Bryan Stupar

This is a really good sermon on prayer I thought I...

2011-10-16T21:36:16.444-07:00

This is a really good sermon on prayer I thought I would share!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evdjJxWHqpg&feature=channel_video_title

Thanks for posting these, I always find myself com...

2011-06-03T13:10:31.587-07:00

Thanks for posting these, I always find myself coming back to them.

We stayed there a night on our honeymoon! Glad to ...

2011-03-09T02:29:13.415-08:00

We stayed there a night on our honeymoon! Glad to hear you'll be using it for Easter services.
God, bless it!

Awesome! We'll be praying! the soderins

2011-03-08T16:19:56.296-08:00

Awesome! We'll be praying!

the soderins

I love it Bryan!

2011-03-08T15:21:12.044-08:00

I love it Bryan!

Hello I found this debate/lecture by Ravi Zacharia...

2011-01-19T07:07:27.002-08:00

Hello
I found this debate/lecture by Ravi Zacharias very interesting and helpful. Unfortunately it seems you can only download the first part of it for free, but I hope it still helps.

http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/justthinking.aspx?archive=1&pid=1827

I think it addresses the very important question of where and why there is suffering in a very good and humble way.

George Hugo

@dougsamu I certainly don't claim to be an exp...

2011-01-18T18:40:25.631-08:00

@dougsamu I certainly don't claim to be an expert in Buddhism as I said above, "I'm not in any way an expert in Buddhism.."

Help me understand better..
I'm curious, you said earlier "Buddhism is not about "suffering", and not merely "addressing suffering." It is about curing it. Directly."
How so?
How does it cure suffering?
In your experience, do you feel as if it has been successful?

I'm sincerely interested in understanding better, as to not misrepresent anyone or any belief.

Also to clear up any misunderstanding on your part towards my statement in the below:

""... by the unnatural..."

Really? This is such a judgement on your part. It gives away the whole bias. None of the rest of your answer can be considered as anywhere near objective or even displaying understanding."

By "unnatural", I simply meant, that ANY denial of ones-self is not by nature easy, and thus "unnatural" and in other cases certain self-denials run counter to natural sentiment. It was not a "judgement" as you stated, but rather an observation.

I look forward to your response.

peace

I never said, and I hope I never implied, that the...

2011-01-18T14:13:10.967-08:00

I never said, and I hope I never implied, that the post was invective. Your answer was wrong, and your understanding remains limited. Talk all you want about Christ, but don't pretend that that you know Buddhism.

soooo good

2011-01-18T11:23:58.681-08:00

soooo good

I should explain "SIN". At the heart of ...

2011-01-18T07:17:47.008-08:00

I should explain "SIN".
At the heart of humanities problem, is sin.
THe bible asserts that we've launched our own invective and rebellion against God, by not only outward acts of rebellion but also inward desires to rule, in the place of God himself. At the end of the day, most of us think we could do a better job at ruling our world than the "all-powerful" Deity in charge.

So we usurp any power/authority we feel he has over our lives with hope of attaining true freedom. Yet this is where we end up finding ourselves deceived. Because God is the ONLY truly "free" moral agent, He says that only in him "true freedom" is found.

Outside of God, is oppression and tyranny, to all sorts of vices, be they as tangible as "addictions to drugs" or as seemingly innocuous as "addiction to another's approval". The net result is the same...oppression and suffering!

The bible describes the descent into this tortuous realm as "sin"..or "missing the mark" of what God truly has in store.

@Doug Rogers + @maha thanks for your thoughts and ...

2011-01-18T07:06:41.457-08:00

@Doug Rogers + @maha
thanks for your thoughts and insight.

This quote from wikipedia says, "Buddha ... is recognized by Buddhists as an awakened or enlightened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end suffering (or dukkha), achieve nirvana, and escape what is seen as a cycle of suffering and rebirth."

I'm not in any way an expert in Buddhism, and would not want to misrepresent it..so If I've done so, please accept my apologies.

I would affirm Buddha's noble intentions in seeking to help people with what wisdom/means he had. Suffering is world wide and reaches all generations. Though he had good insight, it would seem as if it didn't go deep enough to the root which causes suffering. Anyone who would attempt to alleviate another's suffering is doing a good work. Yet I'm sure you'd agree that the best form of alleviation is the kind which is lasting, as opposed to either a placebo or temporal.

My point was not an invective against Buddhism, but rather to show how God, not only sees our suffering, but incarnated himself into our world in order to FEEL our suffering & ultimately to CONQUER that which causes our suffering -- SIN/DEATH. The cross was the place in which God allowed darkness/evil/suffering to abuse and torment Jesus, in full force...to the point of it's climax, death. Jesus's resurrection was His public display that sin/suffering/death WILL NOT have the final word.

Therefore, salvation/freedom (perhaps nirvana, in the strictest sense of, "the state of being free from suffering (or dukkha)") is found not via adherence to wise teachings or strict disciplines (me, struggling to do something about my plight), but through the good news that God has done something...for me!
Christianity really at it's core is NOT primarily about:
"teachings" (though we have many and they are important)
"discipline" (we have these too)
but rather, it's about the event of the cross!
God, conquering evil, and setting captives free, and ultimately the deeply intimate/loving act of adopting broken humans as his sons + daughters.

This is why it's described as good news.

Thanks for taking the time to write
peace

You misunderstand Buddhist teachings on "atta...

2011-01-18T06:12:35.903-08:00

You misunderstand Buddhist teachings on "attachment." It would take a book to explain it all, but on a very simple level this is a teaching to not be greedy or clingy. Warm, loving relationships are not forbidden, but encouraged. I have an article on attachment here, if you want more explanation:

http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/a/attachment.htm

I was raised Christian and converted to Buddhism in middle age. I still respect Christianity and would not slander it, but when you say Christianity teaches us to "love deeply, give generously, enjoy completely" -- frankly, Buddhism does that 20 times more. Just as one tiny example, you might enjoy the Buddha's sermon on loving kindness:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.nymo.html

One of the Ten Commandments tells us to not bear false witness. One of the Mahayana Buddhist Precepts tells us not to try to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. I would say this applies to religion, also. If your argument in favor of Christianity requires you to spread lies and misinformation about another religion, then you don't have an argument. The best argument you can make for Christianity is to keep Jesus' teachings in your heart and keep them, humbly and faithfully. And honestly, I might add.

"Buddhism was formed..." Hmmm.... &quo...

2011-01-17T20:53:04.650-08:00

"Buddhism was formed..."

Hmmm.... "Buddhism" is a label, a name for a cultural accretion based on the teachings of the Buddha. Was it formed? That word implies some intent, as though it were a movement founded by someone deliberately for some purpose.

"... as a means of addressing personal suffering..."

Great holes in this that I just can't grasp yet... One one level it sounds reasonable. On another it's just wrong. Yes, there are methods and techniques and teachings aimed at addressing the issues of 'person' and 'suffering', even solving the problems of 'person' and 'suffering'. Buddhism addresses dukkha as the problem, yes... Gee, there are so many reasonable and accurate web resources for understanding this... But Buddhism is not about "suffering", and not merely "addressing suffering." It is about curing it. Directly.

"... by the unnatural..."

Really? This is such a judgement on your part. It gives away the whole bias. None of the rest of your answer can be considered as anywhere near objective or even displaying understanding.

"... act of emptying oneself..."

Once again, this, on one level seems correct, but it betrays where you are coming from. I have no problem with Christanity, but this - if you are even trying to give an accurate answer - shows you understand only what you understand, and you try to answer all questions from that position. You don't understand Buddhism, and don't understand the philosophy and psychology behind it.

If one understands the skandas, even slightly, and once again, there are so many reasonable and accurate web resources for understanding this... Well, the point is that the perception of self, the idea that there is a fixed and unchanging self, that there is a soul - and obviously this is where Christianity and Buddhism part company - this illusion of self is the whole problem. There is no self to empty. There is, then, nothing to empty.

This does not mean that you, or I or your readers do not exist. Yes we do. Of course we do. It is the attachment to the idea of self which is what is relinquished. There is no unchanging everlasting element in form, feeling, perception, thoughts or consciousness.

Who and what we are is not separate from the natural world. How can this be unnatural?

"... of all attachments to this world (relationships, possessions, etc.) ..."

And so, if what we are is dependent on all those things in the world, how is it possible to disconnect from them all? You disconnect from them by discovering that there is no unchanging everlasting always-the-same You which experiences them, but a continuing process of becoming you which experiences them in the ways of always now. And sometimes always now doesn't need to carry a large suitcase of attachments to be a self.

"For example, if loving someone could lead to a broken heart (suffering) then, perhaps it's best to empty oneself of this desire to love...."

Once again this is cast in the Christian understanding of self.

Paradoxically, once the self, this idea of self is gone, once you are empty of self, there is nothing, there are no filters through which love must pass.

Buddhism is not Nihilism or despair. Buddhism is compassion.

"Even though the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, were a worthy attempt to liberate oneself..."

Do you see the error again?

"... from the pain and misery, ..."

Please examine and understand Dukkha.

"... they fail to diagnose the real problem..."

But that's exactly what he did!

"... and thus discover the paradoxical solution..."

The world isn't binary. It transcends either/or and embraces everything. There is paradox only when you have a point of view to cling to.

this is cool! i linked you on my blog ;) www.PREVA...

2011-01-17T13:36:16.934-08:00

this is cool! i linked you on my blog ;) www.PREVAILzine.tumblr.com

-annajoy

Thank you for this answer so simply put. I love t...

2011-01-17T09:54:21.940-08:00

Thank you for this answer so simply put. I love to read your posts, don't stop. They are always encouraging.

Those are quick and to the point. I think without ...

2011-01-11T21:21:16.875-08:00

Those are quick and to the point. I think without doing much soul searching that I have struggled with quite a few of them. I might just need to get that book.

Very insightful and eye-opening. Just give me Jes...

2010-11-26T08:22:44.380-08:00

Very insightful and eye-opening. Just give me Jesus!

love this!

2010-11-07T15:39:11.393-08:00

love this!

Hey Bryan, Just read this yesterday in an essay ...

2010-11-04T08:08:18.680-07:00

Hey Bryan,

Just read this yesterday in an essay by Wendell Berry (author/farmer) about how Americans largely view work as something to be escaped from as much as possible:

"But is work something that we have a right to escape? And can we escape it with impunity? We are probably the first entire people ever to think so. All the ancient wisdom that has come down to us counsels otherwise. It tells us that work is necessary to us, as much a part of our condition as mortality; that good work is our salvation and our joy; that shoddy or dishonest or self-serving work is our curse and our doom. We have tried to escape the sweat and the sorrow promised in Genesis - only to find that, in order to do so, we must forswear love and excellence, health and joy."

Fantastic post! This can be applied not only to r...

2010-10-31T07:42:28.232-07:00

Fantastic post! This can be applied not only to raising children, but to others around us. Too often, as christians, our lives are more about what we don't do than what we do. And, that is religion! It is impossible to live up to religious standards, but with the Lord's help, we can follow Him and show Him to family and the whole world.

Thank you!

The girls and I wish we were there with you. We mi...

2010-10-28T23:18:40.791-07:00

The girls and I wish we were there with you. We miss you & love you.

Wow, I needed that! I need to take up those three...

2010-10-26T18:33:26.074-07:00

Wow, I needed that! I need to take up those three requests.

thx ;)

2010-10-21T19:59:10.500-07:00

thx ;)

hey, just wanted to say I like the new layout. Oh...

2010-10-21T12:13:11.992-07:00

hey, just wanted to say I like the new layout.

Oh, and Lewis is awesome as usual.

Wow, so true and very well said! I don't want...

2010-10-19T07:34:52.053-07:00

Wow, so true and very well said! I don't want religion, I want Jesus! And...that's what I need to communicate to the world.