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zen versus engaged? very confused

I recently became interested in Buddhism. I began to research a lot. I am confused when it comes to choosing a sect of Buddhism. The two that stick out maybe are zen or engaged. So, if I say a few things maybe you can elaborate to me if I fit in to either or maybe explain it better to me so that I am not stuck on it.

maybe this helps, I don't smoke marijuana but i greatly believe in the healing properties of it, I am against a lot of medication. I believe in natural vs unnatural. I believe through meditation we have the power to heal the body, I believe in what you may call a higher power or not, basically I believe that there is a force in the earth, air, etc. that when we meditate we can feel it, to the point you may get chills and feel a literal feeling of peace, zen, .. does that make sense??? i was raised a christian and to believe in God- so this is a big step in a different direction from me

Do Buddhists believe in spirits or angels, demons or ghosts? Is there a belief on preventing bad things from happening such as how christians believe that angels of God can save them from harm, etc.

You know how Christians say "God will provide" or Rastafarians say "Jah will provide"....... Do Buddhists believe anything like that (maybe karma provides)?

As you can see I am very confused-but I do feel drawn in some way to Buddhism. I also am huge on human rights, I also believe in some sort of evil or corruption in the world only because i was raised a christian don't know what I'd necessarily call it besides that- what do buddhists have to say about the bad things in the world, or bad people?

Comments

  • Your faith in angels sounds more like vajrayana where they have dharma protectors, wrathful bodhisattvas, and other matters of faith. There is the dharmakaya or a heart to the universe that is inviting you to the truth.

    God doesn't provide though. You have to do the meditation and cease harming others. Buddha can't fix that for you.

    About bad people Buddhists say that all people are deluded and have anger, greed, and ignorance. So the bad apples are just far away on the spectrum of 'evil'. There is no essence of evil (a devil), but one act can be evil relative to a different choice in action. So evil is relative rather than like a force of nature.

    I don't think there is a sect of engaged Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh practices it via Vietnamese Zen? Buddhism. And others practice it from other teachings.

    If you do vajrayana you should study with a guru because it is dangerous. Be forewarned. Marijuana for pleasure can cause craving, but so can a hot bath. It also can make a person heedless and amotivational and obviously a bath is not going to do THAT. But medicinal for a cancer patient or the like is a different case.
  • BhikkhuJayasaraBhikkhuJayasara Bhikkhu Veteran
    I will only respond to one question, the "will provide". There is no such thing in Buddhism as far as i know, except maybe in pure land, but i dont know enough to comment on that.

    Buddhism does have a concept of "dhamma protects". What this means is that when you practice dhamma, and live your life with generosity, morality, meditation, and metta, you give a gift of fearlessness to all beings. beings know they have nothing to fear from you so you are protected from harm. Your performing of positive kamma yields positive vipaka(fruit of kamma), and therefore you are protected.

    This is one of the few times i will ever say i believe in something, since its hard to prove, but i really do get the impression that dhamma protects me, in my interactions with dangerous animals and dangerous people in my life. If i were a christian i might say god protects me, but this is simply my own positive actions and myself being calm, non-aggressive, and being able to de_escalate any situation, not magic or supreme beings.
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    edited December 2013

    I recently became interested in Buddhism. I began to research a lot. I am confused when it comes to choosing a sect of Buddhism. The two that stick out maybe are zen or engaged. So, if I say a few things maybe you can elaborate to me if I fit in to either or maybe explain it better to me so that I am not stuck on it.

    maybe this helps, I don't smoke marijuana but i greatly believe in the healing properties of it, I am against a lot of medication. I believe in natural vs unnatural. I believe through meditation we have the power to heal the body, I believe in what you may call a higher power or not, basically I believe that there is a force in the earth, air, etc. that when we meditate we can feel it, to the point you may get chills and feel a literal feeling of peace, zen, .. does that make sense??? i was raised a christian and to believe in God- so this is a big step in a different direction from me

    Do Buddhists believe in spirits or angels, demons or ghosts? Is there a belief on preventing bad things from happening such as how christians believe that angels of God can save them from harm, etc.

    You know how Christians say "God will provide" or Rastafarians say "Jah will provide"....... Do Buddhists believe anything like that (maybe karma provides)?

    As you can see I am very confused-but I do feel drawn in some way to Buddhism. I also am huge on human rights, I also believe in some sort of evil or corruption in the world only because i was raised a christian don't know what I'd necessarily call it besides that- what do buddhists have to say about the bad things in the world, or bad people?

    Buddhists believe in a lot of stuff. The practice is generally not about holding a set of beliefs, but focusing on a set of actions and meditations in your daily life. Sitting Zen, for instance, has nothing to do with belief other than belief in the transforming power of Zazen. Most people, when they start practicing Buddhism or meditation do a bit of experimenting.

    The closest Buddhist concept to "God will provide" is probably the practice in Nichiren Buddhism that chanting the Lotus Sutra will get you what you want in life. It's more complicated than that and I'll probably have it explained in more detail by a Nichiren Buddhist here. What Buddhists generally believe in karma is that you get what you deserve, basically.

    Anyway, ask all the questions you'd like and we'll be happy to throw our opinions your way.
  • misterCopemisterCope PA, USA Veteran
    One thing you must keep in mind is that every Buddhist is different, and you are going to get a whole mess of different answers. Even if someone tells you "scripture says" or "Buddha says," please know that what they are saying is "It is my belief that scripture should be interpreted this way" or "I think that the person I believe to be the Buddha said this thing."

    The only truly honest answer to any question is "I don't know."

    That being said, I'll tell you what I think about your questions :) (FYI, I identify myself as Zen/Vipassana Buddhist, for whatever that's worth).

    Marijuana: I don't smoke either, but also think it should be legal, especially for medical purposes. One of the Buddhist precepts can be interpreted to mean "do not consume any mind-altering substance." Really, it's up to you to figure out what that means. Personally, I think it is morally wrong to consume alcohol for a number of reasons I won't get into here, but I drink coffee on the regular, which I don't find morally wrong. Both are mind-altering substances, and I have found my own personal balance as far as they go.

    Raised Christian: Me too! A lot of Buddhists, actually. The more I delve into Buddhism, the more parallels I find to the good stuff in Christianity and the more I see it branch away from the bad stuff in Christianity. I still believe in God, but my belief is real-er, if that makes any sense. I used to believe in some all-powerful dude watching me sleep and judging me when I ate doughnuts. Now I believe that I can see (not figuratively, but totally literally see) God in the faces of the people I interact with every day. My unsolicited advice to you is don't drop Christianity, just see where you end up.

    Protector Angels/Demons/Ghosts: You're really going to get some different answers for this one. There are as many versions of Buddhism as there are of Christianity, and they all have different ideas. Personally, this is a solid "I don't know." **shrug**

    God will provide: Buddhism is a typically atheistic sort of system. Buddha will provide? Probably not, since he was just some guy and he's been dead a long time. Karma will provide? That's not how karma really works...(You tell all your friends that they suck, then you have no friends. Boom, karma). Here is my personal belief: If you were God, and you created people, what would the greatest possible gift you could give them be? Freedom. That means no interference, but that also means no help. Myself, I hope God doesn't provide for me, because then I'd be really peeved every time he decided not to provide for others.

    "As you can see I am very confused" That means you're doing it right. :)

    Corruption in the world: This is a core belief of Buddhism. It is, in fact, a variance of the first (of four) Noble Truth.

    I think that if you want to really start digging into Buddhism, start with these core aspects:

    The Four Noble Truths
    The Eightfold Path
    The Five Precepts
    Meditation

    The Four Noble Truths (4NT):
    1: There is suffering (everything is suffering/shit sucks/etc).
    2: Suffering comes from somewhere and that somewhere is clinging/craving/desire.
    3. There is a way to stop suffering.
    4. The way to stop suffering is to follow the Eightfold Path (i.e. let go of clinging/craving/desire).

    The Eightfold Path (8FP):
    A series of recommended ways to live your life that will help you let go of the craving that leads to suffering. The Buddha said, "Eightfold path is: one, you must have right view. Two...I forget. Go look it up." Honestly, you could spend the rest of your life trying to figure the 8FP out and then trying to follow it.

    The Five Precepts:
    There are ten for monks, but I think you might not be a monk. These are similar to the Ten Commandments, but more like the Ten Suggestions That You Can Follow If You Want To.
    1: Do not harm others (including emotionally).
    2: Do not take what isn't given to you. (Alternately, do not own what should belong to another -- a subtle but significant difference).
    3: Do not engage in sexual misconduct (can really be interpreted a lot of different ways, always refer back to #1).
    4: Tell the truth.
    5: Do not consume mind-altering substances.

    Meditation:
    I think it was Thich Nhat Hanh that said, "Buddhism is meditation." Seriously, do it. Do some research on how to meditate, experiment until you find one that works for you, and do it. Do it all the time. It will change your life. I mean, literally change. your. life.

    Just a reminder, everything above is my opinion and nothing more. But I hope it was helpful!

    Good luck and welcome to the club!

    Vastmind
  • I began to research a lot.
    . . . and so it begins.
    What appeals about Zen? Did you wish to marry a Roshi but get engaged first?
    As for protection . . .

    image
    Do not underestimate the power of cabbages . . .
    Invincible_summer
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