Generic Brand Waifu
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- Posted: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 22:33:48 +0000
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That Cat Who Eats Ramen
because somewhere in the old testament it says not to eat the food of the pagans because they offer that same food from that same cut up to their idols. They pay way too much attention to the old testament for my liking. Very legalistic and hateful. But wouldn't Buddhists argue that the Buddha statues aren't idols? That's what I heard in Eastern Civ anyway.
Images, statues, and such are tools to be mindful of practice, yes. As to whether they are perceived as actual present beings in the universe or a metaphorical manifestation of buddha-nature, the answer depends on who you ask.
Budai isn't a Buddha though, at least not yet. He's a Bodhisattva, an enlightened being that hasn't gone full on buddha yet, but has turned away from leaving the cycle of suffering to stay behind and help everyone else get to that point of freedom too. Kinda like part role model, part catholic patron saint. In Budai's specific case, he's the future Buddha, the one to succeed the Shakyamuni (The skinny buddha most people in the west see as Buddha) when the light of Buddhist teachings becomes snuffed out. But in that particular incarnation, he's just a guy travelling around with a big sack full of donuts for kids and just a general likeable guy. Like most depictions of the Buddha, his example is to find the peace and joy of the present moment.
The offerings could be a act of expressing commitment to the dharma (teaching). But that could have a lot of cultural interpretations too. The chinese have a lot of mixing going on with Daoist and Confucian influences where offering gifts to ancestors/the immortals/etc are fairly common.
The problem with explaining Buddhism to Christians is that they are trying to put everything in western understanding terms. Like even the very word "religion" is not something you could pin down because Buddhism is and isn't a religion Karma isn't a retributive justice system, and bowing is not a sign of subservience. I've found that Catholics get Buddhist practice much more than Protestants do because Catholics understand the value of practice, ritual, meditation, veneration and not worship, things like that.
I practice Zen, but did get a little bit Chinese Chan education in a monastery so if you have any questions i'd be happy to try and answer them.
But your BF's family better be prepared to never eat any sort of Asian food again if they're that pig headed. There's not many Chinese buddhists but millions and millions of Chinese who very much venerate the immortals and their ancestors. That's not even counting the Hindus and Sikhs who also have public expressions of their faith.
Thankyou! That was very enlightening and helpful!