Best Of

Welcome RobinH, and thanks for the extensive and eloquent introduction!

When you are just getting started it can take a little research before you get familiar enough with the different streams of Buddhism in order to pick something that suits you. But I see from your usage of Buddhist terms that you have been exploring the territory — very good!

I think you'll find we're all a bunch of imperfect Buddhists here, with plenty of attachments we don't want to let go of.

Most of the regulars left have been practicing a while so don't seem to ask many explicitly Buddhist questions anymore. So if you're wondering about something, that isn't being talked about feel free to ask.

I figured I shouldn't start a new topic just for introducing myself, but I wasn't sure which one to use, so I did a search and picked one, hope that's alright.

So. I'm at the end of my thirties, I'm married and I feel that there are aspects of my life that make more sense in a more spiritual context, so I occasionally gravitate towards religion. Hinduism and Buddhism always fascinated me, but I was never really in connection with either, apart from a few occasions when I did try meditation and experienced its calming effects. I have all kinds of attachments and I don't feel like giving all these up (become a vegetarian? let's go for it. Reduce habits that trigger my anxiety and strengthen my depression? Let's work on that. Not to prioritize my loved ones over strangers or even my own spiritual needs? Never say never, but every cell in me revolts against such notion, which is partly why I'm not a Christian for example, I could not imagine placing some higher authority before my family.)

So I'm an emotional being and I as an "artist" I find beauty in all kinds of illusions, and I'm probably not a great candidate to reach enlightenment in this life, but that's okay, because I'd rather stick around and do good. If anything, I aspire to follow the steps of Bodhisattvas who care for all beings as I never express ill wishes towards others and suffering, no matter what the context is deeply affects me. I rarely ever concern myself with "what people deserve", because I don't find that to be relevant, I like to concern myself with what people need in order to realize their potential for goodness, and that's probably kindness, at least in my read. So according to some, that is a form of... relative bodhicitta and the more I read about that, tonglen, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism... etc, the more I want to visit a local Buddhist community and find an offline Sangha where eventually, if I'm confident enough, I can take refuge. But since I'm introverted without any close friends who are Buddhists and since such places only have monthly or from the Fall, weekly or bi-weekly events nearby, + since my work schedule is rather hectic, I thought I'd look for an online community before I'd get the chance to visit a nearby center.

I've read a rule on a chatroom some time ago, it was the only rule and I liked it so much that I try to keep to it ever since. It wasn't a list of what's not allowed, what things to look out for when policing yourself, it wasn't an assumption that you have to be spoon-fed basic etiquette and whatnot. It was simply this: "Treat this place as if you were a guest invited into someone's home." So in the light of that: thank you for having me over. I hope my contributions will be in the spirit of the community, however wonderfully imperfect we all are.

If I don't know if what I'm consuming is true what's the point of taking it in?

What we 'consume'/take in/believe has never been completely true. Is it useful? AI, like socialisation, education and even our 'free' choices are interdependent with vested economic, political and other interests. Most of us know this.

The ancient and modern dharma stars, shine a light. There is our cue and cLue.

Back to Basics.