# Buddhism is little more than Nihilism **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177 "2018-07-19T00:51:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/1 "2018-07-19T00:51:02Z")
[Empty Cup: Madhyamika Refutation of the Non-Buddhist Dogmas](http://choosenot.blogspot.com/2005/12/madhyamika-refutation-of-non-buddhist.html) [Empty Cup: Is Buddhism a World-Denying Teaching?](http://choosenot.blogspot.com/2008/08/is-buddhism-world-denying-teaching.html) [Empty Cup: It's Actually Not That Bad, You Know](http://choosenot.blogspot.com/2010/02/its-actually-not-that-bad-you-know.html) Based on the above, and my past experience, I cannot see why anyone would willingly follow such a philosophy. Especially the whole “question everything you know to the point of absurdity” point of view that is taken to daily life. It’s like they seek to ruin what is good and what makes life worth living in favor of some escape from this alleged “hell” they say we are in. Well that and the only reason to buy into it is if reincarnation and the endless cycle of rebirths is real. I think that part might have been made up in order to get people to follow. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/2 "2018-07-19T00:58:24Z")
I’ll read further but: > [@](#): > > For most religious practitioners, ‘world’ is synonymous with ‘creation’, and ‘world denial’ is synonymous with destruction. gives me pause. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/3 "2018-07-19T01:06:37Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > Well that and the only reason to buy into it is if reincarnation and the endless cycle of rebirths is real. I think that part might have been made up in order to get people to follow. Actually, I’m not going to read further. Yes, like most religions/philosophies Buddhism has some awesome little turns of phrase that anyone can appreciate but obviously “buying into it” includes accepting a core tenet. What else do you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/4 "2018-07-19T01:49:44Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Actually, I’m not going to read further. Yes, like most religions/philosophies Buddhism has some awesome little turns of phrase that anyone can appreciate but obviously “buying into it” includes accepting a core tenet. What else do you expect? I guess, but the links remind me why I started to dislike buddhism the more that I read into it. TO be honest I don’t see how people don’t see it as “nihilism” the religion. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/5 "2018-07-19T01:51:43Z")
Why is reincarnation anymore nihilistic than an eternal heaven/hell? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/6 "2018-07-19T02:11:21Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I’ll read further but: > > gives me pause. I’d read further but [this](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=858070) gives me pause. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/7 "2018-07-19T02:41:33Z")
Based on previous threads you’ve started, I suspect you don’t understand Nihilism and I know you don’t understand Buddhism. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/8 "2018-07-19T03:13:44Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > Based on the above, and my past experience, I cannot see why anyone would willingly follow such a philosophy. Especially the whole “question everything you know to the point of absurdity” point of view that is taken to daily life. It’s like they seek to ruin what is good and what makes life worth living in favor of some escape from this alleged “hell” they say we are in. A central tenet of Buddhism is to live mindfully in the present moment. “Escaping from our reality” goes against that practice. Your summary doesn’t jive what what Buddhists actually practice. > [@Machinaforce](#): > > Well that and the only reason to buy into it is if reincarnation and the endless cycle of rebirths is real. I think that part might have been made up in order to get people to follow. You understand the goal is to end the cycle of rebirths, don’t you? It is, but it seems at odds with your supposition that rebirth was a recruiting tool. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/9 "2018-07-19T10:18:53Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > I guess, but the links remind me why I started to dislike buddhism the more that I read into it. TO be honest I don’t see how people don’t see it as “nihilism” the religion. Boy, way to misunderstand. Congratulations. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/10 "2018-07-19T14:54:59Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > Well that and the only reason to buy into it is if reincarnation and the endless cycle of rebirths is real. There are plenty of Buddhists who don’t care about that aspect of the religion at all. But sure, 500 million Nihilists - why not? :rolleyes: But you’ve cleverly seen right through the illusion. First person in 2 500 years to do it. Go you! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/11 "2018-07-19T15:30:33Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There are plenty of Buddhists who don’t care about that aspect of the religion at all. > > But sure, 500 million Nihilists - why not? :rolleyes: > > But you’ve cleverly seen right through the illusion. First person in 2 500 years to do it. Go you! Well put, and worth stickying for just about every thread about Christianity on the Dope as well. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/12 "2018-07-19T15:45:21Z")
Your repeated broadcasting of your unvarnished ignorance of the real precepts of Buddhism, is staggering. But this Buddhist recognizes it’s pointless to engage with your level of purposeful misunderstanding of key words and phrases, insisting on _your_ misinformed usage as being valid. So, merrily on, disdain away what you so clearly do not comprehend. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/13 "2018-07-19T16:24:45Z")
Now, now. That’s not the way. Better to accept his ignorance at face value and realize it doesn’t diminish us. Perhaps he can learn. Or, in short, machinaforce, you clearly don’t understand buddhism, or, indeed, religion as a whole in any aspect. But you can educate yourself should you wish to do so. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/14 "2018-07-19T16:25:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There are plenty of Buddhists who don’t care about that aspect of the religion at all. > > But sure, 500 million Nihilists - why not? :rolleyes: > > But you’ve cleverly seen right through the illusion. First person in 2 500 years to do it. Go you! While I know anybody can call themselves whatever they want to, I personally don’t buy that someone who rejects a core part of a religion is actually of that religion. On the other hand, Buddhism really wasn’t intended to be a religion so much as a practice so I guess pizza parlor buddhism is a little more legit. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/15 "2018-07-19T16:44:15Z")
You say that in a world for so many protestant denominations? Splitting over precepts is exactly what people DO. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/16 "2018-07-19T17:03:47Z")
Have these Protestant denominations rejected the ten commandments or that Jesus is our saviour? The endless cycle of rebirth is the reason for Buddhism to exist. If you reject that, you just think mindfulness is good- you’re not a Buddhist imho. But like I said, I am fully aware people can call themselves whatever they want. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/17 "2018-07-19T17:13:19Z")
I recall having a thing for Taoism in the 60s. That seemed pretty nihilistic looking back. My native skepticism won out in the end though and I decided that all religions have a huge nothingness at their center. How could they not? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/18 "2018-07-19T17:14:14Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I guess pizza parlor buddhism is a little more legit. Is that when you get one with everything? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/19 "2018-07-19T17:15:16Z")
Depending on definition, you could say that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t meet the definition of believing Jesus to be God. Ditto for the Mormons. There are others, most of which have been labelled heretical, but who still say they’re christian and follow Christ’s teachings. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177/20 "2018-07-19T17:27:40Z")
Right. People can call themselves whatever they want- I am talking about what I personally can swallow. Are Jews for Jesus actually jewish? Not to me they aren’t. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddhism-is-little-more-than-nihilism/818177.md?page=2)