LIBERTY INFINITY

In the texts known to us, the key figures of Buddhism – the Buddhas of the past and their chief disciples – almost always come from royal (Kshatriya) or Brahmin (priests) families, from the social elite of their time.

How they but not self-made people can be the spiritual leaders?

If you meet Buddha – kill Buddha.

About Buddhas‘ criticism… I understood the atheistic Chinese Communist Party… I understood the way they were fighting Tibet and the Dalai Lama; it has meaning, and they are not stupid or cruel, in fact they simply know more and fighting with religions based on their historical background… same happened in the beginning of the XX century in Russia – Revolution against ruling elites and Christian authorities who served it.

It’s like when I was studying Hinduism (the Hare Krishna movement), and they have this caste system. Srila Prabhupada – an old man who came to the USA and promoted Krishnaism, making it a popular and rich sect – he was also saying that the caste system is good and fair. But once, while speaking to a Hindu guy, I found out that he and many Hindu people really hate it because, according to caste rules, “Untouchables” can’t enter temples, for instance. He supports modern Hindu leaders who promote equality. Many Hindus convert to Christianity and Buddhism to escape caste inequality.

There is also a division in the Muslim faith – Sunnites and Shiites. Sunnites believe everyone can be a priest and a ruler… but Shiites believe only Muhammad’s lineage can be the ruling and religious elite (which for muslims is the same).

To be honest, I really don’t understand monarchies. What do people need kings and queens for? For decoration? For reference, in the Kingdom of Thailand, you can’t criticize the King and his family, no matter what they do. You will be sent to jail just for one criticizing post on your page.

Studying religions I realized there are no human-made perfect systems, only divine system is perfect. I believe in science not in religions, but I dont exclude Divine cos of unexplainable power of deaths and rebirths… I have own connection with God without any religion, Buddhism so far is the closest understanding of the system I found and its atheistic cos the role of God plays Karma Law. I also believe that faith in God is humans natural purpose and its nice to put service to God first to kill ego and be more effective in everyday life. So I believe I’m agnostic – I believe in God but not in that God can be explained. I like Buddhism also.

I found some gaps in Buddhism.

The Buddha refused to answer two questions:

1. Where the very first cause of karma comes from.
2. Whether nirvana is eternal.

He said the first question is not useful for practice,
and the second one is beyond human understanding of beginning and end – like a singularity outside time.

Because of this, it doesn’t really work to say that nirvana is the beginning of samsara.
It’s unclear how a perfectly enlightened being, who has reached nirvana, could suddenly produce initial karma that starts samsara (the wheel of rebirth).

Also, the word “eternal” feels strange.
“Forever” doesn’t really exist – never forever, keep the beat.

About the guilt imposed by Christianity through original sin, where the blame falls on the woman who disobeyed God. If you are a Christian, you are innocently guilty, and your sin can only be payed out through faith in Christianity. It seems that theists use original sin to explain the difficulties, sorrows, and problems that people experience from birth.

Comparing this with Buddhist karma, one can conclude that the Buddhist explanation is much more logical and balanced, where a person is responsible for his own bad karma, inherited from previous life.

A logical question might arise: where did the first person come from according to the theory of karma? But here we again encounter the dichotomy/singularity (superposition) of the question with no answer who was first – a chicken or an egg.

I wrote an article about this here.

P.S. Also, take into account the primitive magic of sacrificing Jesus to achieve something, like a ritual killing of a sheep to please god… this is just ordinary, third-rate magic.

1. Bodhisattva vows – what they really mean

Living beings are countless – I swear to free them all.
Mental aberrations are endless – I swear to end them all.
Teachings are limitless – I swear to understand them all.
The Buddha’s path is the highest – I swear to realize it.

It is like saying: “I live as if there are no limits.”

For example: “To free all beings” does not mean literally saving everyone. It means: I do not exclude anyone from my compassion, even difficult people, unpleasant people, or guilty people.

2. Why a bodhisattva is NOT altruism (this is very important).

Ordinary altruism: There is me who helps others. I sacrifice myself. I am good; you receive help.

Even in the best case, there is still: hidden hierarchy, moral superiority, expectation of gratitude (even unconsciously).

The bodhisattva path is different. A bodhisattva acts from the understanding that: the boundary between “me” and “others” is conditional, another person’s suffering is not really “someone else’s but also mine”.

So: the bodhisattva does not “sacrifice himself”, he removes suffering where it exists.

A good formula: a bodhisattva is not kind, a bodhisattva is clear-seeing.

He does not help out of duty. He simply cannot ignore suffering – just like you cannot ignore pain in your own hand.

Why is this hard to accept? Because our mind is built on “me/mine/not mine”. The bodhisattva acts after this structure begins to fall apart.

3. Why the bodhisattva path is psychologically very difficult:

3.1. Because there is no final “exit”. In Hinayana/Theravada there is an idea: “I will be liberated — and then it ends.” In Mahayana: there is no final ending, no point where you can say: “I did enough.”

This is hard because: the ego wants completion and reward.

3.2. Because you cannot hide in purity

A bodhisattva: stays in the world, works with conflict, aggression, ignorance,is constantly in contact with suffering.

At the same time: he cannot allow hatred, he cannot say: “This is not my problem.” This requires great inner stability.

3.3. Because compassion without wisdom breaks a person. This is very important and rarely said.

If there is compassion, but no understanding of emptiness, then a person burns out, becomes a rescuer, a martyr, or a cynic.

That is why Mahayana always says: compassion + emptiness,
not just “be a good person”.

3.4. Because the image “I am a good person” keeps collapsing.

The bodhisattva path constantly uncovers: hidden egoism, pride, the desire to be important.

Again and again you see: “I helped, but not purely,” “I wanted recognition,” “I felt anger.”

This is unpleasant. And you cannot simply walk away from it without abandoning the path.

4. One simple summary

Bodhisattva vows are not promises, but direction. A bodhisattva is not an altruist, because there is no “other”. The difficulty of the path is the lack of final comfort and ego reward.

Said honestly and directly:

The bodhisattva path is a life without spiritual illusions – even without the illusion of one’s own spiritual growth and perfection.

The main difference between Mahayana and Hinayana:

The icon in Mahayana practice is the bodhisattva, not the “individual saint.”

A bodhisattva strives for awakening for the sake of all beings, not just for their own liberation.

Compassion and wisdom are equal in importance.

Hinayana asks: “How can I end my suffering?”

Mahayana asks: “How can there be liberation if someone else is still suffering?”

P.S. A bodhisattva is not necessarily a deity or a rebirthed; one can follow the bodhisattva path as a monk or an average person.

I want to add that bodhisattva way of thinking can be applied to all the aspects of life, to business as well. When you start business not for own prosperity but for the progress and well-being of others as well. the accent in this case shifts towards altruism and charity, not ego. Dont do business to become rich, but gain main target to help as many ppl as it is possible via money you get from business staying sustainable.

The Dalai Lama tradition is Tibetan, not what all Buddhists follow. Buddha himself never talked about it.

It started over 1,500 years after Buddha as a political tool in Tibet.

The Goal: To solve who gets to be the next ruler by making the leader both a religious and a political figure.

The Method: Saying the new leader is the old leader reborn. This made his rule unquestionable.

How Politics Got Involved: The title “Dalai Lama” was given by a Mongol ruler in the 1500s to make a business deal: his army would protect Tibet, and the Dalai Lama would give him religious blessing.

Why Only Tibetan Men: Because Tibetan society was run by men, and keeping the leadership within their own group was a way for the ruling class to stay in power. Choosing a European or Chinese person would have destroyed their authority.

In short: This isn’t Buddha’s original teaching. It’s a Tibetan management system that worked for centuries. The Dalai Lama became the heart of Tibetan identity. Finding him was always kept inside Tibet to maintain control.

After studying religions of the world, Buddhism seems much more advanced than the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam). The only thing I can’t understand is the Dalai Lama’s rebirths. For some unclear reason, it’s only men (never women), and they are born in one specific region, not all over the Earth… seems like nonsense.

Also, it’s unclear why the Buddha did not accept the immortality of the soul (with built-in memory for working off karma in the next life), but instead said the soul is like a flame passed from one candle to another. I don’t really get that – how does the memory from previous life preserve to the next one?

Question for AI: Buddha said – be generous to get rich and compassionate to defeat your enemies. Is this true?

Answer: This is a very interesting question that touches the depth of the Buddha’s teaching. There is no direct quote with this exact wording in the canonical texts (for example, in the Pali Canon).

However, this phrase very accurately conveys the spirit and logic of the Buddha’s teaching, though not in the sense of benefit as we often understand it. Let’s break it down.

1. “Be generous to get rich”
   From the perspective of classical Buddhism, this does not mean: “Donate 100$ to get 1000 back.” That approach is a transaction, not true generosity (dana).

The truth behind this statement is much deeper:

Wealth as a karmic consequence: Generosity (dana) is one of the primary qualities that creates good karma. In Buddhist cosmology, generosity leads to rebirth in the heavenly realms or in a wealthy human family in the next life. So, “to get rich” here is understood as karmic response, not an immediate profit.

Wealth as an inner state: The Buddha taught that true wealth is not just gold, but also the wealth of faith, morality, wisdom, and generosity. A person who practices generosity frees themselves from greed, stinginess, and attachment to things. This feeling of inner freedom and abundance is the greatest wealth.

The psychological aspect: A generous person creates a positive social field around themselves. People treat them better and trust them more, which in the long term can lead to material prosperity as a side effect, but not as the main goal.

Conclusion: Yes, generosity leads to “enrichment,” but primarily karmic, psychological, and spiritual.

2. “Be compassionate to defeat your enemies”
   This is an absolutely brilliant and central idea in Buddhism. Here, “victory” is not about destroying the enemy, but about ending the circulation of evil itself.

The law of karma: Hatred only gives birth to new hatred. If you respond to an enemy with evil, you only strengthen the cycle of violence (samsara) and become part of the problem.

Compassion (karuna) as a weapon: Compassion is not weakness, but a powerful force. When you respond to hatred with compassion, you break the vicious cycle.

Who is the real enemy? According to Buddhism, our main enemy is not an external person, but our own poisonous states of mind: anger, hatred, ignorance. To defeat an enemy through compassion means to defeat the anger within yourself. When there is no anger inside you, external enemies cease to exist for you.

A key quote from the Dhammapada that confirms this idea:

“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is it appeased. This is an eternal law.” (Dhammapada, 5)

Summary

The phrase you cited is not a direct quote from the Buddha, but it brilliantly and concisely summarizes the essence of his teaching on karma and working with the mind:

Generosity is an investment in your happy future (in this and subsequent lives) and a way to cultivate non-attachment.

Compassion is the most effective “weapon” for disarming an enemy and ending a conflict that begins in your own mind.

Thus, from the perspective of Buddhist philosophy, this is the highest truth, albeit understood on a deeper level than simple conventional wisdom.

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