Pressure To Convert To Buddhism?

[Aries74]

If you have a thai spouse, one time or another your spouse probably tried to convince you to convert your religion to Buddhism.

You as a foreigner, have you ever tried to convince your spouse to convert from Buddhism to belief in your religion.

and how did that worked out.

[sbk]

Actually, it seems to me you fail to grasp the tenets of Buddhism. There is no "conversion" involved. And no, never in 19 years has my husband expected me to become Buddhist.

[camerata]

If you have a thai spouse, one time or another your spouse probably tried to convince you to convert your religion to Buddhism.

Not in my case. And I think you'll find most foreigners in Thailand aren't "active" Christians so they wouldn't be interested in converting anyone.

But what has this got to do with "Stay Away from Buddhism"?

[Gimbo]

My wife has never even tried to talk about Budhism to me. I have gone with her to the Wat a few times though. She only goes there for special occasions anyway. No problem in that. As for my own religion... we do not belive there is anything to be saved from, nor do our gods reserve a special place in a "heaven", or promise a better "next life", or even a better "this life" for those that have faith in them. Thus we feel no need to "save" anyone. So why disrespect other peoples religious belives by trying to convert them?. If they feel the call of the gods, they will find the way to them on their own.

So no, will never try to convert her, or anyone else for that matter.

[legag]

My wife has never even tried to talk about Budhism to me. I have gone with her to the Wat a few times though. She only goes there for special occasions anyway. No problem in that. As for my own religion... we do not belive there is anything to be saved from, nor do our gods reserve a special place in a "heaven", or promise a better "next life", or even a better "this life" for those that have faith in them. Thus we feel no need to "save" anyone. So why disrespect other peoples religious belives by trying to convert them?. If they feel the call of the gods, they will find the way to them on their own.

So no, will never try to convert her, or anyone else for that matter.

Agree.

It's all upon your will.

[Naam]

If you have a thai spouse, one time or another your spouse probably tried to convince you to convert your religion to Buddhism.

Not in my case. And I think you'll find most foreigners in Thailand aren't "active" Christians so they wouldn't be interested in converting anyone.

But what has this got to do with "Stay Away from Buddhism"?

nothing at all. some people just don't think when selecting a topic

[hp8000]

My only one religion is trying to respect others and have fun with them as much as I can. If I can help I'll try to.

Any other so called "religion"is so overrated that I'll not even comment.

My wife is buddhist but she never tried to convert me, as she know I'm impermeable to any kind of believing.

[toptuan]

But what has this got to do with "Stay Away from Buddhism"?

nothing at all. some people just don't think when selecting a topic

...but got YOUR attention, didn't it, Naam-dude? Maybe the poster was more devious than you give credit...

Edited March 9, 2008 by toptuan

[chownah]

If I have to choose a label I guess I'm Buddhist.....When the topic first came up (when applying for a bank account actually) they were speaking in Thai so my wife just answered "Christian"...I heard this so had to correct her (told her I'm Buddhist) on this.....I had a difficult time convinciny my wife that I wasn't Christian...she wanted me to know it was ok to be Christian...it took her awhile to figure out that I really wasn't Christian...when I first moved here some of the neighbors sort of tangentially brought up Christianity in the conversation and even after I politely conversed about it (I was raised as a Christian so I know a bit about it) and told them that I wasn't a Christian my wife still had to emphatically state that I really wasn't a Christian. It is especially confusing for them because I don't go to the temple to do what they think of as Buddhism.....I think they've mostly figured out that I'm a farang style Buddhist I guess. Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff and who suggested that if people are interested in what he was teaching they should try it for themselves to see if it works for them too....so I don't go for all the organized stuff....different people...different ideas.

Chownah

[Naam]

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff

and so were another bunch of religion founders. fortunately for them (i think) they are not aware how interpretation of "learned" persons twisted the "good stuff" they figured out.

[Naam]

But what has this got to do with "Stay Away from Buddhism"?

nothing at all. some people just don't think when selecting a topic

...but got YOUR attention, didn't it, Naam-dude? Maybe the poster was more devious than you give credit...

indeed it did. but i still stick to my 'verdict' that the OP did not think when he selected the topic. i give neither credit to the topic nor to the content of the OP's posting.

[RueFang]

It's funny how most/many Thais assume that all farang are Christian. I don't generally put a label on my spiritual practices but if asked about it by a Thai, I say I'm Buddhist, as I'm more Buddhist then any other organised religion. Many times they react surprised but happy! I had Christianity bred out of me attending a catholic school but I'm comfortable with my own ideas of what god is and all that jazz.

My Thai husband couldn't care less what religion I was and certainly wouldn't consider converting anyone and I likewise don't push my ideas of religion on others. To each their own.

Chownah, you could easily substitute Jesus to that sentence too

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff and who suggested that if people are interested in what he was teaching they should try it for themselves to see if it works for them too....so I don't go for all the organized stuff....different people...different ideas.

[traveller5000]

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff

and so were another bunch of religion founders.

yeh but the Buddha was way more spiritually advanced than Christ so it is hardly an equal comparison.

[sutnyod]

Nobody tried to convert me, I am an atheist anyway. Many friends of mine are Buddhist scholars. One of their precepts is not to teach anyone who is not ready. I have to ask whenever I want to know anything.

[Xangsamhua]

Nobody tried to convert me, I am an atheist anyway. Many friends of mine are Buddhist scholars. One of their precepts is not to teach anyone who is not ready. I have to ask whenever I want to know anything.

Interesting how different we all are, and how certain, or at least declarative, some of us are.

My wife was born a Buddhist and throughout our married life of 36 years she has always found solace and a guide to living in the Buddha's teaching. I'm Catholic and our children and grandchildren are. This was my wife's request. I worked for the Catholic church for 23 years and have almost completed a Masters degree in Theology from a Catholic university. There has never been any tension between my wife and I on religious grounds.

I can't imagine that two people who love and respect each other are going to try and convert each other, especially when both are from such different cultural backgrounds. All the major enduring religions have something of value to contribute to each other, but the desire to learn has to precede the desire to teach.

[chownah]

Chownah, you could easily substitute Jesus to that sentence too

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff and who suggested that if people are interested in what he was teaching they should try it for themselves to see if it works for them too....so I don't go for all the organized stuff....different people...different ideas.

Absolutely I include Jesus as a guy who knew some good stuff and is worth checking out....and as Naam mentioned there are lots of others....I'm partial to Lao Tzu as well as the Buddha...I recommend checking out any of them that hold any interest for someone at all...

Chownah

[suegha]

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff

and so were another bunch of religion founders.

yeh but the Buddha was way more spiritually advanced than Christ so it is hardly an equal comparison.

Please substantiate this.

[gbt71fa]

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff

and so were another bunch of religion founders.

yeh but the Buddha was way more spiritually advanced than Christ so it is hardly an equal comparison.

That is an idiotic comment. You and the poster have the same basic mentallity. I am sure Bhudda would frown at your worlds. You are very dissapointing.

[Naam]

I can't imagine that two people who love and respect each other are going to try and convert each other, especially when both are from such different cultural backgrounds. All the major enduring religions have something of value to contribute to each other, but the desire to learn has to precede the desire to teach.

= words of wisdom. bravo!

[Naam]

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff

and so were another bunch of religion founders.

yeh but the Buddha was way more spiritually advanced than Christ so it is hardly an equal comparison.

i have to take your word for that because you must have known both personally. one of my short comings is that i did not

[traveller5000]

Actually I just think that the Buddha was a pretty smart guy who figured out some good stuff

and so were another bunch of religion founders.

yeh but the Buddha was way more spiritually advanced than Christ so it is hardly an equal comparison.

i have to take your word for that because you must have known both personally. one of my short comings is that i did not

haha, of course I never met them personally, a bit of a silly comment really!

But you can tell by the quality of the teachings they have left behind, for example, read any page out of the bible and compare it with any page of the Dhammapada - the casual observer can easily see the Buddhas teachings are more spiritually refined. Most of the bible is just waffle anyway. Although I do take your point earlier, that in some religions, lots of the original teachings have been twisted and misinterpreted.

Also, in Christianity, one uses "faith" to compensate for a lack of true spiritual knowledge, while Buddhism focuses on true spiritual knowledge through ones own experience. Christ did have some spiritual attainments, probably at the level of a stable sottapana at the most, but no where near as high as the Buddha who was an arahant.

Anyway, one can simply see today in countries where people can choose their religions more freely. More conversions are from Christianity to Buddhism than from Buddhism to Christianity. This shows - where people are allowed to have a choice - people are more attracted to the higher spiritual teachings of the Buddha.

[mrt273nva]

Has God become a product of capitalism? Is it now all about the numbers? God is being bought and sold on a market place of ideas. God does not need to find me through evangelicals on bicycles racing to make it to my door before the other guys. God knows where I am. He wants me to find him, or her, or it. I will find him in the absence of the man-made idea of God and numbers. Is the religion with the largest membership the correct one?

Just have faith, in something, whether it is God, Allah, or modern day science. Search for understanding. Your own understanding. Share with others of your perspective on “God” but do not recruit, and do not descriminate. If your view of religion is one that can be shared by many then great, but do not make it a religion of numbers, make it a religion of spirituality. Ideas can be shared by many without condemnation from disagreement. Let discussion advance your personal views. Know that there may always be better ideas that may work better for another soul. A person’s morality enforced upon the masses through political coercion is not religion, it is deception. I love my God, and I will tell you of him only if you’re asking for personal consciousness expansion. A man’s mortality is a scary thing to most, but to business men it is a marketing tool. Present the fear of eternal damnation and present the alternative and you have sold the product of salvation. The only problem is that people can see through bullshit. Not that I am saying either of it is right or wrong, I am only saying that it is sold like a product. Make your own religion based upon what you see and understand. Use other religions as a guide. Make it for self for progression and enlightenment. It is not about picking the correct religion, but rather about picking your religion. In a world where wars are fought over such issues revolving around ideas, it must make you question, why?

[Austhaied]

Just have faith, in something, whether it is God, Allah, or modern day science.

Faith in any "higher power" has no real place in Buddhism. You must have faith in yourself and see the truth for yourself. How can you believe anything just on dogmatic words alone ? Once you've started following the eightfold path and realize the four noble truths and see for yourself the positive changes that occur only then will you have real proof.

I believe in God because I am God...We all are..Although i tend to think of God as "energy"..

[mrt273nva]

Just have faith, in something, whether it is God, Allah, or modern day science.

Faith in any "higher power" has no real place in Buddhism. You must have faith in yourself and see the truth for yourself. How can you believe anything just on dogmatic words alone ? Once you've started following the eightfold path and realize the four noble truths and see for yourself the positive changes that occur only then will you have real proof.

I believe in God because I am God...We all are..Although i tend to think of God as "energy"..

just have faith in something. i didn't want to turn this post into a list of things that you could ave faith in (including yourself). i just gave examples.

[RueFang]

But you can tell by the quality of the teachings they have left behind, for example, read any page out of the bible and compare it with any page of the Dhammapada - the casual observer can easily see the Buddhas teachings are more spiritually refined. Most of the bible is just waffle anyway. Although I do take your point earlier, that in some religions, lots of the original teachings have been twisted and misinterpreted.

The problem is with the authors/translators of the sacred scripts in my opinion. Buddhism has by appearances remained true to the Buddha's teachings whereas Christianity seems to have been distorted by manipulative hands and as MRT so aptly describes

A man's mortality is a scary thing to most, but to business men it is a marketing tool. Present the fear of eternal damnation and present the alternative and you have sold the product of salvation.

hello Matthew, Mark, Luke and John! I'm not a fan of the bible, I find it sexist and manipulative (with some good parts ) but the essence of Jesus' teachings were pretty much identical to Buddhas if you see through the bs.

Christ did have some spiritual attainments, probably at the level of a stable sottapana at the most, but no where near as high as the Buddha who was an arahant.

Where do you get this crap? How do you figure Buddha is 'higher' then Christ on the spiritual scale? Enlightened is enlightened, once you've attained that, you're pretty equal in my opinion .

Faith in any "higher power" has no real place in Buddhism. You must have faith in yourself and see the truth for yourself. How can you believe anything just on dogmatic words alone ? Once you've started following the eightfold path and realize the four noble truths and see for yourself the positive changes that occur only then will you have real proof.

I believe in God because I am God...We all are..Although i tend to think of God as "energy"..

Nicely put, as always

[garro]

The Buddha's message makes far more sense to me than the Christian one, so obviously I will view it as superior. Other people will view their beliefs as superior. They wouldn't hold these beliefs if they didn't. At the end of the day they are just beliefs and shouldn't be held on to too tightly. As the Buddha said, don't mistake the finger pointing at the moon for the moon.

[Plus]

Hmm, Jesus was God's messenger, for the lack of a better term, Buddha was "a guy who figured out some good stuff".

From God's level that "good stuff" is just ABC, and it won't let you get anywhere near God. Jesus will. Of course there's no God in Buddhism, but, if THERE IS God, Buddha knew nothing about it.To make matters even more complicated - according to Hindus, Buddha was God himself.

One thing I'm sure of - Buddha wouldn't have approved of this kind of comparisons, or looked at Jesus as his junior.

Actually, what do you think they would have said to each other if they ever met.

[camerata]

The problem is with the authors/translators of the sacred scripts in my opinion. Buddhism has by appearances remained true to the Buddha's teachings whereas Christianity seems to have been distorted by manipulative hands

The Pali Canon isn't exactly free of later interpolations, but the real problem I see with Buddhism is that the focus was shifted from enlightenment in this life to obtaining a better situation in the next life.

[Austhaied]

Hmm, Jesus was God's messenger, for the lack of a better term, Buddha was "a guy who figured out some good stuff".

From God's level that "good stuff" is just ABC, and it won't let you get anywhere near God. Jesus will. Of course there's no God in Buddhism, but, if THERE IS God, Buddha knew nothing about it.To make matters even more complicated - according to Hindus, Buddha was God himself.

One thing I'm sure of - Buddha wouldn't have approved of this kind of comparisons, or looked at Jesus as his junior.

Actually, what do you think they would have said to each other if they ever met.

They would have said"We've done the best we could do" there's no hope for these morons..Lets just get a beer then..

Just kidding.

[garro]

Hmm, Jesus was God's messenger, for the lack of a better term, Buddha was "a guy who figured out some good stuff".

From God's level that "good stuff" is just ABC, and it won't let you get anywhere near God. Jesus will. Of course there's no God in Buddhism, but, if THERE IS God, Buddha knew nothing about it.To make matters even more complicated - according to Hindus, Buddha was God himself.

One thing I'm sure of - Buddha wouldn't have approved of this kind of comparisons, or looked at Jesus as his junior.

Actually, what do you think they would have said to each other if they ever met.

It would be hard to know what they would say to each other. Maybe the Buddha would keep a noble silence since their recorded beliefs seem so dissimilar. The available documention about the Buddha seems to suggest that he discounted the existence of God.

Of course it could be argued that the teachings of Jesus have been distorted as he never wrote any books himself - the same could be said for the Buddha.

I can't say which teachings is superior in the world, but I can say which teaching is superior for me.