DIALOGUES BETWEEN BUDDHISM AND OTHER RELIGIONS

Question 74: WHAT ARE THE MERITS REQUIRED FOR PRACTICING MEDITATION? Answer: Meditation requires significant merit (or blessing) because achieving deep meditative states is comparable to residing in a heavenly realm. This merit is cultivated through two primary practices: reverence for the Divine and helping all sentient beings. First, practitioners must wholeheartedly revere Enlightened Beings, w...

Question 73: WHAT ARE THE MORAL PREREQUISITES FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO PRACTICE MEDITATION? Answer: Morality is the foundation of a tranquil mind. Those who lack a moral foundation cannot enter a state of meditative concentration. The journey begins with transforming the mindfrom unwholesome tendencies to a mix of good and evil and eventually to pure virtue. Only then can one truly embark on the prac...

Question 72: WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF MEDITATION?Answer: Meditation progresses through three main stages as follows:- In this initial stage, practitioners put in dedicated effort and follow the correct method of meditation but yield no apparent results.- At this second stage, practitioners begin to experience a state of mindfulness. The mind becomes tranquil and aware, no longer led astray by wander...

Question 71: BUDDHISM SEEMS TO EMPHASIZE MEDITATION MORE THAN ANY OTHER RELIGIONS. COULD YOU INTRODUCE THE BUDDHIST METHOD OF MEDITATION?Answer: The Buddha attained Enlightenment through meditation, dedicated His life to teaching it, and ultimately entered Nirvana in a tranquil state of meditation. The majority of Buddhist sutras revolve around the practice of meditation. Many of the Buddha’s disc...

Question 70: RELIGIONS HAVE VARIOUS METHODS OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE, YET ALSO SHARE SIMILARITIES. WHICH METHOD CAN BE CONSIDERED A UNIVERSAL COMMON GROUND THAT ALL RELIGIONS CAN ADOPT?Answer: Each religion has its own methods of spiritual practice, but remarkably, all religions praise a tranquil and virtuous inner state, free from affliction, greed, anger, and worries, filled with clarity and unaffe...

Question 69: WHY DOES HERESY INFILTRATE ORTHODOXY, CAUSING DISTORTION? Answer: A religion is considered orthodox when it aligns with national laws, conforms to human conscience, fosters good morals among its followers, and is upheld by genuine monastics who maintain its core principles. However, throughout human history, we have witnessed countless instances where religious systems, clergy and fol...

Question 68: HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND THE TERM "HERESY" OR “HERETICAL RELIGION”? Answer: The term heresy implies something wrong, while orthodoxy signifies what is right. However, upon closer examination, right and wrong coexist in all areas. Even within orthodox and legitimate religions, wrongdoings can occur. In so-called heretical religions, there may still be individuals of integrity...

Question 67: MODERN SCIENCE HAS ADVANCED TO A LEVEL WHERE IT IS NEARLY CAPABLE OF APPROACHING THE "POWER OF THE CREATOR", CRAFTING ROBOTS MORE SKILLED THAN HUMANS AND ALTERING GENETIC STRUCTURES TO CREATE NEW SPECIES. HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE? Answer: When humans discover the laws of nature, they can apply them to influence nature and create new species according to their desi...

Question 66: FOR BELIEVERS, RELIGION IS INDISPENSABLE, BUT FOR NON-BELIEVERS, IS RELIGION MERELY SUPERFLUOUS? Answer: The essence of religion lies in teaching morality based on belief in Divine Beings. The belief that Divine Beings always watch over humanity encourages individuals to cultivate their morality to avoid committing sins and facing divine punishment. It is this belief in the Divine tha...

Question 65: SCIENCE, WITH ITS EVIDENCE-BASED EXPERIMENTS AND CONCRETE RESULTS, HAS BECOME A SYMBOL OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION'S PINNACLE. YET, RELIGION RELIES PRIMARILY ON FAITH WITHOUT SPECIFIC EVIDENCE, SO WHY DO MOST PEOPLE STILL DEEPLY BELIEVE IN RELIGION? Answer: Faith in religion and the Divine is an inherently natural aspect of humanity. Even those who oppose belief in the Divine must make...

Question 64: THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS, THERE HAVE BEEN OCCASIONALLY ENLIGHTENED MONASTICS WHO POSSESSED SUPERNATURAL POWERS. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Answer: Each religion has its own criteria for defining and recognizing an enlightened individual. However, there are some common characteristics across religions:- Flawlessmorality, altruism, compassion, and unconditional love for all beings....

Question 63: IN MANY CASES, SPIRITS POSSESS LIVING PEOPLE AND ACT STRANGELY, CAUSING THEIR FAMILIES TO SEEK HELP FROM MONASTICS TO EXORCISE THE SPIRITS. HOW CAN A SPIRIT BE EXPELLED FROM A PERSON? Answer: When a spirit possesses a living individual, it takes control of their body. Sometimes, the possessed person remains semi-conscious and aware in a dreamlike state, while at other times, they lose...

Question 62: IF TALISMANS USE THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL SOLDIERS, THEN WHAT IS “NGẢI” (SPIRITUAL HERBS)? Answer: Plants also possess a spiritual essence, not just physical elements, though their spiritual essence is weaker than that of animals. Animals have a strong enough spirit to form a sense of self (a central ego), while plants possess subtle spiritual energy that can only create an invisible, r...

Question 61: DO SPIRITS HAVE ANY INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD? Answer: The soul is inherently tied to and governs the physical body. Even when the body dies, the soul retains this nature. However, even though spirits may have the ability to connect with living bodies, influencing or possessing a body requires specific conditions. There are the following cases where spirits influence t...

Question 60: CAN SPIRITS MOVE FREELY ANYWHERE THEY WISH? Answer: Although the spirit is no longer bound by the physical body, it is influenced by the merit and sin accumulated during its lifetime. Spirits with great merit can travel to many places, ascending and descending at will. In contrast, spirits with little merit are tied to a single place, unable to roam freely. Spirits burdened by grave s...

Question 59: WHY CANNOT WE ACTIVELY SEPARATE THE SOUL FROM THE PHYSICAL BODY WHILE WE ARE ALIVE?Answer: The soul and the physical body develop together from the fetal stage, merging asa unified entity. Mental activities are also expressed through the physical body, particularly via the brain’s neural cells. From a materialistic perspective, all thoughts and mental activities basically result from...

Question 58: RELIGIONS BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF THE SOUL, WHILE SCIENCE EITHER DENIES OR REMAINS SKEPTICAL. HOW SHOULD WE INTERPRET THIS? Answer: Modern science understands that nothing truly disappears; everything merely transforms from one form to another. The physical body, after death, decomposes into other components, and the human soul does not vanish along with the death of the physical...

Question 57: WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION? Answer: In the beginning, religion served as an explanation for natural phenomena that ancient science could not understand. Rain was attributed to a rain god, wind to a wind god, rivers and mountains to their respective deities, and death to a god of death. Essentially, everything in the world was believed to be governed by Divine Beings. It must be ac...

Question 56: RELIGIONS INITIALLY FOCUS ON SPIRITUAL PRACTICE, MORALITY CULTIVATION, AND CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY GAIN CERTAIN INFLUENCE AMONG THE MASSES, THEY ACQUIRE SIGNIFICANT SOCIO-POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS. WHY IS THIS SO? Answer: A religion's political and social significance depends on the extent of its influence over the masses. Initially, when someone embarks on a spi...

Question 55: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH OR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN RELIGIONS?Answer: Every religion has a governing body, often called a Church or similar institution, to manage its clergy, followers, and missionary activities. These institutions serve as an environment supporting the spiritual practices of monastics and lay followers, ensuring that activities align with religious teachings....

Question 54: MAJOR ESTABLISHED RELIGIONS ARE CONSIDERED THE OFFICIAL RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD, BUT THEY STILL EXPERIENCE INTERNAL DIVISIONS AND THE OCCASIONAL EMERGENCE OF NEW SECTS THAT RESEMBLE THE ORIGINAL RELIGIONS. WHAT DOES THIS PHENOMENON MEAN? Answer: The division into sects within a religion is a common occurrence. When a highly respected religious figure gains significant influence and a l...

Question 53: IN ANCIENT SCRIPTURES, DEITIES SEEMED TO HAVE FREQUENTLY APPEARED AND INTERACTED CLOSELY WITH HUMANS. WHY DOES THIS NO LONGER HAPPEN?Answer: This is a common question raised by atheists: why did Deities appear frequently and communicate directly to humans in ancient times, as described in scriptures, but now seem absent? Many skeptics conclude that the accounts of Gods and Divine Bein...

Question 52: THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE EAST AND THE WEST UNDERSTAND GOD. HOW CAN THESE BE RECONCILED?Answer: In Western conceptions, God is often personified as a being with a soul and emotions, capable of anger at times, yet also praised for boundless love and absolute power. In contrast, the Eastern concept of God is more abstract and impersonal. God is perceived as an invisible and infin...

Question 51: WHAT DID THE TWO FAMOUS ANCIENT CHINESE PHILOSOPHERS, LAOZI AND CONFUCIUS, SAY ABOUT GOD? Answer: In Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching (the Sutra of Morality), Laozi wrote:"There was a formless, undifferentiated entity that existed before heaven and earth. Silent (without sound) and void (without form), it stands alone and remains unchanged (eternal, immutable). It pervades everywhe...

Question 50: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOD IN THE PROCESS OF REBIRTH?Answer: We should not assume that God directly intervenes in every case of rebirth among the countless trillions of beings being reborn every moment. The process of rebirth is governed by the automatic Law of Cause and Effect (the Law of Karma). Every sentient being creates their own good or bad karma throughout their life, and the Law...