Buddhism Arises When Peace Flourishes

Ultimate reality, being Nirvana, cannot happen in these desperate times, when few people realize the important of being calm yet vigilantly observant. In this world, it's a rush of birth, life and death, often repeated and filled with suffering.

Wars arise due to vast differences of culture fighting for resources, yet patient diplomacy might have achieved long-lasting compromises. Instead, evil karma dominates
in the form of terrorism, though now the people finally realize that peace requires vigilance in these uncertain times.

In the 21st century, the words of the Buddha fall on deaf ears:
"A warrior may have conquered
one thousand foes but he who
conquers himself is truly a warrior."

Likewise, the words of Mohammad's companion Jabir are forgotten: "You have arrived
with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad — the striving
of a servant of Allah against his foes — to the Greater Jihad — the striving of a servant of Allah against his desires — the holy war that all Muslims must fight."

Instead, the only holy war is the lesser jihad, for a militant Millennialism is all that is left for the servants of Allah.

How can there be any peace then?

Forgotten is the peace of the Saracens, and the greatness of the Ummayad Caliphate
whose adminstration of al-Andalus brought peace to the Arabs, Berbers, Separdic Jews
of Eastern Europe, and the Musalimah until the taifa kingdoms arose.

Then the Inquisition forced out the Arabs and Jews, and resulted in the Conversos during the Reconquista, bringing suffering to pious Jews and Muslims alike.

Since then, the Hispanics suffered under the fascist regime of Franco but bloomed during the Carnation Revolution.

Today, Buddhism has enlightened Europe, with Tibetan and Zen being the most popular.
Humanistic Buddhism has replaced atheism both in Europe and in the Americas. Yet this has more to do with the peace found in the West, rather than war.

It appears that Buddhism arises in nations when peace prevails, which implies
that war-torn nations are not ready.

Even so, it is the duty of Buddhists everywhere to practice for the benefit of all sentient beings, rather than for attachment to the mind and the body. By doing to other sentient being that one does for the self, it is possible to await the time when all sentient beings come to know the Buddha willingly.

Compassion without Dogmatism

A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities. — His Holiness the Dalai Lama

This quote displays the humanistic atheism in Tibetan Buddhism, and in monastic Buddhism proper.

Yet the Absolute that I have refered to elsewhere on my blog is the closest to describing Heaven.

Though the Pure Land is not a Buddhist heaven, but is its own world apart from reality as it is, and very remote from the reality as it is supposed to according most-non-Buddhists, especially atheists, theists, Deists, and even pagans and devil-worshipers.

I'm excluding satanists, as I only believe LaVey satanists exists.

Furthermore, the so-called satanists who practice any kind of ritual sacrifice involving animals and sometimes humans, are not satanists but devil worshipers who practice diabolism, which includes the violent sacrifice of innocent sentient beings, be it a goat or a pretty naked woman.

The atheists and their complements tend to have problems distinguishing reality that they suppose exists from reality as it is.