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If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:37 am
by Benjamin
Like the title says, if you weren't a Buddhist, which tradition or religion/philosophy would you follow? (for example Daoism, Atheism, etc.)

I think this serves to be an interesting question, for it shows where else our philosophical leanings may be when the Dhamma is left out of the equation. Personally, I'd go with Stoicism. I find a lot of parallels between it and the Buddha's teachings.


***Please take the question as a hypothetical scenario. We don't need a repeat of the "What if you knew rebirth didn't exist" thread here. It's just for fun.***


Looking forward to some interesting answers. :anjali:

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:41 am
by plwk
Another parallel here

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:08 am
by Benjamin
Yes, a different question but one that's very related. Thanks for posting.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:54 am
by Digity
I'd be nothing.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:54 am
by ground
Benjamin wrote:Like the title says, if you weren't a Buddhist, which tradition or religion/philosophy would you follow? (for example Daoism, Atheism, etc.)
...
***... It's just for fun.***
I is not a buddhist and does not follow anything.

Is this fun? :sage:

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 5:00 am
by James the Giant
I'd be a militant atheist terrorist.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:21 am
by Reductor
I suppose I'd be a hedonistically inclined man with materialistic, annihilationist views, since those attitudes seem most natural to me. :tongue:

I'd lie awake at night fretting about death. I'd spend my days sick over life.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 10:00 am
by Aloka
if you weren't a Buddhist, which tradition or religion/philosophy would you follow
I didn't follow any tradition, religion or philosophy before I was a Buddhist - so it would still be the same.

.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:22 pm
by Benjamin
Well, I found it fun. Maybe interesting is a better choice of word.

I didn't mean this to be a parallel of the other thread posted here; a sort of "What would your life be without Buddhism" type of thing. I'm asking if you had a second choice as far as a religion or philosophy goes, what would you pick besides the Buddhasasana?

Didn't expect so many people to be so cut and dry :shrug:

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:30 pm
by daverupa
The thing is, in my case I spent decades hunting through the religions on offer, and they were all found wanting, so there really isn't another game in town that I can see.

I was fond of Daoism for quite a while, so I might've ended up doing various qigong exercises instead of bhavana.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:46 pm
by Sylvester
daverupa wrote:The thing is, in my case I spent decades hunting through the religions on offer, and they were all found wanting, so there really isn't another game in town that I can see.

I was fond of Daoism for quite a while, so I might've ended up doing various qigong exercises instead of bhavana.
Just don't go practising those 'Harvest Flowers' exercises, unless it's the solar variety.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:46 pm
by Coyote
Interesting question. I may have stuck with Christianity.
If not that, them probably an agnostic "still searching". It's really hard to say.
I like Greek philosophy, and stoicism appealed to me too, though I like Plato a lot more. I'd probably look there for guidance and inspiration.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:48 pm
by Sam Vara
Like the title says, if you weren't a Buddhist, which tradition or religion/philosophy would you follow? (for example Daoism, Atheism, etc.)
If I could, I'd be a Christian.

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:57 pm
by Benjamin
Sam Vara wrote:
Like the title says, if you weren't a Buddhist, which tradition or religion/philosophy would you follow? (for example Daoism, Atheism, etc.)
If I could, I'd be a Christian.

You still can be. Could you explain?

Re: If you couldn't be a Buddhist, what would you be?

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:58 pm
by rohana
Hopefully I would not be a nihilist and choose something like Vedānta instead. Cultivation of samādhi is the next best pleasure if nibbāna is not on the menu.