KTRK News: Growth of Buddhism in America

[kidrider12]

@AmeeicaPrideForEver are you saying that will only can have one religion what about freedom to be whatever religion you want to?

[ksherchand]

I am so glad to see him

[VN003]

good video best wish to you and your students thanks for the video

Nam Mo bou Su Thick Ca Mau Ni Phat

Namo a di da phat

namo amitahba buddha

[chaomeinthao]

fuck vient cong..

[kamwrites]

metta

[FruitsXPunchXSamurai]

Buddhism is a religion for man by man--that's all there is too it, and that's all there needs to be. Because its important to note that we tie our own shoes before turning to some divine being speculated by a tiny colony of organisms in the vastness of space.

[SuperstarRichardG]

you are so blatantly ignorant..but you can go ahead and clean your pistols while you simultaneously read your bible because "God", with his white clothes and white beard is looking down on you from his divine throne made with gold surrounded by flying cherubs on unicorns because he is feeling proud of his American son aka AmericanPrideForEver for devout commitment to one of His greatest teachings, which is keeping guns ensures population control amongst mentally unstable H.S. students

[TheBuddhaLight]

May all be happy, may all beings attain Nirvana.

[chanthamengly]

there is no god but lord. No one can create the world. God could not destroy the world, but human beings themselves who will destroy the world.

Buddha is my lord. 

[RevKassapa]

APFE, you are expressing the very attitude that many people criticize. One of the very first teachings of the Buddha is to respect others in their faith journey. If you wish others to respect you, you must respect them. It is very unchristian to use the language and epitaphs you use . WWJD What would Jesus do? Both these men are historical figures. Respect their rights and respect your own. Have compassion for others and express kindness not hatred. You do a disservice to your faith. BK

[AmericanPrideForEver]

5 Sins of Buddhism:

1. breaking up families

2. making monks and nuns to burn their scalp, finger or other parts of the body

3. making people to become monks and nuns so they will have no children, thus the human race can eventually dissapear

4. Making the monks and nuns to be heartless and can't even call their parents "mom" or "dad" but rather call them something else

5. making people to become monks and nuns so their children will be neglected

[sengoku17]

@AmericanPrideForEver hahahah your a failure!

[SinhalatheBest]

Buddhism is the great ever. Keep uploading new videos

[AmericanPrideForEver]

Buddhism is telling people to deny the fact there is only ONE God, who is eternal and supreme. Buddhism is telling people they will be reborn in this world after their death instead of being judged by God and then put to either heaven or hell. For these two reasons, Buddhism should be outlawed and Buddhists should be STONED!

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Islam isn't a religion, but a terrorist organization!

Muslims goal is male dominance and arab way of life in the whole world!

Christianity isn't a true religion because Jesus learned Buddhism.

You will notice many of Jesus teachings are similar to Buddha's.

Jesus spread the word about Buddha not God. It was mistranslations that made people think Jesus spread the word of God!

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@KriztofferKriztenzen If Jesus spread the word of Buddha then he wouldn't talk about the judgement. If Jesus spread the word of Buddha then he would not tell people to obey God! Fuck all you Buddhists and your fucking reincarnation bullshit!

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Jesus didn't talk about judgement day!

But the day a new Buddha will come.

The bible is just a bullshit book written by someone who wanted to control the masses!

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver I can tell you why Christianity is FALSE!

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Christianity is based entirely on the Bible and the Bible is predominantly mythical and imaginary. The fourth word in the Bible is ‘God' with an upper case ‘G' and nowhere is there any substantive argument for his existence.



[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Until factual proof for the existence of God/s or anything supernatural is established, such a proposition must be regarded as mythical. The only people who had gods were the Norse and we use four of their names in our week days. The word ‘god' is only acceptable as a generic term.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver The Bible declares that the earth was in existence before the sun and stars. This is false, for many reasons, particularly because the material for the earth comes from disintegrating stars. Can you imagine the planets wandering around waiting for a sun to provide a focus for their orbits.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver According to the Bible, human beings came into existence just over 6000 years ago in what is now Iran. Research has established that the birth of humanity was in Africa millions of years ago. The aborigines have been in Australia for over 50,000 years.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver The essential element for Christianity is the obvious myth of the fall of Adam and Eve through the deception brought about by a talking snake. This is stated as the cause of death. This myth is crucial for Christianity as it provides for the claimed necessary death of Jesus of Nazareth to cancel this inherited flaw in humanity. The baptism of infants is simply another empty religious ritual.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Over thousands of years humanity has invented at least 20,000 gods, whom devotees have sought to appease by the sacrifice of their produce and then by human sacrifice, usually of children. A couple of such events are included in the Bible. Christians consider that thousands of gods have not existed and do not exist.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver We just add one more to the list by including the god of the Bible, Yahweh. Of course that also applies to the nonexistence of devils, demons, angels, ghosts, spirits, cherubims, seraphims, unicorns, cockatrices etc that the Bible has invented.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver From the point of view of history the Bible is also flawed. There is no other source that mentions Abraham and all the other forebears of the Hebrews. Even Moses is not a name - it is a suffix added to the names of the Egyptian gods, Ra and Tuth.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver There is no evidence that the Hebrews were ever, as a large community, slaves in Egypt, for the Egyptian empire embraced all of what was Canaan and later Palestine. It is likely that the tablets of stone with the laws that the Hebrews were to observe, were pillars erected by the Egyptians for their vassals.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver The exodus of over two million Hebrews from Egypt did not take place and the Passover rite is based on fiction. The bulk of the OT was written while the Hebrews were captive in Babylon just prior to 600 BCE and, with no written language, any prior events were simply derived from folklore and tradition.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver We come now to the gospels. Who wrote them is uncertain and the number of them is unknown. They bear the names of Mary, Thomas, Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John etc. None appear to have been written prior to AD 60, for Paul or anyone else does not mention them.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver The pregnancy of Mary as the mother of Jesus, is given in the interpretation of dreams. That she was a ‘virgin' is simply a mistake in a translation of the OT into Greek in the Septuagint. The current idea then and until about two hundred years ago, was that a woman simply provided the place where the seed of a man could develop prior to birth. We know now that the ripe ovum of the female must be fertilised by one of fifty million sperm provided by the male.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver This is an insurmountable problem for a joint human and spirit conception. The ovum and sperm must be compatible. There is the technical problem of who provided the ‘Jesus sperm,' as the Bible says that Jesus was involved with the creation of the universe. How did a mature god become a sperm or fifty million sperm and how was the injection accomplished? Was Jesus in the womb and in heaven at the same time? Could a trinity function as a duo?

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver These questions demand answers if Jesus is to be regarded as being a god in a human frame that the Bible asserts that he was in fact. The Jesus of the gospels has no more knowledge than the general population, for he considered that mental illness was caused by demons. He believed that humans had an immortal element destined for heaven or hell.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver He believed that the laws of physics could be changed so that water could become wine and decaying bodies restored to normal living humans. The Bible states that several saints arose from their graves and walked into Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion. Despite the specific commandment against Jews ingesting blood, Jesus introduced a ritual drinking of his blood.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Paul's specific message was that the god Yahweh required the death, after ghastly torture, as an atonement for the sins of humanity - innocent scapegoat sacrificed as the primitive tribes did. A truly primitive concept not acceptable today.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Strangely, no secular or official citizen in the time of Jesus considered it worthy to record any of the miracles that Jesus was said, by his followers, to have performed. Not even his crucifixion was recorded by the Romans. Only his disciples saw him ascend to heaven and this begs the question - where is heaven? For hundreds of years no one realised that as one ascends the amount of oxygen decreases and the temperature falls.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Today science knows plenty about the zone that surrounds the earth, for it has been captured by astronauts - it is the place for the satellites so essential for modern communication etc. In deep space the temperature plummets to minus 270 degrees.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Is it rude to ask Christians where heaven is and how will conscious intelligent mortals enjoy eternity in the company of the god Yahweh whose morals are so starkly described in the 31st chapter of Numbers?

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver The Quran has come under scrutiny lately so the morality of the textbook of Christians should be also examined. Let us look first at the 31st chapter of Numbers and quote a few verses:-

Verses 1 & 2- The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying "avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites".

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Verse 7 - And they slew all the males.

Verse 17 - Kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman that hath known man but all the women children that have not known a man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver In the New Testament Matthew 10:34 Jesus says "I came not to send peace but a sword".

Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters and his own life he cannot be my disciple."

John 1:3 - "All things were made by him (Yahweh) and without him was not anything made."

Luke 16:22 - "The rich man died and in hell, being in torment, he cried and said ‘have mercy on me'."

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@KriztofferKriztenzen Don't think I know nothing about Buddhism.The equality in Buddhism is a lie! The Buddha said "all creatures are equal", includiing human and insects, animals, birds, etc. However, he made up the rule that nuns must obey the monks, nuns can't say anything against the monks. Even old senior nuns must bow down to the young monks. Also, in a Mahayana Buddhist scripture, the Buddha said the reason why the water in sea is salty is because of it's full of a giant fish's pee.

[gunner525]

@AmericanPrideForEver I practice Mahayana buddhism and have never heard of that story of the buddha saying the sea is salty because of a giant fish's pee. I'd like to know the text, which sutra and verse that is from. I've read the major Mahayana sutras such as the Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, Lotus Sutra, as well as the Way of the Bodhisattva and I haven't ran across that story yet.

[gunner525]

@AmericanPrideForEver All I've heard of this issue is that there is for certain a scroll in, I believe India, that describes a Middle Eastern male of the age of Jesus during his missing years coming and learning from the monks at the temple there. I would say it's open to speculation if that was Jesus or not. One must admit though that the teachings are very similar if you look at the core teachings and not add in God.

[RevKassapa]

@KriztofferKriztenzen, Of course what your expressing in historically true. But what is the reason you give for sharing? If it is to beat down APFE then the motive needs to be questioned. If it is to express the truth than so be it. Bit it can be done in such a way as not to be punitive. American Pride is certainty entitled to his opinion, just as you are yours. It is however better to take the high road, and the intelligence of reason. Fires of hatred are never quenched with more fire.

[KriztofferKriztenzen]

@AmericanPrideForEver Buddhism is open for change!

Buddhism is the religion of the future!

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@KriztofferKriztenzen Buddhism is the religion that's against the Bible and all Buddhists should be stoned!

[gunner525]

@AmericanPrideForEver Buddhism isn't denying there's only one God, buddhism teaches there is no supreme being. All that exists is based on cause and effect and an exact beginning should not be sought because one will waste their life never finding an answer. This is why most cultures make up creation stories. It's a way to find comfort in explaining the unexplainable. People fear the unknown. Explaining rebirth takes more space than youtube allows so I'll save that for some other time.

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@gunner525 Your Buddhism believe there are zillions of gods existing out there (most of them are Hindu gods). Even though you Buddhists don't worship them, it's bad enough to get you into hell by merely believe in their exhistence. Because there's only ONE TRUE GOD! Atheism, pantheism and polytheism are all evil!

[gunner525]

@AmericanPrideForEver Actually in buddhism it is a belief of a god realm. A realm which is higher than the human realm but not quite yet nirvana. One resides there for a time until they must be reborn to the human realm to finally achieve nirvana.

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@gunner525 Your god realm is basically a realm of the gods who aren't buddhas yet according to the Buddhist belief. However, if you believe there are zillions of gods existing, even if you don't worship them, it's still a VIOLATION to God's law, for there is only ONE GOD! The first commandment of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"!

[SinhalatheBest]

@AmericanPrideForEver you don't know anything about Buddhism, at least read the basic, buddhism is the religion its concepts are more easy to understand with modern science than even before, But other religions when the science finds latest technologies those religions become question marks.. As an example Christians had to accept sun doesn't go around earth but earth does go around sun. If you are saying world created by God, who created God? or if so, why science say about "Big Bang"??

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@SinhalatheBest You Buddhists are hypocrites! You believe in whatever serves your purpose! On one side you believe the world was never been created, on the other side you believe the world was created by the "big bang".

[SinhalatheBest]

@AmericanPrideForEver

Don't say rubbish, we are saying world has NOT been created by ANYONE. In which era you are living?

If the God created the world before that what was there and who created god, and why God created those milinos of starts without any reason, just to look at them and do masturbation??

There is NOOOO creator

Creator concept is made, because in those time people didn't have any knowledge about science, so simply they said it has been created by GOD.

[ninjatomaster]

there is "NO" God in Buddhism only man himself understanding the universe.

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@ninjatomaster Then who's Brahma? Who's Mahadeva? Who's the Green Tara? Who's Yamantaka? And what about the Asuras?

[ginkiba3]

Brahma: Hindu god of Creation. Buddhism doesn't have a creation myth.

Mahadeva: Another name for Shiva, Hindu god of Destruction. Buddhism doesn't have a End of the World myth. Buddhists live in the present, not the past or future.

Green Tara: A manifestation of Tara and Tara is a female manifestation of Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva, similar to a saint. Same for Yamantaka whose a aspect of bodhisattva Manjushri.

Asuras are a state of being. They are live, age and die like us.

[Tentenlaw]

@AmericanPrideForEver : YOu do not seem to understand that the Bible is for Christianity. NOT for other religions. Buddhism is its own religion. If you want to talk about how Buddhism is wrong, do not use the BIBLE. There is no such thing as the bible in our religion.

If you are going to the idea about man-made things, then understand that the Bible had to be written by a man as well. God does not whimsically come down to Earth and write a book on how to get him.

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@gunner525 Also, if you believe there's a god realm then you are telling me that God is not the supreme one, the Buddha is, and God will die and be reborn as human or animals because he is not a buddha yet. This belief is a huge blasphemy! Because you are belittling the Almighty God who is supreme and eternal! And with this sin alone you Buddhists deserve, and will be casted into the Lake of Fire! Because you had sinned against God and you don't evenn want to ask him for forgiveness!

[gunner525]

@AmericanPrideForEver One thing I'd like to know is how you can undoubtedly prove that your god exists and is the supreme being without using the Bible, sin, damnation, or claiming blasphemy.

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@gunner525 I can prove it but you'll deny it. Beside, I can use Buddhist scriptures to disprove Buddhism. Buddhism is like a big dumpster that's full trash inside.

[gunner525]

@AmericanPrideForEver Please by all means try to explain his existence like I said without using the Bible, sin, damnation, or claiming blasphemy. I'm merely interested in hearing how you try to prove it without using any of those excuses.

[SinhalatheBest]

@AmericanPrideForEver If a 3 years old kid asked how i was born, there parents might say you were brought from heaven or something like that, coz small child can't understand, parents had sex, sperm those stuff,

Created by god also same, since those people can't understand they just told GOD created world, so you people still belive it, you people are still morons who can't understand anything, sorry about you.

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@SinhalatheBest Isn't Buddhism hypocritical to deny God at one time and then admit his existance as an inferior being than the Buddha at another time?

[BTNH24]

@AmericanPrideForEver

It isn't so much hypocritical as it is brilliant irony. Yes, Buddha denies God, yet he admits the existence of beings who call themself God, except, he denies their Godhood and simply says they are deluded. There is no hypocrisy or contradiction in that teaching.

[RevKassapa]

Viewpic1, Thank you for your comments, The statistic I quoted was for the US. Since then Buddhism has become the 3rd fastest growing religion in the US. T the time if this taping it was #4. Buddhism will truly prosper in this when more native born Americans become monks and nuns.

[thespeez]

@RevKassapa - Are you saying that Buddhism is the 3rd fastest growing faith in the country or the 3rd largest? From what I've read, the faith grew at a rate of 170% during the 1990s here, yet it was behind several other faiths - at least percentage wise. As of last count, it was challenging Islam for the #3 'spot' in adherents and may even have surpassed that faith.

[viewpic1]

Please count Buddhist followers correctly. Other sources that put number to a billion buddhists worldwide

[HoSayLiaoLah]

The problem is that I can't have inner peace when I dun have money. Grant me my wish to be rich and I will find inner peace.

[nnk1973]

Only u can get peace of ur mind by doing meditation and following to Buddha teachings !!!If u dont believe , try to make a meditation 30 min then u can get peace of mind after this meditation really !!!

[BuddhaShop]

great interview and congratulations, Buddhism has been becoming a very popular alternative to the mainstream religions of Australia over the past 20 years also

[thespeez]

As I understand, Buddhism grew by about 79% between 1996 and 2001 in Australia and is the second most popular faith in that country. I don't know if that trend still continues.

[BuddhaShop]

Hi Tony, Yes it is still the second most popular faith and growing. Andy

[thespeez]

I can't say I'm surprised. Is it true that about 75% of followers are converts? If not, do you know what the figure is? Also, what are the demographics of those who convert, particularly among native-born Australians (not only Aborigines) or who are immigrants from western or western style societies?

[BuddhaShop]

@thespeez

Hi, I don't see people who become Buddhist as being converts, most recent Buddhist i know mainly never really had a strict religion or religious upbringing as such, I myself first noticed Buddhism when on a visit to Thailand around 20 years ago now.

[thespeez]

@BuddhaShop - Whenever someone switches from one spiritual orientation to another, I do consider that to be a conversion.

[TheRandy0rton]

VIET PRIDE !

[tzzlite]

Hindusim and Buddhism are the best religions and they are truly peaceful and tolerant while Christianity is a horribly intolerant and hateful relgion that condems everyone who doesn't believe in a fake Palestinian fairy tale!!

[dustlioness]

That may be, but your attitude is very intolerant as well... Buddhists should be open minded to all non-harmful religions, not bitter to them.

[thespeez]

@tzzlite - I think that what has happened with the Abrahamic faiths is that they've become infiltrated with a political doctrine and not a spiritual doctrine. With that said, we must remember that the Dharmic faiths are not immune form discourse either!

I believe Jesus of Nazareth may have traveled to India in his teens to learn from Buddhist practice.

Criticisms aside, this video is both enjoyable and I find it puts me at ease.

[manggon88]

im going to become a monk at the lao temple in wichita kansas im white (german) before i join military

[MrSparkle100]

If you study Buddhism, you will find the Buddha forbade certain careers in order to grow in compassion. The military is one of them.

[BuddhaShop]

@MrSparkle100 sorry Mr Sparkle, but the Buddha himself never forbade anything, there are no commandments as in some religions just precepts to abide by when possible. no one goes to war in the name of Buddhism, but to protect oneself or loved ones or country or do as a government declares then you can go join the military . the precept is to REFRAIN from Killing.. but if you do kill then you have to accept responsibility for that action

[dustlioness]

The Buddha never really forbade anything, just put certain guidelines in place and said, "Follow them if they are for you".

[ehipassiko]

Wow. I live in Houston :)

[amdo2008dragon]

wow spread the buddha dharma ,

free tibet

lord buddha bless you all

[AmericanPrideForEver]

@amdo2008dragon Fuck your lord Buddha! Fuck all that dares to worship anyone other than the almighty God!

[bluepenguinflyboi]

Please Keep uploading new videos on the growth of Buddhism! Thanks! :D