Buddhism
----Nichiren Buddhism
----Pure Land Buddhism
--Vajrayana Buddhism ----Shingon Buddhism
**REGIONAL**
Nichiren taught his followers that the Buddha exists already in all and that all must seek to awaken their inner Buddha in this life if possible. They are an offshoot from Mahayana Buddhism adding to it's tenets the teachings of Nichiren.
A branch of Vajrayana Buddhism that teaches all were once enlightened and that through the three mysteries (the unity of body, speech, and mind) once can achieve enlightenment again.
In the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is also referred to as Ajitā (Invincible, Unconquerable).
Christian God vs. reincarnation
Buddhism teaches reincarnation---that after death one keeps coming
back and dying again.
The Christian God teaches otherwise.....And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:27လူသည် တခါတည်းသေ၍ ထိုနောက်မှ တရား စီရင်တော်မူ ခြင်းကိုခံရသကဲ့သို့၊
--Tibetan Buddhism
--Thai Buddhism
--Chinese Buddhism
--Burmese Buddhism
--Vietnamese Buddhism
--Cambodian Buddhism
--Laotian Buddhism
--Korean Buddhism
**Other Aspects of Buddhism**
--The Maitreya
--Christian God vs. reincarnation
--Punna (Merit)
--Sandal of Zen Buddhism: Lesson of a Wasted Life--Path from Babel to the COUNTERFEIT RELIGIONS
--Closing Question
Buddhism's 4 Noble Truths/8 Fold Path vs. 10 Commandments
The 4 Noble Truths and 8 Fold Path Focuses on SELF and is works oriented on a path to "salvation".
The Four Noble Truths:
These are fundamental to Buddhist teachings:
Dukkha: Life is characterized by suffering and dissatisfaction.
Samudaya: The cause of suffering is attachment and desire.
Nirodha: There is a way to end suffering, which is to eliminate desire.
Magga: The path to end suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Samudaya: The cause of suffering is attachment and desire.
Magga: The path to end suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path:
This is a guide to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions.
It consists of: Right Understanding/Right Intent//Right Speech/Right Action/Right Livelihood/Right Effort/Right Mindfulness/Right Concentration
The 10 Commandments of God Focus in the first 4 on something BIGGER THAN YOURSELF----on GOD. The last 6 Focuses on others around you.
Buddhism on a "God"
Buddhism rejects a Creator God so as not to have anyone to "blame" for the problems of the world.
But God says, regardless whether you blame Him for your/the problems or not, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Psalm 14:1
ဘုရားသခင်မရှိဟု မိုက်သောသူသည် ထင်တတ် ၏။ ထိုသို့သော သူတို့သည် ဆွေးမြေ့ယိုယွင်း၍ စက်ဆုပ် ဘွယ်သော အမှုကို ပြုတတ်ကြ၏။ ကောင်းသောအမှုကို ပြုသော သူတယောက်မျှမရှိ။ |
| Guanyin |
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Psalm 14:1
Some Buddhists do adopt "gods" from local pagan (Folk) religions where they live though. One of the most widely admired is the goddess like figure of Guanyin.
Theravada Buddhism
Known as "the teaching of the elders".
They hold pretty much to the original canon of their scriptures called
the Pali. They generally reject other old writings.
They practice much stricter monastic rules than other Buddhist monks and nuns.
They respect and pay homage to the Buddha but not others who attained enlightenment since most are not in the Pali.
Mayahana Buddhism
Mayajana means the "Great Vehicle"..jpg)
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The Mayahana accept later writings after the Pali as sacred unlike the Theravada.
They also accept more Buddhas who reached enlightenment than the Theravada do.
They also believe in many bodhisattva's (saints who passed up being a Buddha to stay around and help others reach enlightenment).Some practice a form of yoga.
Zen Buddhism
Zen is from the word "chan" for meditation.
It is an offshoot of Mayahana Buddhism.
It goes deepest into meditation.
The sacred texts don't as much as personal experience via meditation techniques.
They use "koans" to ask paradoxical questions(like what does one hand clapping sound like?).
The new age "mindfulness" techniques come from Zen.
Nichiren Buddhism
Nichiren Buddhism is credited with the Star Wars movie phrase "may the force be with you." Nichiren Buddhism strongly opposes other forms of Buddhism. Nichiren teachings also hold that a country experiences war, famine, drought, pestilence, earthquakes, etc., for not following the teachings of Buddha strictly enough.
They believe one should venerate the writing of the Loftus Sutra which is the "Mystic Law".
Pure Land Buddhism
A branch of Mahayana Buddhism that adds the teachings of the
monk Dhramakara (one of the self born buddha's of the Mayahana form of Buddhism) who claimed upon enlightenment that he would create a "Pure Land" for all who call upon his name and follow his teachings.
In this Pure Land one can reincarnate into for a paradise of bliss (instead of back into this world) while they attempt to meditate in the next life for ultimate enlightenment.
Vajrayana Buddhism
Vajrayana means the "vehicle".
It was heavily influenced by yoga of the Hindu followers of Shiva.
Teaches the 4 Cycles of the Unblinking Gaze.
Heavy emphasis on secret knowledge and ceremonies.
Shingon Biddhism
Rather than a focus on meditation one uses rituals to awaken the Buddha within.
Their worship is focused on the Cosmic Buddha, a pre-existing Buddha known as the Mahavairocana Buddha. This Buddha is reflected in the rays of the sun.
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism stems from Vajrayana Buddhism.
It has many demons and shamanistic incantations to fight demons.
It borrowed from the local Chinese pagan (Folk) religions.
They also have the Dalai Lama who is the top spiritual leader.
Thai Buddhism
Thai Buddhism follows Theravada Buddhism but acknowledges the Hindu gods and incorporates them into their worship in Thailand.
Popular festivals include several Full Moon Festivals and Ok Phansa (Buddhist Lent)
Chinese Buddhism
Chines Buddhism follows Mayahana Buddhism and blends in
Confucian texts and elements of Taoism.
Chines Buddhism also has it's own text rather than the traditional Pali canon of Scriptures.
Chines Buddhism spread beyond China throughout all of South East Asia.
Burmese Buddhism
Burmese Buddhism follows Theravada Buddhism and worship the 37 Nats (spirits of dead famous people in Burmese history).
Vietnamese Buddhism
In Vietnam, Buddhism is mostly Mayahana. It blends local Folk Religion Ancestor Worship at their temples and adds some writings of both Confucius and Taoism.
The Vesak Festival (Buddha's birthday) is the most important holiday. Also the Vu Lan (Ghost Festival) is important for honoring
dead ancestors.
They seem to follow Buddhist teachings to seek soul liberation from reincarnation while using pagan ancestor worship to function as gods in this life for them.
Cambodian Buddhism
Buddhism in Cambodia is dominated by Theravada Buddhism. 
Popular Festivals include the Meak Bochea (Buddha's birthday, life and death), Pchym Ben (honoring dead ancestors for 15 days), and Vassa (Buddhist Lent).
They seem to follow Buddhist teachings to seek soul liberation from reincarnation while using pagan ancestor worship to function as gods in this life for them.
Laotian Buddhism
Although Theravada Buddhism dominates there is a large percentage of Mayahana Buddhists. Males are required to be temporary monks during their life.
The Soo Khuan is where they call out to dead spirits at temples for protection. They celebrate several Full Moon Festivals.
Laotian Buddhists also have spirit houses (phi houses) in their local villages to leave food and alcohol for dead ancestors spirits. They also wear amulets to ward off evil spirits.
They seem to follow Buddhist teachings to seek soul liberation from reincarnation while using pagan ancestor worship to function as gods in this life for them.
Korean Buddhism
Buddhism in Korea is Mayahana Buddhism. A focus in Korea is breaking down the walls between the elites and the common people.
They build shrines behind their temples to honor pre-Buddhist mountain gods.
They also practice the Gyeolje where they go off to 90 day long retreats to meditate.
Their temple rituals also perform ceremonies to serve as a bridge between the living and the dead.
Buddhism in Korea also incorporates old pagan pre-Buddhist
Shamanism which regard the three spirits with special reverence and importance: the Mountain Spirit, Sanshin, -- Toksong, or the Recluse, -- and Ch’ilsong (the spirit of the seven stars, the Big Dipper).
When it comes to their Bodhisattvas (Mayahana "saints" who post-pone Buddhahood to stick around and help others) their focus is not just on their wisdom but equal focus on their compassion.
In Korea many Buddhists also study Confucianism.
Religious lunar based festivals include Buddha's birthday, the Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate the Buddha's wisdom shining out to the world and Cheondojae to help a soul in the transient state.
Buddhism in Korea is Mayahana Buddhism. A focus in Korea is breaking down the walls between the elites and the common people.
They build shrines behind their temples to honor pre-Buddhist mountain gods.
They also practice the Gyeolje where they go off to 90 day long retreats to meditate.
Their temple rituals also perform ceremonies to serve as a bridge between the living and the dead.
Buddhism in Korea also incorporates old pagan pre-Buddhist
When it comes to their Bodhisattvas (Mayahana "saints" who post-pone Buddhahood to stick around and help others) their focus is not just on their wisdom but equal focus on their compassion.
In Korea many Buddhists also study Confucianism.
Religious lunar based festivals include Buddha's birthday, the Lotus Lantern Festival to celebrate the Buddha's wisdom shining out to the world and Cheondojae to help a soul in the transient state.
The Maitreya
"Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali) is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha. 
The arrival of Maitreya is prophesied to occur during an era of decline when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have been disregarded or obliviated. Note that some scholars think attributes assigned to Maitreya were borrowed from Mithra, the Persian god of light and truth.
One of the central teachings of the Buddha is that there is no one "out there" who will save us; we liberate ourselves by our own efforts.
One of the central teachings of the Buddha is that there is no one "out there" who will save us; we liberate ourselves by our own efforts.
But the human craving for someone to come along, fix our messes and make us happy is powerfully strong. Over the centuries many have made Maitreya into a messianic figure who will change the world."
LearnReligions
back and dying again.
The Christian God teaches otherwise.....And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:27
Punna (Merit)
The Buddhist way of building positive Karma through good deeds
in the community. Can also be racked up for sharing and passing on to dead ancestors in their new existence.
In other words, sort of like Catholics during the age of the inquisitions paying indulgences for dead relatives supposedly in purgatory -- kind of.
Salvation by works.
Sandal of Zen Buddhism: Lesson of a Wasted Life
It is said that Bodhidharma came from India and bought what became Zen Buddhism to China.
He supposedly impressed the emperor and other monks by staring at
a wall in a cave while sitting still for 9 years. As a result he lost the use of his legs.
For the other monks who were engaging in his deep meditation techniques but growing physically weak, he invented the martial arts combat training of Kung Fu. This was to strengthen the body to endure the rigorous hours of endless meditation.
When he died it is said that years later his tomb was opened and all his followers found was one old sandal.
Q: So what's the Lesson of all this?
Observe: All those years of monks (including Bodhidharma) spent in hard physical training of Kung Fu so as to just sit for endless hours in wasteful meditation of twisting the mind like a pretzel----(Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7) followed by death (All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Ecclesiastes 3:20).
Q: Was it worth it?....staring at a wall for 9 years.....and all that was left in his dust was a sandal.....
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Romans 5:18
He supposedly impressed the emperor and other monks by staring at
For the other monks who were engaging in his deep meditation techniques but growing physically weak, he invented the martial arts combat training of Kung Fu. This was to strengthen the body to endure the rigorous hours of endless meditation.
When he died it is said that years later his tomb was opened and all his followers found was one old sandal.
Q: So what's the Lesson of all this?
Observe: All those years of monks (including Bodhidharma) spent in hard physical training of Kung Fu so as to just sit for endless hours in wasteful meditation of twisting the mind like a pretzel----(Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7) followed by death (All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Ecclesiastes 3:20).
Q: Was it worth it?....staring at a wall for 9 years.....and all that was left in his dust was a sandal.....
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Romans 5:18
No deep meditation techniques,
no wasted time staring at a wall,
no rigorous martial arts training required.
Path from Babel to the COUNTERFEIT RELIGIONS:
ROOT of Their REBELLION
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower,
whose top may reach unto heaven;
and let us make us a name,
lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Genesis 11:4
A: --Look at the Sanctuary (plan of redemption laid out)
1) Paul tells us -
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood;
and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Hebrews 9:22
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower,
whose top may reach unto heaven;
and let us make us a name,
lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Genesis 11:4
3 Goals:
-1- A City
-2- A Tower
-3- A Name
--The city was in direct rebellion against the word of God - Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. Genesis 9:1
--The tower they tried to build up to heaven by their own might.
So too does the sins of Babylon in the end reach unto heaven - For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Revelation 18:5
We don't need a man-made tower...we already have a strong tower - The name of the LORD is a strong tower: Proverbs 18:10
--The name they tried to make for themselves was rooted in pride...pride is how this war all began - How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!,..For thou hast said in thine heart, ...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14
"I" is the Root of this REBELLION----- Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. Psalm 10:4 NIV
"They lost God, because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:21.
They attributed everything to themselves,
--and as self was advanced,
--faith in God decreased,
till they were in the darkness of idolatry." -- And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
E.J. Waggoner/Romans 1:23
"The principle that man can save himself by his own works lay at the foundation of every heathen religion."
E.G.W.
REINCARNATION (where you never really die) -- The Quest for Immortality:
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only
Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
1 Timothy 6:15,16
"Fifteenth chapter of Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, paragraph 17; he says of the heathen in the inquiry after the immortality of the soul:
"In the sublime inquiry, their reason had been often guided by their imagination, and their imagination had been prompted by their vanity."
*When they viewed with complacency the extent of their own mental powers,
-a-when they exercised the various faculties of
memory, of fancy, and of judgment, in the most profound speculations, or the most important labors,
-b- and when they reflected on the desire of fame, which transported them into future ages, far beyond the bonds of death and of the grave;
-c- they were unwilling to confound themselves with the beasts of the field or to suppose that a being, for whose dignity they entertained the most sincere admiration,
-d- could be limited to a spot of earth and to a few years of duration.
*What is that but the description of Satan's career when he started.
-a- His reason prompted by his imagination; his imagination guided by his vanity,
-b- and viewing with complacency the extent of his own mental powers; the desire for fame beyond that of God,
-c- and unwilling to allow that a person for whose dignity he entertained the most sincere admiration
-d- could be properly confined to a subordinate place in the universe of God.
Q: Is not this an exact description of mankind in a heathen condition, written by a philosopher, looking only at the question from man's side of it?
Q: Could there be a clearer description of the working of Satan in his original career?"
A.T. Jones 1893 Sermon
"Fifteenth chapter of Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, paragraph 17; he says of the heathen in the inquiry after the immortality of the soul:
"In the sublime inquiry, their reason had been often guided by their imagination, and their imagination had been prompted by their vanity."
--The Formula--
Vanity the root of the inquiry,
and self the root of the vanity.
I read on:*When they viewed with complacency the extent of their own mental powers,
-a-when they exercised the various faculties of
-b- and when they reflected on the desire of fame, which transported them into future ages, far beyond the bonds of death and of the grave;
-c- they were unwilling to confound themselves with the beasts of the field or to suppose that a being, for whose dignity they entertained the most sincere admiration,
-d- could be limited to a spot of earth and to a few years of duration.
*What is that but the description of Satan's career when he started.
-a- His reason prompted by his imagination; his imagination guided by his vanity,
-c- and unwilling to allow that a person for whose dignity he entertained the most sincere admiration
-d- could be properly confined to a subordinate place in the universe of God.
Q: Is not this an exact description of mankind in a heathen condition, written by a philosopher, looking only at the question from man's side of it?
Q: Could there be a clearer description of the working of Satan in his original career?"
A.T. Jones 1893 Sermon
Closing Question:
Q: Will Non-believers be in the 1st Resurrection?A: --Look at the Sanctuary (plan of redemption laid out)
1) Paul tells us -
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood;
and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Hebrews 9:22
a) What was this "blood" for?
For this is My blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Matthew 26:28
For this is My blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Matthew 26:28
b) Almost? (How without the "blood"?)
.jpg)
They could bring flour. Hence, Paul is referring to that with the word "ALMOST all things" when referring to the blood sacrifice. 
and character.
Heaven's plan of salvation is broad enough to embrace the whole world. God longs to breathe into prostrate humanity the breath of life. And He will not permit any soul to be disappointed who is sincere in his longing for something higher and nobler than anything the world can offer.
God’s test of heathen, who have not the light, and of those living where the knowledge of truth and light has been abundant, is altogether different. He accepts from those in heathen lands a phase of righteousness which does not satisfy Him when offered by those of Christian lands. He does not require much where much has not been bestowed."
Ellen G. White
"Let it be observed, I purposely add, ‘to those that are under the Christian dispensation,’ because I have no authority from the Word of God ‘to judge those that are without.’ Nor do I conceive that any man living has a right to sentence all the heathen and Mahometan world to damnation. It is far better to leave them to Him that made them, and who is ‘the Father of the spirits of all flesh,’ ...and who hateth nothing that He hath made."
John Wesley
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law,
do by nature the things contained in the law,
these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts,
for their own conscience and
thoughts either accuse them
or tell them they are doing right.
Romans 2:14,15
----- In the Sanctuary the blood sacrifice was required for the forgiveness of sins. But there was a small opening, through mercy, for those too poor to afford a lamb or turtle dove for the blood offering..jpg)
In other words, there is an opening for a few, who never believing on the blood sacrifice of Christ (because they hadn't the chance to hear) could be judged based upon the law God implants in our conscience. But this would be very rare, as was the flour sacrifice.
2) Paul also informs us -
Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
So in other words, no one (via the "flour" route in the Sanctuary) will be saved because they followed their pagan religion faithfully.
Another way to say it--God does NOT believe in pluralism for salvation. A person who might be in the 1st resurrection, but never heard the name of Christ, won't be there because they were a good Hindu, Buddhist, etc. Their pagan religion has NOTHING to do with their salvation.
3) What does this show?
This shows the atheists, who like to mock Christians with the taunt of "What kind of God would destroy people who never got a chance to hear of Him"? ...that God left open one last avenue for the lost, though a small one, albeit an opening none the less. One last drop of MERCY.
...for God is love.
1 John 4:8
"Satan had blinded them.----Among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, He sees men and women who are praying for light and knowledge. Their souls are unsatisfied; long have they fed on ashes. The enemy of all righteousness has turned them aside, and they grope as blind men. But they are honest in heart and desire to learn a better way. Although in the depths of heathenism, with no knowledge of the written law of God nor of His Son Jesus, they have revealed in manifold ways the working of a divine power on mind2) Paul also informs us -
Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
So in other words, no one (via the "flour" route in the Sanctuary) will be saved because they followed their pagan religion faithfully.
3) What does this show?
This shows the atheists, who like to mock Christians with the taunt of "What kind of God would destroy people who never got a chance to hear of Him"? ...that God left open one last avenue for the lost, though a small one, albeit an opening none the less. One last drop of MERCY.
...for God is love.
1 John 4:8
Heaven's plan of salvation is broad enough to embrace the whole world. God longs to breathe into prostrate humanity the breath of life. And He will not permit any soul to be disappointed who is sincere in his longing for something higher and nobler than anything the world can offer.
God’s test of heathen, who have not the light, and of those living where the knowledge of truth and light has been abundant, is altogether different. He accepts from those in heathen lands a phase of righteousness which does not satisfy Him when offered by those of Christian lands. He does not require much where much has not been bestowed."
Ellen G. White
John Wesley
