ganonymousg

"Originally the Christians weren't even called Christians, they had simply been called 'followers of the way.' The great challenge I see before us is to make followers of the way out of 'Christians." As long as we're all 'on the way' we are all followers, we follow different paths in different vehicles (culturally) but there's only one way of being on the way, to be on the move that's the way." -Dalai Lama

Although Tibetan buddhism isn't exactly as 'pure' of a form of Buddhism as I would consider following *personallly* I have enjoyed reading the Dalia Lama's ideas on Western Civilization in his book titled, How to Practice. This particular qoute jumped out at me, minus the part about 'making followers out of Christian' because I feel that implies that as followers we think our way is superior and that all should do as we do.

I never understand that about religion, everything is offensive and everyone is unwilling to listen to one another outside of their norm. Belief *which is to each his/her own* has become an insulting factor, many relgious persons state that they are openminded, yet they push their own beliefs onto others, through speech, actions and thoughts. Thus why I am not religious but simple spiritual in my own ingorance *as most religious ppl would think* and I'm okay with that. I am ignorant to the knowledge and offers that Western Religions give me to be saved; instead of running heartfelt towards it, I sit here alone pondering why I should just 'believe' without proof. And then they respond, 'but there IS proof, there were witnesses to the teachings.' But HONESTLY we all know that one person's 'word' is not something that can be taken for truth. A persons opinion, beliefs, bias and personal experience are all tied into the truth that they DO see and then once spread to another the 'truth' becomes an altered version of that truth; their own personal understanding of that truth. Any way your look at it, it's offensive, my thought on it is 'to each his/her own' and nothing more than that can I say.

~Final Thought~
Direct from 'The Buddha: Gautama' and as worded in the book, Buddhism: Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen.

'What they have heard here, they do not repeat there, so as to cause dissension there... Thus they unite those that are divided, and those that are united they encourage. Concord gladdens them, they delight and rejoice in concord; and it is concord that they spread by their words."

*Through right speech and right listening we can learn to follow our own path of enlightenment.*