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Old 07-02-2012, 09:13 PM   #13
MzTT

Join Date
Oct 2005
Posts
665
Senior Member
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Oliver, thank you for your suggestions in detail. I understand and agree with you on each one of them. I really hope that some buddhists are engaged in any one of them seriously.

Maybe I should have addressed my concern in a more direct way.

In my perspective, Christians seem to be much more attentive to disasters and conflicts than buddhists are. Christians act swiftly to help people in need, just like helping their own brothers and sisters.

Buddhists are much more focused on cultivating their inner qualities. Maybe it is everything that Buddhism is about. They even seem disinterested in actively helping people who are tragically affected by disasters or conflicts.

I know that I should not generalize too much, but this is a weakness that I see in Buddhism today. That is why I admire the idea of Engaged Buddhism by Thich Nhat Hanh, who lived through the Vietnam War as a Buddhist monk.

I was wondering if someone in this forum would voice his/her good intention to do something about this conflict, or at least develop some interest in it. It may be happening in a remote place, but when I contemplate on the suffering that these Rohingyas and Burmese may be going through, I feel it like being in a hell.
Hello
I see your point. Philosophically it is because Buddhists must help themselves to be able to help others (spiritually) where as Christians simply can help others and have faith in Christ to achieve their spiritual goal. I guess the bible says help others is a duty. I am generalising, but this is why I think we may see Christians acting where Buddhists are not visibly active.

I sympathise and feel it must be like hell too. I can see how this can lead to questioning Buddhism in light of local issues. So thanks for raising this. I would be interested in the continued views on that topic too.
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