A Buddhist Look at Cannibalistic Christianism

You may wonder whether there is sound cannibalism. In the Apannaka Sutra, Buddha says there are four types of individuals in the world. These are extracts:

One sort torments and tortures himself.
Another sort torments others, but not himself. - A butcher, a fisherman, an executioner [etc.].
Another kind torments and tortures himself, and also others.
A fourth sort torments and tortures neither himself nor others. He lives in the here-and-now, sensitive to happiness, with an uplifted mind.

"Birds of a feather flock together" - People have similar and dissimilar mind-content according to their fostering and their own ways, but people get together for more reasons than just being like-minded somehow. Opposites attract too, and so on. So it is far from wise to judge all alike. Allowing for this - that all members of a group are not alike in all respects - people who don't like to torment others or themselves, had better shun those who like to do those things. Good and kind people had better refrain from mingling with cannibalism-minded ones.

At the risk of losing significant nuances, Buddha's words above help to evaluate religions a long way in the light of factors like "torture, torments" applied to "oneself", and "others". The highest is to avoid inflicting sufferings on others. One may try it to one's ability and slowly get more winsome too.

As for Christianity, it is torture-based. The claim is that God the Father wanted God Jesus tortured and killed so that Jews might be saved. They declined the offer, also after God Jesus had been tortured, tormented and sacrified like an old scapegoat [Leviticus 16]. To which degree was the killing of Jesus a star example of clumsy and poor planning? Somewhere along the way the Father and Jesus appeared to have forgotten that God instituted how a couple of goats were to do the atonement trick year after year. No grotesque God-killing was thought needed! Inconsistencies abound, alas.

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. The Lord said to Moses: . . . "Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. [Leviticus 16:1, 6] "Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. [Lev 16:7-10]
"This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses. [Leviticus 16:6-10, 34. Emphasis added]

A "lasting covenant" - based on cruelty and harm to victimised animals. Here is the origin of the term "scapegoating", which may be avoided for the sake of health. Be that as it may, the Christian religion is unfolded on top of a faith that one innocent lamb-guy was sacrificed and tortured to let sinners get ease and go on - on the surface of things.

Why not ask: "If decadence, corrupt dealings, and vileness is good, what is bad?"? Just snap out of an old faith that ridicules soundness of mind. After all, Jesus was into that also. "Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." [Mark 2:17; cf. Matthew 9:13; Luke 5:31-32]. Simpler still: "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." [Matthew 9:13]

This can be spelled out: Health is good. Sinners become Christians, sheepish if you like, because of somewhat hidden depravity, also termed unrighteousness. Compare the fourth type Buddha describes (above): "torments and tortures neither himself nor others" and "lives in the here-and-now, sensitive to happiness, with an uplifted mind".

Gross Cannibalism and Christian Sacraments

Jesus is quoted to have said somewhere that if man eats bread that comes from heaven, he will live forever and even be raised on the last day - in eternity. "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." [John 6:50-66, rendered]

Why did most of the disciples leave Jesus long ago? Could it be because there is no "last day" in Eternity? One may come to wonder.

This is one of the findings of bible scholars: The gospel sayings of Jesus that the end of time would come during the lifetime of his apostles, proved wrong. It also gave rise to significant forgery in the name of Jesus later, when the end of the world had not come as foretold by him, as for example Dr Bart D. Ehrman has written extensively about.

Jesus is rejected in Judaism as a false prophet. Why? One reason is that the end of the world did not come as foretold by him. Worse still, the gospels present Jesus as a prophet, and the Law of the Old Testament teaches that prophets that tell of things that do come to pass, are false prophets and must be killed. Jesus vouches for that Law completely in Matthew 5:17-19.

The bidding:

A prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say . . . must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:20-22)". [Emphasis added]

Granted that Jesus foretold the end of the world would come in the lifetime of his apostle disciples - according to gospels and bible scholars like Bart D. Ehrman - at least some of his gospel sayings must not be trusted.

Then one may ask, "Is Swami Yogananda into something by his 'In heaven there are no crackers or soup, no breakfast, lunch or dinner'?" [Swami Yogananda. "The Mystery of Life and Death." East-West Mag. November—December 1928 Vol. 3—6]

Was Yogananda right this time? It did not always happen. Who can tell, are there not heavenly crackers and heavenly soup in heaven? No meals, yet mystery bread? No bread and no loo?

It is good not to speculate overly on such issues, but try to rise above them in good meditation. ◦TM stands out among researched meditation methods.

Mumbo jumbo rituals and various sides to cannibalism

Crunch my flesh. [John 6:56]

The word trogo means gnaw, munch, crunch - eat. Cannibalism is the practice of humans crunching, gnawing, munching and eating the flesh of other human beings. Cannibalism was widespread in the past among humans throughout the world, also in times of extreme distress. (More on it in Wikipedia under "Cannibalism")

There is gross cannibalism, rituals and some tales to deal with, and some tales are more valuable than others. In many mythologies, cannibalism is most often attributed to evil characters or as extreme retribution for some wrong. Hansel and Gretel in the Grimm tale did not accept cannibalism. The children burnt alive the gruesome woman who had trapped them to eat them, but did not eat her. Instead, they got away with all her treasures.

Hindu mythology describes evil demons called "asura" or "rakshasa" that dwell in the forests and practice extreme violence including devouring their own kind. (Dimmitt and van Buitenen 1978, index)

In the Christian tradition, cannibalism is symbolically represented in the form of communion and the Eucharist. John 6:50-66 and several other passages serve to legitimise the form of cannibalism that goes on in what is called Holy Communion. Catholics teach that the Eucharist is literal, Protestants do not. Catholics are made to believe that the bread and wine cease to be bread and wine and become instead the "Most Precious Body and Blood".

To sum up, the Eucharist is a kind of religious ritual in many Christian churches according to "Gnaw on my flesh and drink my blood," said by Jesus, as literally translated - Also, "Chew on my flesh" or "crunch my flesh with your teeth".

Bread and wine

Hope is a good breakfast, but a poor supper. (Proverb)

There is a whole body of claims and faith surrounding a little wafer and wine. A Last Supper with bread and wine is talked of in the gospels of Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, and Luke 22:17-20; and in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, apart from the dialogue in John 6 (above).

The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion ("Fellowship"), The Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or covenant that is rooted in the story of the final meal that Jesus shared with his remaining disciples before he was arrested and executed as a blaspheming criminal.

In the story, Jesus gives his disciples bread, saying, "This is my body," and wine, saying, "This is my blood".

There are nuances of interpretation of the Eucharist with its differing claims as to the bread and wine used. Different denominations hold different interpretations and also practice it differently.

Did not Jesus want to remain whole? Well, what seems pretty sure, is that you won't find any red meat in the Eucharist wafer, no matter what you think. Support your integrity in inconspicuous ways and retreat from "extremist and slapstick cannibals" around just to stay safe.

It is unsafe to place faith in figurative practices, so get nourishing, well balanced and fruitful bites, rather.

[Article source: Wikipedia s.v., "Eucharist".]

The Mystery Deepens

After Jesus had been executed, all the apostles and the Holy Ghost agreed (1), to go to non-Jews too, and (2) not to burden them with anything

beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. [Acts 15:28-29]

There was no bread-from-heaven ritual and Holy Supper faith in that "good old religion" of the Ghost and the apostles, but there was the Holy Spirit of Truth falling on people instead, after Peter's vision on a roof in Joppa (Jaffa).

Jesus of Nazareth on the other hand, addressed only Jews, "the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-8; 15:24), and

His disciples were expressly instructed not to approach gentiles or Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-8). On the few occasions that Jesus ventured beyond the boundaries of his homeland, he never proclaimed his gospel to pagans, nor did his disciples do so during his lifetime. The mission of the 11 apostles to "all the nations" (Matthew 28:19) is a "post-Resurrection" idea. It appears to be of Pauline inspiration and is nowhere else found in the Gospels (apart from the spurious longer ending of Mark [Mark 16:15], which is missing from all the older manuscripts). Jesus' own perspective was exclusively Jewish; he was concerned only with Jews. (Vermes 2012)

To clarify these matters still further:

Jesus reserve his teachings and salvation for Jews (Matthew 15:24; 10:5-8; Vermes 2012), but only depraved Jews: those of sound moral and spirit are not called by him, and the healthy do not need him (Mark 2:17; Matthew 9:12-13; 12.11). Jesus further puts his sheep on a path to perdition in that he teaches his sheep what is opposed to sound self-preservation. Thereby eyes, limbs, property, fit living-conditions and life itself soon enough are at risk (Matthew 5: 29-30; 39-42). Finally, marring losses come to those who call him 'Lord, Lord' without doing as he tells. (Luke 6:46)
For Gentile followers, all the disciples and the Holy Spirit dispensed with all but a few laws for Jews. And not a word by Jesus for ill Jews was included in the Apostolic Decree from 50 CE either (Acts 15:19-29; 21:25). The four requirements for all Gentile Christians include no to eating blood sausages (blood food) and wrangled chickens and other poultry (choked animals)
The healthy man does not torture others. - Carl Gustav Jung

Dr Vermes tells that the Missionary Command at the end of Matthew and Mark 16:15 are forgeries. There was terribly much forgery in early Christianity, and adaptations to other religions in the Roman empire. There are books by Bart D. Ehrman about such wrongs too.

Great Benefits of Not Resorting to Cannibal Talk

The words of Jesus about gnawing on his flesh and drinking his blood are for Jews only. The Christian ritual and dogmatic plot-faith that has been grown among other folks than Jews, may be abandoned as something built on loose sand (Luke 6:46-49).

Also look to the significant benefits: No hypocricy and resulting condemnation for all who say Jesus is their Lord, while not being Jews, for all who call themselves followers of Jesus and not giving away their property and getting poor thereby, for all who do not turn the other cheek and give way to bullies and lose ground, and for all who are not maiming themselves on his bidding. (Matthew 5, passim)

Jesus agreed to the Law of Jews, a law that would have had his mother Mary stoned to death on her father's doorstep for getting pregnant without being married (Deuteronomy 22:20,23,24), a law that would have had Jesus executed as a false prophet who spoke about the end of the world in vain. In Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus also said yes to keeping the Canaanite slave forever - it is in the Law of Jews too [Leviticus 25:46].

Yes, there are many benefits of not getting alit and then getting stuck in sand dunes of adapted, rigid ceremonialism, which abounds in Christianity. And look to the benefits that those who are not freaks of a ridiculous faith may reap in the here-and-now, sensitive to happiness, with uplifted minds. In yoga, people who turn to such ways of life, typically learn to go within wisely by sitting in meditation a lot - and that is not all such folks learn. Marpa Lotsawa (1012–97) is one of many examples:

Teachers of the Ngetön* lineage are understood to be those Tibetan masters who practiced, studied, realized, and taught these ultimate teachings of the Buddha (Heruka 1995:ix)
*Ngetön means "direct, true, or ultimate meaning." In the Tibetan tradition, it refers specifically to the highest level of teachings. (Ibid.)
Marpa of Lhotrak . . . embodied this ideal in his life in a direct, practical, and unusually complete way. (Heruka 1995:ix
The richness and diversity of Marpa's life and teachings provide a genuine account of liberation. (Heruka 1995:xii)
Marpa is one of the great saints in the Buddhist tradition of Tibet. He was a scholar and a practitioner as well as a very practical person, being a farmer and householder. (Heruka 1995:xiii
Marpa came to Nyugu valley to study . . . around 1054 and stayed three years . . . This was the foundation of Marpa's own training as a lotsawa [translator] He then became frustrated with his inability to receive the further teachings that he desired. Being a practical person, Marpa decided to go to receive teachings from the best source – India. (Heruka 1995:xxvi-xxvii
Realizing that he would have to make the long and dangerous journey to India to obtain the dharma, he did not hesitate to go. (Heruka 1995:xxvii
In India itself, Marpa arrived during a time when two developments were prominent. The first was the great importance and prestige of the monastic universities such as Nalanda, Vikramasila, Bodhgaya, and Otantapuri. Nalanda was the oldest of these, dating back to the sixth century. Its fame had attracted Chinese and other pilgrims for centuries. Now it was mainly the Tibetans who journeyed to study and learn. Besides teaching the Buddhist scriptures, these universities were repositories of many aspects of Indian learning. (Heruka 1995:xxviii-xxix
It was to study the vajrayana [tantra] with . . . teachers at the great universities that Marpa and other Tibetans came to India. (Heruka 1995:xxix
Marpa went directly to study with Naropa, who was living at Phullahari northwest of Nalanda. . . . Naropa . . . now was practicing kusulu meditation under Tilopa. Tilopa was Naropa's guru, and a kusulu was a yogin who attended to only the barest physical necessities . . . His activity was often unconventional . . . [B] oth Tilopa and Naropa were considered to be mahasiddhas*, the embodiments of the highest realization of vajrayana teachings. (Heruka 1995:xxix)
* They were said to possess great [maha] magical powers called siddhis, of which there are two types. Ordinary siddhis involve a fundamental mastery over phenomena . . . The supreme siddhi is enlightenment itself. (Heruka 1995:xxxi)
Vajrayana literally means "indestructible vehicle." The word vajra signifies the indestructible actuality of enlightenment. In vajrayana, enlightenment is . . . completely manifest and self-evident in all aspects of life. The world, the body, and one's state of mind are all vajra-like, primordially pure and self-liberated from dualistic confusion. The view that sees this primordial purity of experience is called sacred outlook . . . and it is the essence of vajrayana practice and realization. (Heruka 1995:xxx)
With this uncovering of the primordial purity of phenomena, everything in one's life becomes workable and can be included as a stepping stone on the path of liberation. (Heruka 1995:xxx)
In order for a student to be trained in vajrayana practice, he must first make a personal connection with an authentic teacher. (Heruka 1995:xxxiv-xxxv)

The teacher, also called the vajra master, and guru, offers the follower a yidam, that represents "different aspects or energies of enlightenment" and "serves as the enlightened manifestation of the student's basic being" as "a vivid representation of one's own enlightened nature," we are informed, and also that in this tradition, "Without the guru, there would be no [such] teachings and no [such] path." (Heruka 1995:xxxv-xxxvi, passim)

A traditional yidam has a distinctive iconography, mandala, mantra, rite of invocation and practice. (Wikipedia, "Yidam")

In the words of Alexander Berzin, "this commitment means . . . working to become a Buddha ourselves." (Ibid).