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I am being told I am foolish for being a Buddhist

10jellis10jellis
edited May 2011 in General Banter
I am being told being a Buddhist is stupid and for "foreign Chinese weirdos". What should I do?

Comments

  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Ignore them.
  • 10jellis10jellis
    erm, easier said than done when they are turning my friends against me.
  • 10jellis10jellis
    O ur right!
  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    Make an agreement with them not to talk about it?

    Otherwise, if they don't accept something that's important to you, are they really important and close friends? Friends accept friends even if they don't agree.

    But there's no need to make it a topic of conversation at all, is there?
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    If your friends were true friends, they wouldn't be manipulated against you so easily. BTW, calling people "foreign Chinese weirdos" is for racists. :p
    In conclusion: look for new friends, the loyal, smart, kind, kind. Like us! :)
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    I don't call myself a Buddhist, or anything else, and so conveniently side-step any such problems. ;) Maybe try that.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    I don't call myself a Buddhist, or anything else, and so conveniently side-step any such problems. ;) Maybe try that.
    Just curious...what do you say if a person asks you about your belief-system?

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    I don't call myself a Buddhist, or anything else, and so conveniently side-step any such problems. ;) Maybe try that.
    Same here. It makes life much simpler.

    Just curious...what do you say if a person asks you about your belief-system?
    Nobody has ever asked, my entire life, vin. Maybe living on the West Coast helps in that regard. I've noticed a number of our members living in other parts of the US have a lot of trouble with being asked what religion they follow. Sad.

  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran

    Just curious...what do you say if a person asks you about your belief-system?
    Nobody has ever asked, my entire life, vin. Maybe living on the West Coast helps in that regard. I've noticed a number of our members living in other parts of the US have a lot of trouble with being asked what religion they follow. Sad.

    I never had "trouble" with it. But I was a school administrator, so in its own way there was a lot of discussion about more than just mundane stuff like the weather. I never kept it a secret, but I never went around broadcasting it, either. If it was brought up by someone else, I'd discuss it, though rarely take talk about religion beyond what someone else brought up in that setting.

    Of course, an occasional kid would ask. I remember specifically one physically handicapped girl asked me one day. I declined to discuss it, but she was very nice and persisted so after several minutes I finally acquiesced and said, "Okay, yes, I am Buddhist." To which she replied, "No you're not!" A goofy conversation. Finally she believed me and asked why I wanted to belong to "one of those Asian religions?" I knew she was Born Again, so I responded by asking her what religion she belonged to and she responded Christian. I asked her, "Why do you want to belong to one of those Middle Eastern religions? I have to give her credit...she really had to think about that one...and then responded, "Oh, I get what you're saying."

  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited May 2011
    I don't call myself a Buddhist, or anything else, and so conveniently side-step any such problems. ;) Maybe try that.
    Just curious...what do you say if a person asks you about your belief-system?
    People don't usually ask. If they do, I'd tell them honestly that I don't have a fixed system. I take everything for what it's worth and adapt to the changing conditions of my life (what I experience). Other than the fact that I meditate, what I think or believe has very little relevance... it's how I interact with people (speak and act) that's important. I'll worry about how I think and let everyone else worry about how they think, as long as we all get along. :)

    I may follow the Path and observe the Precepts, but that's how I generally act anyway and is more for the purpose of a clear/blameless mind for meditation. The meditation is to discover the truth and alleviate mind-made suffering, but I don't consider this a religion. It's just part of my quest for truth and well-being for myself and others, as we're all a part of this.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    People don't usually ask about someone's "belief system". They ask what religion you follow, if they ask at all. Since I don't consider Buddhism a religion, I say I'm not religious.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    People don't usually ask about someone's "belief system". They ask what religion you follow, if they ask at all. Since I don't consider Buddhism a religion, I say I'm not religious.
    That won't work for me, because I consider it a religion. But, I don't uncomfortable talking about it. If it does get intense I stop, because I don't think religion should separate people.

  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    But, I don't uncomfortable talking about it. If it does get intense I stop, because I don't think religion should separate people.
    Isn't this the sadly ironic thing about religion, though? It seems to cause as many problems as it solves, if not more. So many wars throughout history in the name of religion. :(
  • zidanguszidangus Veteran
    I have no problem in telling anyone I am Buddhist, actually once I start talking about Buddhism to my friends and family, its quite hard to shut me up :D
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