[pobrierce]

Well, I understand that he was addressing Buddhists, but why wouldn't his statement apply to every human being on the planet regardless of what religion they are or which country they live in????.

Of course it wouldn't. He was speaking to a group of Buddhists in the context of Buddhist beliefs.

When you go to your temple (which you mentioned in another post somewhere), if a monk or a lama is giving a talk - lets say about certain practices in that tradition - he will be giving it to the people there, not to the whole world.

I'm sure that Ajahn Chah would say the same thing in any circumstance, that is if he was courageous and bold enough to stick to his guns. I would have to say he was speaking and implying this quote universally. If not, then it doesn't hold any water or credibility any more than just some meaningless platitude
These speculative remarks have no relevance because the quote is being taken completely out of context. As I already said previously, he wasn't talking to the whole planet, nor about other religions, so there's really nothing to argue about in that sense.

Lets move on now please and give others an opportunity to comment.

[Arexytece]

In the Theravada Buddhism that I have been practising for more than 30 years I have yet to find or read about a " god ".

The Buddah stated that there are no gods and he certainly wasn't agod.

Why am I and a lot of westerners followers of the Buddhas teaching?

I never had and belief in a god/supreme being.

The dhamma is all I need to live by.

Peace

Gerry

[Shinegayboyx]

Can we get back to the original topic #1 please guys ? As I mentioned earlier, it wasn't about Christianity, Judaism or Islam.

Thanks.

[Gorlummm]

In the Theravada Buddhism that I have been practising for more than 30 years I have yet to find or read about a " god ".

The Buddah stated that there are no gods and he certainly wasn't a god.

How about this sutta in the Pali Canon then ?

When the Wheel of Truth had thus been set rolling by the Blessed One, the earthgods raised the cry: "At Benares, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the matchless Wheel of truth has been set rolling by the Blessed One, not to be stopped by monk or divine or god or death-angel or high divinity or anyone in the world."

On hearing the earth-gods' cry, all the gods in turn in the six paradises of the sensual sphere took up the cry till it reached beyond the Retinue of High Divinity in the sphere of pure form. And so indeed in that hour, at that moment, the cry soared up to the World of High Divinity, and this ten-thousandfold world-element shook and rocked and quaked, and a great measureless radiance surpassing the very nature of the gods was displayed in the world.


(SN 56.11 - Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting Rolling the Wheel of Truth)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....011.nymo.html

.

[tabcdyop]

Off topic posts about other religions have been moved to a new topic in Comparative Religion and Ethics

http://www.buddhismwithoutboundaries...d-Belief-forum