Published by Christianity did not give me peace within, teach me to love my enemies, care about all sentient beings, lose anger and hatred, gain patience and serenity. It told me to do that, but nothing that I tried worked. Buddhism actually gave me those treasures.
I feel that the creator-god idea fails to make people do anything. People like me just toss out a prayer and expected the Christian god to do it for us. Hence – nothing ever actually got done.
It didn’t work – for me at least. I do have a lot of friends who are Christian and who do benefit from that religion, and I have nothing against it if it does work for you – but for some of us, it doesn’t.
Buddhism gave me the starting point and instructions, then let me DIY on fixing my head and life, along with the world about me. Being in my own hands, things got done, and quickly!
It worked – for me at least!
DIY means I am the one who is responsible for making these changes. Being eager to do so, I had rapid success, once started! No more asking a god to do it for me, but doing it myself. The incentive and enthusiasm was always there, but it took me forty-one years to find the right method of actually doing something. In the past six months, I have learned and performed more benefit than the previous forty years of my life!
So, no more sitting on my butt telling a “god in the clouds” that I want stuff fixed – really – but getting off my butt and doing it. I think I have just learned to live!
Enjoyed your words very well… “Om Mani Padme Hung”.
Bethany, OK, United States