"All religions teach the same thing."
Each person, guru, or follower saying these things would often spin it in some direction, like "oneness", or "love".
It's a BEAUTIFUL IDEA! Which is why everyone usually likes to hear this, and also shake their heads, and repeat it...
Then, depending on whomever was saying their version of this talking point, it would somehow end up being about how they knew everything (or inferred they did), how their life was so great, or perfect, so buy their book, subscribe to their ________, buy a ticket to their show... because Capitalism = oneness and love, and God, and all religions, and whatever else their "spirit is telling me"...
And, you should try to be JUST LIKE THEM, only DO WHAT THEY SAY, but BE HAPPY IN YOUR MEAGERNESS, BUT DON'T BE... because you should strive to be like them...
*pause to contemplate the contradictions*
Or, when they speak, or write down, the whole "all religions teach the same thing" stuff.... they start "Name dropping":
Buddha (that's a REALLY POPULAR ONE with Westerner English speakers), they throw in Jesus (THE TOP MOST POPULAR ONE), then they throw in names like Mohamed, and Moses... I've also heard 'The Ancient Egyptians", "The Ancient Greeks" or Oracles, Saints, Atlantis (all of those claims are just fabricated and made-up) or maybe they will get creative and throw in modern people like Bruce Lee, Gandhi, or the Dali Lama (also VERY POPULAR WITH English speaking Westerners)...
And, SURE, this talking point sounds SO BEAUTIFUL....... but, it's NOT TRUE.
If you've ACTUALLY read, researched, and studied about them, even a little bit... and I mean not just looking it up in a blurb, it's LAUGHABLE ,or even SHAMEFUL, to say this, and even repeat it.
*face-palm*
They're all pretty different... sure, there's probably similarities. But, their "teachings", and/or opinions, were different... and even written records & trace evidences of them all differ.
Then when it comes to "Buddha" there are actually SO MANY OF THEM. (I also lived in China several times, so I ought to know) there isn't just ONE guy, and even the original Buddhist teachings were NONTHEISTIC... it was just about being a person of moderation, and being kind.
If you go to far East Asia, they follow mostly the Amitabah Buddha. That's why they always say his name in China. (E-Mi-Tou-Fue meaning Amitabah Buddha) But, they also believe in the Tathāgata Buddha, and several others.... Like Milou Fue (the happy fat guy that's like a bald naked chested Santa Claus with lots of presents & treasure)
In fact, in Buddhism they believe anyone can become a Buddha.... and, from what I can tell, Siddhartha Gautama (or whatever name people in this age call him) came up with his ideas for starting Buddhism as a counter ideology for Hinduism & the Cast System, specifically karma, it kinda sounds like he didn't even believe in it. Yeah... no karma in Buddhism originally...
(also so many folks don't even understand what karma originally mean, just like they don't even know what the word sin, or abomination originally meant either)
I'm just pointing out the obvious here...
People who like to repeat this idea that "all religions teach the same thing" and mix it together with Oneness, and also self promote, and sell stuff, and/or promote their ideology are either very mislead & unwittingly brainwashed. They also NEVER READ ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT, NEVER LEARNED ABOUT IT, AND HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.
(Like "energy"... pick up a dictionary, the definition isn't what you "spiritual" people think it is...)
That's also called fraud, and dishonesty.... and, most of these people (including me) are guilty of this without even realizing it.
But, hey... maybe, it's because we're all human beings, and one way that babies learn is by imitation, and copping things... it's not all bad... but, it's funny to see babies & children do this. It comes natural to most... but, there's other ways of learning, and understanding things... Another way is by repetition familiarity, or by association... which can be misleading. We can learn by making mistakes (hopefully).
Maybe part of the reason is because the earlier ways the human brain can learn, like by mimicry, is a simple brain process, and I guess it just keeps running... all the time.
But, we can also be mindful, learn, research, check clues, facts, trends, cross reference, triangulate, verify, examine, test... those just take a little more time, and brain power, and awareness...
I've learned:
Just because somebody wrote something in a book, or speaks pretty words, or acts like they know what they are talking about doesn't actually mean they do.... and, if they don't like to be questioned about it, that's kind of a "tell" as they say in poker. Usually, they don't even think or realize the obvious...
-or, they say I'm "being negative" because I "think out of my left brain" (like that's some kind of insult).
*face-palm*
*long pause for a moment to contemplate that a 'spiritual' or 'wise' person would call you a person that thinks from their left brain while unwittingly affirming that don't think out of their brain, and are in fact an idiot without even realizing it, ironically*
or, tell me I spend too much time being attached to third dimensional reality...
...... so, u spend time disconnected from reality? ...um.........
I wasn't gonna say that..... but......
*long pause to actually contemplate how they've just declared themselves as detached from reality and are serious about it*
If you really LIKE or LOVE all of these things, like Buddhist figures, WHY DON'T YOU EVER READ their sutras, scriptures, or their histories? (Seriously, I've lost count of how many sutras I've read. There's countless.)
If you REALLY LOVE God, Jesus, The Bible, or Moses, then WHY DON'T YOU ACTUALLY READ THEIR SCRIPTURES?
-unless, you just like the pretty talking points better....
But, if you did read-up, you also wouldn't repeat those things you think either....
(Honestly, I JUST read EVERYTHING in scriptures about Moses... I pity the guy. The scriptures paint him as some stupid sap, or chump, of a guy that gets tortured by God, often for God's sadistic pleasure & amusement that he goes mad frequently. Like a battered woman syndrome.)
I don't know what people have been telling you, or what Borders or Barns & Nobles new glossy book says.... or what ur groups or people around you say.... but, "blind faith" is like eyes full of flood lights at night time....
You can't see anything around you....
Just sayin'...
