A man once asked the Buddha, “Is there a God?”
The Buddha replied, “If you were shot by a poison arrow, and a doctor was summoned to extract it, what would you do? Would you ask such questions as who shot the arrow, from which tribe did he come, who made the arrow, who made the poison, etc., or would you have the doctor immediately pull out the arrow?
The man replied, “Of course, I would have the arrow pulled out as quickly as possible.”
The Buddha concluded, “That is wise o’ disciple, for the task before us is the solving of life’s problems; when that is complete, you may still ask the questions you put before, if you so desire.”
4 comments:
I have found that knowing God is the key to gaining the wisdom and the right mindset to live life well. How do I know the right source of answers for all the other questions if I don't settle some of the "God questions" first?
Neil,
For me, the "God questions" cannot be answered to my satisfaction. Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Zorastrians, Sikhs, Jews, etc. all have a different understanding to God. Each is as convinced as you that they are right. Many stories in religious texts do not hold up to modern scientific theory. It is obvious to me that while the teachings are valuable, the religious texts cannot be taken literally.
I was not raised a Buddhist, but have studied various religions in search of such answers. Buddhism has provided me with peace and happiness that I did not find elsewhere.
Hi Abe,
I'm not sure of the context you mean by "literally," because people interpret that in different ways.
I try to read the Bible in the way the authors appear to have intended it.
When describing historical events, I believe those are literally true (and archeology backs up the Bible 100%).
When Jesus spoke in parables, I don't believe the characters are literally true, but I do believe the teachings and applications are literally true.
When doctrine is taught (do not kill, lover your neighbor, share the Gospel of Jesus, abstain from immorality, etc.) I believe it is literally true that I should obey those commands.
While the Bible is not a science book, I am not aware of anything in it that is not scientifically accurate. For example, passages in the Old Testament describe the water cycle perfectly (clouds, rain, evaporation), hundreds of years before it was documented as scientific knowledge. The Bible also referred to planets as being round long before that was a scientific fact. If you are aware of any alleged scientific errors in the Bible, please let me know.
Have a great day!
You'll get no argument from me regarding the things you wrote. There are many websites which tackle the Bible v. Science - from both angles. I will leave that debate to them.
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