If you know anything about Vendantic Hinduism, neither do they. Gods are irrelevant to the highest forms of Hindu philosophy, except as symbols of an ultimate truth.
You obviously know nothing at all about Buddhist philosophy if you think this way. Clearly you don't understand what Buddhists mean by 'happiness' or you would not say that. In what way is it a copout, anyway?
Don't you now? But this is not ideology, this is philosophy. They don't mean the same thing.
Successful by establishing a materialist society that has robbed 80% of the world's population of its fair share. Success at utter selfishness and grasping, sure. Yes, it's been more successful in demanding bigger and better, and the planet is suffering horribly as a result of that depredation. But are such westerners more content than everyone else? By the look of your obese population, a lot of them don't seem too happy to me.
I wasn't talking about worshipping elephants, of course. That's only your patronising take on what Hindu philosophy is about. It's not the understanding of anyone who has studied it. Try the Gita sometime.
Abandoning one's family is not a necessary precondition for being a Buddhist, even if the myths surrounding the life of the Buddha indicate that he left his family to search for meaning for life.
Man, you sure have a warped sense of what Indian philosophies actually teach! Best you stay on topics that you make sense with.
Rifty
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