The signs of brain-washing.

Question: (Unedited)

Wow thank u for ur answers.
the reason i am asking is because i have always been interested in bhuddism
(ever since i was 16, ten years now) and still am. I have always struggled to
accept and grasp the concept of God! I still have trouble accepting it!

As for what u say about the buddhist teaching of investigating all things and
not just blindly following, i agree with this. it is also fair to say that i have
been guilty of such a thing more than once in my life.

having found myself in difficult circumstances in my life on more than one
occasion i found myself running to all kinds of religion including hare
krishna, buddha and finally settling on christianity. i decided to give it a shot
for two years and now that two years are up i have decided that i am still
interested in buddhist philosophy.

however i must admit that my church have presented me with some awsome
teachings which have helped me clean my act up greatly in life and have also
presented reasonable and strong argument for the existence of god and
christ and the power and relevance of the bible.

however i have also seen far to much in the behaviour, doctrines and
teachings of christians themselves which has left me with the impression that
christianity works on a basis of fear and is very right wing.

i would perhaps even go so far as to call it an ignorant and arrogant religion
with little or no respect for any other religion. (this is at least the impresson
given to me by my church which is perhaps more fiery than other churches
and more provocative.

it was because this church seemed so different from other churches that i
thought i would give it a shot, only two years down the line to have felt
exploited, abused, used and a little brain washed.

however it taght me sexual abstinence as well as other life changing and
affirming wisdom.

at the back of my mind there was always the thought that, being a christian,
this church was kind of p[reparing me for my transition into buddhism.

at the moment i have started incorporating some buddhist belief systems into
my christian ones. i have started trying to meditate in any way i might know
how. perhaps u could give me some pointers and practical tips on how a
young noovice might practice buddhism.

i have learned many lessons in life so far. the latest just seem to be a repeat
of past lessons with some new ones thrown in.

its funny how u seem to believe that u've got life pegged and feel that ur
street wise and wise to life and can cope and see through things and not let
any one walk all over u and con u only to find that ur completely wrong. i
hope that i have finally learned my lessons and can move on and learn more.
or do we just keep learning?

thank u for your time justin. plz stay in touch with me as i continue on my
spiritual quest in life. its nice having a real buddhist to talk to.


My comments:

Hi Js,

Welcome back. It is very rewarding spiritually knowing that my effort to share is appreciated and beneficial.

Let me make some comments on your experiences. By the way thanks for sharing.

(On "running to all kinds of religions")

They are always preying on people under vulnerable situations, like certain crisis in life. They will shower you with warmth and companionship and pray to no end for you; and wallah our your problems solved. It's a miracle they said. I said its a con game. They have been using these tactics throughout the world, especially in Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Africa. The more converts means more money in their coffers. I call them ETs ....Evangilical Terrorists. Once they get hold of the head of the family, the rest will follow like blind sheep. It is a very sorry state of affairs.

(On "on the basis of fear")
When you sell something that has no use, the only tactic is to condemn the competitors' products. They put fear on you because that is the only way to prevent you from using your thinking mind. If you are allowed to think and analyze, they will lose you.

(On "with no respect for other religions")
How can they allow you to respect the other religions. If you do, they will lose you. It is a great conspiracy throughout the history of Christianity. Ironically, the very people that they had hookwinked into their religion, are defending them. Why? Because they had been brainwashed. It is a pitiful scenario; and in the name of freedom to practise religion, this conspiracy is upheld through time.

(On "meditation")
The skill in meditation is to relax and observe; not to fight for anything or to be perfect in any thing. The object of meditation is to tame the wandering mind so that we can train it to "listen" to us, instead of we taking orders from it. We want to be masters of our minds, and not their slaves. With a tamed and trained mind, a person can conduct his life with wisdom and will experience inner peace and happiness, without any foolish desires and hindrances. A simple method is to concentrate on our breathing. Breathing out and breathing in, while at the same time concentrating on the sensation felt at the tip of the nostril. Try to bring back your awareness to this point when your mind wanders, which sure will. In this way you will experience calm and inner peace. Please remember to surf www.buddhanet.net if you are really interested in Buddhism.

(On "exploited, abused, used, and a little brain-wash")

You are the very few exceptions who can "fight" against their incessant brainwashing over 2 long years.

CONGRATULATIONS! Truth alone triumphs!

Have peace.

Please come back if you need to communicate.