Buddhism has a story about what we are REALLY like in our most basic nature which contrasts in important ways from the story told in the Judeo/Christian Garden of Eden myth about who we really are — and why our world is full of suffering and toil. Yet, there are some interesting similarities between the Judeo/Christian creation myth as depicted in the story of The Garden of Eden and the story about Basic Goodness (Buddha Nature) and the 3 kayas.
Be prepared to discuss some of these similarities and differenences in class Tuesday. You can also post some comments here in this blog by way of response.
Thank you!
February 2, 2008 at 4:57 pm
interesting thought to ponder..especially for me since i was brought up has a christian…. just off the top of my head.. i do see a few similarities…but for me the big difference is how we deal with “original sin” or our kleshas… christianity gave me nothing in terms of how to deal with anything… buddhism offers techniques to deal with our suffering that make some sense to me.. anyway.. back to you later..greg
February 2, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I have no idea about the gardern of Eden. I was raised as a heathen socialist