Yes, you’re absolutely right. It’s hard to think of a good analogy to that though. Perhaps the actor playing himself?
Hey Pilgrim,
Any connection to your Fatima thread, maybe?
How’s that thread going, BTW? If you could sum up your main message in that thread, what would it be?
I would think so. It gives people hope, something to aim for, while at the same time not being moral imperative. I think in every religion, there’s some groundless superstition, but I also think there are kernels of truth, and I don’t think they’re all equally weighted in this regard. I think Buddhism (and other religions focused on enlightenment) are onto something, a lot more than other religions. That’s not to say other religions are complete rubbish, but I think Buddhism can boast more hands-on results. For example, brain scans done on Buddhist monks who are well seasoned in meditation have been compared to lay people who aren’t very experienced in meditation, and the results are noticeable. Lay people show brain activity more or less scattered throughout the brain (not much different from lay people who are not meditating) whereas the Buddhist monks show almost no brain activity in the left lobe and heightened brain activity in the right lobe. And also just the reported experiences of people who practice meditation–feeling more at peace, happier, being more able to feel compassion and love for other beings.
One of the major differences between Western and Eastern religions, which I think plays a role here, is that Western religions teach us that salvation is not to be found here in this life, that we must play our cards right and if we’re lucky, then maybe we’ll find salvation (God, enlightenment, heaven, etc.) in the afterlife. Eastern religions, on the other hand, teach that salvation (God, enlightenment, heaven, etc.) is attainable in this life, and directly attainable by the individual. It leaves the adherent with two very different approaches to life, and consequently with two very different sets of results.