LAWGODDESS!!

by the way, wheres lawgoddess? we miss ya 😛

Oh, and since she'll see this... I wanted to know two things... Lawgoddess, I know you're Buddhist but do you celebrate Christmas as well for the cultural aspect? and the other thing is, in Australia, it should be summertime there now... do Australians cut down pine trees and put them in their house and decorate them too? Or is this just a silly American/Canadian tradition?

Hey guys, I've been around..but mainly just to read as there doesn't seem to be as much time in the day...

Yes, I fully celebrate xmas..I guess quite a few Buddhists do. I wasn't raised a Buddhist, but to me xmas only ever meant one thing really, family, friends, tons of food and Jesus' birthday (so I usually make a cake for that). Jesus is very real to me as a great prophet (he's also a one of my spiritual guides- we argue quite abit..lol). So I can still appreciate the meaning of xmas, regardless of whether I think he was the son of god or not...peace on earth, goodwill to all people and all that...I am sure all religions have that same tenement anyway, so can't understand why it can't be celebrated by everyone for that purpose. Yeah, we cut down trees here too, but we have an artificial tree here. I never liked cutting down trees, and unless I could bring it in the house roots and all and replant it later (lol) I wouldn't consider it. Just a silly viewpoint maybe. Although, our pine trees are different from yours, probably alot more sparse and twiggy.

Anyhoo, still here..even if only briefly...

i get you lawgoddess, just because you follow a religion doesnt mean you cant believe in another, besides in buddhism doesnt it say that you can believe in other parts of religion or just basically as a whole? Yep yep, welps hope you have a great christmas, latez

Budhism really doesn't say anything really..no preaching, only learning. It is the most 'indepth' religion I have come across. For eg. there are scrolls and scrolls just about the 'process' of dying...not even touching on the spiritual side of it. Budhism doesn't really dictate at all....even if you call yourself a Buddhist, you may not agree with everything taught (eg. paranormal etc..coming back from the dead). Monks wouldn't have an opinion either way on it, each to his or her own.

I am definetely not a christian, but there is too much scientific evidence saying that Jesus was here. He is recognised as a great prophet in Budhism, Muslim and Jewish faiths to name a few. It is only the issue of whether he was the 'son of god' that is disputed.

But xmas to me (although NOT a good day to say this...lol) is about family get togethers, major pig outs, and kids waking up before the crack of freakin dawn to open pressies...and of course the kids excitement and smiles is just incredible. Life is hard enough as it is..why not take a day out and remember what family and friends really mean to us, and to extend those warm feelings out into the universe for all other sentient beings. :-)

i like buddhism, im curious about it, and do you know anywhere i can look up that jesus thing?

What Jesus thing exactly? Evidence of his existence? There are sources in many areas. Can't really direct you to a specific source as I received information from various sources over the years. Maybe a search on the net will yeild info on this topic. Sorry I couldn't be more specific.