So first thing i learned was that Buddha- is not even Buddhas name, its Siddharthra Gautama. People in Thailand believe that Buddha came from Thailand but in actuality came from India. During Family Study we didn't focus so much on the beliefs or where the Buddhist religion came from but rather how we can approach them with Good News.The new watchtower for next month has a good article about prayer and spirits. One possible presentation could go something like " I noticed you have those very decorated homes ( spirit houses). What are they for? [ allow for response]Well, did you know that when you pray someone is listening? Notice what this Holy Book says. Psalms 65:2. God, is a hearer of prayer. Next, we can discuss what his name is."
Wow didn't know that about buddhism.. makes sense then why so many celebrities leaned toward buddhism after reaching a certain height in their career .. once they see fame n money don't bring any fulfillment they believe in the philosphy that happiness/hope can't be obtained.. its weird that thailand n india is fighting over the orgin of this big golden dude..
ReplyDeleteWow I didn't know that either. We are learning so much through you guys. I never thought I would be following any blog but this is definately faith strengthening. Thanks guys. I even told my boss about what you guys are doing. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou guys are an inspiration for anyone that wants to expand their ministry.Keep up the Good Work with the Good News.
ReplyDeleteNot even going to go into your misunderstanding of basic Buddhist doctrine, but it seems that you might at least want to know that your first image is not even of the historical Buddha Gautama, but a minor Chinese deity known as Budai (Otherwise known as Hotei) who is neither revered nor even acknowledged by Theravada Buddhism, the form practiced in Thailand.
ReplyDeleteIt is also clear that your briefings that focused upon promoting your most unwelcome 'good news' did indeed not "focus so much on the beliefs" of Buddhism, as this blog post proves. The historical Buddha was actually born near Lumbini in present-day Nepal. There is no legitimate debate about that, and no one in Thailand would ever profess to believe that Buddha was originally from Thailand. Buddhism spread to Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia many centuries after the Buddha's Parinibbana. I'm honestly not even sure where you got that idea from.
Even your portrayal of the first of the Four Noble Truths is fundamentally flawed. The word often translated as "suffering" is the Pali word Dukkha, which entails far more than the English equivalent "suffering" conveys and the texts do not state that it is present throughout all of one's life. Indeed, it states repeatedly that the human rebirth is one in which joy and suffering are present in one's life, often in approximately equal quantity. Your total ignorance of Buddhist doctrine is evident in your statement that Buddhism "Teaches no hope". The ultimate objective of Buddhism is to attain Nibbana (Otherwise known as Nirvana) to be liberated from the suffering of life. Your portrayal of the Thai people as being merely "still people" simply because they choose not to follow the illogical and bigoted fallacy known as Christianity is the height of arrogance.
Tolerance and awareness of the beliefs of others isn't a one-way street. If you intend to belittle approximately 1/7 of the world's population, you'd do well to learn the most fundamental of their beliefs.