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'Converting' to Buddhism?!

vixthenomadvixthenomad
edited August 2011 in Buddhism Basics
I have a friend who has been a Muslim for the past year or so, and has advised me to take it slowly with my 'conversion' to Buddhism...

The use of the word 'conversion' seemed out of place for what has gone on for me. The dictionary gives the definition as "A change in which one adopts a new religion, faith, or belief", so in that sense it is the right word...and yet I don't feel I've adopted anything new as much as I have simply expanded on pre-existing beliefs that I did not previously associate with any religion in particular. 'Conversion' in a religious sense seems somehow to suggest a forced, unnatural change rather than the very fluid embracing of a set of beliefs - and even though I've had to bend my mind around some of the more advanced Buddhist ideas such as lack of inherent existence, it still hasn't felt like I've been doing anything quite so drastic as converting to anything.

Am I making sense? I know this question is purely one of semantics, but how was everyone else's introduction to Buddhism in that sense? Do you think of it as conversion or not - and does the word strike the same chord in others as it does for me?

Comments

  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    For me the word "conversion" sounds like a process in which one undergoes some ritual or expresses his/her faith in the "new" religion in some formal way, after which he/she is accepted as being "one of us", or something to that effect..

    I wouldn't say Buddhism has anything like that. One could argue that undergoing refuge ceremony of some sorts is like conversion in Buddhism, but as I recently read, it is not important whether you take refuge in a ceremony or not, what is important is you taking refuge from your heart.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    Buddhism is described by many (check your local college catalog) as one of the world's religions. And for all I know, many may treat it that way -- as a belief system pure and simple.

    But as a practice, beliefs become secondary -- useful, but secondary. Think anything you like, believe anything you like, but for practitioners, it's what you DO that counts. Doing builds a body of experience and that experience is sometimes, tentatively, called "Buddhism." There are tall Buddhists and short ones, black Buddhists and pink ones, rich Buddhists and poor ones, smart Buddhists and stupid ones ... etc.

    Becoming a Buddhist is not like moving from Miami to Detroit -- an effort in which surroundings change. It is more like an effort to move from here to here...but this time you pay attention.

    As a religion, I suppose you could 'convert' to Buddhism. As a reality ... well, I'm skeptical.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    It never felt like a conversion to me either, though like you I wasn't really religious to begin with.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    OP -- since you know it's semantical, why is it a problem for you?
  • vixthenomadvixthenomad
    OP -- since you know it's semantical, why is it a problem for you?
    It's not a problem - at least, not in the sense that it is causing me unease. I just thought it would be an interesting discussion.
  • Still_WatersStill_Waters
    edited August 2011
    It never felt like a conversion to me either, though like you I wasn't really religious to begin with.
    Buddhism wasn't really a conversion for me either. It was more of a discovery. Christianity wasn't a good fit for me, and atheism doesn't satisfy my yearning to connect to something bigger than myself, something transcendent. Buddhism simply works for me.

    Alan

  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    edited August 2011
    Why is your friend concerned? It's your life and your beliefs, not his/hers. It should be of *zero* concern to your friend, if they're truly your friend. (Nice way of saying it's none of his/her business).
  • tbuntontbunton
    Wasnt a conversion for me either, simply a name for how I already felt. It gave me a road to travel and a way to build on what was already inside my heart and my head.
    Conversion sounds like you are being asimulated, like a borg on Star Trek. :eek2:
  • DharmaChakraDharmaChakra
    Couldn't agree more. Perfect examples. To me it was like finding the correct puzzle piece accidentally and then thinking "oh......" with relief. haha. But seriously, having been "raised" of a different faith this is how my first experience with Buddhism felt. And I like tbunton's metaphor concerning Star Trek Borgs.

    Your friend asked you to "take it slow" but once the seeds are planted, it takes its own course. Enjoy the ride. It's a bumpy but worthwhile path.
  • DhammaDhatuDhammaDhatu Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Am I making sense?
    You are making perfect sense.

    I will not detail how much time I spent meditating and living in Buddhist monastaries in my first years exposed to Buddhism.

    However, I will say it took me far more years before I felt I was a "Buddhist".

    Buddhism is not really related to "doctrine". It is primary about understanding our mind and what is best for our personal well-being.

    Kind regards DD :)

  • vixthenomadvixthenomad
    Why is your friend concerned? It's your life and your beliefs, not his/hers. It should be of *zero* concern to your friend, if they're truly your friend. (Nice way of saying it's none of his/her business).
    Whoa. Strong reaction here! Why shouldn't she be concerned? She's my friend, after all. The point of interest that was raised for me was her use of that specific word, and how it seemed to point to a different experience of discovering and becoming a part of her own faith. There was no animosity or defensiveness in the original conversation, and so I'd like to think there wouldn't be in this discussion either.
  • SupertrampSupertramp
    Like you said, it's just semantics. Conversion holds a rather negative connotation for some people, so it's obvious they don't use the word. It's just a word to describe a form of change. Change is inevitable. One of the insights that changed my perception most of all on dealing with opinions of others is that they all have their perspective on something which is always true. This "something" is the same wether you name it "change", "conversion", "transition", "flow", "correction" or "revision". The only difference in which word someone uses is the mindset of that person. So obviously nobody here is going to name it a conversion, but it is. If somebody names it a conversion, it's a conversion. But that doesn't mean it isn't also a change, correction or revision. :)

    http://static.happyplace.com/assets/images/2011/08/4e44bb6466bd0.jpg
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    I just think it's absolutely none of anyone else's business what I believe or how I act on it as long as I'm not doing anything that harms another or coerces another (like evangelicalism in any of its forms). Perhaps I shouldn't have said "concern", since your friend will of course be concerned about you. But clearly your friend doesn't know much about Buddhism if they're "concerned" about your exploring it. It's not like we have brainwashing committees that strap people down and indoctrinate them.
  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    I see the term conversion as a superficial way of describing how you label yourself. You can *say* you've converted to Buddhism, but the truth is, if you've grown up in a Judeo-Christian tradition, it will be years and years until your framework for understanding the world around you changes too.
  • vixthenomadvixthenomad
    True enough. I haven't really grown up with any sort of religion, so my framework has been more or less free to build itself. It just happened to end up Buddhist-shaped. :)
  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    edited September 2011
    @Lincoln - that is very true. I find how having been raised in Catholic tradition subtly influences my understanding of the Dharma, even though I rejected Christianity a long time ago.
  • EpicurusEpicurus
    Lincoln and sattvapaul : I have been raised Catholic and even willingly got confirmed at 16 (even though I no longer believed in any of it) and I have no idea what you are talking about.
  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    Lincoln and sattvapaul : I have been raised Catholic and even willingly got confirmed at 16 (even though I no longer believed in any of it) and I have no idea what you are talking about.
    I think if you are raised within Judeo-Christian tradition, you absorb many of its attitudes and values, ways of looking at the world, and they become unconscious so that it's not easy to see them. Indeed I'd say that Judeo-Christian heritage pervades Western culture whether we like it or not, and even if you are not religious at all, you'll be influenced by it. Then when one comes to Buddhism, many of those things subtly colour one's attitudes, experience and understanding.
  • EpicurusEpicurus
    Can you give me some examples of this?
  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    For example, there is a tendency to split material and spiritual, or along similar lines, the body and the intellect/mind. If someone comes to Buddhism and misunderstands the teachings about renunciation, etc, it may actually exacerbate it and lead to aversion to body, sexuality, viewing it as impure, etc.
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