Originally Posted by gdawson6
My first paragraph had nothing to do with the rest. Sorry for the confusion.


OK, gotcha.

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I was just stating that at one time I was a firm believer that death was the end.


I'm not a firm believer one way or the other. I like to think of myself as an agnostic with atheistic tendencies. Consequently, if I were a betting man I have a pretty good idea where I'd place my chips - and that's with death being the final ending for us. I openly and freely admit I could be wrong though.

I can, however, conceive of a world where such supernatural phenomenon as ghosts and even gods (or god-like entities) exist yet we still die the final death when we meet our end. For that matter, I can also conceive of a world where a creator god is responsible for all life around us and yet still we die the final death. God does not presuppose an afterlife, IMO.

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Buddhist monks and Yogis who walk on hot coals both commonly believe in reincarnation. That is a lot different than believing that death is the end. Tibetan Buddhists are also polytheistic...having many gods they worship.


Nevertheless, their ability to do these things is not based on their belief (or lack of belief) in an afterlife. They tell themselves they can do it, and that's how they accomplish these things. Additionally, just to point out, Tibetan Buddhists and many other denominations do have gods, yes, but not in the conventional, Western sense of the meaning. Their gods are not creators and they are not immortal. According to their religion, you or I could become a "god" in our next life ... and then a squirrel in the one after, and we may have been a god in one of our previous lives. I think a more suitable definition of their use of the word god here would be powerful spirit or entity.

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The power of belief is incredible...but is that all there is? Are these monks who conquered the elements still fooling themselves with false beliefs about enlightenment and reincarnation?


I don't think it matters what the truth is because it's very evident to me that whatever the real answer to this is, whatever form of afterlife awaits we are specifically not meant to know now. So in this sense, it really doesn't matter what the truth is for Buddhist monks and Suffi mystics to accomplish amazing feats. Knowing the unknowable would only impede their ability to do these things.

All IMHO, by the by laugh

Last edited by Mordred; 09/04/08 05:47 AM. Reason: typo and for purposes of clarity