Is Porn Really So Bad?

Perhaps you mean, alternatively, that a true buddhist does follow buddhism but that what we call buddhism is not entirely accurate.

Care to elaborate?

Correct, Stuh505. That's implied in the statement I made above. Buddhism is not what we usually mean by "buddhism", and attachment is not what we usually mean by "non-attachment". In the former we usually refer to a doctrine and set of rituals (just another "religion"), and in the latter we usuallly mean dis- or de-tachment (the suppression of desires, a way of disengagement from the world). Buddhism, as I understand it, intensifies our engagement with life. One's life is strengthened by buddhist practice, not weakened by it.
Interesting that we have moved from pornography to buddhism. It just shows how earthy the latter really is. There is no mention here of other-worldly goals or of a supernaturally sanctioned moralism, only a concern with optimal human functioning--health (wholeness) rather than virtue (holiness).

No, I don't think so. What I mean is that even the Buddha himself warned his students not to trust his word, but to put it to the test constantly. No two creatures can follow the same path to enlightenment, and the Buddha's map to Nirvana is just a maze with no exits to anyone else who follows it. We must all follow our own paths, and that is what I mean by the statement that a true buddhist will not follow buddhism. He will follow his own path, and so he should, even if that path leads to him committing murder. The point is to suffer every attatchment to it's end, and only in this way can we truly turn our knowledge to wisdom.

Buddhism is about maximizing the beneficial output of all experience. A buddhist who suppresses sexual drive, for instance, will never be free of the desire. The only way he can rid himself of this desire is to yield to it and remain honest in his heart. Then, when he has suffered the inevitalbe attatchements it brings, he will have the wisdom and motivation to free himself of the desire.

Drug addiction follows the same principal. No matter how many times you throw your friend into rehab, it will do no good until the person himself has gained the wisdom and motivation to be free of the drugs. This motivation can only come from the suffering that drug abuse leads to.

So the person with the most attatchements, the one who suffers the most, might well be the best buddhist. It comes down to what wisdom he is able to glean from his experiences.

aye, matey.

porn
if you have ever been the victim of a sex crime, and you are not in denial about the impact that it had on your life, you would think it was bad.
We will never know if they would have done it any way. One thing is for certain, find a sex offender and you will find they were also into porn.

Radical, don't you see a problem with your logic? Granted, sex offenders are very likely to be "linto porn", as are most males I know--to varying degrees. This latter observation suggests to me that the vast majority of porn clients are not sex offenders.

I would estimate that 99.9999% of all men (including such anti-porn advocates as Jimmy Swaggert) have enjoyed some kind of porn in their lives. I won't guess on the percentage of women but Playgirl still seems to have a female following.

I know a good number of women who like porn as much as (I guess)
men do. It isn't a personal favorite of mine, but whatever floats
your boat/makes you happy ... it is YOUR BOAT!!! ... so go for it.

Yeah, but a problem is that there are a lot of boats lately, and too many captains...

<Psst. Playgirl is for the gay guys.>

Hello :-D

Perhaps Montana has a different idea of what Playgirl is used for.

LOL! Montana has a lot of ideas on the subject, but she has already stated them all, so I thought I'd drop in to say hello :-D

Drewdad, are you suggesting, then, that Playboy is really for lesbians?

Is Porn Really So Bad?
I think porn is bad but there is no reason why people should not enjoy it, so long as it doesn't involve children and so long as it doesn't play with the feelings and rights of another.

I also feel that the only people who would like porn are those who lack basic happiness in their life and so they try to find joy through porn. But joy is transitory or a short term thing unlike happiness which is long term and stays with you. And so joy comes and goes, never really staying and so the person never feels satisfied or happy. Only happiness can bring long term satisfaction. But some people try to find it through porn because it fills their life so much. But happiness through porn is not possible. Anyway, occasional porn that doesn't play with another's feelings or rights cannot be wrong or you would have to agree that occasionally going to the cinema, having champagne, going for a ball game, etcetera is wrong too.

I also feel that people who like porn to a large extent are far removed from reality, which is the precise reason why they like something so artificial as porn in their life.

Beena, not to pick too much about words, but don't you think that you are talking more about "enJOYment" than "joy?"
I agree about the connection you draw between porn and reality. I would add that porn removes us further from reality.

Not at all. Sensible shoes are for lesbians.

It has been my experience that precisely those who most vehemently campaign against porn .... end up being the same people who have, perhaps, the largest porn collection known to man. When people can't accept themselves as they are, can't accept their enjoyment of porn as being morally okay This seems to be what
makes them exhibit a very PUBLICLY violent reaction against porn.

Babs, how would you (or COULD you possibly) know that such people have large collections of porn (not to mention the "largest" collection known to man, LOL)? I do agree that people who bitch the most usually have unconscious issues regarding sex, sexuality, morality, etc.. My claim is based on theoretical assumptions; yours seems to be based on a non-existent survey.