overwhelmed!!!

catygtz

Hello all,

I've recently became Buddhist and the more I read about it and it's history, the precepts and all of it, I can't help but feel overwhelmed with all of this information and the more I study the more I find that I'm missing so much pieces!, is anyone going through this or went through this?

taiyaki

Yeah it will all make sense with practice. Keep going!

Dakini

Yes, beginners who take on too much get overwhelmed. Some of the concepts are pretty complex. We usually recommend starting with the basics: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, mindfulness. Expand to non-attachment. Save "emptiness" for last. Don't even go near that in the beginning, haha! (I still don't completely get it.) Develop a daily meditation practice, even if only 5-10 minutes at a time. Those basics are enough to work on for awhile.

Jeffrey

The buddhist practice isn't all study. There are three traditional means: studying or hearing, contemplation, and meditation. Hearing is like finding a new tree and cutting it down. Contemplation is like making that tree into something you can use or chopping into firewood. And then mediation is the burning of those logs in the fire of meditation.

Jeffrey

@Dakini, this resource here is a yahoo web reserve of information that a lay 'teacher' produced for his study group on live web chattrooms. The chatrooms are not active anymore, but there is a trail of breadcrumbs in this web resource.

I would recommend taking a look because it is presented for the audience of people just starting out. And it is very systematic. This part of the website is about emptiness and if you follow the trail of links to the beginning of his teaching series I think you could get a lot out of it.

patbb

catygtz,

if your location allow for it, go to a Tibetan or zen center.
Listen to their Dharma talk, ask whatever questions you have, and register for a meditation course (maybe it's only one evening or a few), or register for a small retreat.

So much of Buddhism makes little to no sense to someone uninitiated to meditation.
So many concepts are virtually impossible to understand and realize without experiencing them directly...

Have fun, this will be a very interesting experience (going to Buddhist center) for you.

BonsaiDoug

There is a very good, free, basic home study course (10 lessons) found here: http://www.oocities.org/gorinto/home_study.html

The course study is emailed to you about one (4-6 page) lesson per week. A nice intro to Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

catygtz

Thanks guys, I love you!!

DaltheJigsaw

Of course! It goes for every new "knowledge." In quotes, because this is internal knowledge. One needs to sit down, quite down and just practice. Reading is then incorporated into ones practice,, after you have been sitting for at least a year. At least 30 min a day.

driedleaf

Focus on your body, speech and mind whilst developing virtues, meditation, and wisdom.

Hubris

Of course! It goes for every new "knowledge." In quotes, because this is internal knowledge. One needs to sit down, quite down and just practice. Reading is then incorporated into ones practice,, after you have been sitting for at least a year. At least 30 min a day.

One needs to know how to sit down before they can do so. Reading will help facilitate this, as well as hands on experience taught by an experienced meditator. It does not necessarily come naturally.