Do you view Buddhism as a religion or a philosophy?

[rabid_byter]

21. i am really facinated at the really serious misconceptions about Buddhism.

"...responsible for preserving and teaching Buddhist teachings..." i assume that is out of Wikipedia...

Tibetan tradition is based on what is called "Transmission". when you receive a Transmission, you are hearing what was originally spoken to a monk by the Buddha 2600 years ago. who was trained in verbal transmission, he passed that on to other monks, etc.. and the Buddha's words have been networked down to today.
when you receive a Transmission from a monk you also get history, insight and interoperation . it is fairly ritualized. it is a really big deal, it is rare ..

becoming a Buddhist involves serious study, you can not mix traditions. if you pour even a little bit of rancid crap into a big vessel of Ambrosia you end up with a big vessel of rancid crap. i really don't know where ya'll get some of this stuff.. but it is mostly rancid crap. i'm not trying to be rude, but it's a fact. if people did what is done here to a Jew, they would immediately stop and tell you you were wrong, and want to know where you got those ideas.

i am telling you this because there is obviously a coordinated program of disinformation going on to confuse you guys... i practiced whatever form of Buddhism was available nearby as i traveled since 1970, i finally ran into a real Tibetan Monk and Songa, he had been the chant master of the Dalia Lama's Monastery. i studied under him for 8 years, three 3-4 hour meetings a week plus my own 2 hours practice at home 4 days a week, for 8 years. i didn't ritually become a Buddhist till after my 5th year there.

here is how it works, religion is religion.. it's called religion because it isn't something else. Buddhism is Buddhism, if it were religion they wouldn't call it Buddhism. you cant be a Buddhist and be a Christian or Muslim because there isn't any religion in Buddhism. if you believe Jesus can save you you don't need Buddhism.. you will NOT find the word 'Faith' in the glossary of any Buddhist book or teaching, Faith isn't a factor in Buddhism and you can't be a Christian, Jew nor Muslim without Faith.. with all the information on the internet, some here are really dedicated to insisting to that which is not true