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We should not make publicity to nonBuddhist holidays or the gods and spirits they represent
Some
time ago I posted this message advising Buddhists to stop making publicity to
nonBuddhist holidays:
Being
respectful towards our nonBuddhist neighbours and friends does NOT mean that we
should pray to or make publicity to false, nonBuddhist gods. As Pure Land
Buddhists we should promote only Amida Buddha and encourage people to entrust
only to Amida Buddha. By making publicity to nonBuddhist gods and spirits you
create the evil karma of offering false teachings to sentient beings. I very
much dislike how fake Buddhists post images (and even praises) of nonBuddhist
gods and spirits on various nonBuddhists celebrations, including Christmas,
Easter and even pre-Christian holidays. Remember, respect does NOT mean
promotion! Respect means working together with your neighbors, helping them in
times of need, etc. Promoting the images of their gods and spirits is a
mistake, not a sign of respect. Pull yourselves together and stop being stupid
when you try to be nice.
Then a frustrated
snowflake who is obsessed with Amidaji and constantly upset by our orthodox
teaching style said that by calling such Buddhists fake we are guilty of the gravest
offence of causing disharmony in the sangha. Well, in the chapter on shinjin
from the Kyogyoshinsho, the offence of disrupting
the harmony of the sangha is quoted like this: "disrupting the
harmony of the sangha through one's inverted views". How can one in
his right Buddhist mind do not understand that praying or making publicity to false
nonBuddhist gods is actually making publicity to the fake religious teachings taught
by those gods or in the name of those gods? How can this be the behavior of a genuine Buddhist? Read carefully what I said above - By making publicity to nonBuddhist
gods and spirits you create the evil karma of offering false teachings to
sentient beings.
Yes, if
you do that as a Buddhist, you are actually promoting “inverted views”
(nonBuddhist views) to both your sangha members and nonBuddhists who know you. Bad
example is spreading like wildfire especially in an environment like here in
the West which is filled with many false teachings and mixing of various elements
from different religions. I have met so many deluded Europeans or Americans saying,
“look Buddhists also believe in God or recognize Jesus” after they saw or met
nice smiling Buddhist monks and teachers who supported the stupid idea that one
can be a Buddhist and a Christian (like Thich Nhat Hanh for example, etc) or not
being very clear and strict on the differences between Buddhism and
monotheistic religions. This and Christmas wishes and parties in Buddhist
temples contribute even more to the deluded atmosphere of mixing teachings which
do not help anybody.
To the idea expressed
by that deluded commentator that he is actually celebrating the “Christmas
spirit” which we should all encourage, and that shinjin is all that matters, I
answered that we
don’t need any "Christmas spirit" when we can find enough spirit of
Compassion in Buddhist holydays which help people make connections with Amida
Buddha and may possibly bring them, sooner or later to shinjin (faith).
Shinran Shonin encouraged us to "receive shinjin (faith in Amida
Buddha) and help others receive shinjin". However, celebrating
Christmas which is the celebration of a fake god, never leads to shinjin.
Turning people's minds towards the Dharma may lead to shinjin. Buddhists and
especially Jodo Shinshu Buddhists should observe Buddhist holidays exclusively
as that can help in our promotion of the Buddha Dharma, creating a specific
Buddhist environment for our own members to grow in the Buddhist faith and be
more imbued with the Dharma and Dharmic related symbols while also letting the
world and nonBuddhists know that there is an alternative for them if they wish
to study it.
I repeat, Buddhists who make
publicity to Christian holydays like Christmas or Easter, sending each other
Christian related greetings and even celebrating it in their Buddhist temples and centers as I saw
many doing that, are actually making publicity to fake gods and spirits and
contribute to the confusion that is prevalent in our times. A true Amida Buddha devotee NEVER makes publicity to fake gods of any monotheistic religion because
he knows that connections with fake or samsaric gods and spirits never leads to
liberation.
I
also received the following question:
Can
we, as Buddhists, attend family meetings and meals with our nonBuddhist friends
and relatives if they invite us on the occasion of Christmas, for example?
To
this I answered without hesitation:
YES,
of course you can! Why not! My advice is not intended to disrupt families or
friendships, but only to make Buddhists and especially Jodo Shinshu Buddhists
aware of themselves and the Path they follow, as well as the consequences of
the promotion of nonBuddhist gods, spirits and teachings. You can attend meals
and celebrations of your relatives and friends without actually making
publicity to those holydays and the gods who are celebrated there and without
venerating them. You should also invite your nonBuddhist friends and relatives
to your Buddhist holidays and events while also not force them to venerate
Amida, but simply share a meal or a dance with them.
Sometimes
celebrations of different religions fall in the same time. I remember how one day
in the past Hanamatsuri (Shakyamuni’s birthday) which is on April 8th
coincided with both Orthodox Christian and Catholic Christian Easter. Me and my
Catholic and Orthodox Christian friends (as well as some atheists) ordered lots
of pizza and drinks and we spent a wonderful night in a rock bar until morning.
For them it was Easter and for me it was Hanamatsuri. I could drink, eat and
have fun with them without saying the specific Christian words “Jesus resurrected”
to which you have to answer traditionally with “Indeed he resurrected” because
they knew that I am a Buddhist. I also did not ask them to say Namo Amida Bu.
We
also have in our Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu, the celebration called Winter Ohigan, so you can join with your nonBuddhist friends and relative while they
celebrate Christmas and you celebrate Ohigan.
Thus,
as you can see, there is a better way to be friendly without doing things that go
against our Buddhist teaching and the dedication we must have towards our
religion. I repeat what I said at the beginning of this article - respect does
NOT mean promotion! Respect means working together with your neighbors, helping
them in times of need, etc.
Promoting
the images of their gods and spirits is a mistake, not a sign of respect. Pull
yourselves together and stop being stupid when you try to be nice.
Namo
Amida Bu
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