Karma of The Christ (prayer)

Lord, have mercy on this sinner!
Let it be known to they who have ears:
He that wishes hellfire on unbelievers
The devil tempted, but he alone errs.
He that practices mercy like God,
The Christ he follows faithfully.
Truly then are the merciful of men
The most divine of humanity, not
Unlike the Only Begotten — none
Dare accuse them of wrongdoing.
For it is not up to us to judge
Lest we be judged according to His will.
All that believe in God Almighty,
Be they Christian, Jew or Muslim,
By their acts they be judged by Him,
And those that err shall be shown
Mercy, being offered their last chance.
When that time comes, they who choose
The Millennium shall not know death,
And they who choose to be purged
Will only return to the Godhead
Until their glory is revealed.
If this is heterodox to the doctrines
Of Abrahamic faiths, be they Christian,
Jewish or Muslim, then your doctrine is pure.
If what is written here as prayer is heretical
In the eyes of the devout, be they Muslim,
Jewish or Christian, then your doctrine is corrupt.
Be ye silent, yet pray for my soul,
'Tis because of thy wish that is founded
On false doctrine about "hellfire and brimstone",
And the destruction of evil by its Author.
Indeed, the doctrine that God, the Author
Of good and evil, shall destroy all evil
So that only good remains is an unbalanced one
Created by cult members for the sake of control
Over the followers of such obscene doctrine.
Instead, hellfire cleans away all evil,
Leaving only the immortal soul behind
To be embraced by the Only Begotten,
Made one with God Almighty,
And touched by the Holy Ghost.
What is revealed is the truth
In the name of the Lord!
Amen.

Meditation of a Buddhist Mormon (satire)

This morning I thought about anjin and shinjin, two terms from Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

Anjin is a Japanese Buddhist term that means peace of mind due to shinjin, a mind truly assured of rebirth in the Pure Land of Bliss.

This is not unlike the peace of mind of a righteous person who truly believes that he will go to a greater glory in the afterlife.

For Amida promised rebirth to those whose peace of mind (anjin) is due to shinjin, the true mind arising from trusting in his promise of rebirth in his Pure Land.

Even though Buddhism and Christianity have sometimes opposing views on life, I truly believe that faith in the Christ is similar yet different from faith in the promise of Amida Buddha. It certainly helps to suspend disbelief when reconciling Buddhism and Christianity in my mind.

Rather than solely relying on his own power, a Buddhist puts his faith in the Buddha, the Christian puts his faith in God.

Additionally, Jesus promised eternal life in the New Heaven and Earth after a Millennium spend under His reign. For the peace of mind gained from belief that the promise of eternal life is true arises from being truly assured of rebirth in the Kingdom of God.

Even though our present life is limited in length, the Christian promise of eternal life appears at odds with the Buddhist concept of no-self, which claims life is impermanent (limited). This is because Buddhism accepts the truth that life is full of suffering, short as it is.

Indeed, Buddhism accepts life has it is.

In contrast, Christianity has the Christ promise eternal life for us in the afterlife. While Buddhism helps me to accept life as it is, I have also allowed for the Christian concept of the afterlife.

From my point of view, there is no conflict between the Buddhist concept of no-self (life is impermanent) and the Christ's promise of eternal life in Afterlife. For this present existence is impermanent, yet the Afterlife is no less impermanent.

Even so, the Buddhist concept of the consciousness stream allows for impermanence to be transcended.

Thus that which eternal in the Afterlife is viewed as existing for an exceedingly long time, and that which is impermanent in this life is viewed as existing for a limited time.

Therefore both Buddhism and Christianity are in some ways compatible because they meet my spiritual needs in this life and they also help settle my mind about the Afterlife. This helps to redefine my concept of eternity and immortality to reconcile the transient nature of life with the apparent permanence of the Afterlife.

Yet life is a place where anything can happen.

Though this life is truly precious, I have faith that the Afterlife will be glorious. Indeed, I treasure my life because of its limitations. When it ends one day, the Afterlife awaits.

For my mind is at peace, and I am truly willing to live each day to the fullest.

---

Reference:

Anjin and shinjin: http://www.trueshinbuddhism.com/content/view/36/61/
Anjin: http://diamondlikeshinjin.blogspot.ca/2010/10/anjin.html
Impermanence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impermanence
Afterlife: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife

posted from Bloggeroid

This One's for the Atheists (satire)

It is because they fear nonbeing that certain people will try your patience when you mention God or even the Buddha. They who fear thusly deliberately remain ignorant. You cannot get any agreement from them because of that fear of death.

Yet I do not fear death because of having meditated on birth and death, being and nonbeing. Perhaps it is my faith in an imaginary friend that gives me hope beyond belief until fearlessness is my comfort and strength.

Those people who do not understand how belief and faith work are ignorant of both faith and belief. In their ignorance, their fears are revealed.

This state of being that their minds reside in is called doubt and is associated with faithlessness. I as one of the faithful shall not get an answer, were I to ask "what do you believe in and do you have faith in it?"

Gravity causes a stone to fall to the earth, but it is a man who throws it. "Let he who dares to cast the first stone be free of sin."

In writing this post, I cast no stone. It is a testimony of faith. Deal with it.

Ennemi de Dieu / Enemy of God (satire)

Quiconque est ennemi de Gabriel -
car il fait baisser la révélation
à votre cœur par la volonté de Dieu,
une confirmation de ce qui s'est passé avant,
et des conseils et une bonne annonce
pour ceux qui croient,

Quiconque est ennemi de Dieu
et ses anges et messagers,
Gabriel et Michael, - Lo! Dieu est un ennemi
à ceux qui ne croient pas.

Quran Surah 2: 97-98 Yusuf Ali version

Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel -
for he brings down the revelation
to your heart by God's will,
a confirmation of what went before,
and guidance and glad tidings
for those who believe,

Whoever is an enemy to God
and His angels and messengers,
to Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! God is an enemy
to those who reject Faith.

---

Ceux qui craignent Gabriel craignent aussi Dieu.
Bien qu'ils pensent ciel est seulement pour eux,
seront surpris de la prévention des incendies.

They who fear Gabriel also fear God.
Though they think Heaven is only for them,
shall be surprised at the Fire.

It is said that when Mohammad (pbuh) replied to the Jews that Gabriel came to him to spread the message of the Quran, they expressed their fear of Gabriel due to his role in causing the walls of Jericho to fall, forgetting that the sins of the Israelite led to Jericho's fall.

In response, Gabriel spoke through Mohammad (pbuh) condemning the rejection of faith in God Almighty.

Although al-Bakarah, Surah 2, of the Quran appears at first glance anti-Semitic, rather it is a sharp rebuke to people of the Book whose egotism leads them to lack faith in God.

Thus, the Jews' hatred of Gabriel is unwarranted, since the fall of Jericho was in punishment for their lack of faith in God.

---

Ibn ''Abbas explained the reason of the revelation of the verse, Say: “Whoever is the enemy of Gabriel...”, in these words: “When the Prophet came to Medina, Ibn Suriya and some Jews of Fadak asked him (some questions). They said: 'O Muhammad! How do you sleep? Because we have been told about the sleep of the Prophet who would come in the last days?'

He said: 'My eyes sleep while my heart is awake.' They said: 'You are right, O Muhammad! Now tell us about the child whether it is from the man or from the woman?' He said: 'As for the bones, the nerves and the veins, they are from the man; and as for the flesh, the blood, the nails and the hairs, they are from the woman.'

They said: 'You are right, O Muhammad! Then why is it that sometimes the child resembles his paternal uncles, without having a least likeness of his maternal uncles? And sometimes he resembles his maternal uncles without having any likeness at all to his paternal uncles?' He replied: 'He resembles to that parent's (side) whose fluid dominates the other's.' They said: 'You spoke the truth, O Muhammad! Now, tell us about your Lord, what is He?' Then Allah revealed (the Chapter 112):

Say: “He, Allah is One...”

Then Ibn Suriya said: 'One (more) thing; if you tell (us) about it, I shall believe in you and follow you. Which angel is it that brings to you that which Allah reveals to you?' He said: 'Gabriel.' (Ibn Suriya) said:

'He is our enemy; he brings the (order of) fighting, hard-ship and war. And Michael brings comfort and happiness. Had it been Michael who came to you (with revelation) we would have believed in you.' ” -- Suratul Baqarah: Verses 94 − 99

---

It could be said Gabriel whispered in the ear of George W. Bush in the aftermath of 9-11, given the view that he is the angel of fighting, hardship and war.

However, he is also the angel of prophecy, and inspired the Quran, which is a gift from God to the Muslims. Though both Christians and Jews alike reject the Quran, the call to believe in God Almighty and to have faith in him is strong among them.

It is in error that the terms "Muslim terrorism" and "Islamist" are on the lips of Islamophobes because by generalizing terrorism and politics, they make it seem like all Muslims are terrorists and prone to bring Sharia among the rest of humanity.

This is a fallacy and runs counter to Islam itself.

For those Muslims who cry for a "Nation of Islam" that they call a Caliphate will find that it will not arise by violent action because of a bunch of fanatics dressed in black. Instead, all they will achieve is a terrorism of humanity, especially of those Muslims who are not Muslim enough for their narrow definition of what Islam is.

If their faith is so great, then why do they need guns and weapons of mass destruction? All they would need to do is pray with their fellow Muslims, educate them thoroughly, and soon Sharia shall arise.

Yet if that Sharia leads to oppression of humanity, be it Christian or Muslim, Shia or Sunni, man or woman, then these fanatics make a mockery of Islam. By killing Muslims who are not as fervent in their belief as them, they murder those people who believe there is no god but God.

How does one's faith in God justify killing their own kind? This question applies too to Christians because the Oklahoma City bombing was by a Christian terrorist. It also applies to Jews due to their terrorism practiced in the wake of the Balfour Declaration, a declaration that confirmed the British had betrayed the Hashemites and not lived up to their promise to give them the Levant.

Thus the enemies of God are the unfaithful, be it Christians, Islamists, and Jews who fight with each other, using violence be it by rhetoric or by arms. This applies to Islamophobes of all types.

However, I am an unbeliever and an apostate, being a Buddhist, and supposedly I know nothing of the ways of Christians, Jews and Muslims. Yet this is injustice, to perpetuate hatred and enmity just because of lack of faith in a merciful God.

If I can see as such, why can't people of the Book?

Parable of the Burning House & Buddhism Today

One day, a fire broke out in the house of a wealthy man who had many children. The wealthy man shouted at his children inside the burning house to flee. But, the children were absorbed in their games and did not heed his warning, though the house was being consumed by flames.

Then, the wealthy man devised a practical way to lure the children from the burning house. Knowing that the children were fond of interesting playthings, he called out to them, "Listen! Outside the gate are the carts that you have always wanted: carts pulled by goats, carts pulled by deer, and carts pulled by oxen. Why don't you come out and play with them?" The wealthy man knew that these things would be irresistible to his children.

The children, eager to play with these new toys rushed out of the house but, instead of the carts that he had promised, the father gave them a cart much better than any he has described - a cart draped with precious stones and pulled by white bullocks. The important thing being that the children were saved from the dangers of the house on fire.

"Fire" refers to desire and its sinful daughter, lust. Desire leads to anger and hatred if a person's lust is unchecked. Lust for things like money is greed. Lust for sex leads to sexual dysfunction.

Lust for power is the worst of all — this is what the Republicans and their religious right supporters suffer from, due to self-denial and repression of their sexual urges.

"House" refers to the human body.

Thus a burning house refers to a person who is not yet Enlightened.

"Wealthy man" refers to a Buddhist priest who is given spiritual wealth through faith in the Buddha and belief in the core tenets of Buddhism, as well as the core practice of samatha-vipassana. It may also refer to the spiritual aspects of a Buddhist who practices his faith earnestly. Thus meditation provides spiritual wealth that being worldly does not. Indeed, being worldly results in spiritual poverty.

"Many children" refers to his Buddhist pupils. It may also refer to the six consciousnesses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and cogitating (thinking limited to the five senses).

The wealthy man shouting to his children to flee the burning house refers to the Buddhist meditating and discovering what the six consciousnesses are. It also refers to the call of Amida Buddha, the Name-that-calls.

"The children absorbed in their games" refers to the six consciousnesses which are too ignorant to flee the body and come to the safety of the wealthy man, to be under his control.

Not heeding the wealthy man's warning is the lot of a person who has yet to meditate, and cannot control his senses including the use of his mind.

In the second paragraph is the paraphrase of what the Buddha does: he "lies" to the six consciousnesses in order to save them. The three carts pulled by goats, deer and oxen refers to the Three Treasures of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

The children coming out of the burning house refers to the six consciousnesses being trained through meditation.

The cart draped with precious stones and pulled by white bullocks refers to samadhi, the mind focused on meditation.

In this parable is the story of a Buddhist who puts his faith in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The "lie" that the Buddha tells Buddhists is that by putting faith in the Three Treasures, one is saved from lust. The truth is this: Samatha-Vipassana meditation helps the Buddhist to place the six consciousnesses under his control.

For the Buddha is long dead, the Dharma is rarely preached, and the Sangha organized Buddhism into a religion. Since then, rare is it that the Sangha practices what the Buddha taught. Instead, the Theravada Sangha has lusted for political power, and control who becomes the leader of a nation where the Sangha are king-makers such as Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. This is the fuel for the fire, and their houses burn.

In contrast, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana sects have flourished wherever they kept their noses out of politics and instead, led the people to respect the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha through meditation and optionally chanting the Buddha's name, provided that they do not make a religion of their practice to force upon Hindus, Muslims, and the people who practice other faiths.

Let this be a warning to Buddhists and other faiths. When you turn your faith into a religion, you only cause lust to inflame desire for power and control over others. Instead, strive to turn your faith into no religion by practice of compassion. Then you shall be rewarded with spiritual treasures beyond your imagination.

YMMV

---

Originally posted: December 24, 2005 10:12 PM PST

Transcending the Imagination

Technically, a certain Amida Buddha might not have existed long ago as he only exists in the Buddha world Sukhavativyuha, hence called the Pure Land of Bliss.

All of the possible Pure Lands do not exist in material space-time as they are of a Buddhist metaphysical nature.

Indeed, it may become necessary to believe in the Pure Land and in Amida Buddha in order to implement Nembutsu practice faithfully, as belief in the Pure Land is based on what is called the Primal Vow, which might place them next to God and unicorns.

This is similar to the stigma of mental illness where "it's all in your head." If God and unicorns are made up and due to the wildness of one's imagination, then the same thing might be said of Amida Buddha.

However, this is like comparing apples to imaginary oranges. The apple of this world may exist, but imaginary oranges only exist in the mind. Even though you cannot taste the oranges, you can still have a mind's view of them.

Likewise, the mind's view of Amida Buddha and the Pure Land is but a metaphysical reality.

Belief in the Pure Land is based on faith in the Primal Vow and especially rebirth in the Pure Land.

While there has never been any proof that the Pure Land exists except as metaphysical reality, a Buddhist would have to suspend disbelief, believe in what the three Pure Land Sutras say about Amida, and — as a result of his studies — have faith in the Primal Vow.

Indeed, I sometimes try to transcend my imagination when chanting Nembutsu quietly. For I believe in what the three Pure Land Sutras says about Amida Buddha and the Pure Land of Bliss.

That is what metaphysics is about: transcending the physics of this reality for the higher goal of happiness and peace for all sentient being in the Six Realms of Desire!

For information on the Primal Vow and other Buddhist terms in this article, check the tags below.

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Original post: June 24, 2013 1242H PDT

Faith that removes all Doubt

Faith that removes all doubt is what Amida Buddha offers.
This is why I believe earnestly in Amida's Primal Vow —

In the Infinite Life Sutra, Amida's Primal Vow is the 18th Vow of his 48 Vows:

If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings
in the lands of the ten quarters who sincerely
and joyfully entrust themselves to me,
desire to be born in my land, and
call my Name, even ten times, should not
be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
Excluded, however, are those who commit
the five gravest offences and abuse the right Dharma.

When I recite the Buddha's Name, I do so to confirm this faith through working of this Vow and the original intent behind the 48 Vow Amida made in his incarnations as Dharmakara.

---

Reference:

Dharmakara: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmakara
Infinite Life Sutra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Life_Sutra
Primal Vow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Vow

Medicine Buddha Magical Thinking in Tibetan Buddhism

"The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative karma. One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is stricken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. This practice is then repeated each day until the illness is cured." &smash; Wikipedia entry for Medicine Buddha.

This only works via the placebo effect after a lot of Buddhist mindful practice including hours of meditation and receiving tantric rituals regarding the Buddha i.e. the long process involved in becoming one with the Buddha.

It does not work if the disciple has doubts about the practice, but since she has already found her riot Vajra master, all doubt has been removed.

Nothing in the text quoted is that magical.  For with belief anything is possible.

The Virtue of Gullibility

I believe in Amida's Pure Land of Bliss, and have faith in the Primal Vow.

Even if this was just another Jataka Tale then I would still believe in the Teaching.

For were I to not believe and lose faith, I would suffer the deluded doubt,
and my mind would become confused. That kind of suffering leads me to mindful practice of meditation and Buddha Recitation, so that I remember Amida Buddha and his Forty-Eight Vows.

To an outsider who will never study the True Pure Land School and its three Nembutsu Sutras, this appears to be a superstition proselyted to a truly gullible old fool.

However, if my mindful practice leads me to hell, then I will surely follow the True Pure Land School's founder Shinran to hell.

For his faith, and the Pure Land Sangha's faith are the same as my faith in the Primal Vow.

Indeed, Pure Land Buddhism is no superstition.

The Good Antidote

For me Buddhism is a good antidote for belief in superstition and the supernatural.

Such beliefs arise from ignorance, regardless of the volumes of knowledge associated with superstitions such as numerology.

All I need to do to counteract superstition and belief in the supernatural is to meditate until my mind is cleared of all doubt. It is easy to discern whether particular symbols are superstition.

Take for example the number 13. It's just a number to me. When I was a child, I used to believe that 13 might have some supernatural significance.

Today, it's an unlucky number to the superstitious but not to me. In fact, I think of it as a "lucky" number because 13 is a prime number, the second in the series starting with 11 and ending with 19.

However, there is no luck involved: for numbers only have use to do math.

As for belief in the supernatural, I have long practiced Buddhism and believe in it so strongly that my belief in the supernatural as a child is all gone.

Indeed, the supernatural may have emotional appeal to the spiritually ignorant, but to Buddhists, the Buddha has greater appeal.

To me, the supernatural has little appeal at all because my faith in the Buddha is stronger than the childlike world of make-believe.

For meditation has trained me to wield my imagination as a tool that helps me to see Buddhism as a toolkit designed to think critically, and to entertain skepticism about
other belief systems.

Furthermore, Buddhism helps me to enshrine most of the various aspects such as Buddhas and bodhisattvas as qualities of the mind. In a way, the Buddha world called Pure Land of Bliss could be considered a state of mind, once I suspend disbelief and use my imagination to envision it through meditation.

By doing so, I am not practicing a superstition or engaging the supernatural. Rather, I am maintaining the clear mind to see through superstitions as unneeded distractions.

With clarity of mind, I see that faith in the Buddhadharma as practiced through Buddha Remembrance helps me to see the folly of believing in the supernatural.

For the Nembutsu, being the Name-that-calls, may be considered as Amida Buddha calling through me. This shows how closely I treasure the Buddha.

Even so, I must stress that meditation is practiced by Buddhists to clear the mind so that the sutras can be understood and applied to one's life.

As for the Nembutsu, it help me to remember the Buddha, and to develop the Bodhi Mind that arises from meditation.

Through faith in the Buddha am I truly freed from ignorance which is perpetuated by superstition and belief in the supernatural.

For Buddhism is a good antidote for ignorance.

Heaven does not have any phones... (satire)

It'd be wonderful if Heaven had a helpline to call.

Yet the graves of loved ones sometimes go unseen by surviving members of the family and close friends.

Why? Because in Western society, we've been inculcated with a strong tabu against death, and a sometimes stronger motivation to seek eternal life.

Hence the intensive marketing and subversive propaganda by the media to embrace the youth culture.

In exchange for this, we have been socially conditioned to abhor religion, yet our spiritual needs are subverted to embrace secular consumerism with its risks (shopping, addictions) and benefits (instant gratification, closer communication with friends and loved ones).

Heaven has a more private and efficient communication system. Only, we have forgotten how to use it through social conditioning. And any suggestion to use that free system results in derision from the average consumer.

Indeed, prayer and meditation is that private personal way of calling heaven. It only takes an hour a week to develop the social network to help you to use this free system and to develop the skills to see your calls answered all the time in ways that not even a cellphone could do.

So try a prayer out, and have it answered immediately. All you would have to do is suspend disbelief during that call.

Suspension of Disbelief (poem)

A suspension of disbelief
allows the once-born Buddhist
to expand his faith in
a Higher Power and be
reborn as a Christian.
For he finds inspiration
both from the Buddha
and from Jesus Christ with love
the guiding power
yet serves one master alone:
God as he knows him...

Be MORE Day by Day

"If you want 2010 to be significantly better than 2009, transport your mind by re-thinking beliefs and attitudes that do not really make you to be MORE. A great year is birthed by radically proactive and positive minds." - Clive Harvey Fox

From experience I know that the beliefs and attitudes which do not truly make me to be more are false ones.

At this particular moment in time, none of them can be thought of because I am tired and have forgotten most of them.

However, the main one that I can think of at the moment is the fear of other people's influence over me, which actually reflects a fear of my own selfishness influencing my attitudes and belief.

Indeed, such fears are not based on reality but on the limitations of human nature.

For I know the following rationalizations to be true:

Conforming to positive beliefs and attitudes makes me to be more, and reflects my true self.

Conforming to negative beliefs and attitudes makes me to be less than I am, and does not reflect my true self.

When acting on beliefs and attitudes which make me to be more than I am, my conduct in the world reflects more of my true self.

When acting on beliefs and attitudes which make me to be less than I am, my conduct in the world reflects less of my true self.

Thus, acting positive and pro-active manner reflects my true self, and makes me to be MORE.

---

Indigo Man's Learning Circles: http://twitter.com/learningcircles

Disinformation: Conspiracy Theory and the Media

Originally used to describe "any claim of civil, criminal or political conspiracy", today the term conspiracy theory is used to belittle any hypotheses, conjectures or speculations about a historical or current event which involve "a secret plot by conspirators of superhuman power and cunning."

IMHO, because there is little support of conclusive evidence for conspiracy theory, a well-informed skeptic would rely on thorough reports involving institutional analysis than on the speculations provided by conspiracy theories.

However, to prevent dispute by using the term to dismiss false belief, it is wise not to address any conspiracy theory in public. My reasoning for this is that such labeling leads to needless argument and confrontation.

With many conspiracy theories abounding in mass media, most likely conspiracism may have distorted the cultural lens of American society to the point where democracy has been replaced by conspiracy. Indeed, belief in conspiracy theories appears to have filled the spiritual void in the lives of people who believe in such theories.

Due to the speculative nature of conspiracy theories, it serves no purpose to discuss them.

Thus it serves me better to observe and study the psychological conditions of denial, paranoia, schizophrenia and mean world syndrome which provide fertile ground for such speculation.

---

References:
• Conspiracy theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory
• Example of conspiracy theory in water fluoridation controversy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_controversy#Conspiracy_theories
• Examples in Media of Conspiracy Theory
∘ In Like Flint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2SFgIBoRFw
∘ Doctor Strangelove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Rnn8MGat8
∘ Conspiracy Theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_Theory_%28film%29

Test What the Buddha Said

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." -- Siddhartha Gautama

Test it -- the Buddha's Teaching, the teaching of impermanence, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Noble Path.

Peace of Mind (poem)

Peace of mind is found
in only a single word,
and that word is Truth.

For truth frees the seeker to
walk the Middle Way
without a doubt, accepting
things as they are, with
gratitude to the Buddha.

Thus Truth takes but faith,
acceptance and gratitude
to make peace of mind.