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New Buddhist with questions

Hello all! I'm really glad to have found these forums: I'm a new Buddhist who has a lot of questions about the philosophy and lifestyle. Long story short, I am a young man from the United States. I've lived as a Catholic for the last 18 years, but never really believing what I was practicing and always being caught in that ring of desire that is too common. Then recently, I found myself on the Wikipedia page about Siddartha Gautama Buddha. I honestly have no recollection of how I got there, and I don't remember ever even searching it! But his life really radiated with me, and I've been learning as much as I can the last two weeks about his teachings. I have a few questions:

I've been trying desperately to meditate. Since I've started I've been doing it twice a day for 15 minutes each time, sometimes longer, using the method where you focus on breathing. So far it has really calmed my mind..... But is it okay to think about things while meditating? It's really hard for me to just have a completely blank mind, and instead I'll think on the universe and Buddhas teaching. Is it bad to use meditation as a thinking time as well? Or should your mind be completely clear?

What is really required to become Enlightened? Does one have to give up ALL worldly possessions like the Buddha did? I have a great girlfriend and a nice life..... should I really start separating from them gradually?

What is the official Buddhist "holy text"? Or at least a good book to read in English about the Buddhas teachings? I'm going to Barnes and Noble tomorrow to look around, but recommendations would be great! Thanks for the help and again, I'm glad to be here and so thankful I've found Buddhism. It's already done wonders in my life.

Comments

  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    Welcome!

    There is no need to have a blank mind. Our minds think. Your mind should be more like a sieve than a pot. When a thought happens, note it and let it go. If we have a thought like "Oh, I forgot to bring that book to the library." Just let it go, let it dissolve. If you start to follow the thought and note yourself going further along in your story such as "Ugh, I'm so dumb, now I'll have a late fee and I'm always getting late fees!" and the thought keeps going and going. You'll have that happen, too. Just note it, let it go and focus on the breath again. It's a technique you do over and over and over again. Some days you feel like all you do is remind yourself to go back to your breath. Some days you might even be thinking terrific things about Buddha. Still just thoughts, let them dissolve and disappear. If you feel 15 minutes is a punishment of some sort (I did at first, LOL), or you catch yourself always wondering if the time is up yet, start lower. When I started meditating, i started with 5 minutes and added a few minutes every few days.

    There is no official Buddhist text, really. Nothing like the bible has. There are 10s of thousands of suttas/sutras, which are the teachings Buddha gave, basically. They can be difficult to read for a beginner (or even more advanced students sometimes). Also, you will find different sects of Buddhism use different words to say the same thing, because of language translations. Because I am a Tibetan Buddhist, we call them Sutras while others call them Suttas. Same things, though :) One is is Sanksrti and one in Pali. Initially I found those differences quite confusing so I thought I'd mention them. You catch on pretty quick.

    I would start with more beginner based books, and plan to spend a little time reading different teachers to get an idea of what fits with you the best. The nuances can be quite different, even though the core teaching is all the same. Thich Nhat Hanh is a good resource, easy to read and understand, he is a Zen monk but his teachings are pretty basic and can be useful for anyone, including non-Buddhists. Pema Chodron is another, along with the Dalai Lama and Ajahn Chah (I may have spelled that wrong). In that case, there are so many to flip through you might try the library first :)

    Also, if you are lucky to live in an area with Buddhist centers, check them out! It is a wonderful blessing to find a teacher to work with in person, if you can. They help refine the questions that come up, the problems you run into, and so on. When you get to that point, of course. I didn't mean to suggest you should hop along and find a teacher tomorrow. But it would be worth it, I think, to check out Buddhist centers if you have them in your area.
    personBunks
  • I have a great girlfriend and a nice life..... should I really start separating from them gradually?
    Wot? Your life is great and you want to change it? Tsk, tsk . . . it will change anyways, no need to do anything. Impermanence is one of the Buddhist teachings.

    Glad to hear you are going to Barnes and Nobles. Do you have vacation or weekend time to go on a meditation learning retreat?

    Buddhist gals make cheap dates, they expect Nothing (according to Mr Cushion - beginning to suspect he is a closet sexist)

    Good luck and Be kind.

    image
    Nirvanacvaluezscanataman
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    I missed a paragraph. What is required to get enlightened? You already are, you just have to find your way. We've had some discussions on here if you can become enlightened if you are a lay person/not ordained, you might want to search for them. I'll see if I can find any and link them, though my search skills here don't work well. For now, worry about today rather than enlightenment tomorrow :) It's not so much giving up all wordly things. It's giving up the attachment to them, the attachment to controlling them and our outcome with them, and our fear of losing them. Having attachment to things makes us unhappy because nothing is permanent, everything changes, everything leaves or dies and when that happens, when we lose the things we hinge our happiness on, we suffer. Don't hinge your happiness on your life and your girlfriend and you will be ok ;)
  • Thanks guys. Really straightened things out for me. I definitely am willing to give things up, and I've already started. So far Buddhism has made a huge impact in my life.... I was the type to always argue with others and play "devils advocate", but since I've been meditating, everything has changed. I try to only show kindness to people no matter who they are, and when I walk into school it's no longer about being the coolest, but being the kindest and having the most positive impact.

    I can also say to possible Buddhist beginners who are not sure: Try it out for yourself. For me, I never realized how loud my mind was until I meditated and got rid of the things that were making it so loud. Now I'll be driving through the woods, and I'll think "Wow, my mind is so quiet!" It's remarkable.
    seeker242BunksDharmaMcBum
  • matthewmartinmatthewmartin Amateur Bodhisattva Suburbs of Mt Meru Veteran
    Is it okay to think about things while meditating?
    Yes, there are many styles of meditation. One that specifically involves thinking is to let your might wander, think, then periodically, catch yourself and see what is interesting about that thought, with a short time delay. Some Buddhisty things to contemplate about your thoughts is if there is anything permanent about those thoughts, are the thought driven by some sort of desire. (And more! It's a big topic)
    Or should your mind be completely clear?
    If you are specifically working on concentration (only 1 kind of meditation)-- you can use a distractor, like breath counting or mantras to keep out the distracting thought long enough to be calm and peaceful. And once you are calm and peaceful, that is a good time to be thinking.
    What is really required to become Enlightened? Does one have to give up ALL worldly possessions like the Buddha did? I have a great girlfriend and a nice life..... should I really start separating from them gradually?
    Most westerners practice Buddhism in the context of modern life. A tiny percent go all the way and do it full time. The point about being a monk is to simplify your life to make it easier to achieve Buddhist goals. I would get clear what Buddhist goals are before doing anything drastic to achieve them.

    Enlightenment is... a metaphysical realization with ethical and lifestyle consequences. Now what the metaphysical realization is... that's is the kicker. The assumption is that a life of simple ethical living, meditation and study leads to enlightenment.
    What is the official Buddhist "holy text"? Or at least a good book to read in English about the Buddhas teachings?
    The Pali canon, the Tibetan Canon, the Chinese Canon. 3 **Huge** sets of books, each with different texts. I don't recommend reading these texts first, read pop-Buddhism books-- unless you really, really enjoyed college reading.

    Martine Batchelor "The Spirit of the Buddha" got very good review in my book club. It is non-denominational & does a good job of intro & advice. It's profound without being over simplistic or overly academic either.
    person
  • Buddha taught a musician Sano and he said his meditation should be like a lute. Not too loose and not too tight.
  • You don't have to give up all your possessions, just share some with people who are less fortunate than you. Best of Luck to you.
    vinlynzsc
  • As a beginner, you shouldn't expect to be able to sit with a blank mind. But over time, you'll find that your mind wanders less and less, and is increasingly able to stay with the breath.

    It helps to visualize the breath, give it a color: silver, gold, yellow like the sunlight, lavender, whatever color soothes you, and watch it entering your nostrils, slowly going down your windpipe toward your belly. Imagine it filling up your belly, pushing down with your diaphragm. Then let it slowly rise, watch it going back up and then back out through your mouth or nose, forming a little cloud that dissipates.

    Repeat. See if that helps. The key is to make this a very slow process. You should be able to slow your breath to 3 or even two breaths per minute, eventually. This also increases your ability to stay focussed, because it calms your nervous system, and turns on the parasympathetic nervous system, turning on the calming neurotransmitters.
    zsc
  • My teacher teaches not to contrive the meditation. If you get too focused on doctoring up your breath and meditation you end up with a bag of tricks and your meditation ends up all about a state of mind.

    Meditation is no big deal. It is just time for yourself to notice your mind. If it is busy mind then it is busy. If it is quiet mind then it is quiet. If your breath is bothering you with a trance state via deep breathing you can correct that by just noticing you are just sitting on a cushion. Say to yourself that you are not meditating you are just sitting on your butt.

    But that's just my teachers instruction. You can find out for yourself. We all get to our different teachers via our own karma.
    lobsterpersonNirvana
  • Jeffrey said:


    But that's just my teachers instruction. You can find out for yourself. We all get to our different teachers via our own karma.

    That's interesting, @Jeffrey ! We are led to our teachers via our own karma.... Raises another question: How much of the uncontrollable things in our lives are due to our karma in past lives? If I'm born into a situation where I don't have the means to even learn of Buddhism, is that because of bad karma in a past life? Likewise, if I am born in a situation where I have the wisdom and resources to study Buddhas teachings, is this because of good karma?
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited February 2014
    My teacher tells of a silent vigil she did with another one woman as part of a seremony I guess.

    She said her companion had terrible flu and was just miserable the whole time. After the silent vigil ended my Lama expressed how sorry she was for the woman's sickness. The woman replied with (some amount) of cheeriness "I got rid of a lot of bad karma"

    But I think we should see this view for ourselves and not thrust it on others. So if I am in the hospital and the staff makes an error I know it is my karma because I made a mistake as a hospital employee.

    But if someone in my family is sick I don't tell them that it is karma.


    The belief in karma should always empower you to have control in your life via mind training. Karma isn't to pass out blame.

    Part of karma is in the present. So if you have bad past karma dividing you from Buddhism you can just practice extra hard. Try to notice your addictions and neurosis. Eventually the right conditions will come together. I have been meditating since 2000 and I have had very few special states. But I have gotten tough skin and a tender heart (I hope).

    If you have doubt you can read the last section of the Avatamsaka sutra. It says that there are an infinite number of Buddhas on the tip of a hair. It is a composition to set in motion the eager mind for the dharma such that wherever you are and whatever lifetime you are in you will have faith and a connection to the dharma.
    zscperson
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited February 2014
    Welcome to NewBuddhist, @NextElement.

    I've been trying desperately to meditate. Since I've started I've been doing it twice a day for 15 minutes each time, sometimes longer, using the method where you focus on breathing. So far it has really calmed my mind..... But is it okay to think about things while meditating? It's really hard for me to just have a completely blank mind, and instead I'll think on the universe and Buddhas teaching. Is it bad to use meditation as a thinking time as well? Or should your mind be completely clear?

    Ultimately, meditation is about developing positive skills and habits as much as it is learning to let go. In fact, I'd say that it's the former that ultimately helps to make the latter possible. And part of t his process is developing mindfulness by focusing on a meditation object like the breathe.

    It's hard for everyone to have a completely blank and tranquil mind. The way I like to look at it, the conscious mind is like a monkey or a committee. When thinking, the monkey-mind swings from branch to branch, and the various factors of mind are akin to committee members with different desires trying to be heard. The unconscious mind is like a bubbling cauldron, with all sorts of things from both past and present brewing. When not thinking, thoughts often just pop up anyway, being the results of past actions and experiences (engaging them being present kamma).

    There are a number of things that condition our thoughts described in the suttas. Even just sitting, we're being bombarded with sounds, smells, thoughts, etc., and thoughts can bubble up from the depths of our subconscious based on this or from things arising from the past. It's normal and nothing to get discouraged about.

    When it comes to what to do with thoughts that arise or are thought, the Buddha suggests a variety of approaches. In MN 19, for example, he suggests dividing them into two categories: thinking imbued with sensuality, thinking imbued with ill will, & thinking imbued with harmfulness and thinking imbued with renunciation, thinking imbued with non-ill will, & thinking imbued with harmlessness. And in MN 20, he suggests five methods for dealing with unskillful thoughts in the course of meditation so that once the mind is calm, clear, focused, concentrated, and temporarily free of the five hindrances, it's then better able to perform the next mode of training—cultivating discernment.

    My advice at the beginning, is to simply practice staying with the breathe and seeing what you can learn about it. And if you need some more guidance, I suggest checking out "A Guided Meditation" and "Basic Breath Meditation Instructions."

    What is really required to become Enlightened? Does one have to give up ALL worldly possessions like the Buddha did? I have a great girlfriend and a nice life..... should I really start separating from them gradually?

    No. Perhaps you'll benefit from reading these three excerpts from the Pali Canon, which are directed more towards lay-followers:

    The Sigalovada Sutta

    The Adiya Sutta

    The Dighajanu Sutta

    It should be noted that nowhere does the Buddha ever tell his lay-followers not to wish for success or happiness. What he does do, however, is give the lay-person a set of guidelines for living in a morally skillful and prosperous way. Not all desires are bad. Certain desires, like that of wanting to follow the noble eightfold path, for example, are actually part of the path itself.

    The advice the Buddha gives is to try to not be attached to these worldly gains, not forsake them altogether; and there are numerous techniques and practices throughout the Canon designed to help one develop non-attachment while still living a 'worldly' life.

    Many people mistake the Buddha's teachings as meaning they must give up everything they own, all their personal relationships, refrain from being successful, etc. This isn't true, however. While monastics are required to relinquish their possessions and renounce worldly life, lay-followers aren't. They're simply taught specific conducts that are in line with the Dhamma. If the accumulation of wealth, for example, is used and accumulated in the right way, it can be meritous. As he advised the wealthy lay-devotee Anathapindika:
    "There is the case where the disciple of the noble ones — using the wealth earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained — provides himself with pleasure & satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly. He provides his mother & father with pleasure & satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly. He provides his children, his wife, his slaves, servants, & assistants with pleasure & satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly. This is the first benefit that can be obtained from wealth.

    "Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones — using the wealth earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained — provides his friends & associates with pleasure & satisfaction, and maintains that pleasure rightly. This is the second benefit that can be obtained from wealth.

    "Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones — using the wealth earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained — wards off from calamities coming from fire, flood, kings, thieves, or hateful heirs, and keeps himself safe. This is the third benefit that can be obtained from wealth.

    "Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones — using the wealth earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained — performs the five oblations: to relatives, guests, the dead, kings, & devas. This is the fourth benefit that can be obtained from wealth.

    "Furthermore, the disciple of the noble ones — using the wealth earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained — institutes offerings of supreme aim, heavenly, resulting in happiness, leading to heaven, given to priests & contemplatives who abstain from intoxication & heedlessness, who endure all things with patience & humility, each taming himself, each restraining himself, each taking himself to Unbinding. This is the fifth benefit that can be obtained from wealth.

    "If it so happens that, when a disciple of the noble ones obtains these five benefits from wealth, his wealth goes to depletion, the thought occurs to him, 'Even though my wealth has gone to depletion, I have obtained the five benefits that can be obtained from wealth,' and he feels no remorse. If it so happens that, when a disciple of the noble ones obtains these five benefits from wealth, his wealth increases, the thought occurs to him, 'I have obtained the five benefits that can be obtained from wealth, and my wealth has increased,' and he feels no remorse. So he feels no remorse in either case."
    Relationships can be skillful too.

    What is the official Buddhist "holy text"? Or at least a good book to read in English about the Buddhas teachings? I'm going to Barnes and Noble tomorrow to look around, but recommendations would be great! Thanks for the help and again, I'm glad to be here and so thankful I've found Buddhism. It's already done wonders in my life.

    There's no official Buddhist holy text akin tot eh Bible per se. Each tradition has its own collection of discourses and teachings that they take as guides. The Theravada tradition, for example, which I'm the most familiar with, relies on the Pali Canon, a collection of discourses preserved in Pali, an early form of Prakrit related to Hindi and Sanskrit. If you're interested in checking out those, I'd suggest Bhikkhu Bodhi'sIn the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, Rupert Gethin's Sayings of the Buddha, Thanissaro Bhikkhu's Handful of Leaves series, and/or Access to Insight.
    NextElementkarasti
  • There are two authors on buddhism from whom I have gained the most knowledge and perspective, though they're hard to find on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.

    One is Huston Smith, who wrote The Religions of Man. This was a masterpiece overview of world religions, and it was one of the textbooks in a religion course I took in college. It was my introduction to Buddhism (and the other religions it describes). It has since been updated and renamed The World's Religions, and I think it is still the most important book in this field. It doesn't really have the tone of a textbook; it's quite readable. Huston Smith has also written a separate book specifically about Buddhism which is more detailed. He has a coauthor on that book but I can't recall the name.

    The other author I really like is Steve Hagen. His best-selling introduction to Buddhism was titled Buddhism Plain and Simple. You might get more enjoyment out of a more recent of his works called Meditation Now or Never.
  • zsczsc Explorer
    edited February 2014
    You don't have to go to Barnes & Noble. In fact, a lot of those books are fluff, and new Buddhists like yourself may have a more difficult time separating the wheat from the chaff. The best resources I have gotten have been both free and legal to download from many different websites. Another plus is they weren't written to publish and make a lot of money, and therefore don't devolve into lowest common denominator, middle-class affirmations.

    The Dharma is free and so is a lot of information about it.

    Buddhanet's Theravadin free ebook archive is here: http://www.buddhanet.net/ftp12.htm

    ...and their Mahayana library is here: http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_ms.htm

    All are DRM free, and it looks like all are available to read in .pdf format. Almost every computer has a pdf reader, so a person could even read these books on their local library's computer if they don't own a computer themselves.

    I'm not telling you what to do, but I just wanted to point out that you don't have to shell out lots of cash in order to learn about Buddhism. Buddhism wouldn't be for everyone if having a lot of disposable income was required to learn about the Dharma. Besides, I've worked in bookstores, and it's insane how expensive books are.
  • Hello all! I'm really glad to have found these forums: I'm a new Buddhist who has a lot of questions about the philosophy and lifestyle. Long story short, I am a young man from the United States. I've lived as a Catholic for the last 18 years, but never really believing what I was practicing and always being caught in that ring of desire that is too common. Then recently, I found myself on the Wikipedia page about Siddartha Gautama Buddha. I honestly have no recollection of how I got there, and I don't remember ever even searching it! But his life really radiated with me, and I've been learning as much as I can the last two weeks about his teachings. I have a few questions:

    I've been trying desperately to meditate. Since I've started I've been doing it twice a day for 15 minutes each time, sometimes longer, using the method where you focus on breathing. So far it has really calmed my mind..... But is it okay to think about things while meditating? It's really hard for me to just have a completely blank mind, and instead I'll think on the universe and Buddhas teaching. Is it bad to use meditation as a thinking time as well? Or should your mind be completely clear?

    What is really required to become Enlightened? Does one have to give up ALL worldly possessions like the Buddha did? I have a great girlfriend and a nice life..... should I really start separating from them gradually?

    What is the official Buddhist "holy text"? Or at least a good book to read in English about the Buddhas teachings? I'm going to Barnes and Noble tomorrow to look around, but recommendations would be great! Thanks for the help and again, I'm glad to be here and so thankful I've found Buddhism. It's already done wonders in my life.

    There are many types of meditation. Samaddhi meditation helps you to concentrate; the one where you focus on your breath. Vipassana meditation where you observe the rising and fall of your stomach is supposed to make one more mindful, the one recommended for enlightenment. In this type of meditation, when you think, you take note that you are thinking by saying mentally, 'thinking, thinking' and go back to observing the rising and falling of the stomach. The latter serves like an anchor and keep you focus. I don't think that is considered a blank mind. It would turn one into a zombie.
    I suppose one does not have to give up anything to get enlightened. If you have been to northern India, following the Buddha's trail, you'd find out that he didn't really give up living in a proper house. In Sarvasti and many other places where he had been, the ruins are magnificent. You can marry your great girlfriend and have beautiful children, why not. You are a lupasaka, a layman, not a monk.
    If you meant 'holy text' like a bible, I don't think there is one where a Buddhist carry to a temple. But there are the three baskets that probably would take a lifetime to digest. Maybe, you'd love 'What Buddhist believe http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/whatbelieve.pdf
    NextElement
  • Thanks so much for all the help. One question I have is: What was the Buddha's stance on the existence of gods and other supernatural occurrences? It seems like every biography I read on Gautama Buddha, there are supernatural occurrences: the gods muffled his horse as he left his fathers palace, he was tempted by Mara the Doubter god to not try to reach enlightenment, and encourage by Brahma(n?) to teach what he had learned.

    Did the Buddha really believe in these literal gods? Or could they have been used in place of his own thoughts (ex: Mara making him doubt was really himself doubting his path)?
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited February 2014
    There is a God realm in the 'afterlife' but The Buddha's stance is that they are as transitory and have a life expectancy as any human has. It may be longer, and it may be 'grander' - but their time comes, just like anyone's. And they too are subject to re-birth. Not necessarily back into the god-realm, either.....
    anataman
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator

    Thanks so much for all the help. One question I have is: What was the Buddha's stance on the existence of gods and other supernatural occurrences? It seems like every biography I read on Gautama Buddha, there are supernatural occurrences: the gods muffled his horse as he left his fathers palace, he was tempted by Mara the Doubter god to not try to reach enlightenment, and encourage by Brahma(n?) to teach what he had learned.

    Did the Buddha really believe in these literal gods? Or could they have been used in place of his own thoughts (ex: Mara making him doubt was really himself doubting his path)?

    It's hard to say what his own stance was since what we have from him has been filtered through many centuries and people. In many instances, it appears that references to devas (heavenly beings) are meant to be taken literally. In others, I interpret them as being allegories, metaphors, and teaching aids. Take Mara, for example, the Buddhist equivalent to the Devil who often makes an appearance in order to tempt, tease, and test the Buddha and his disciples.

    It's true that, in some cases, he's portrayed as an actual being who apparently considers himself the head of the kamavacara (sensuous sphere) world, especially by traditionalists who tend to take a more literalist approach. Nevertheless, looking at the texts more critically, it's evident that, in most contexts, Mara is used in reference to death, the psychological clinging to the aggregates that gives rise to suffering, or to the mental defilements of greed, hatred, and delusion.

    In regard to the story of the Buddha being assailed by the hosts of Mara under the Bodhi tree prior to his enlightenment, for example, G. P. Malalasekera's entry in the Dictionary of Pali Names states:
    That this account of the Buddha's struggle with Māra is literally true, none but the most ignorant of the Buddhists believe, even at the present day. The Buddhist point of view has been well expressed by Rhys Davids (Article on Buddha in the Ency. Brit.). We are to understand by the attack of Mara's forces, that all the Buddha's
    "old temptations came back upon him with renewed force. For years he had looked at all earthly good through the medium of a philosophy which had taught him that it, without exception, carried within itself the seeds of bitterness and was altogether worthless and impermanent; but now, to his wavering faith, the sweet delights of home and love, the charms of wealth and power, began to show themselves in a different light and glow again with attractive colours. He doubted and agonized in his doubt, but as the sun set, the religious side of his nature had won the victory and seems to have come out even purified from the struggle."
    There is no need to ask, as does Thomas, with apparently great suspicion (Thomas, op. cit., 230), whether we can assume that the elaborators of the Mara story were recording "a subjective experience under the form of an objective reality," and did they know or think that this was the real psychological experience which the Buddha went through? The living traditions of the Buddhist countries supply the adequate answer, without the aid of the rationalists. The epic nature of the subject gave ample scope for the elaboration so dear to the hearts of the Pali rhapsodists.
    Some have suggested that these beings are real and can be 'seen' by skilled meditators, like the Buddha. Others suggest that the Buddha adopted the cosmology of the time for teaching purposes (e.g., I agree with Prof. Gombrich that DN 27 is a lively and ingenious parody that's actually meant to make fun of the very need for a cosmology as a foundation for religious development).

    Personally, I'm open to the possibility that more powerful and long-lived beings exist in various realms, and it's often fun to speculate about them (I've heard some entertaining stories about people who could see beings from these other realms). But I also think it's more useful to focus on what we can experience for ourselves in the here and now, and use our practice to try and transcend our mental realms in order to find a true and lasting happiness inside.
    NextElementlobster
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited February 2014
    1. Be patient. Don't get too holy by next Thursday.
    2. If you are even trying to do some meditation, that is excellent. One possibility -- one that I favor -- is to mentally count exhalations from one to ten and begin again ... over an over. Numbers offer a focus and support without easily going astray: A 3 is just a 3 and a lot less diverting than, say, something called "enlightenment." If you find yourself going astray while counting -- thinking about your girlfriend or checkbook or a Big Mac -- simply return to one. Always begin again. Fall down seven times, get up eight.
    3. Try not to concern yourself too much with "good" karma or "bad." Karma will take care of itself and you would be well-advised to do likewise. Karma is a little like your favorite sports team -- it can be lousy or it can be grand, but there's not really anything you can do about it. Drinking beer and talking about your favorite sports team -- or karma -- may be pleasant, but it's not something to take too seriously. Your life is the farm you are stuck with so ... root for the home team!
    4. Read what you like -- literally, anything -- but stick with your meditation. As my sister with two kids once advised me when my first child was in the offing and I was a bit anxious, "Adam, you can either read every book that was ever written about child-rearing or you can read none at all. Either way, you won't know shit."
    5. You don't need to give up anything in your Buddhist practice. In fact, if you try to "surrender" or "renounce" or any of the other fine-sounding injunctions, you are highly likely to compound the problem rather than find a solution. No need to go into self-flagellation mode. Remember when you were a kid and had a favorite toy? I mean the really koolest toy in the whole world! You couldn't live without it. Your life was completed and improved by having it. Seriously, remember? Where is that toy and the joy that came with it today? Assuming it didn't break or get lost, the likelihood is that you simply lost interest or found something more interesting. You didn't give it up ... it just walked away all by itself. The same is true in a Buddhist practice ... things walk away without any need to apply virtue or mysticism or morality. It's just what happens.
    6. Pay attention, take responsibility and see what actually happens.
    lobsteranatamanBunksVastmind
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    Namaste and welcome @NextElement

    I wold add nothing more than has been said already. I would only recommend slowing things down mentally a little - your post reminds me of my introduction to Buddhism, and the excitement that still follows me around like a badly trained dog. Sit! No still doesn't always obey... But it gets better with time.

    Bon voyage!

    Mettha
    cvalue
  • the way to inner peace by K. Rajapakse is great.

    http://www.thewaytoinnerpeace.com/

    Hello all! I'm really glad to have found these forums: I'm a new Buddhist who has a lot of questions about the philosophy and lifestyle. Long story short, I am a young man from the United States. I've lived as a Catholic for the last 18 years, but never really believing what I was practicing and always being caught in that ring of desire that is too common. Then recently, I found myself on the Wikipedia page about Siddartha Gautama Buddha. I honestly have no recollection of how I got there, and I don't remember ever even searching it! But his life really radiated with me, and I've been learning as much as I can the last two weeks about his teachings. I have a few questions:

    I've been trying desperately to meditate. Since I've started I've been doing it twice a day for 15 minutes each time, sometimes longer, using the method where you focus on breathing. So far it has really calmed my mind..... But is it okay to think about things while meditating? It's really hard for me to just have a completely blank mind, and instead I'll think on the universe and Buddhas teaching. Is it bad to use meditation as a thinking time as well? Or should your mind be completely clear?

    What is really required to become Enlightened? Does one have to give up ALL worldly possessions like the Buddha did? I have a great girlfriend and a nice life..... should I really start separating from them gradually?

    What is the official Buddhist "holy text"? Or at least a good book to read in English about the Buddhas teachings? I'm going to Barnes and Noble tomorrow to look around, but recommendations would be great! Thanks for the help and again, I'm glad to be here and so thankful I've found Buddhism. It's already done wonders in my life.

  • Read to your heart's content.

    http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebidx.htm
    NextElement
  • anatamananataman Who needs a title? Where am I? Veteran
    What is the cost of inner peace! LOL
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    £13.00/lb.

    It's next to the "Exotic foods" aisle.....
    anataman
  • I recommend Zen. Zen mind beginners mind, is a great book. So is Buddhism plain and simple by Steve Hagen. Zen simplifies everything. I find that lots of western people, get confused with notions and concepts, and caught up in rituals, sitting a certain way, saying a certain prayer, holding your hands the right way. It seems to hinder most people rather than help them, even though these methods, when done mindfully, produce great results. It seems to me that for beginner's (westerners anyway because of our upbringing), it's easier to learn Zen. They seem to cut to the truth of everything, where I feel a lot of other schools of Buddhism, can come across as mystical, magical, and confusing to certain types of people. Just my 2 cents. Best of luck to you! It's great to hear about people trying to expand their consciousness.
    NextElement
  • Another thing I read from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche that I found helpful, was to sit and meditate until you felt like you didn't want to anymore, however long that was, make your practice sessions a few minutes shorter so that you train your brain to always be wanting more. His book, The Joy of Living, is another great book on Buddhism. Yongey Mingyur was raised in a very eclectic environment, and learned the English language and all about modern science from a young age. He is excellent at conveying the actual essence of the teachings, and rooting them in science for our modern skeptical minds as well. Done now :-)
    anataman
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