Why do you say that? Because when we want to draw an equal sign (A=B) between one thing and another, we must have evidence. Since the Buddha is a historical figure, there will naturally be evidence obtained through archaeology. But as for the "Dharma" mentioned by many books or preachers, is it consistent with what the Buddha taught? This is also to be discussed! You can't just rely on "induction" and rely on him to say "this is the rule" and so on! Absolutely not. Because, if the Buddha said it, the Buddha said it, and if you said it, you can never say it belongs to the Buddha. This is misleading! It happened that many of them clearly said it themselves, and they all like to say that this is what the Buddha said! Therefore, we should constantly break through the circle and find the original teaching method of Buddhism!
We often like to say "learn from Buddha, learn from Buddha". In fact, if we say "learn from Buddhism" in another way, or our practice direction will be clearer, because the Buddha originally asked us to learn from Buddhism, so pay attention. Where we can't teach Buddhism, no matter how grand the Dojo is, no matter how solemn the Buddha statue is, no matter how many people protect it, it is actually just a building/place. If we can't teach Buddhism, we can't teach it and we can't force us to continue to follow it.
Of course, we can't say that places/people who can't teach us Buddhism today are cults, and we can't be one-sided. Just as science teachers in primary schools can't teach us medicine, we can't despise them and slander them casually, because we have to learn science well before we can study medicine. But when you find that science teachers can teach us nothing more, we have to break through and find someone who can teach us biology, and then medicine. However, maybe when you study medicine, you will find that some primary school science things are not so correct and the explanations are too general.
The same is true of learning Buddhism. We always have a foundation for understanding Buddhism, but we will continue to improve and deepen it afterwards. It happened that there are so many "Dojo" and "Zongmen" now, and we are in a dilemma. Our predicament is very much like a person-Buddhist monk. http://www.ss.ncu.edu.tw/~calin/article2008/8j.pdf
When learning Buddhism, you can't swallow anything when others feed you. If you have doubts, you must ask and think, otherwise it's not called learning Buddha, it's faith! You accept what people say. To learn, we should start with the four noble truths and twelve karma anyway. After all, it was the original teaching method of Buddha, just like the first class in school. If we miss the first class, it will be difficult to keep up with other classes. If someone can answer our questions properly, we will even leave and be disappointed with Buddhism ... that's sad. Buddha is a teacher, who speaks directly and makes it easy for people to understand the truth. You don't need "faith" to learn Buddhism. If nothing is explained to us clearly, as long as we believe, what is the difference between it and Brahmins?
To learn Buddhism, we should not only understand the history of Buddhism, but also understand the law of karma, so as to see what statements appeared in the later period and what statements have been handed down from the Buddha's time to today. So you won't be so upset when you learn Buddhism!
The Buddha's Nirvana is about 2400 years ago [according to scholars' research, the Buddha's Nirvana was in 390 BC, with an annual difference of no more than ten years (according to Indian Buddhism Zhao Nakamura, PG 14)]. King Ashoka was not a man in the Buddha's time, but a figure in 100 years after the Buddha's nirvana.
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As for the questions in your conversation, I try to share them:
1)
Me: Buddhists claim that all beings are equal, but if they want to gain "secular interests", they must bow down and burn incense, but I think this behavior of bowing down and bowing is a manifestation of servility, and there is no equality at all.
She: ...
Me: If you have merit and become a Buddha, you must stand on high and let others bow down. Can't ordinary people stand upright and become buddhas when they do good deeds?
She: It's not very reasonable, but the rules have been made and we can only abide by them.
Me: Who made this rule? How unreasonable!
In this case, it is undeniable that the Buddha did not ask us to worship him. On the contrary, the Buddha is a person who wants to break through this "worship belief". As for the respect for the Buddha, it is actually the disciples of the Buddha who are very moved and grateful for hearing the Buddhism. However, this is not a rule that will be "punished" if you don't follow it. However, as Buddhists, if we really appreciate him from the heart and don't have to be embarrassed to respect him, it will be natural. Why bother? ]
2)
The so-called good and evil actually need to be analyzed and judged. But the good and evil of some things are not obvious, which is a matter of different opinions, and sometimes it is even unclear. In Buddhist theory, there should be a ruling mechanism to score different situations, but some things are unclear, such as betraying Shen in order to make money to save his father, which is hard to judge. How can we make a ruling?
And there are many gods and buddhas in the sky. In case of disagreement, who will take the lead?
How to ensure the fairness and correctness of this ruling mechanism?
["In Buddhist theory, there should be an adjudication mechanism to point out different situations." Actually, don't talk nonsense. The so-called adjudication mechanism is not what the Buddha said. If the Buddha said it, he would find evidence through archaeology. It is very likely that people in the later period were influenced by general traditional beliefs and adopted this concept into Buddhism. Buddhism has always been innocently influenced by various cultures and customs ... so what did the Buddha say? This needs a few words to explain. You can learn from the twelve factors, but you should refer to the corresponding Agama or Zaaha to avoid confusion. Don't let TV dramas and legendary "Buddhism" confuse you. ]
3)
Me: I'm curious about the status of each Buddha. Are these buddhas subordinate or parallel? Division of labor, but unified management with leadership? Like emperors and ministers?
She: ...
Me: If the Buddha makes a mistake, will he become a mortal?
She: ...
[You have included Buddha as a character in the "Heaven System". Or you can pull the Buddha out of this concept of "deification" and "Journey to the West", and the problem will be solved. Because the so-called "status" and "demotion to mortal" are all people who put the "mechanism" in our world on the gods in our "belief". Buddha is a historical figure, remember, he is a figure. You have to sort out a way, not only to understand the history of Buddhism, but also to understand it from an academic point of view, and to have a historical basis. From the perspective of faith, it is difficult for you to break through those doubts, because nothing in faith can prove any facts. ]
4)
I once read a true story. A layman settled in England with a seven-year-old child. The child met a foreign child. One day, they were playing outside, and the weather was unbearable. Shouldn't ........................................................................................................................... try to get it? How can you pin your hopes on inquiry and prayer?
She: Her face is unhappy again.
[The same question, a person can come from China, but it doesn't mean that everything he says comes from China. Doesn't he have a mind of his own? Similarly, although a layman is a Buddhist, it does not mean that everything he teaches is Buddhist. In addition, the concept of "forbearance" will be more influenced by the concept of China people than Buddhism. Although there is a "six degrees of paramita tolerance" in Buddhism, as I said at the beginning, the concept of six degrees didn't appear until the second century AD to distinguish Buddha from Buddha. But this does not mean that the Buddha told us not to put up with anything, nor is it so one-sided. Buddhism is about wisdom, and it has nothing to do with "praying for blessings". Then why is Buddhism like this today? Strangely, people can't get rid of "prayer" and it needs to be emphasized that Buddhism in different places has reached different stages. In China, Buddhism basically stays at the same stage as folk beliefs, but in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan Province Province ... Buddhism is already a kind of knowledge that can be studied and studied. ]
5)
Should we forgive the wicked who put down the butcher knife? ..................................................................................................................................................................................
She: I don't know.
This issue may be divided into two parts: (1) forgiveness of others, and (2) legal punishment system. To put it simply, both of them are a "system". Everyone has a different ruler, so they have different opinions. Finally, it is difficult to draw a conclusion. How much you can forgive a person, no matter what you say, is measured by your opinion, which is your personal business; How the law determines a person is also determined by a group of people. This is their view. There is a saying in Buddhism called karma, but no one makes a system, but (c) does it by himself. Now, the question you asked is mixed with ABC. Of course she can't figure it out and can't answer it. I can only say that the country has national laws, and people will naturally be punished if they break the law; It is impossible to avoid being easily forgiven by the world for doing bad things that the world spurns, and those who break the law are also psychologically prepared; But as for yourself, if you can't forgive others, it depends on your own feelings. You can't treat him alone In addition, if you always take him to heart to resent, it will only increase your mental burden. You have more things to deal with and care about. If a person's behavior is completely out of your control, you should stop torturing your mind with his bad behavior. If you really find a person breaking the law, you have the responsibility to call the police. ]
6)
..... kowtow to Buddha, there will be a good result. If you don't respect Buddha, you will have bad luck. In this way, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are narrow-minded and vindictive. If you don't respect him, you will take revenge. Isn't this the same as officialdom strongmen? I can't seem to feel the "equality, kindness, indifference and generosity" declared by Buddhism. ……
You asked a good question. If you don't ask this question for a challenge, you are basically a thoughtful person. Of course, how can the saying "Buddha has merits" come from Buddhism? That was a later evolution. Back in the Buddha's time, the Buddha spent his whole life explaining the sufferings in the world, and also told us that the ways to eliminate them were all down-to-earth and not maintained by faith at all. Besides, there were no Buddha statues in the Buddha era. How can anyone worship the Buddha statue? Besides, everyone listened quietly when the Buddha spoke. Try to imagine that if someone made a lot of incense and flowers to "worship Buddha" at that time, wouldn't it interfere with everyone's hearing of Buddhism? Originally, the ritual Buddha came from a grateful teacher's heart, but later people couldn't get rid of worship, and it evolved into a "Buddha" in your eyes. Do you think Buddhism is innocent? Of course, we should not directly destroy the Buddha statue because of this, because many people respect this great teacher because of the solemnity of the Buddha statue. ]
Basically, if you have a heart to learn, the questions you ask are all good questions and should be considered by Buddha disciples. But whether your question is answered depends on whether you ask the right person. It would be embarrassing if the person you ask doesn't know how Buddhism developed to this day.
I hope what I share can help you. If there is something I don't understand, I am willing to add.