Beyond Human – The Buddha’s Omniscience, Divine Authority, and Message

A Muslim apologist describes why he didn't become a Buddhist: he thinks the Buddha was a simple and limited human being, like you and me. Ironically, he chose to reject Buddhism for the same reason that many, especially in the modern West, choose to embrace Buddhism: they are unaware of what it means to be a Buddha. Contents 0:00 Introduction 2:51 The original clip claims: (1) The Buddha was a human being, like us, (2) that he used guesses, common sense, and contemplation to arrive at the Four Noble Truths, etc. and that (3) since he did not know these truths directly, that, (4) therefore, the Buddha's claims are not trustworthy, and the Buddha cannot provide definitive answers to the big questions of life. 18:44 In the Pali canon's Dona Sutta, the Buddha claims he is not a god, not a servant of the gods, not a nature spirit, and not a human being; the asserts that "Buddha" is state of existence that occurs when one stops the causes that give rise to existence as a god, the servant of a god, a nature spirit, or a human being. 23:49 In the Sanskrit canon's The Play in Full Sutra, the Buddha describes how he became a Buddha. He spent billions of lifetimes perfecting good qualities and purifying negative qualties. He trained in the presence of 4 million different Fully Enlightened Buddhas. He made offerings to 5.5 million Fully Enlightened Buddhas. He served 1.54 billion Solitary Realizer Buddhas and much more. 32:52 While abiding in Tushita Heaven, the Buddha, as a Bodhisattva, selected his final rebirth with great care. 35:19 The Buddha not only claims that he was abiding in heaven prior to his rebirth on earth, he performed great miracles while on earth — defeating demons, healing the sick, levitating, reading minds, and so forth — helping others generate faith in his teachings. 38:03 Using a combination of psychic power and miraculous power, Angulimala, the notorious "Finger Neclace" serial killer, is subdued by the Buddha. The Buddha then teaches him the Dharma and redeems him entirely. 48:10 Non-Buddhist meditators also had miraculous powers, but, like the Old Testament prophets, Buddha demonstrated he had superior psychic and miraculous powers. 50:47 Buddha levitates over the Rohini river to stop a war between two opposing clans. 52:06 Buddha stops a crazed, drunken elephant attack. 52:56 By what authority and on what grounds to Buddhas give teachings about the meaning of life and the nature of reality? In brief, the Buddha claims to be omniscient. 1:09:03 Furthermore, the Buddha demonstrated that he has greater knowledge, power, and authority than all the gods. The gods come to the Buddha for teachings, and, in fact, the highest god, Maha Brahma, among first and most powerful deities in this universe, was the first to request that the Buddha teach. 1:15:35 None of the gods, including the highest god, Maha Brahma, knows how the universe will end, but the Buddha does. 1:25:34 A bit of fun. The Buddha competes with Baka Brahma, a young member of Maha Brahma's retinue. The Buddha wins. 1:31:42 Summarising the key points: (1) The Buddha prepared for countless lifetimes to be reborn in our world, had a miraculous birth, and, after his Enlightenment, was not a human being; (2) He demonstrated numerous miracles while on earth, demonstrating power and knowledge that was superior to both the highest gods and human beings; (3) He claimed to be omnicient; (4) Therefore, from a Buddhist perspective, he is an utterly reliable source of information regarding the meaning of life and the nature of reality. 1:42:18 So, what is the meaning of life according to the Buddha? The Two “Definite Goodnesses” of Nirvana and Enlightenment. Original clip    • The Problem with Buddhism   I teach everything for free due to the generosity of the community. Buy me a coffee and a bagel if ya like. WAYS TO DONATE 1 PAYPAL: https://paypal.me/drjaredjones 2 VENMO: https://venmo.com/u/JaredKJones85 3 GOFUNDME: https://gofund.me/86c2e223b COURSES 1 SKOOL - My ongoing meditation training course, building a community of meditators to support eachother for long term retreat, and my book on meditation: https://www.skool.com/five-foundation... 2 LOHAN PALM - Neil Ripski's course on shaolin internal martial arts, chi gong, Buddhist yoga, and meditation: https://www.lohanpalm.com WAYS TO REACH ME 1 FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/groups/680043360573458 2 DISCORD:   / discord   #meditation #mindfulness #meditate #meditationpractice #guidedmeditation #dailymeditation #mindfulliving #innerpeace #selfawareness #selfgrowth #spiritualgrowth #mentalclarity #stressrelief #anxietyrelief #calm #presence #consciousness #awareness #breathwork #wellness #wellbeing #healing [Minor correction to adding nuance: There are many Brahmā heavens; Maha Brahmā and Sahampati Brahmā are two different beings. Sahampati Brahmā dwells in a higher heaven than Maha Brahmā.] ‪@iERAOrg‬