Why are Hinduism and Buddhism so much more complex than other religions?
>>429398
because they care
Because they don't mince words about the suffering intrinsic to material existence and so their beliefs and methodologies are infinitely richer for it
Did you read Church Father, Aquinas or Christian mystics?
>>429398
>why is Hinduism complex
Because "Hinduism" is a retroactive classification that encompasses, at its broadest, all Indian religion and philosophy. This is why you get people who insist that Guatama was a "Hindu", even though no such thing existed in 500 BCE. If you say that those who accept the Vedas are "orthodox" and those who don't are "heterodox", you can label everyone a Hindu. The history of Indian philosophy is as wide and varied as Greek philosophy, and it is deceptive to talk about it in such reductive terms.
>Buddhism
Buddhist literature spans thousands of miles, at least 5 languages, and 2500 years.
>more complex than other religions
This doesn't really mean anything. If you just mean the size of all the texts put together, then Buddhism is the most "complex", sure.
>>429409
This guy is clueless.
>>429398
if you think that christianity is not complex you completely skipped philosophy class at school.
One of my Buddhist friends says Christianity is much more complex than Buddhism. He's spent time in a Buddhist monastery and knows a lot about Hindu and Buddhist mythology and philosophy, and his father is a professional monk. You're confusing complexity and foreignness.
>>429457
>professional monk
Fucking what?
>>429460
He's the head monk at an American Buddhist monastery. Before fleeing Southeast Asia after the American war in Vietnam he was a monk, and when he came to America he continued practicing Buddhism. Now he's the head monk at a Buddhist temple.
>>429463
I mean temple, not monastery
>>429463
I was reacting more to the "professional" part, as if he is somehow paid to be a monk.
>>429398
the dharma is complex until you lose faith to gain certainty. this state is called stream entry, and is the lowest state possible. below is about normies and, typically, their hedonism .
>>429457
>One of my Buddhist friends says Christianity is much more complex than Buddhism.
in a sense, since there is a crucial split between the one having faith in the sixth that is the reason/imagination and the orthodox who still have what others call mysticism.
Catholicism took the rationalist trend as opposed to Orthodoxy's mysticism. That said, the monastic life that is the main draw between Buddhism and Christianity was largely shut down by the Reformation in Europe. The Reformation was not only anti-clerical but anti-monastic so Europe's contemplative tradition is more older material and thus harder to get into for the Catholic parts of Europe that retained the monastic tradition despite. There was exceptions though. The Imitation of Christ is the standard go-to book for Catholic ascetic, akin to Orthodoxy's Ladder of Divine Ascent. More recently there is Thomas Merton who is a mid-20th century contemplative and fantastic author on both the western tradition and it in comparison to Eastern religions.
>>429477
>>429467
It's not like every single monk ever has taken a vow of poverty or refused to be compensated for the services he renders to his community. He may actually be a priest. Either way, I find your reaction odd.
>>429492
>>429498
>>429501
>>429504
>>429506
>>429507
>>429511
>>429495
No, Theravada Buddhist monks aren't even supposed to handle money. I believe due to social circumstance Chinese monks were unable to follow this rule strictly, although their Vinaya recension also includes it. Japanese monks have no such qualms because they have not had a Vinaya ordination for thousands of years, and happily drink alcohol and gamble.
>>429521
Well a thousand years anyway, not "thousands"
>>429398
>Buddhism
It's not complex, it's just a matter of correct practice, not scriptural knowledge. The various scriptures arose due to the need to provide alternate approaches for differently abled people, which would at some point necessitate really complex metaphysics like the abidhamma. Some monasteries will not even read the sutras, only spin them around a turnstyle, believing this generates the same merit as reading them. Most other religions don't believe that you should adapt the teaching to the person, only the other way around, which makes the development of Buddhism over the years appear complex and multifaceted by comparison.
>>429521
I can assure you that many modern theravada monks do everything from handling money to owning smartphones and drinking.
>>429521
I don't know the specifics, I just know that the guy is an important person at a Buddhist temple in my area and that he serves as a monk or priest in some way. And these are Cambodian diaspora Buddhists living in America, they may not abide by those same exact traditional codes of conduct that monks in SE Asia use.
>inb4 someone starts crying about 'not true Buddhism' or something
I don't care
>>429531
I am aware.
>>429527
Why would the authors of the Mahāyana sutras state explicitly their vehicle was superior to the "Srāvakas" if this was true? Why would the history of Buddhism end up with fundamentally contradictory doctrines in different traditions if there was just a single "teaching" adapted to different circumstance?
>>429545
>I am aware
Why did you say that, then? I'm confused about why you find the idea of a professional monk confusing if you know that modern Theravada monks handle money.
>>429547
I had honestly never heard of someone drawing an income from their monkhood, as opposed to making some money on the side by selling amulets and so on.
>>429545
It's not a single teaching in that sense, but the purpose is the same, more or less. The biggest schism is the division between theravada and Mahayana, the latter have always looked down on sravakas because they avoid the bodhisattva ideal. In my opinion they are just different approaches to the concern of ending dukkha. Not everyone is going to share the same outlook on how to do that, hence the contradiction. Then there are numerous sutras explaining that they are all provisional.
>>429398
In what way do you believe they're more complex?
