2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

So the "last" soul ends up in heaven, where the previous ones are null and void? That's what I meant by one chance, one soul, but where God takes away all the bad past memories you had so they wouldn't harm your thinking in heaven.Yes, progressive rock is a favorite, from the beginning to the present, where some great music is still being made.

there is no thinking in a buddhist paradise, there is nothing but silence

One reason why Buddhists are not overcome with sadness at a funeral is because the death of their relative/friend just means the end of one of their lives, and that person will soon be reborn as another living organism - so why cry? If one did good during this life, then one may be reborn as some kind of noble animal. such as an elephant. Do bad thins now, and karma will follow you into your next life - you may be reborn as a cockroach.

This is one reason why Buddhists do not kill any animal - you may be eating your grandmother. My grandmother was a spiteful old bag, so I go out of my way to viciously squash cockroaches.....

23 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Like a factory reset and a software upgrade? That is the whole point. You get another chance to improve until you nail it. Not just one life, one chance, then paradise or Hell and for some nothing, as in your religion.

If we were given more than one chance, that would let people think they can do whatever they want, as many do, and leave it up to the next reincarnation. That's why God says one only.

19 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

"My" guru, the late Swami Venkatesananda, believed that many beings, such as trees, are already enlightened. Humans have to work at it and rarely get there. Better luck next life, eh!

He meant it as a metaphor, but it loses credibility for me. No two trees are the same, and no seed starts life under perfect conditions.

If he meant without psychological struggle, then he might have a point. And who knows what trees feel? If all living things are part of a universal consciousness, then perhaps they are part of us too.

7 minutes ago, simon43 said:

One reason why Buddhists are not overcome with sadness at a funeral is because the death of their relative/friend just means the end of one of their lives, and that person will soon be reborn as another living organism - so why cry? If one did good during this life, then one may be reborn as some kind of noble animal. such as an elephant. Do bad thins now, and karma will follow you into your next life - you may be reborn as a cockroach.

This is one reason why Buddhists do not kill any animal - you may be eating your grandmother. My grandmother was a spiteful old bag, so I go out of my way to viciously squash cockroaches.....

But Buddhists do kill millions of animals, and many eat domestic ones like dogs and cats. Hypocritical.

11 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

At least you sinners weren't struck down. Were you in the act of celebratory copulation have reach the top?

We where in our way up to jump off 😉

8 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

But Buddhists do kill millions of animals, and many eat domestic ones like dogs and cats. Hypocritical.

Nope - they claim to be Buddhists, but they are not true Buddhists! Look at Buddhism in Thailand - most who claim to be Buddhist are simply liars and 'in it' for their own benefit..... (This is all my own opinion BTW - I hold strong views on most politicians and religious people)

15 minutes ago, simon43 said:

If one did good during this life, then one may be reborn as some kind of noble animal. such as an elephant. Do bad thins now, and karma will follow you into your next life - you may be reborn as a cockroach.

My Thai teacher claims they do not fear rebirth as a lowly cockroach or dung beetle, because a fate even worse is to be reborn as a poor person.

9 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

My Thai teacher claims they do not fear rebirth as a lowly cockroach or dung beetle, because a fate even worse is to be reborn as a poor person.

Or horrors of horrors... a 'farang'!! :)

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

If we were given more than one chance, that would let people think they can do whatever they want, as many do, and leave it up to the next reincarnation. That's why God says one only.

That is some religious swada, belief and propaganda. Human nature is human nature, and most people wouldn't change one way or another just because a religion claims it is the truth and the only way to salvation.

Edited Saturday at 09:15 AM3 days by Hummin

1 hour ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

My Thai teacher claims they do not fear rebirth as a lowly cockroach or dung beetle, because a fate even worse is to be reborn as a poor person.

Being reborn as a cockroach would not make any sense as insects do not have enough self-awareness or cognitive abilities of spiritual matters, they do not really have karma like human beings do.

A rebirth into very difficult circumstances would be intended to help you evolve yourself.

It doesn't even have to be "rebirth". You can suffer tragic circumstances in this lifetime and you would need to adjust your soul as you can no longer operate on the same level of consciousness once a major upheaval has put a spoke in your wheels.

Beware of charlatans.

Edited Saturday at 09:41 AM3 days by save the frogs

18 minutes ago, Hummin said:

That is some religious swada, belief and propaganda. Human nature is human nature, and most people wouldn't change one way or another just because a religion claims it is the truth and the only way to salvation.

Not religion as all that's needed is the belief.

Humans do what they want because God gave us free will, with choices we can make.

Most of us on earth choose God, and some believe the universe happened all by itself, which is ridiculous. Some hate God, because he took away a loved one, and some because religion was forced down a few's throats, which turned them away. I've only believed because it all makes more sense, that there is indeed a creator. This is obviously a plan.

People can change because they don't want to go to hell, which is a belief, or they can just follow a good lifestyle, and not intentionally hurt others, without a belief.

Did you mean Swadha? Yes, there are a lot of different religions and beliefs, but only one God, so it's up to those who believe to pick the right one. Only one can lead us to heaven, as the rest are all man made.

Yes also, that many who claim a religion don't act accordingly, which is why wars are fought and people are killed.

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

Humans do what they want because God gave us free will, with choices we can make.

"God" is too abstract for people.

People do not like to deal in abstractions, what they cannot see, feel, or touch.

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Not religion as all that's needed is the belief.

Humans do what they want because God gave us free will, with choices we can make.

Most of us on earth choose God, and some believe the universe happened all by itself, which is ridiculous. Some hate God, because he took away a loved one, and some because religion was forced down a few's throats, which turned them away. I've only believed because it all makes more sense, that there is indeed a creator. This is obviously a plan.

People can change because they don't want to go to hell, which is a belief, or they can just follow a good lifestyle, and not intentionally hurt others, without a belief.

Did you mean Swadha? Yes, there are a lot of different religions and beliefs, but only one God, so it's up to those who believe to pick the right one. Only one can lead us to heaven, as the rest are all man made.

Yes also, that many who claim a religion don't act accordingly, which is why wars are fought and people are killed.

You are still describing religion, Fred. Belief in God, free will, hell, heaven, salvation, and choosing the correct path are religious claims.

Saying only one religion can be right does not prove yours is. Every religion can make the same claim. People do not necessarily become better because they fear hell. Human nature is human nature. Some believers do good, some do harm, and the same is true for nonbelievers.

Swada means BS.

8 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

But Buddhists do kill millions of animals, and many eat domestic ones like dogs and cats. Hypocritical.

Indeed. When I first visited Thailand, I was shocked how few vegetarian monks and lay-people. The first precept in every religion is avoiding killing. It's not easy to be a vegetarian here in contrast to Buddhists in EVERY other country where Buddhism is practiced. Thailand is the ONLY country with carnivorous Buddhists!

8 hours ago, Hummin said:

He meant it as a metaphor, but it loses credibility for me. No two trees are the same, and no seed starts life under perfect conditions.

If he meant without psychological struggle, then he might have a point. And who knows what trees feel? If all living things are part of a universal consciousness, then perhaps they are part of us too.

Nope. He meant it literally. We were sitting under a big maple next to a conifer forest with tall majestic trees. He said trees suffer & enjoy everything with equanimity, sheltering birds, insects animals, feeding them, protecting them. Far more evolved than we. We got the evolutionary ladder wrong!

7 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Not religion as all that's needed is the belief.

Humans do what they want because God gave us free will, with choices we can make.

Most of us on earth choose God, and some believe the universe happened all by itself, which is ridiculous. Some hate God, because he took away a loved one, and some because religion was forced down a few's throats, which turned them away. I've only believed because it all makes more sense, that there is indeed a creator. This is obviously a plan.

People can change because they don't want to go to hell, which is a belief, or they can just follow a good lifestyle, and not intentionally hurt others, without a belief.

Did you mean Swadha? Yes, there are a lot of different religions and beliefs, but only one God, so it's up to those who believe to pick the right one. Only one can lead us to heaven, as the rest are all man made.

Yes also, that many who claim a religion don't act accordingly, which is why wars are fought and people are killed.

There is, of course, a lie in every belief.

13 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Nope. He meant it literally. We were sitting under a big maple next to a conifer forest with tall majestic trees. He said trees suffer & enjoy everything with equanimity, sheltering birds, insects animals, feeding them, protecting them. Far more evolved than we. We got the evolutionary ladder wrong!

Fair enough. If he meant it literally, then that’s his spiritual belief. But “more evolved” is a spiritual claim, not an evolutionary one, and I don’t see evidence that trees experience suffering or equanimity in the psychological sense humans do.

Fun fact: Humans belong to the same major branch of life as fungi. Even though we share about 60% of our DNA with bananas, we are evolutionarily closer to mushrooms than to plants.

On 7/17/2026 at 6:43 AM, brfsa2 said:

I only want to live as long as my boy down there is functioning, and I hope to keep it functioning until I'm 70-80. I plan to reach that old with a six-pack still visible and lots of muscle. I think it will be possible with future technology. Otherwise i think I'll fall into a deep depression and hope for a quick end.

How do you guys deal with that?

How old are you?

13 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

But Buddhists do kill millions of animals, and many eat domestic ones like dogs and cats. Hypocritical.

Cats and dogs? Lol

8 hours ago, Hummin said:

You are still describing religion, Fred. Belief in God, free will, hell, heaven, salvation, and choosing the correct path are religious claims.

Saying only one religion can be right does not prove yours is. Every religion can make the same claim. People do not necessarily become better because they fear hell. Human nature is human nature. Some believers do good, some do harm, and the same is true for nonbelievers.

Swada means BS.

8 hours ago, Hummin said:

Belief in God doesn't mean a religion but a personal belief. I don't need to prove my belief is right. It's up to the others to decide. Most people on earth believe in God. Those that don't have their reasons. A particular religion doesn't need to be used, as those are man made. God wasn't man made.

AI explains it...Belief in God: This is a personal thought or feeling. You can believe a higher power exists without joining a group or going to a place of worship.

Religion: This is an organized system. It includes holy books, leaders, specific rules for living, and group ceremonies..

1. Nothing wrong with it being a group, as people can pray together. If less people believed there was a God, there would be more crime, as following God's laws keeps many from going wrong. A fear or just wanting to do right.

   Religion is no guarantee, as that's again man made, and some people use religion in evil ways, and not as they were designed. Any religion that believes in the one true God is following the right path. If there were more gods, which there aren't, there would be obvious competition. Praying to people or false idols doesn't help anyone.

Edited Saturday at 10:47 PM3 days by fredwiggy

11 hours ago, save the frogs said:

"God" is too abstract for people.

People do not like to deal in abstractions, what they cannot see, feel, or touch.

Most people on earth believe in God, and it's from faith.

32 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Most people on earth believe in God, and it's from faith.

Most people on this forum don't believe.

So statistical outliers then?

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Most people on this forum don't believe.

So statistical outliers then?

Statistically speaking most here do, although many don't comment on it.https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/

11 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Statistically speaking most here do, although many don't comment on it.

The prefer to remain in the closet about their belief in God?

3 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

The prefer to remain in the closet about their belief in God?

It's about arguing over a belief. It never works. Non believers aren't going to change the believers minds, so why bother arguing? If there's a God and you don't believe, it's not a good ending as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only unpardonable sin.

Key Interpretations and Meaning

The biblical context shows the Pharisees witnessing Jesus cast out demons, but attributing His power to Satan or an "unclean spirit". Because of this, theologians and scholars offer a few primary explanations of the sin:

• Willful Hardening of the Heart: Many theologians view this not as a mere accidental slip of the tongue, but a determined, persistent defiance against the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. A person who knowingly and continually rejects God's truth becomes fundamentally hardened against seeking forgiveness.

• Attributing God's Work to Evil: Other scholars emphasize that it is explicitly calling the acknowledged works of the Holy Spirit the work of the devil.

• Continuous Final Unbelief: Some commentators argue that the "unforgivable" nature of the sin is simply the state of permanently rejecting God's grace until death. As long as a person is alive, they can turn to God.]

6 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

If there's a God and you don't believe, it's not a good ending as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only unpardonable sin.

So murdering someone is MORE pardonable?

As a scientist, and especially with my background in space, the universe etc, I cannot believe in any higher being. There are scientific explanations for the existance of the stars, planets, nebula etc. Additionally, I can't accept any higher being would allow the suffering of innocents, such as the many kids in Myanmar.

I'm not a 'registered' Buddhist, but I find it a whole lot easier to understand Buddhism, which is not a religion and has no god. Karma (you reap what you sow), might explain the suffering of those kids - they were 'bad' in their previous life, (as were disabled people), and therefore we should all help them in this life, so that their next rebirth leads to a more rewarding next life.

15 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

So murdering someone is MORE pardonable?

All sins besides that blasphemy are pardoned if there is repentance.

1 minute ago, fredwiggy said:

All sins besides that blasphemy are pardoned if there is repentance.

Its a fake philosophy.

Just as you cannot outdo a crappy junk food diet by going for a run, you cannot outdo your negative karma by just saying "I believe in Jeebus".