PRIVATE: Re: [geeks] Glad I don't live in Texas!

[Peter L. Wargo]

On Wednesday, June 12, 2002, at 06:04 PM, Eric Dittman wrote:

>> Totally true, I have grouped myself.  For me, it was more a long 
>> process
>> of discovering what I believed, and then accidentally discovering that
>> Buddhist teachings and my ideals were a close fit.  I didn't "join", I
>> more-or-less "am".
>
> Pete, isn't Buddhism more of a way of life and viewing
> the universe than a traditional religion?  I haven't
> studied Buddhism as much as the other religions, but
> what I've read sounded like there were a lot fewer
> restrictions placed on the individual with Buddhism.

Exactly.  It was quite a new way of thinking, many years before Christ 
even.  Truly radical, as it saw all as equals, br they male, female, 
rich, poor, etc.  Like most things, it has transmuted and adapted over 
the years.  (There are different sects, and different trains of 
thought.)  One nice thing is that nobody has ever been killed while 
trying to convert them, as it kind of goes against the whole non-violent 
thing.

I am more of a Mahayana Buddhist, as I believe in seeking enlightenment 
as a path to aid all beings.  There are all sorts.  Interestingly 
enough, although i oppose violence, I understand the necessity to kill 
at times.  But, that's a whole different thread.

-Pete