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Hello, I grew up as a Baptist but at a young age I started heading towards atheism. I've hard a hard life, and experienced a lot of trauma and may have a few disorders as a result, and it wouldn't be so far off to describe my life as a lot of suffering. A few years ago things took a turn for the worse and I hit rock bottom, and in desperation I went looking for answers and help. I read some articles and chapters which I believe were based on some Buddhist concepts and though it took me a few years to actually understand them, I think one day they kicked in.
My life didn't totally change and I still have tons of issues, but just the few words I read had a very large impact on my life which is why I'm starting to take such an interest. I'm wondering how much further I could take it and how much more of an impact it could have. I went from doing a lot of drugs on a daily basis and not being able to let go of a certain something painful, to being free of both almost instantly... and have been for a long time.
I'm not a very religious person and not very superstitious. I don't know that I'd ever believe in things like karma or reincarnation. Any tips or comments? I know very little about Buddhism.
Thanks for your time
My life didn't totally change and I still have tons of issues, but just the few words I read had a very large impact on my life which is why I'm starting to take such an interest. I'm wondering how much further I could take it and how much more of an impact it could have. I went from doing a lot of drugs on a daily basis and not being able to let go of a certain something painful, to being free of both almost instantly... and have been for a long time.
I'm not a very religious person and not very superstitious. I don't know that I'd ever believe in things like karma or reincarnation. Any tips or comments? I know very little about Buddhism.
Thanks for your time
0
Comments
You might find some who wish to sell you on ideas such as karma and reincarnation... but for the most part, Buddhism is about becoming more aware of who you are and who you are not.
You summarize a lot of where you've been, but speak little of where you actually are... What's going on over there? What are you looking for?
With warmth,
Matt
That's kamma (action) and vipaka (result) as a happening thing, for example...
Reincarnation.
Rebirth.
Different.
But true, you don't have to believe either one or the other.
or both.
(or should that be 'neither'....?
Welcome!!
http://www.dhammasukha.org/Study/Talks/Transcripts/WHAT-MAR03-TS.htm
Its the transcript of a talk by Bhante Vimalaramsi called "What is Buddhism" and you can listen on MP3 at the same time
.
But if you can afford it, a good therapist can work wonders, especially if you have trauma. There are treatments for trauma that are quick and powerful, and don't involved years of talk-therapy. PM me if you want to discuss this more.
Welcome to the Dharma.
buddhism is something much more immediate than reincarnation
buddhism is like a diagnosis, explaining to us what actions & mental states cause suffering & trouble to our lives and, alternatively, what actions & mental states bring well-being & happiness to our lives
as for 'karma', this word simply means 'action'. it is not inherently related to reincarnation
as you already know in your experience, the karma of doing drugs brings trouble and the karma of understanding & letting go brings freedom
karma brings immediate results; it is intrinsically unrelated to reincarnation
kind regards
dd
The great thing about Buddhism is you don't have to believe in anything. Many teachers advice us you should keep a skeptic mind willing to investigate everything. In fact, believing anything because you are told can get you stuck. Find out for yourself what you can confirm and what you can not confirm. As time passes you'll begin to see how all the different teachings actually form one big interconnected thing, or you might not care so much about that.
But that's ok too because another great thing about Buddhism is, even without any theory or scriptural knowledge whatsoever it can help you because it is a path towards peace and happiness that can be walked by everybody at every stage of development at any given time. It's not just a philosophy, it's a way of life. Especially meditation can be picked up by everyone even when you don't consider yourself a Buddhist.
You can only start where you are at, don't go too far beyond your reach.
With metta,
Sabre
there are no conflicts
i am an atheist. i do not believe in reincarnation or rebirth
i have practised buddhism for twenty years
buddhism has brought my life alot of peace, understanding & contentment
kind regards
buddhism is not about understanding "who" we are
but buddhism is about recognising your heart, mind & body are damaged and working to heal & renew your body & mind
buddhism acknowledges society can be very complex & drive some of us crazy. this is why individuals such as the buddha left society in search of something peaceful
as you have both strong issues and a strong desire to heal, i can only suggest you find a dharma or meditation centre, where you can learn
it is important to learn to sit & meditate, which will help stabilise your mind
it is also important to sit & meditate around others, who have similar goals and who can help you to help yourself
the more we sit and meditate, the more our mental turmoils can cleanse & heal
through awareness & abandoning the things that harm, the mind has the capacity to heal itself
kind regards
DD
In fact Buddhism is not just a belief. Every Buddhist I personally know sees it as a way of life and like a science of life. It has no holy book, no all-powerful god, Buddha was -although quite a genius and talented meditator- just a normal person, no son of God or whatever. The thing Buddhism relies on is personal experience. And that's why we meditate a lot, to get to know ourselves.
Especially in the East, for many people it may have become a religious belief (or it may seem to be so looking from the outside), but that is not a wise way of using it. According to the scriptures Buddha himself never believed anything until the ultimate truth was not perfectly visible to himself and so I'd say that is what we should be doing as well.
So you don't belief in karma and rebirth, fine, perfect.
But karma is not that mystical, it just means you get what you deserve. For example a murderer/rapist/thief will feel quite guilty about what he did (consciously or unconsciously), but someone who gives a lot to charity/helps people/is generous will feel uplifted about it. Bad karmic acts, bad results, good karmic acts, good results. If you look at it like this, it's quite obvious that deeds inflict the mind and vice versa. For example I've never seen a happy uplifted vandal for example, they are usually quite grumpy.
With metta,
Sabre
Metta,
Sabre
If you dont believe in karma, I dont see how
you can believe in Buddhism.
Sorry to disappoint you.
I, myself, been down that road of drugs and being in the wrong crowds, and I cut myself from society or social activities for awhile to really get my head in check. I always had similar ideas that many of the traditions teach, so it was a easy transition for me when i finally began to delve into learning and practicing meditation.
It's my belief that Buddhism didn't change me, but rather tempered me like a sword and shield. Everything was already inside I just had to find the courage not only to realize it, but act on it.
If you want my advice, Don't seek out Buddhism to change, but instead seek out Buddhism to find your "lost" self and regain your inner self back. With me, I found that inner "me" was corrupted and I had to figure out when it began to happen, rather why.
Everyone's journey is different, even if we take the same path. Whatever way you decide,Just be strong and remember who you are.
BraveHawk
--feel free to chat with if you ever need it.
:-/
This is supported by the Buddha himself, who never included reincarnation as one of his core or central teachings.
Reincarnation was a pre-existing Indian teaching, which ordinary people generally asked the Buddha questions about.
As the Buddha was not aggressive & was sensitive to people's beliefs, when people asked him how they could achieve a good reincarnation according to their pre-existing beliefs, he advised these people to follow the five precepts.
Lost and damaged? Do you mean because you are afflicted with negative emotions when you are hoping to be appreciative? Buddhism, as a practice, can certaintly help with that kind of thing. Have you tried any kind of meditation? You might find that settling your mind is helpful in attaining the goals you describe. What is it about people that drives you crazy?
Ajahn Jayasaro has a wonderful series on youtube about meditation, if you're interested. You strike me as a "believe it when you see it" kind of person, which would mean it might be easier for you to sit and try, and see what happens... rather than trying to puzzle out whether a new philosophy jives with the world you see.
With warmth,
Matt
@thestranger I hope you find everything you're looking for and more
I will look into meditation. Its something I used to do when I was much younger.
I have another question...
When my life hit rock bottom I had a strange experience. I had spent five years reading psychology books, and some articles based on Buddhism (I think) having to with desire, suffering, and perceptions. I had read them to help somebody else, but toward the end I unintentionally started applying them to myself.
That day some gears started turning, and although my situation didn't change, everything about my role and place in it did. I can hardly even put it into words. Everything made sense in a way it hadn't before, and I was suddenly free of a large number of things. How I experienced things, and how I reacted to things was all different. Where before I had been brooding in bad feelings, they just left me.. Where before I was codependent, I was able to let go of things with ease. I was 'okay' with where I was, and would have been no matter which way things turned. I had been an addict for a good five years and I flushed my drugs down the toilet and never looked back. I forgave a horrible person just because I could, and not based on whether they deserved it or not... ramble ramble
I don't know anything about enlightenment, but thats the word I feel like using to describe it. Is that far off?
What about the Buddha's teachings about animals who realize the 4 Noble Truths gaining the possibility of being reborn as humans, or under other circumstances going to hell realms, etc.?
in a way, enlightenment is as you describe because your mind was perceiving things in a way that set it free from suffering.
whether it is psychology (such as rational emotive behavior therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy) or Buddhism, the role of perception is central
for example, in Buddhism, the satient perception of drugs is they are intrinsically harmful & ruinous. such as perception can help a person give up drugs
or the salient perception of why one person harms another person is because the aggressor is overcome by ignorance, emotion & loss of self-control. often those who harm others have themselves been victims of harm. such perceptions can help a person forgive
so by cultivating these "realistic" perceptions, the mind can be set free
enlightenment is like this. enlightenment sees experience & the world, not according to feelings & emotions, but according to the way things actually are
enlightenment sees the underlying causes of things, rather than their superficial expressions
kind regards