Budhists would be dem/rep or Ron Paul???

Dr. Paul certainly fits the bill in many ways for a bodhisattva. The four qualities of the Buddha are compassion, sympathetic joy, loving kindness, and equanimity. Dr. Paul displays all of these qualities.

Here is a good analogy Buddhists use to explain Buddhism: If you are shot with an arrow, what will your reaction be? Will you go on a quest to find out who shot you and why? No, if you do this you will die and gain nothing. Your goal would be to remove the arrow, the cause of your suffering. As such, the Buddha did not answer questions such as, "Is there a God?" Whether or not he knew the answer, his reply was simply that those questions are a waste of time. In this life, one should concentrate on ending one's own suffering. The Buddha said, "I teach one thing and one thing only: the end of suffering."

Buddhism is the only truly positivist philosophy out there. The goal of Buddhism is to break away from samsara (the cycle of life and death) by attaining Nirvana (which litterally means the "extinguishing", as in the extinguishing of the flame of ignorance).

By understanding the intricate cause and effect relationship that causes suffering, one can be liberated from it. The cycle has twelve parts, and toward the latter part of the cycle is attachment, which leads to "the whole mass of dukkha", and dukkha is suffering.

The world is transitory (always changing, never lasting), all things in it are transitory (we have no immortal, unchanging inner self). Only by attaining the "unbecome, unmade", can one be liberated from this transitory existence.

Ron Paul, as I said earlier, has many qualities of the Buddha. He is selfless, humble, even-handed, patient, disciplined, and compassionate. I would not say he is enlightened (but then again, what do I know?), but he is certainly a very wise man, and one cannot give him full credit by only describing his vast knowledge of history and economics. Perhaps if he didn't have to involve himself in politics to save America he would have had more time to concentrate on his own mental well-being......

Buddhist does not mean Pacifism. That is a mistaken notion. It is about mastering the monkey mind and learning to observe one's reactions. So that when one takes "ACTION" it can be strong action, but it comes from a place of equinimity or balance. This action is not a blind reaction, which is more often the case with human beings.

Dr. Paul seems to come more often than most from a place of calmness and balance. He is not perfect, as are none of us, but he seems to be coming from a non reactive place more than any other candidate I have ever seen.

Whereas our present "govt" is constantly REACTING to every little hint, whisper, or reverberation of their own paranoid, controlling, fearful thoughts. Thus the first strike PARANOID philosophy. Thank God, Kennedy kept a level head in the Cuban Crisis. If Bush/Cheney would have been on the button that day it would have been a much different shambles of a world today.

mu, in expressions such as "no self," "no ego," "no holiness," and "no permanence." It is through the actual experience of mu — which means transcending affirmation and negation, being and nonbeing — that satori or spiritual awakening occurs and one can finally come to realize the essential spirit of Zen. Gaining some intellectual understanding is merely a first step in knowing about Zen; to enter into and deepen that understanding, one must experience mu for oneself.

I'm 100% sure the Dalai Lama would be delighted to hear about Ron Paul and what he stands for but I don't think he'd get involved with our political issues.

I am also sure many buddhists will be voting for Ron Paul for so many reasons it would be hard to list so I'll only list the number 1 reason:

PEACE !!!

JB

Someone get Richard Gere on the phone. Have him get in touch with the Dali Llama.

Well, not so much written, as quoted. And also not exactly about Buddhism, but its cousin Taoism. It's as if Dr. Paul had written the Tao te Ching himself:

http://www.dailypaul.com/...

This was also discussed here:

http://www.lewrockwell.co...

My girlfriend is a Buddhist from Vietnam and is for Ron Paul 100%. Its easy.
1. Honesty
2. Self-Reliance
3. Non-Intervention
4. Freedom

The list keeps going. I will get her on here later (9pm et or so) when she gets home and have her explain it herself. This one should be a no-brainer for any Buddhist.

Ron Paul actually seems to be a practitioner...
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...

The Zero Aggression Principle (ZAP) is essential to libertarian thought and is very much in line with Buddhist teachings.

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Son_Of_Liberty (formerly known as hippychimp...)

carpe libertatem

Most Buddhists will agree that the use of force is evil and should be avoided as much as possible. Government is a tool of force. Ron Paul is the only candidate who recognizes this and seeks to limit use of government force to the absolute minimum necessary to protect life, liberty, and property.

Buddhists who look to socialism as a "compassionate" form of government need to be reminded that the resources used to fund socialism are gathered at the point of a gun. Therefore, socialism is not, and can never be, an expression of Buddhist compassion. Socialist "compassion" is corrupted at it's heart by the use of force. Only true charity, freely given, can be compassionate.

Peace