I like my happy friend, he is always laughing
I HAVE read with interest the comments on religion, how it was spread through missionaries, etcetera. how it is practised, (money, money) and which one to join.
I specially enjoy comments from T Markandan.
Thinking about the subject, I decided that should I want to join, who do I choose?
I grabbed a pen and started making a list and boy are they different and many: Buddhism, Mormonism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Christian Science, Roman Catholicism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarianism, Judaism, Islam, Dutch Reformed, Charismatic, Authodox Christianity, Eish!
There’s more. I asked myself, are they the same? If not, which one is the best/correct one? Naa, they can’t be the same.
I went to my book shelves and took out a book by Fritz Ridenour.
Did I find something? Yes and it stated: Suffering is universal with its cause being craving and selfish desire. The cure for this suffering is to eliminate craving and for attachments. To be able to do this one needs to follow the noble eight fold path that guides us to the eight ways of right living. 1. Right viewpoint. 2. Right aspiration. 3.Right speech. 4. Right behaviour. 5. Right occupation. 6. Right effort. 7. Right mindfulness, and 8. Right meditation.
It explains that suffering is part of life and each person must find his own way of escape and never interfere/criticise another person’s problems.
Suffering comes from the desire of things in the world (self enrichment and materialism).
I like this philosophy man. On my kist is a statue of a laughing Buddhist monk and now I know why – he’s a happy man – he made the right choice of lifestyle, middle path.
As for the list above, the choice is yours. Mine cost me zilch, only happiness like my happy friend on the kist, laughing always, no hassles.