"Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist;
use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are."
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

1. Thelema applies to all men and women. When you accept it, you lay claim to these rights as your own; but you also acknowledge that they belong to every other man and woman as well, not just you, not just Thelemites. "Every man and every woman is a star." Thus, in accepting the Law, I agree not to infringe upon the rights of others (although I am not necessarily bound to cooperate with every person's exercise of these rights). Crowley states in Chapter 49 of Magick Without Tears that "to violate the rights of another is to forfeit one's own claim to protection in the matter involved." If you deny the rights of another, you have denied the very existence of those rights; and they are lost to you. You cannot possess a right which you deny to others. Also, while one may possess the right to "to love as he will," it may not be the will of the object of that love to participate. Thelema does not justify rape.
   
   
2. Thelema makes no guarantees.
   • Thelema does not grant us the power or the ability to exercise any of the rights it implies. A man may have the right "to draw, paint, carve, etch, mould, build as he will," but it will not buy him the art supplies, or grant him talent if he lacks it. He may, indeed, have the right "to drink what he will," but it does not give him the ability to safely drive a car, operate machinery, or perform ritual while drunk.
   • It does not provide shelter from the consequences and repercussions of the exercise of our natural rights. A man's right to "to rest as he will," does not safeguard him against losing his livelihood; his right "to eat what he will" does not immunize him against poisoning or obesity; his right to "speak what he will" does not shelter him from criticism, ridicule, lawsuit, or the loss of friendship; his right "to love as he will" does not exempt him from paternity; and his right "to kill those who would thwart these rights" does not protect him from retribution, imprisonment, or execution.
   • It provides no assurance that the exercise of any natural right will result in success, happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction, or any other "positive" outcome.
   
   
   
3. It does not free us from our obligations. It does not justify lying, or failure to live up to our promises, agreements and responsibilities.

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ORIGINAL: Aswad

Since that time, I've had an epiphany (some might say a revelation) that has taken me off on a radical tangent to my former views, which will hopefully condense in a manner that may be useful to others, although it may be unpalatable to conservative Abrahamic religions, as it derives from that tradition under a very different interpretation.

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ORIGINAL: SwitchySwitch

This has influenced how I feel about people in my life, which is not to discount that they are a person, and to respect them for they are an “Other.”  Which means the emotional-sadist in me, has a unique way of handling that humiliation and objectification play.

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ORIGINAL: WinsomeDefiance

While I am not a Buddhist, per se, there are many truths in Buddhism, as there are in many other religions.  Whatever truth resonates within my spirit, I try to apply to life choices, actions, reactions and thoughts.  In this way, my spirituality; my ethics; my morals; my credes; become the cornerstone upon which I build relationships with people.  I am not always successful at applying my spirituality to my actions, but that too is a path of learning. 

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ORIGINAL: LivingInSin

Im Pagan and a follower of Morrigan.......

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I think BDSM has helped me learn my path and define it a tad clearer. I dont think I would have such a solid grounding in either my faith or my lifestyle if not for the other. To me they feed off of each other.....a never ending circle.