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I don't know what to believe in anymore, I really need advice

The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?

Comments

  • Practice and meditate. Figure it all out on the cushion. Fuck what anyone says.
  • The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    In my opinion, no.
  • 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
    The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    First define "Higher Power".
    Then, confirm for yourself that it is an actual, concrete definite entity.
    Then think about connecting to it.

  • Practice and meditate. Figure it all out on the cushion. Fuck what anyone says.
    Wisdom.
  • Well, from a buddhist perspective you should find the answer out for yourself, and I do not mean wait until you die, I mean meditate, experience life, read books and sutras, whatever that may help you along the path.

    We can think of a higher power as something like karma which rules over our life, there are many rules of the universe we do cannnot comprehend as human beings, or unenlightened beings for that matter, but a creator god is negated in buddhism.

    Believe what you want, if you do not want to fully commit to buddhism, then take what parts of it are beneficial to you and add them to your life. Your opinion on religions may change in the future, mine did as I was probably one of the most radical atheists you would have ever come across a few years ago.
  • The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    Yes, but important isn't the same as sacred. Let me explain.

    The post is titled you don't know what to believe, and that's a good start. In my tradition, we are taught this "don't know" mind must appear before anyone can grow and learn.

    Beliefs are comforting, but as we grow and mature in our spiritual and intellectual lives, we need to re-examine what we were taught and question our beliefs. All you've done is grown and matured to a point the beliefs no longer fit who you are. It's part of what makes us human, this questioning. It's not wrong, no matter what the people invested in the beliefs might try to tell you.

    You see, beliefs that support the truth can withstand questioning. Beliefs that don't withstand your questioning aren't worthy of you in the first place and should be discarded. Don't worry that your mind doesn't know all the answers. You'll find not knowing is a perfectly valid and satisfying place to operate from, if in fact you don't know. You will have joined the rest of us with active, questioning minds.

    Now to that pesky tendency for people to scream about how something is sacred, which since you mention the Bible might be your problem. Sacred means it's above questioning. Sacred means all you're supposed to do is worship and believe in it and even looking elsewhere for more answers is a sin. It's a subtle trap. Even in Buddhism, some monk who should have known better long ago wrote about how slandering the Dharma (meaning disagreeing with the writings) is morally wrong. What nonsense! Most Buddhists have the good sense to ignore this. You can't slander a page full of writing, nor can you slander an idea. It's either the truth or it isn't, and you are either convinced by the idea stated or you aren't. So if you don't believe, fine, honest disagreement is how humanity learns. It's how it should be.

    So rejoice that you don't know. It means you can examine new ideas and probe deeper into old ones. It means you're growing and learning. Welcome to the club.
  • Allow me to offer a different view here.

    Its human nature that we need to have a secure base before we can venture out to the unknown. Of course some people can plunge into the depth without a firm ground, but they are not the majority. So to answer the OP, I think the question here is not whether the higher power is important (or real) or not, but whether you can START on the (Buddhist) path without any faith or belief. I think many people can not, we usually need solid stepping stones before doing the more demanding plunges later.

    Using the metaphor of Buddha in reaching the other shore, you might have just decided to discard your old raft (a higher power). Now while you are struggling in the river, yet to find your next raft, you might need a temporary life jacket. They could be:

    - A real life teacher. One who does not just guide you by words, but from whom you can feel peace, joy and liberation, this should strengthen your will on the search.
    - An idol. E.g. Buddha, HH Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh. Read about their life and their direct words, there's certainly firmness in everyone of them.
    - If you work better with a companion, then a good friend or a lover who understand and support your search.
    - Neuroscience and psychology. Now this might not be for everyone, but it certainly lead me here. For example, its certainly reassuring to know that compared to the brain of normal people, veteran Tibetan monks do have a smaller amygdala (less fear), thicker prefrontal cortex (more control) and more active left brain (happier mood) from the right.

    Hold into them as long as you need to, but keep in mind that eventually as you get stronger you have to discard the life jacket and do it alone.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    It's only as important as it is important to you. If you think it's important, then examine what you find important. If you don't think it's important, don't worry about it.

  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    edited October 2011
    @girrlikesam,

    For me the connection to higher power is at the heart of practice. You might think of your innate Buddha-nature as the higher power within you. It may be helpful to find a practice that connects you to that. If you feel you need a channel for your feelings of devotion, I would suggest looking into Tibetan (tantra) or Pure Land traditions. It is also very helpful to have a teacher.

    My sister is a pentecostal Christian. I used to feel a little envious of the way they can put trust in a higher power than themselves and it certainly brought a lot of comfort, direction and peace into their lives. I realised there is no reason we cannot have a similar connection to the sacred in our Dharma practice. The only difference is that we understand it's not some being outside of ourselves, but our own mind.

    The suggestions above by @pweic are excellent too.

    Take care.
  • The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    Why do you think its important?
  • The way I connect Buddhism with the Bible or a higher power is in the line from the Bible, "In the beginning, there was the word, God." What is a word? It is a thought. Call the thought whatever, but that thought is what I perceive to be a higher power. That is how I distinguish Buddhism from nihilism. Buddhism doesn't put forth a creation myth or really attempt to explain eternity, but somehow I can accept that there is a single eternal consciousness that is imagining everything and my mind is a part of that consciousness. Buddhism holds that the truth is emptiness, not nothingness. Buddhism does not preclude the belief in a higher power. It just does not explain it. Is it important? It is important in that it troubles your mind. It is more important to be compassionate and empathetic and do nice things and be happy. Hope that helps.
  • Give up on trying to believe in things and just live your life the best way you know how... if the bible appeals to you then take it on board - it doesnt matter what you believe in as long as on average you are content more often than not...
  • “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

    The Buddha

  • Important to whom?
  • auraaura Veteran
    edited November 2011
    The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    The instructions in your Bible
    are the same as those from the Buddha:
    To seek.... and find.
    To be still... and know.

    If you wish to know
    you must cease running in circles grasping
    and seek the stillness.
    What did Jesus of Nazareth teach his followers?
    He took them on camping trips out into the desert!
    They went praying, fasting, and seeking the silence, the stillness of the wilderness, of the desert,
    and very much indeed
    in the manner of Buddhists.

    Call it God.
    Call it the enlightenment.
    Call it the higher power.
    Whatever you wish, as you wish.
    In all cases it manifests as the Light.
    It isn't a matter of belief
    any more than the force of gravity is a matter of belief.
    You will see it quite plainly when you die, everyone does.
    Been there, done that, got the t shirt.
    Still have issues to resolve, lessons to learn.
    Everyone here does.
    You needn't believe me.
    You needn't believe anyone.
    Simply seek.... and find
    Be still....and know.

  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    edited November 2011
    Believe in self. Believe in compassion. Believe in beauty. Believe in all that is good. But also don't forget to believe in pain, struggle, hate and trouble. Mindfulness of both, will help you realize they are all the same.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Practice and meditate. Figure it all out on the cushion. Fuck what anyone says.
    Love it!
    Exactly! Thank you!
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    Not the Bible no. If you want something useful pick up a meditation book God isnt going to help you develop love or compassion these are developed by yourself.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    The Bible, that connection to a higher power, isn't it important?
    Not the Bible no. If you want something useful pick up a meditation book God isnt going to help you develop love or compassion these are developed by yourself.
    Yep!

  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    does it not follow that life is impermanent

    I believe I've been fucked so much by society to waste time thinking about my life after death on such a waste of faith is destructive to my awareness

  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    my 2 cents
  • shanyinshanyin Novice Yogin Sault Ontario Veteran
    whatever i need a b reak from computer pe ace
  • Just like @BeachHouseGuy I have been wandering the spiritual path, which includes turning back to my Christian roots. I have reasoned some things and my reasoning may be wrong though.


    Just one line of thought:

    Christians believe in God, a divine creator and all-powerful entity. In Genesis it talks about how after we eat from the Tree of Knowledge (discerning right from wrong) that we are expelled from the Garden of Eden. However, we were expelled for a different reason than merely falling to temptation. “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” (NIV|Genesis 3:21). To me, this means that God and the angelic congregation are eternal and knowing good and evil. We only have one half of the equation (the knowing).

    To build off this, God is suffering. Because we are constantly discerning and judging, we cannot be happy. Taking Good and Evil, we can remove "Evil". What we are left with is Good and Evil.

    We cannot know just good. It will always be better and worse. Prefferred and less prefferred. Better and worse. Good and 'evil'.

    Many seek knowledge as shelter, a place to be safe from the unreasoned world. What we find does not free us but binds us ever more tightly. We begin judging everything in a more intricate manner and become more unsatisfied with the mundane. Only when knowledge is rightly approached does it become wisdom, a positive aspect. Such a delicate complexity. Man tends to see this ability to judge as a blessing. But indeed, that is not true. It is our downfall.

    And this is where Buddhism transcends it all. Attaining enlightenment is to stop the better and worse, good and bad, etc. We can free ourselves from the fetters, freedom from attachment, to become higher than God. This, in my opinion, is why Buddha attained something higher than God/angels/etc. What awaits those who are enlightened in the afterlife? Well, that is imponderable. To be un-eternal and un-"knowing" is truly our greatest gift. If anything, the story of Adam and Eve demonstrates our fall from enlightenment.

    I probably didn't explain myself too well, but I just started reading through the Bible again. Maybe I can better formulate my thoughts later on.

    ~____~
  • SattvaPaulSattvaPaul South Wales, UK Veteran
    edited November 2011
    I am recently looking into Sikh Dharma and Baha'i Faith. They both talk about God but not in a Christian sense. They seem to be so much more optimistic than Buddhism, and don't seem to suffer from other problems that put me off from Buddhism.
  • Hi BeachHouse guy, I notice you haven't been back recently - I share taiyaki's sentiment and find that often the more you think the more confused you will become - practice in whatever way you feel drawn toward, get a teacher and give it a go. Belief in Higher Power only got me so far .. in Buddhist practice I have found more.
  • I too have been in this predicament for a number of years. It seems that there are alot of those that wander, question and seek. As of lately I have concluded that sometimes there are just things that us as human beings cannot fully comprehend, understand, or grasp mentally because of the limitations of our thoughts and perceptions upon ourselves and reality. This can be a very calming of terrifying conclusion. The choice is yours, and if you choose to embrace a belief, fully examine it as there may be aspects in which there is no definite or exact answer.
  • My mom always says, "If you're feeling bad, find someone else to help." It sounds overly simple, but in my experience, it's nothing short of magic. Or being "wisely selfish," as HHDL might say. Doesn't have to be a person, either - an animal or garden plant will do.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Hi BeachHouse guy, I notice you haven't been back recently - I share taiyaki's sentiment and find that often the more you think the more confused you will become - practice in whatever way you feel drawn toward, get a teacher and give it a go. Belief in Higher Power only got me so far .. in Buddhist practice I have found more.
    Totally agree!
  • it isn't that long in human lifespan, so believe is important. first you need to believe and then enter into the non belief system of spaceless. In this complex situation that you are having now, I would suggest that if you are a christ believer, rest assure that you are GOD in nature but a defunct one, likewise to buddhism, a buddha and Islam, the allah and Hindu, the almighty lord, and awesomically, they do speak the same language. Now, you may start off with the breathing method to get in tune. As least your mind has got a cushion for comfort before it's heywiring. Lifespan is too short to not believe the non belief nature thumbsup:

  • There is a higher power within us. It just takes right effort to remove the unnecessary things that keeps us from realizing it.
  • There is a higher power within us. It just takes right effort to remove the unnecessary things that keeps us from realizing it.
    This.
  • 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 December 2011
    ...
    This.
    ....

    Sounds an awful lot like new-age hokum....

  • ...
    This.
    ....

    Sounds an awful lot like new-age hokum....

    I wonder what this higher power does....

  • "Higher power" only sounds like new-age hokum if you need it to. Labels are not important unless you need them to be. "Higher power" can mean a variety of things, depending on your particular view.

    For me, "higher power" simply means the part inside that is strong - it's conscience, ethics, morals, strength, etc.

    For some, it's a religious term, but for others (like myself) it's not.

    There's no need to get bogged down in a puddle of letters.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited December 2011
    Higher power could be the fundamental nature of mind: clarity, openness, and sensitivity. Rigpa. Big Mind. Buddha Nature.

    In yogacara the buddhanature is viewed as obscured. The path would then be to overcome the obscuring anger, craiving, and delusion.

    For example when buddha overcame suffering there was something left. That something had enlightened qualities. To say there is no higher power would be to say that there is no wisdom and compassion discovered in beings and perfected in buddha.
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