Dukkha is more than suffering.

[Cypress]

This world would be a very nice place if everyone genuinely cultivated and applied the ethical tenets articulated in the eightfold noble path, the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, the Hadith.

Especially germane to most of the posters on obscure political message boards.

 

[CFM]

This world would be a very nice place if everyone genuinely cultivated and applied the ethical tenets articulated in the eightfold noble path, the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, the Hadith.

Especially germane to most of the posters on obscure political message boards.

Why don't you practice what you preach the next time you start making false claims about those with which you disagree.

 

[domer76]

This world would be a very nice place if everyone genuinely cultivated and applied the ethical tenets articulated in the eightfold noble path, the Golden Rule, the Ten Commandments, the Hadith.

Especially germane to most of the posters on obscure political message boards.

Other than the first 4 of the Commandments, the rest are nothing more than any reasonably moral person, including atheists, doesn’t recognize on their own.

Honor your parents
Don’t lie
Don’t kill
Don’t steal
Don’t fuck outside your marriage
Jealousy is a terrible emotion

 

[dukkha]

Enlightenment’ in neither spiritual nor scientific. It’s simply what is.
All ways of ‘considering’ it, whether from spiritual or scientific angles, are meaningless.

 

[dukkha]

Enlightenment is an English translation of the quality of Buddha, which means one who is awake and aware.
In particular, we are awake and aware to the relationship between our actions and our suffering.
Then we apply common sense and we stop doing things that cause us to suffer.

Everyone has some suffering in life.
To be “enlightened”means to have a lot less because we don’t make more suffering for ourselves or for others.

We do this by doing eight things, and meditation is only two of the eight things.
These eight things are a very common-sense way of living called the eightfold path:

1. Effective view. We look at life to see how it really works, especially inside ourselves.
2. Effective intent: We intend harmless love; we want well-being for all. We let go of any other intentions, such as greed, fear, avoidance, or vengeance.
3. Effective speech: We speak truth kindly in useful ways.
4. Effective action: We perform deeds that are helpful, not harmful.
5. Effective livelihood: We make a living without harming ourselves or others.
6. Effective effort: We focus our free time on the work of learning how to eliminate suffering and eliminating suffering:
7. Effective mindfulness: We meditate in that we pay attention to what is happening, and what the results of our thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds are.
8. Effective concentration: We meditate more deeply, in deep stillness, so we are free to keep or let go of any thought or feeling.

Having done these, we have self-control. We apply this in common sense with the four effective efforts:

1. We don’t do things that cause suffering.
2. If we are doing something that causes suffering, we stop.
3. We start doing healthy, beneficial things.
4. We do more healthy, beneficial things.

In the awareness that arises from meditation, we gain the skill to carefullly select and tweak our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions to create lives free of anxiety and suffering and full of healthy vitality, joy, and peace.

That is “enlightenment.” https://www.quora.com/

 

[anatta]

Another teaching which is misunderstood is ‘life is suffering’, it's actually ‘there is suffering in life’ , because there is lots of joys and happiness also in life but all of that has an inbuilt fleeting feeling inside them and our misguided efforts to achieve them complicates things.

One can find equanimity with the teachings and still live in the world.

Final one is there is suffering due to craving, there is craving due to ignorance but it is not explained where the ignorance comes from, because there is no need. One just works to remove the ignorance.

The human mind seeks answers to everything but actually we can complicate things by overanalyzing and overthinking also.

When we say something is omnipresent or impermanent, it has to be defined against something which is present and permanent for us to understand.

That's why thinking about things like when did world or time start is not encouraged as one will ask ‘what before that', we thus don't know when all this started.

That is why it's said that no one spoke as much as the Buddha but also no one stayed silent as much as the Buddha.

Because he knew which questions not to answer.

 

[anatta]

Another teaching which is misunderstood is ‘life is suffering’, it's actually ‘there is suffering in life’ , because there is lots of joys and happiness also in life but all of that has an inbuilt fleeting feeling inside them and our misguided efforts to achieve them complicates things.

One can find equanimity with the teachings and still live in the world.

Final one is there is suffering due to craving, there is craving due to ignorance but it is not explained where the ignorance comes from, because there is no need. One just works to remove the ignorance.

The human mind seeks answers to everything but actually we can complicate things by overanalyzing and overthinking also.

When we say something is omnipresent or impermanent, it has to be defined against something which is present and permanent for us to understand.

That's why thinking about things like when did world or time start is not encouraged as one will ask ‘what before that', we thus don't know when all this started.

That is why it's said that no one spoke as much as the Buddha but also no one stayed silent as much as the Buddha.

Because he knew which questions not to answer.

 

[dukkha]

Is it possible to deny Buddhahood? Can you get another invite?
https://pastebin.com/raw/2GdwmDUU
Vita Krnac
Vita Krnac
Answered Jan 14

Sure it is possible The path of deeper and deeper realization is very painful itself. Not everyone is willing to arrive at the final destination. There is nothing “there”. Everything has been dissolved on the way. Another and another dream was left behind to be burned withing the emptiness. Emptiness was the only refuge left. But in the Budhahood even emptiness is realized to be empty itself and there is nothing to hold on to.

Egoic mind always needs some securities. Awareness, God, Oneness, Emptiness. But after the final step there is no security left and the rest of the egoic mind dissolves as the fog in the morning. At that point everything is revealed crystal clear. Life and its energy is all there is. Clean, pure, light, perfect with its pain and joy together. You are left naked, sittting in the first line enjoying every hit of life.

The light at the end of the tunnel is unknown compared to “light” at its beginning. This uncertainty leaves you denying the darkness on the path. But only through this most scary and painful darkness the ultimate light can be finaly seen. Not everyone is prepared to leave all the dreams behind and by that he rejects the Buddhahood. But it is always there deep inside everyone of us waiting to be realized and uncovered.

With love…

 

[anatta]

A buddhist looks calm and serene. A passerby sees a buddhist being calm and serene, decides that this is how a buddhist looks like so therefore it is how a buddhist is supposed to look like.
The only way the passerby can imagine being calm and serene is to feel no strong emotion, so he assumes that the buddhist must feel no strong emotions. From there, the passerby assumes that feeling strong emotions is bad, wrong, unhealthy.
Because a buddhist is supposed to be calm and serene.

Can you see how this works? Can you see how a great deal of assumptions is made based on nothing but an outward appearance of a buddhist, based on what the buddhist looks like on the outside, but with no understanding of what the buddhist is doing on the inside.

What the buddhist is doing on the inside is being present with emotions. All emotions. The buddhist does not discriminate against some emotions in preference for others. The buddhist experiences all emotions. The buddhist experiences all emotions fully, completely. He feels the thrill of joy and the agony of pain so completely that he has no need to react. He doesn’t need to jump with joy nor scream with pain. There is no need for his body to react to what he feels, because his awareness encompasses what he feels, fully experiences what he feels.
Pausha Foley, Painter at Fine Art

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Another teaching which is misunderstood is ‘life is suffering’, it's actually ‘there is suffering in life’ , because there is lots of joys and happiness also in life but all of that has an inbuilt fleeting feeling inside them and our misguided efforts to achieve them complicates things.

One can find equanimity with the teachings and still live in the world.

Final one is there is suffering due to craving, there is craving due to ignorance but it is not explained where the ignorance comes from, because there is no need. One just works to remove the ignorance.

The human mind seeks answers to everything but actually we can complicate things by overanalyzing and overthinking also.

When we say something is omnipresent or impermanent, it has to be defined against something which is present and permanent for us to understand.

That's why thinking about things like when did world or time start is not encouraged as one will ask ‘what before that', we thus don't know when all this started.

That is why it's said that no one spoke as much as the Buddha but also no one stayed silent as much as the Buddha.

Because he knew which questions not to answer.

Agreed. I think another way of saying that is "Suffering from wont" - those who don't desire other things don't suffer from not having them. Not necessities like air, water and sufficient food but silly material things like a new car, a job promotion or a particularly attractive women.

 

[dukkha]

Agreed. I think another way of saying that is "Suffering from wont" - those who don't desire other things don't suffer from not having them. Not necessities like air, water and sufficient food but silly material things like a new car, a job promotion or a particularly attractive women.

the difference is 'wants' are fine human desires .. nothing wrong with this. It's when the desires overtake your reasoning abilities and you become a craven slave to your desires.

It is not the desires that get you, it's the "attachment' to those desires when they are no longer possible,
or cling to them to your own detriment

 

[anatta]

The instruction of the Kalamas (Kalama Sutta) is justly famous for its encouragement of free inquiry; the spirit of the sutta signifies a teaching that is exempt from fanaticism, bigotry, dogmatism, and intolerance.
~~
– Do not believe anything on mere hearsay.
– Do not believe in traditions merely because they are old and have been handed down for many generations and in many places.
– Do not believe anything on account of rumors or because people talk a a great deal about it.
– Do not believe anything because you are shown the written testimony of some ancient sage.
– Do not believe in what you have fancied, thinking that, because it is extraordinary, it must have been inspired by a god or other wonderful being.
– Do not believe anything merely because presumption is in its favor, or because the custom of many years inclines you to take it as true.
– Do not believe anything merely on the authority of your teachers and priests.
– But, whatever, after thorough investigation and reflection, you find to agree with reason and experience, as conducive to the good and benefit of one and all and of the world at large, accept only that as true, and shape your life in accordance with it.

 

[anatta]

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One, on a wandering tour among the Kosalans with a large community of monks, arrived at Kesaputta, a town of the Kalamas. The Kalamas of Kesaputta heard it said, "Gotama the contemplative — the son of the Sakyans, having gone forth from the Sakyan clan — has arrived at Kesaputta. And of that Master Gotama this fine reputation has spread: 'He is indeed a Blessed One, worthy, & rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, a knower of the cosmos, an unexcelled trainer of those persons ready to be tamed, teacher of human & divine beings, awakened, blessed. He has made known — having realized it through direct knowledge — this world with its devas, maras, & brahmas, its generations with their contemplatives & brahmans, their rulers & common people; has explained the Dhamma admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end; has expounded the holy life both in its particulars & in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure. It is good to see such a worthy one.'"

So the Kalamas of Kesaputta went to the Blessed One. On arrival, some of them bowed down to him and sat to one side. Some of them exchanged courteous greetings with him and, after an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, sat to one side. Some of them sat to one side having saluted him with their hands palm-to-palm over their hearts. Some of them sat to one side having announced their name & clan. Some of them sat to one side in silence.

As they sat there, the Kalamas of Kesaputta said to the Blessed One, "Lord, there are some brahmans & contemplatives who come to Kesaputta. They expound & glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, & disparage them. And then other brahmans & contemplatives come to Kesaputta. They expound & glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, & disparage them. They leave us absolutely uncertain & in doubt: Which of these venerable brahmans & contemplatives are speaking the truth, and which ones are lying?"

"Of course you are uncertain, Kalamas. Of course you are in doubt. When there are reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering' — then you should abandon them.

"What do you think, Kalamas? When greed arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"

"For harm, lord."

"And this greedy person, overcome by greed, his mind possessed by greed, kills living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm & suffering."

"Yes, lord."

"Now, what do you think, Kalamas? When aversion arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"

"For harm, lord."

"And this aversive person, overcome by aversion, his mind possessed by aversion, kills living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm & suffering."

"Yes, lord."

"Now, what do you think, Kalamas? When delusion arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"

"For harm, lord."

"And this deluded person, overcome by delusion, his mind possessed by delusion, kills living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term harm & suffering."

"Yes, lord."

"So what do you think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"

"Unskillful, lord."

"Blameworthy or blameless?"

"Blameworthy, lord."

"Criticized by the wise or praised by the wise?"

"Criticized by the wise, lord."

"When adopted & carried out, do they lead to harm & to suffering, or not?"

"When adopted & carried out, they lead to harm & to suffering. That is how it appears to us."

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

"Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them.

"What do you think, Kalamas?

 

[anatta]

"And this ungreedy person, not overcome by greed, his mind not possessed by greed, doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term welfare & happiness."

"Yes, lord."

"What do you think, Kalamas? When lack of aversion arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"

"For welfare, lord."

"And this unaversive person, not overcome by aversion, his mind not possessed by aversion, doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term welfare & happiness."

"Yes, lord."

"What do you think, Kalamas? When lack of delusion arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"

"For welfare, lord."

"And this undeluded person, not overcome by delusion, his mind not possessed by delusion, doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of which is for long-term welfare & happiness."

"Yes, lord."

"So what do you think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"

"Skillful, lord."

"Blameworthy or blameless?"

"Blameless, lord."

"Criticized by the wise or praised by the wise?"

"Praised by the wise, lord."

"When adopted & carried out, do they lead to welfare & to happiness, or not?"

"When adopted & carried out, they lead to welfare & to happiness. That is how it appears to us."

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness" — then you should enter & remain in them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

"Now, Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, alert, & resolute — keeps pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with compassion. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with compassion: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with appreciation. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with appreciation: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"He keeps pervading the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third, & the fourth — with an awareness imbued with equanimity. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, & all around, everywhere & in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with equanimity: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.

"Now, Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, & pure — acquires four assurances in the here-&-now:

"'If there is a world after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body, after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.

"'But if there is no world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.' This is the second assurance he acquires.

"'If evil is done through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the third assurance he acquires.

"'But if no evil is done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both respects.' This is the fourth assurance he acquires.

"One who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, & pure — acquires these four assurances in the here-&-now."

"So it is, Blessed One. So it is, O One Well-gone. One who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, & pure — acquires four assurances in the here-&-now:

"'If there is a world after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body, after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.

"'But if there is no world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.' This is the second assurance he acquires.

"'If evil is done through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the third assurance he acquires.

"'But if no evil is done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both ways.' This is the fourth assurance he acquires.

"One who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, & pure — acquires these four assurances in the here-&-now.

"Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. We go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha of monks. May the Blessed One remember us as lay followers who have gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wheel008.html

 

[anatta]

China says boy picked by Dalai Lama now a college graduate
https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-says-boy-picked-dalai-105738017.html

China said Tuesday that a boy who disappeared 25 years ago after being picked by the Dalai Lama as Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest figure is now a college graduate with a stable job.

Very little information has been given about Gedhun Choekyi Nyima or his family since he went missing at age 6 shortly after being named the 11th Panchen Lama.

China, which claims that Tibet is part of its territory, named another boy to the position, Gyaltsen Norbu, who is rarely seen and is believed to spend most of his time in Beijing. He is generally viewed as a political figure under Beijing's control and shares none of the Dalai Lama's global fame.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Gedhun Choekyi Nyima “received free compulsory education when he was a child, passed the college entrance examination and now has a job." Zhao said neither the now-31-year-old man or his family wishes to be disturbed in their “current normal lives.” No other details were given.

The tussle between Beijing and the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in 1959, concerns who will determine the future of Tibetan Buddhism, which still commands heavy sway over the people of the Himalayan region that China says has been its territory for centuries but which many Tibetans believe was largely independent.

Tibet’s self-declared government-in-exile in India marked the 25th anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima's disappearance by calling on Beijing on Sunday to account for his whereabouts.

“China’s abduction of the Panchen Lama and forcible denial of his religious identity and right to practice in his monastery is not only a violation of religious freedom but also a gross violation of human rights,” the Tibetan parliament in northern India, known as the Kashag, said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also issued a statement on Monday calling on China to “immediately make public the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts and to uphold its own constitution and international commitments to promote religious freedom for all persons."

The Dalai Lama named the original Panchen Lama with the help of Tibetan lamas trained in reading portents and signs. China claims the reincarnate can only be chosen by pulling lots from a golden urn, a method it used to pick its own candidate under the control of the officially atheistic ruling Communist Party.

Traditionally, the Panchen Lama has served as teacher and aide to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s highest leader who is now 84 and is accused by Beijing of seeking independence for Tibet. The Dalai Lama denies that and says he advocates greater autonomy for the region.

 

[dukkha]

Buddha was lucky enough not to have Internet information or even to have a Guru.
He just saw the miseries in the world and went into the woods.

He has no idea what or how to do meditation. He just sat below the tree and closed the eyes.
And with a deep urge of knowing “who am I” and figuring out about the miseries in the world.

And once he reached the deep level of consciousness he got all the answers.

Point I want to make is - mind keeps us asking questions, putting doubts, understanding more etc.
Mind is the bottleneck. Stop looking answers for them, that will reduce your minds hindrance into the journey.

Just sit down and start meditating.
Let your meditation take you wherever it wants, don’t try to guide it by anything.
https://www.quora.com/

 

[anatta]

The most fascinating thing about Buddha is that we can see him as a Human like us!

A man with a beautiful mind. He is not God, nor a god, nor a prophet. He is perfect just as a human being. Lived and died like human beings. There is no promise of heaven in his religion. No threat of hell. No need to pray. No compulsory to follow him. No mandatory rituals.

Following his teachings makes one a better person. The Dhamma is not harmed if one does not follow it. He/she will just miss the opportunity to be a better human.

 

[Cypress]

The most fascinating thing about Buddha is that we can see him as a Human like us!

A man with a beautiful mind. He is not God, nor a god, nor a prophet. He is perfect just as a human being. Lived and died like human beings. There is no promise of heaven in his religion. No threat of hell. No need to pray. No compulsory to follow him. No mandatory rituals.

Following his teachings makes one a better person. The Dhamma is not harmed if one does not follow it. He/she will just miss the opportunity to be a better human.

Whenever one tacitly asserts the superiority of their religion to another (aka, Buddhism vs. Christianity) it is worth remembering that there is illogical and confounding claims made by all religions. I do not think the concept of Samsara and being reincarnated as an insect is any more logical or reasonable than the concept a soul entering the kingdom of heaven.

The ethical tenets of Buddhism and Christianity stand on their own merit, irrespective of philosophical claims about liberation or salvation. I personally think the eightfold noble path is every bit as compelling as Jesus' message of the Golden rule and universal love. There is no competition between religions there; those are all equally reasonable expressions of the authentic human life.

 

[anatta]

Whenever one tacitly asserts the superiority of their religion to another (aka, Buddhism vs. Christianity) it is worth remembering that there is illogical and confounding claims made by all religions. I do not think the concept of Samsara and being reincarnated as an insect is any more logical or reasonable than the concept a soul entering the kingdom of heaven.

The ethical tenets of Buddhism and Christianity stand on their own merit, irrespective of philosophical claims about liberation or salvation. I personally think the eightfold noble path is every bit as compelling as Jesus' message of the Golden rule and universal love. There is no competition between religions there; those are all equally reasonable expressions of the authentic human life.

where do you get any assertion of superiority?
Buddhist think they are correct, Hindus, and Christians the same. is that superiority?
~~

Samsara is the inevitable result of karma. "perfected karma" means no more turns on the Wheel.

Enlightenment is the blowing out of karma.
karma no longer applies because an enlightened human no longer has karma. it's gone.
No more future consequences for your actions/intents. you have achieved liberation from samasara.
No more karma to recycle ( see my location by avatar)

But for those who go thru life and are not enlightened ( 99.99%) that karma is not snuffed out -
meaning the karma has to 'go' someplace ( think of it as the conservation of energy theory)

It goes back into the karmic pool - you do NOT go back as a self however ( anatta = no self).
So saying one gets reincarnated as an insect is not correct. One's karma is simply recycled and regenerated
as the next existence . which doesn't even mean necessarily being immediately born into this world.
There are also existences in the netherworld ( Hungry Ghost etc.)

The important distinction is between a self ( Hindu) and a no self (Buddhist).
Hindu's do reincarnate as insects, etc. samasara does apply to both Hindu and Buddhists
but the understanding of the type of cyclical re-birth is different

 

[Cypress]

where do you get any assertion of superiority?
Buddhist think they are correct, Hindus, and Christians the same. is that superiority?
~~

Samsara is the inevitable result of karma. "perfected karma" means no more turns on the Wheel.

Enlightenment is the blowing out of karma.
karma no longer applies because an enlightened human no longer has karma. it's gone.
No more future consequences for your actions/intents. you have achieved liberation from samasara.
No more karma to recycle ( see my location by avatar)

But for those who go thru life and are not enlightened ( 99.99%) that karma is not snuffed out -
meaning the karma has to 'go' someplace ( think of it as the conservation of energy theory)

It goes back into the karmic pool - you do NOT go back as a self however ( anatta = no self).
So saying one gets reincarnated as an insect is not correct. One's karma is simply recycled and regenerated
as the next existence . which doesn't even mean necessarily being immediately born into this world.
There are also existences in the netherworld ( Hungry Ghost etc.)

The important distinction is between a self ( Hindu) and a no self (Buddhist).
Hindu's do reincarnate as insects, etc. samasara does apply to both Hindu and Buddhists
but the understanding of the type of cyclical re-birth is different

Siddhartha Gautama in some of his previous lives was reincarnated as animals and lower life forms. That is really not that different than the Brahmanistic version of Samsara. My point is that Samsara sounds just as fantastical and illogical as Christian and Islamic views of salvation and liberation in a kingdom of God.

I personally believe all religious traditions are just different faces of an ultimate reality. We are just recently evolved smart chimpanzees, and our ranges of spiritual soteriology collectively just encompass our attempts to put a face on an ultimate reality. Therefore, while I personally feel the greatest affinity for the Christian tradition, I endeavor to adopt a posture that Christianity, and Christianity uniquely, is neither more correct nor more superior to other religious traditions