Buddhism and Abortion.

(Note: These words are purely mine and represent my views and reflections alone. I am not a Buddhist teacher nor represent a specific tradition or teacher) There has been some heated discussion in my last post about whether a Buddhist can be pro-choice (allowing women a legal right to an abortion). But before I get into my views of abortion I think it is helpful to speak to the sutras/texts first. It is true that it appears that Buddha advised against abortion in the sutras and cannons but there is a certain amount of faith that one must have that all of these sutras/texts indeed were the historical words of Buddha. I say this because the earliest texts only go back to the 1st century whereas the Buddha lived and taught 400-500 years earlier.

It is probable that some of his teachings changed over time and some even lost. It is also probable that at least some of the teachings of the Buddha were the work of monks (not Buddha) who came years after his death. And just because one is a monk does not mean that they have the best interests of all at heart. Therefore it can be argued that some of the teachings on abortion and other issues could have come from the minds of others with political, patriarchal or other personal motives. I realize that Theravadans and other Buddhists claim the sutras and texts to be the literal words of the Buddha but many scholars and other Buddhists disagree.

So what are we to do? Well we all have to decide for ourselves and for me I use the Kalama Sutra or Buddha's charter of free inquiry as my measuring stick. In my opinion the sutra exists for one of two reasons: 1). One is that it actually took place where the Buddha advised the Kalama people on how to know what religious teachings to accept as truth. From Wikipedia: The Buddha tells the Kalamas to not just believe religious teachings because they are claimed to be true by various sources or through the application of various methods and techniques. He urges that direct knowledge from one's own experience should be called upon.

So while I follow the sutras in many cases, I also use my meditations, scholarly works, mind-set, values instilled by my family, pondering and personal reasoning to come to that direct knowledge of what I believe to be "truth." I try to use various methods to exhaust all avenues because I do not like to make decisions lightly. 2). The other reason being that it is possible that some monks realized that there were parts of these texts that contradict each other and that faith alone isn't sufficient for everyone. Thus a teaching was needed to help others who are more reason based folks to come to a decision of what the Dharma means in their lives. And thus, the creation of the Kalama Sutra.

Now some argue that the Buddha wasn't saying this method of inquiry should be applied to his teachings but seeing how Gautama was speaking to a group of non-Buddhists surely in his perfect wisdom he knew that they would do just that--apply that very admonition to his teachings as well as to the other holy men and wandering aesthetics. Why would one who didn't set out to start a religion say to those honestly seeking spiritual enlightenment to question every other teacher/source but to not question his teachings and to blindly accept them? And why would an enlightened one be threatened of people questioning and testing his claims on their own? Especially knowing that one can not force enlightenment upon another or give it to you but that it is, in the end, up to you to realize it. That is not to say that we shouldn't place a high importance upon his "words/teachings" when making our spiritual decisions and forming our beliefs because we should.

So now I'm finally getting to abortion, it is because of the Kalama Sutra that I don't agree that we know for sure that the Buddha actually said that abortion is wrong and/or wrong in all cases (It's possible that he didn't even address it. He was known to not answer many philosophical questions and that it was added later by monks looking to set up a codified religion). I say this because the scriptures saying that the Buddha was against abortion in all cases just don't jive with other things he has taught such as the five aggregates/skandhas that make up human life (at least according to the Mahayana tradition and the "Tathagatagarbha" scriptures). Other sources that the five aggregates make up human life: Source 2. Source 3. Source 4. Source 5. I will go into detail a bit about these which are also called the skandhas a bit later but first some information/statistics about abortion:

-Over 90% of abortions are done in the first trimester (the first three months from conception). At two months only half of the brain is formed and while the embryo responds to touch and while pain sensors have appeared, the path ways between the brain and pain sensors are not connected thus most conclude the embryo can not register pain at this stage.

And if you have an abortion earlier (within one month of becoming pregnant) the embyro is only 1/5" and looks something like a tadpole. It has no arms and legs but a tail and fish like gills that eventually become the throat.

Now, with that information let's have a look at the skandhas (the five aggregates of human life/being). I believe in the skandhas because I have meditated upon them, pondered them, can see logically how they would make up life and they ring true to me based on my use of the advice in the Kalama Sutra. So let's see how they match up to the above information which is widely accepted by the medical community:

First Skandha: Form. Which consist of the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch) but in order for form to be life there must also be corresponding material objects of those senses. (eyes-visible objects, ears-audible objects, nose-olfactory objects, tongue-objects of taste and touch-tangilble objects). Vision is the last sense to develop and using the Buddhist aggregates there are no eyes yet that can see just holes (according to the world renowned Mayo Clinic eyes are still shut in the first week of the third trimester so a baby certainly can't see during the first trimester when most abortions occur and my measuring stick of when abortions are acceptable) And an embryo (embryo is the name used during the first trimester) can't hear anything (a fetus can hear at week 18-20 which is well after the first trimester and the first trimester is when most abortions occur). There isn't a fully functioning tongue for tasting until week 13-15 within the second trimester. While not unanimous, most medical studies show that a fetus can not feel pain or register touch in it's brain until the 28th week (seventh month). Well after the first trimester when I believe abortion is acceptable:

Fetuses cannot feel pain until at least the 28th week of gestation because they haven't formed the necessary nerve pathways, says Mark Rosen, an obstetrical anesthesiologist at the University of California at San Francisco. He and his colleagues determined that until the third trimester, "the wiring at the point where you feel pain, such as the skin, doesn't reach the emotional part where you feel pain, in the brain." Although fetuses start forming pain receptors eight weeks into development, the thalamus, the part of the brain that routes information to other areas, doesn't form for 20 more weeks. Without the thalamus, Rosen says, no information can reach the cortex for processing.

A nose doesn't even begin to form until at least the last week of the first trimester let alone be able to smell because their isn't a fully formed nervous system or brain to register the messages of smell sent through nerve pathways.

The form aggregate also includes secondary elements. The first are the Five sensory receptors: Eye, nose, tongue and body which we basically discussed above. Then four sense data: These are color, sound, smells and taste. And above I argued that a fetus in the first trimester can not sense these things. Form aggregate also includes life faculty which is the faculty that vitalizes the body and keeps it alive. An embryo in the first trimester (up to week 12) can not keep itself alive without the host body of it's mother. Form aggregate also includes mental base which the mind for Buddhists is not a simple unit, but a complex cooperative activity involving four factors: Feeling, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness: It can be argued that an embryo has consciousness though we don't know for sure and despite that a form must have all four to be considered a life if we follow the teachings on the five aggregates. And since an embryo does not have a fully formed and functioning brain and nervous system it can not register mental feelings, perceptions and mental formations.

Second Skandha: (Sensation or feeling). Which is being able to sense an object/phenomenon as either pleasant, neutral or negative. So given that an embryo in the first trimester doesn't have a fully formed brain and nervous system then they can not sense something as pleasurable, neutral or negative.

Third Skandha: (Perception, conception, appreciation, cognition, discrimination) Registers whether an object of phenomenon is recognized or not (for instance the sound of a bell, of the shape of a tree). This again requires a fully functioning brain, nervous system.

Fourth Skandha: (Mental formations, volition or conceptional factors). This includes all types of mental habits, thoughts, ideas, opinions, compulsions and decisions triggered by an object. Loving kindness is also considered a mental formation. These are not possible in the first trimester due to the lack of a fully developed brain and nervous system.

Fifth Skandha: (Consciousness). It is argued by some that consciousness is present from the minute of conception but that only fulfills one of the five skandhas/aggregates and according to the majority of sources that I've read all five must be present for something to be considered human life. In conclusion, I have submitted in this essay that an embryo (which is the potential human being) during the first trimester does not meet the requirements of all five skandha/aggregates and is therefore persmissable to believe in first trimester abortion as a Buddhist. I do not, however, agree with late term abortions except if the life of the mother is in jeopardy.

So I am for abortion during the first trimester and only for abortion in the second trimester in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at risk. In regards to the second trimester and rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk then I believe the middle path must be used to create these exceptions out of compassion for the mother. This is because the mother's life is extremely developed and would therefore experience more suffering than a child just being born with no life experience or even a sense of its presence in this world.

Imagine the suffering of a young woman forced to raise a child of her rapist or perpertator of incest. She would most likely not be capable emotionally or otherwise capable to raise that child with the love and caring that it needs to survive. Both mother and child would suffer needlessly. And suppose the child looks exactly like the perpetrator, both the mother and child would suffer greatly. The mother would re-experience and be reminded of the suffering she endured by that person with the same face as that child and chances are she'd avoid all connection with that child from subconscious self-protection. And the child would suffer from lack of love and caring on the mother's part.

Of course adoption is a more than acceptable way to go, however, many unwanted children needlessly suffer from being exported from one foster home to another where many foster parents are abusive and only take on the children for the financial gain. And besides, I do not believe it is my right to choose if a teen-age mother wishes to keep a rapist's child or one that came about via incest. And what kind of quality of life does an incest baby have? Most would be born with severe deformaties that would often die within a few months.

As for making the case for abortion in the second trimester and partial birth in regards to the life of the mother at risk the same argument for me applies because again like I argued above, the mother's life is extremely developed and would therefore experience more suffering than a child just being born with no life experience or even a sense of its presence in this world. And I especially support it when other children are already apart of the mother's life. It is not compassionate in my opinion to sacrifice the life of the mother who is the main care-giver of the existing children for the life of a fetus that has no presence of itself and that it is even alive.

The Dalai Lama has said about abortion that it should be a case by case evaluation. I don't believe in a world that is black and white, it simply does not exist. Yes somethings are black and white but there is much grey area too. Simple observation and mindfulness reveals that truth in my mind.

---End of Transmission----

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Sarah Palin: No Friend to Animals.

"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love." ---- Pythagoras (c.582 - 507 BC)

James: I don't get too political on this blog (I have another one for that) but animal welfare is something that I feel strongly about. If the wolves are too high in numbers than repopulate some of them to different areas of wilderness. There are plenty of wild place still left in Alaska, Canada and other parts of the other American states that could take them. Or at least give them to animals refuges and/or zoos. Although zoos don't always treat the animals with the best care but it is better than killing them.

However, Alaska governor and now vice-president selection of Republican Senator and presidential hopeful Senator John McCain doesn't seem to mind engaging in barbaric practices of what can't be called another other than a massacre of a beautiful and important animal to the eco-system. They keep the moose population in check but the governor and her supporters want to upset that balance because the citizens of Alaska like to eat moose up there and need high numbers of them. All this killing so that humans who don't have to eat meat can consume flesh:

No friend to wild animals, Palin has offered incentives for people who kill wolves in an effort to boost Alaska's predator control program which so far has failed to meet expected numbers. The incentives include offering 180 volunteer pilots and aerial gunners $150 in cash for turning in gruesome legs of freshly killed wolves. Outraged by Palin’s predator control program, environmentalists have argued that bounties have no place in modern wildlife management.

Alaska Governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a strong promoter of the aerial hunting of wolves and bears, a practice that has been condemned by conservationists, scientists and many hunters alike. It involves shooting wolves and bears from the air or chasing them to exhaustion and then landing and shooting them point blank. The animals, shot with a shotgun, usually die a painful death. The hunters involved in the program keep and sell the animals' pelts.

In a region west of Anchorage, she authorized the killing of up to 70% of all bears (1400 bears) including mothers and cubs.

She supports drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), an extremely sensitive region where millions of animals could be harmed or killed. Senator McCain has long opposed this drilling as do most energy experts who see it as useless.

• The Board of Game, which she appoints, has approved the killing of black bear sows with cubs as part of the program and expanded the aerial control programs.

• The media is currently looking into reports that state officials implementing one of the aerial wolf killing programs illegally killed five-week old wolf pups just outside their dens.

James: She also advocates taking the polar bear off the endangered species list was believe it or not done by Bush to protect the animal. We all know that the polar bears rely heavily upon the ice shelves to hunt and raise their young but thanks to global warming there territory and thus numbers are disappearing.

She also opposes the listing of certain whales on the endangered species list of animals to protect. Not sentient being's life should be put put ahead of our lust for cheap energy:

Alaska's Cook Inlet beluga whales are a unique group of white whales whose numbers have dramatically declined in the past two decades due to pressures ranging from pollution to increased ship traffic. Governor Palin opposes the listing of the Cook Inlet beluga whales, citing the listing as a threat to oil and gas development, despite their genetic uniqueness and the fact that their numbers have decreased from 1,300 in the 1980s to about 350 today.

James: If you are an American, a vegetarian and/or a lover of animals and want to protect them in the wild than this is information that you should know before voting in November. I for one will not be voting for the McCain/Palin ticket for this and many reasons. Animals are voiceless and can't defend against whole sale slaughter and so it is up to those of us who love all sentient beings to stand up for them and fight against their abuse and murder.

~peace to all beings~

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Installasi Windows 2000 Advance Server

Untuk membangun suatu jaringan lokal LAN (Local Area Network) yang baik tentunya meliputi berbagai aspek pendukung untuk merancang jaringan tersebut, baik berupa hardware maupun software.

Spesifikasi hardware pun harus mendukung system operasi windows 2000 advance server.

Penulis dalam praktikum kali ini menggunakan IBM X Series 206, dengan memori 512 MB, Harddisk 80 GB dibagi dua partisi C

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Metteya dalam The Gospel of Buddha by Paul Carus, 1894

The Blessed One proceeded with a great company of the brethren
to the sala grove of the Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusinara
on the further side of the river Hirannyavati,
and when he had arrived he addressed the venerale Ananda, and said:
"Make ready for me, I pray you, Ananda,
the couch with its head to the north,
between the twin sala trees.
I am weary, Ananda, and wish to lie down." [1]

"Be it so, Lord!" said the venerable Ananda,
and he spread a couch with its head to the north, between the twin sala trees.
And the Blessed One laid himself down,
and he was mindful and self-possessed. [2]



The Blessed One proceeded with a great company of the brethren
to the sala grove of the Mallas, the Upavattana of Kusinara
on the further side of the river Hirannyavati,
and when he had arrived he addressed the venerale Ananda, and said:
"Make ready for me, I pray you, Ananda,
the couch with its head to the north,
between the twin sala trees.
I am weary, Ananda, and wish to lie down." [1]

"Be it so, Lord!" said the venerable Ananda,
and he spread a couch with its head to the north, between the twin sala trees.
And the Blessed One laid himself down,
and he was mindful and self-possessed. [2]

Now, at that time the twin sala trees
were full of bloom with flowers out of season;
and heavenly songs came wafted from the skies,
out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old.
And Ananda was filled with wander that the Blessed One was thus honoured.
But the Blessed One said:
"Not by such events, Ananda,
is the Tathagata rightly honoured, held sacred, or revered.
But the brother or the sister,
the devout man or the devout woman,
who continually fulfils all the greater and lesser duties,
walking according to the precepts,
it is they who rightly honour, hold sacred,
and revere the Tathagata with the worthiest homage.
Therefore, O Ananda, be ye constant
in the fulfilment of the greater and of the lesser duties,
and walk according to the precepts;
thus, Ananda, will ye honour the Master." [3]

Then the venerable Ananda went into the vihara,
and stood leaning against the doorpost, weeping at the thought:
"Alas! I remain still but a learner,
one who has yet to work out his own perfection.
And the Master is about to pass away from me -
he who is so kind!" [4]

Now, the Blessed One called the brethren, and said:
"Where, O brethren, is Ananda?" [5]

And one of the brethren went and called Ananda.
And Ananda came and said to the Blessed One:
"Deep darkness reigned for want of wisdom;
the world of sentient creatures was groping for want of light,
then the Tathagata lit up the lamp of wisdom,
and now it will be extinguished again,
ere he has brought it out." [6]

And the Blessed One said to the venerable Ananda,
as he sat there by his side: [7]

"Enough, Ananda!
Let not thy self be troubled; do not weep!
Have I not already, on former occasions,
told you that it is in the very nature of all things
most near and dear unto us
that we must separate from them and leave them? [8]

"The foolish man conceives the idea of 'self,'
the wise man sees there is no ground
on which to build the idea of 'self,'
thus he has a right conception of the world
and well concludes that all compounds amassed by sorrow
will be dissolved again,
but the truth will remain. [9]

"Why should I preserve this body of flesh,
when the body of the excellent law will endure?
I am resolved;
having accomplished my purpose
and attended to the work set me,
I look for rest! [10]

"For a long time, Ananda,
thou hast been very near to me by thoughts
and acts of such love as never varies
and is beyond all measure.
Thou hast done well, Ananda!
Be earnest in effort
and thou too shalt soon be free from the great evils,
from sensuality, from selfishness, from delusion and from ignorance!" [11]

And Ananda, suppressing his tears, said to the Blessed One:
"Who shall teach us when thou art gone?" [12]

And the Blessed One replied:
"I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth,
nor shall I be the last.
In due time another Buddha will arise in the world,
a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One,
endowed with wisdom in conduct,
auspicious, knowing the universe,
an incomparable leader of men,
a master of angels and mortals.
He will reveal to you the same eternal truths
which I have taught you.
He will preach his religion,
glorious in its origin,
glorious at the climax,
and glorious at the goal,
in the spirit and in the letter.
He will proclaim a religous life,
wholly perfect and pure;
such as I now proclaim." [13]

Ananda said: "How shall we know him?" [14]

The Blessed One said:
"He will be known as Metteyya,
which means 'he whose name is kindness.'" [15]

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Metteyya / Maitreya Bodhisattva = Muhammad SAW ???

Beberapa oknum umat Islam berusaha untuk mempropagandakan agamanya melalui cara-cara yang tidak sesuai dengan kebenaran. Salah satunya berupa menyatakan bahwa dalam agama Buddha terdapat ramalan mengenai Muhammad SAW dimana mereka mengklaim bahwa Maitreya atau Metteyya yang ditunggu oleh umat Buddha sebagai Buddha masa depan tidak lain adalah Muhammad SAW. Seperti di: http://www.al-shia.com/html/id/servi...ama%20Lain.htm


Dalam Sutta Pitaka Dhiga Nikaya Sang Buddha menceritakan, pada zaman dahulu ada seorang maharaja dunia (cakkavatti) yang bernama Dalhanemi, memerintah dengan bijaksana, jujur dan adil. Pada saat itu umur manusia mencapai 80.000 tahun. Demikian pula keturunannya raja Cakkavatti kedua hingga ketujuh.

Namun pada saat pemerintahan raja kedelapan, kebijaksanaannya berkurang sehingga rakyatnya mulai merasakan kemiskinan sehingga terjadi pencurian dan pembunuhan. Sejak itu umur manusia berkurang menjadi 40.000 tahun, lalu 20.000 tahun dan lama kelamaan menjadi 100 tahun seperti sekarang ini.

Kelak akan tiba suatu masa ketika manusia hanya berusia 10 tahun dan umur 5 tahun merupakan usia perkawinan. Pada saat itu makanan seperti dadi susu, mentega, minyak tila, gula dan garam akan lenyap. Mereka akan memakan biji-bijian kurdusa.

Pada saat itu tidak ada lagi perbuatan baik, yang ada hanya kejahatan, mereka akan kawin dengan siapa saja, bagaikan hewan. Mereka membunuh siapa saja termasuk ibu, bapak, atau kakaknya.

Pada saat itu akan muncul pedang selama seminggu. Mereka akan melihat individu lain sebagai binatang liar. Dan pedang tajam akan selalu tersedia ditangan mereka, lalu dengan pedang itu mereka saling membunuh.

Sementara itu ada orang-orang tertentu yang sadar dan menyembunyikan diri ke hutan, gua-gua gunung dan hidup dengan akar-akar dan buah-buahan. Mereka akan melaksanakan hal itu selama seminggu dan pada hari ketujuh mereka keluar dengan selamat.

Sejak itu mereka mulai menanam kebajikan. Sehingga lama kelamaan umur mereka bertambah menjadi 20 tahun, 40, 60, 80 dan akhirnya mencapai batas 80.000 tahun. Pada saat itu akan muncul seorang raja bernama Sankha, yang jujur dan bijaksana. Dan akan muncul seorang Bhagava Arahat SammasamBuddha bernama MAITREYA yang sempurna bagaikan Buddha Gautama.





Beberapa oknum umat Islam berusaha untuk mempropagandakan agamanya melalui cara-cara yang tidak sesuai dengan kebenaran. Salah satunya berupa menyatakan bahwa dalam agama Buddha terdapat ramalan mengenai Muhammad SAW dimana mereka mengklaim bahwa Maitreya atau Metteyya yang ditunggu oleh umat Buddha sebagai Buddha masa depan tidak lain adalah Muhammad SAW. Seperti di: http://www.al-shia.com/html/id/servi...ama%20Lain.htm

Mari kita meluruskan apa yang tidak lurus, sehingga tidak ada lagi kesalahpahaman yang akan menimbulkan suatu permasalahan tersendiri ataupun pemutarbalikan fakta. Argumen ini ditujukan untuk membahas mengenai artikel : ”Muhammad SAW Menurut Pandangan Kitab Hindu Budha Dan Kristen”. Argumen kali ini untuk meluruskan pandangan salah mengenai keberadaan Muhammad SAW dalam kitab suci agama Buddha.

Pertama dimanapun di dunia ini, ketika kita bertanya apakah kitab suci agama Buddha ? Maka jawabannya adalah Tipitaka (bahasa Pali) atau Tripitaka (bahasa Sanskerta). Tipitaka itu sendiri merupakan kumpulan sabda-sabda Sang Buddha yang dikumpulkan setelah Sang Buddha wafat (parinibbana). Di sebut Tipitaka karena terdapat 3 (ti/tri) bagian, yaitu Vinaya Pitaka (peraturan para Bhikkhu), Sutta Pitaka (Kotbah panjang dan pendek Sang Buddha), dan Abhidhamma Pitaka (psikologi dan metafisika Buddhis). Dan di dalam Tipitaka terdapat 84.000 pokok ajaran, ratusan bahkan ribuan judul, sehingga dengan demikian Tipitaka tidak berbentuk suatu (satu) buku saja, tetapi ratusan buku.

The Gospel of Buddha, 1894 merupakan karya Paul Carus Ph.d. (banyak orang yang salah menulis nama Paul Carus menjadi Caras). Ia adalah seorang editor Jerman –Amerika. Ia menganggap dirinya "an atheist who loved God." Ia tertarik dengan Buddhisme dan ingin memperkenalkannya kepada dunia Barat sehingga ia mulai merangkum sebagian kecil dari banyak kotbah yang ada dalam Tipitaka.

Jadi perlu digaris bawahi adalah kitab suci agama Buddha adalah Tipitaka bukan The Gospel of Buddha. Dengan demikian pembahasan yang sah mengenai agama Buddha adalah dengan mengacu pada Tipitaka bukan pada Gospel of Buddha karya Paul Carus. Hal ini dikarenakan tidak semua yang ada dalam Tipitaka termuat dalam Gospel of Buddha. Dengan kata lain Gospel of Buddha tidak mengungkapkan keseluruhan fakta yang ada dalam tipitaka.

Sekarang mari kita bahas mengenai artikel ”Muhammad SAW Menurut Pandangan Kitab Hindu Budha Dan Kristen”

Dalam artikel dikatakan bahwa :

.”Dalam tradisi Budha, pemimpinnya sendiri Sidharta Gautama telah meramalkan kedatangan seorang manusia yang diberi wahyu. Dalam Doktrin Budha (The Gospel of Buddha) oleh Caras (hal.217-8) tercantum bahwa Budha agung yang akan datang ke dunia ini dikenal sebagai “Maitreya”. Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttana memberinya nama “Meteyya”. Kedua kata ini bermakna “pemberi rahmat”. Dengan merujuk kepada sejarah kehidupan Muhammad saw, kentara sekali beliau adalah orang sangat penyayang dan al-Quran juga menyebut-nyebut fakta ini.”

Pertama penulis tidak teliti dengan nama penyusun The Gospel of Buddha dengan menulisnya dengan nama Caras, adalah namanya adalah Paul Carus.

Kemudian, baik dalam The Gospel of Buddha (GOB) maupun kerika kita merujuk pada Tipitaka yaitu Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttanta (bukan Suttana), tidak ada satupun kalimat yang menyatakan bahwa Maitreya (bahasa Sanskerta) atau Metteyya (bahasa Pali) berarti “pemberi rahmat”. Dalam GOB dikatakan bahwa “He will be known as Metteyya, which means 'he whose name is kindness.' (Chapter 96 of 100, Metteya). Kindness atau penuh kasih. Kata maitreya atau metteyya merupakan kata dari bahasa Sanskerta dan Pali yang berasal dari kata ”maitri” dan ”metta” yang berarti cinta kasih. Dengan demikian Maitreya bukanlah berarti ”pemberi rahmat” tetapi ”penuh cinta kasih”. Adalah hal yang berbeda baik dipandang dari definisi maupun maknanya antara ”pemberi rahmat” dengan ”penuh cinta kasih”

Kemudian dalam GOB tidak dijelaskan kapan , dimana dan apa ciri dari kedatangan Maitreya itu. Hal ini penting untuk membandingkan antara Maitreya dengan Muhammad SAW, baik dari waktu kelahiran, tanda-tanda, sampai kondisi dunia. Oleh karena itu jika mengacu pada GOB kita hanya bisa membahasnya sampai pada arti Maitreya yang akhirnya pada dasarnya memiliki arti yang berbeda.

Satu-satunya cara memastikan apakah Maitreya adalah Muhammad SAW, kita perlu mengacu pada sutta-sutta dalam Tipitaka yang membahas mengenai Maitreya (Metteyya), salah satunya adalah Cakkavatti-Sihanada Sutta yang terdapat dalam Sutta Pitaka, Digha Nikaya 26.

Tanda-tanda
Kelahiran Maitreya ditandai dengan kondisi manusia yang memiliki usia sampai 80.000 tahun. Dan pada masa ini orang-orang hanya akan ada tiga macam penyakit -- keinginan, lupa makan dan ketuaan. Apakah ketika Muhammad SAW lahir diikuti dengan tanda-tanda ini ? Jawabannya Tidak.

Tempat kelahiran
Tempat kelahiran Maitreya adalah di negara Jambudipa (istilah lain dari India). Pada masa itu ibu kota Jambudipa adalah kota Ketumati (Varanasi) merupakan kota kerajaan yang besar dan makmur, berpenduduk banyak dan padat serta berpangan cukup. Apakah Muhammad SAW lahir di India? Jawabannya Tidak.

Tanda-tanda Fisik
Maitreya akan memiliki 32 ciri fisik, diantaranya adalah tanda berbentuk roda (cakra) ditelapak kakinya.
Apakah Muhammad SAW memiliki tanda lahir seperti ini ? Jawabannya Tidak.

Gelar
Maitreya akan disebut dengan nama Buddha Maitreya dengan gelar Bhagava Arahat Sammasambuddha (Yang Mulia, Yang Patut Dihormati, Buddha yang Sempurna). Yang sempurna dalam pengetahuan dan pelaksanaannya, sempurna menempuh jalan, pengenal segenap alam, pembimbing manusia yang tiada taranya, guru para dewa dan manusia, yang sadar serta yang patut dimuliakan, yang sama seperti Buddha Gautama.
Apakah Muhammad SAW diberi gelar oleh para pengikutnya dengan gelar Sang Buddha (Yang Sadar), Bhagava Arahat Sammasambuddha ? Jawabannya Tidak.
Apakah Muhammad SAW dikatakan sebagai guru para dewa dan manusia ? Jawabannya Tidak. Gelar Muhammad adalah Nabi Utusan Allah, Rasul Allah.

Ajaran
Karena maitreya adalah seorang Buddha dan seperti yang dikatakan oleh Buddha Gautama sendiri bahwa, ajaran Maitreya akan memiliki inti yang sama dengan Buddha sebelumnya antara lain 4 Kebenaran Arya, Jalan Utama Berunsur Delapan, Karma, Rebirth (kelahiran kembali), Paticcasamupadda.
Apakah ajaran Islam yang dibawa Muhammad SAW mengajarkan 4 Kebenaran Arya, Jalan Utama Berunsur Delapan, Karma, Rebirth (kelahiran kembali), Paticcasamupadda? Jawabannya Tidak.

Dari hal-hal di atas, masih banyak lagi ciri-ciri keberadaan Maitreya dalam Sutta-sutta lain yang memberikan perbedaan antara Muhammad SAW dengan Maitreya.

Kesimpulan.

Baik dari nama, tanda-tanda dunia , tempat kelahiran, ciri fisik, gelar, dan ajarannya, tidak satu pun yang mengacu bahwa Maitreya adalah Muhammad SAW. Ciri-ciri seperti beristri, memiliki pengikut ribuan tidaklah menjadi dasar yang tepat untuk mengatakan bahwa Maitreya adalah Muhammad SAW, karena ciri-ciri ini adalah ciri-ciri umum yang dapat dimiliki oleh semua orang bahkan sekelas Hitler yang memiliki istri dan pengikut ribuan. Bahkan pada dasarnya seorang Buddha tidak pernah menikah (hidup selibat), ketika ia menjadi calon Buddha lah mereka mereka hidup dalam pernikahan.

Jadi, tidaklah benar sama sekali bahwa kitab suci agama Buddha (Tipitaka) menyatakan kedatangan Muhammad SAW. Tetapi Tipitaka menyatakan kedatangan Maitreya. Dengan demikian, Maitreya adalah orang yang berbeda dengan Muhammad SAW.

Artikel ini hanyalah suatu bentuk ketidaktelitian penulis akan isi dan fakta yang terdapat dalam Tipitaka dan berusaha menyamakan Maitreya dengan Muhammad SAW.
Dan tidak menutup kemungkinan ada maksud-maksud tertentu yang bertujuan agar umat Buddha yang menunggu kelahiran Maitreya berpaling kepada agama Islam dengan tokoh Muhammad SAW di dalamnya yang dianggap sebagai yang ditunggu-tunggu.

Salam

Kelana


Literatur:

The Gospel of Buddha
http://www.mountainman.com.au/buddha/carus_96.htm

Cakkavatti-Sihanada Sutta (Digha Nikaya 26)
http://samaggi-phala.org/tipitaka_dtl.php?cont_id=180

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