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**gorbasevhuynani** · 08-09-2010, 05:21 AM

I like the following comments from Ajahan Sumedho of the Theravada Thai Forest tradition, (whom I heard giving an excellent Dhamma talk today):

"So is kamma something you have to believe in to be a Buddhist ? I've heard Buddhists say that to be a Buddhist you have to believe in the law of kamma and rebirth. But I've never felt that that was ever an expectation.

The thing that attracted me to Buddhism was that you didn't have to believe in anything. You didn't need to take positions. But these are terms that are used. So what is kamma now, rebirth now? Always bringing attention to the here and now rather than deciding whether you believe in the concepts or not. The concepts are just conditions, words."

(The Sound of Silence)

08-09-2010, 05:21 AM	#12
gorbasevhuynani Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 406 Senior Member	I like the following comments from Ajahan Sumedho of the Theravada Thai Forest tradition, (whom I heard giving an excellent Dhamma talk today): "So is kamma something you have to believe in to be a Buddhist ? I've heard Buddhists say that to be a Buddhist you have to believe in the law of kamma and rebirth. But I've never felt that that was ever an expectation. The thing that attracted me to Buddhism was that you didn't have to believe in anything. You didn't need to take positions. But these are terms that are used. So what is kamma now, rebirth now? Always bringing attention to the here and now rather than deciding whether you believe in the concepts or not. The concepts are just conditions, words." (The Sound of Silence)
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