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Greetings!
Hello Friends!
I am so excited to join this forum. I am a "new buddhist" or trying to be. I have found it difficult to find a solid source of information. Are there any hints about where to start? I have found a lot that I like about Buddhism, but also found myself very confused at certain points. How does a Westerner go about starting a buddhist practice?
Thank you all for creating this resource!
Best wishes,
Chris
I am so excited to join this forum. I am a "new buddhist" or trying to be. I have found it difficult to find a solid source of information. Are there any hints about where to start? I have found a lot that I like about Buddhism, but also found myself very confused at certain points. How does a Westerner go about starting a buddhist practice?
Thank you all for creating this resource!
Best wishes,
Chris
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Comments
Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate!
Don't bite off too much at once, slow and steady wins the race as they say.
I would start with the four noble truths, meditate daily and look at the eight fold path.
Many here will have great suggestions for you as well I am sure.
All the best to you,
Todd
look for "word of the Buddha" on google for a good Theravada source and also "Access to insight"
/Victor
Take it easy. There is no hurry, there is no race, there are no imperative musts or must nots...relax, enjoy and take mini-bites....
Just to let you know, you don't have to be vegetarian, you don't have to stop smoking, you don't have to cease drinking alcohol, and if you're that way inclined, although they're discouraged,the habit of taking recreational drugs or smoking pot is an activity you must consider questionable - but you must discover this - and anything else - through discernment, investigation, examination, questioning and logic, for yourself....
I merely touch on these as they seem to be the dominant questions posed by 'newbies' quite regularly.
You'll also find endless discussions on karma - or kamma - (Sanskrit and Pali, respectively) and re-birth or reincarnation (the two are different, according to some, or synonymous, according to others....)
Confused? Hopefully,not too much.... but stick around. Just you wait - you'll be answering questions on these topics, posed by other newbies, in no time!
www.buddhanet.net is a very helpful and comprehensive site, as is Access to Insight. Plenty there for a jumping off point.
Happy surfing!
I generally suggest starting out simple and focusing on observing the precepts to the best of your ability and developing a consistent meditation practice. Finding a local sangha, meditation group, etc. might be a good idea, too. (Buddhanet's World Buddhist Directory may help you there.)
I also like to point people to Access to Insight, which is a fairly large and reliable source of information.
Happy hunting.
Are there any Buddhist centers/organizations near you that you're aware of? It's really good to get some personal advice from teachers and fellow students--that way you have a better "feel" for things, having had the face-to-face interaction. Also, I've found that fellow students are great resources for advice on sorting out "beginner" questions. If I were you, I'd find several local groups, attend as many as you can, and see what feels right.
I think a good approach is to not worry about too many "musts" at first - Buddhism is a vast system of multiple approaches (all sharing something in common, but using different methods), and if you're truly inspired by Buddhism, there is surely a path for you in there!
Try to find a group that makes you feel happy and welcome, but without any serious pressure to do this or that (I say that because that's how my local temple made me feel--very welcome, but absolutely unpressured). Then see if the teacher's approach appeals to you.
If you don't have any Buddhist centers nearby, maybe we can recommend some good starting texts for you!
Welcome, and best of luck in your journey,
Sile