What is more important, saving yourself or saving others!
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Benyamin Sheppard
Apr 2, 2006, 8:09:23 PM4/2/06
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[editor's note: This was copied from
Kyaw Myaing's original Post on the original weizzar.com discussion forum]
Dear friends,
Some critics of the Buddha say that he was very selfish and that he left his wife and son and went into the forest alone for many years in search of truth. This they say was a very selfish act.
On the other hand, the Buddhist scriptures tell us that the Buddha had to seek the path of liberation for many lifetimes. He lived many lives in the process of spiritual development. It is not an easy thing to become a Buddha and he had to fulfill the Ten Paramitas or the Ten Perfections. The Ten Perfections consisted of charity, perfecting conduct, forgiveness, loving kindness, determination, renunciation etc.
After he attained Buddhahood, he came back and shared his knowledge with his wife and son and all members of the royal family. That is why I think that to say that the Buddha was selfish because he left his wife and son is not logical.
I would say that both are important. If you wish to save others, you have to save yourself first. If you wish to save others from samsara (round of births and deaths), you have to find the way first.
Kyaw Myaing
Founder - weizzar.com
http://www.weizzar.com
Dear friends,
Some critics of the Buddha say that he was very selfish and that he left his wife and son and went into the forest alone for many years in search of truth. This they say was a very selfish act.
On the other hand, the Buddhist scriptures tell us that the Buddha had to seek the path of liberation for many lifetimes. He lived many lives in the process of spiritual development. It is not an easy thing to become a Buddha and he had to fulfill the Ten Paramitas or the Ten Perfections. The Ten Perfections consisted of charity, perfecting conduct, forgiveness, loving kindness, determination, renunciation etc.
After he attained Buddhahood, he came back and shared his knowledge with his wife and son and all members of the royal family. That is why I think that to say that the Buddha was selfish because he left his wife and son is not logical.
I would say that both are important. If you wish to save others, you have to save yourself first. If you wish to save others from samsara (round of births and deaths), you have to find the way first.
Kyaw Myaing
Founder - weizzar.com
http://www.weizzar.com
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