Anyone here raised Buddhist?

shays860

I get the idea most of us chose Buddhism in our teen or adult years. I'm wondering how those who grow up with the tradition perceive it as opposed to people like me who only read about it and try to apply whatever understanding of it I get that way.

vinlyn

Interesting question. I look forward to the responses.

Victorious

Yepp.

But how would I know?
I do not know how it is to be you. Or how you perceive Buddhism...

But if you have some hard question maybe I can help you out?

/Victor

shays860

Could you just explain what it is to be Buddhist from your perspective? In as few or as many words as you like.

Victorious

I think being born buddhist has very little to do with my relation to Buddhism today.
If I compare myself to those that grew up beside me I am much more into Buddhism.

We went to the temple often. sometimes every day. I learned to meditate for a while every day. There was the reciting of the panca sila every morning and always some gata recitation more or less every day in pali and sanscrit which was satisfying in themselves but also annoying because I did not understand it. The good thing about the temple visits was the Banna, the translation and interpretation of the gathas.

Those practicing buddhism (monks and 10 precepters) are always held in high regard So that is a basic value of soceiety. And many practised the ten precepts on fullmoondays or sometime every sunday. Giving dana to begger monks and others was usual.

There where shrines to various divinities at the temples and most people visiting a temple would visit one or more shrines to pray.

As for perspective I learned to practice the panca sila at an early age so I feel I got a pretty good moral upbringing. And the good thing was that the moral values were more or less shared by everybody. In a secular soceiety the ethics varries more with the individual which can be confusing for a kid.

As I said for most people being buddhist is just that. Keeping the precepts, reciting gatas (that hopefully you understand). Meditating on breath or lovingkindness. Giving Dana. "Sunday" Buddhists just as many westerners are Sunday Chritians.

Then like me there are those that like to deepen their study and try to practise in real life. I believe the differences in buddhist understanding between those born in a buddhist country and those not diminishes when you look at the interest.

I guess in the western countries not many are "sunday" buddhists.

Hope it helps?

Ask more if you like. I need to meditate now before work but I will try to answer tonight.


Br
Victor

shays860

Thank you. That does help a lot actually.

person

I like the Sunday Buddhist metaphor. I find that among the Buddhists that I know that are Tibetan and were raised Buddhist compared to the westerners I know who came to it later, the westerners are more sincere about applying the teachings to their lives. But like @Victorious as an example there certainly are those born into it that are serious about it, I would guess that most of them actually become monks though.

David

I wasn't raised Buddhist but I'd almost think I was in a way. Buddhism helped with questions that others feared and made my world view make sense. I don't remember a time when I didn't remember my dreams and they became lucid as I reached puberty, lol.

I've always been fascinated by the nature of infinity and always confused by it until I began the Buddhism process. Now the more I find out, the more it all makes sense even though I know there is always more to know.

Sorry, I can get redundant when I'm tired.

Arthurbodhi

I wasn't raised Buddhist but I'd almost think I was in a way. Buddhism helped with questions that others feared and made my world view make sense. I don't remember a time when I didn't remember my dreams and they became lucid as I reached puberty, lol.

I've always been fascinated by the nature of infinity and always confused by it until I began the Buddhism process. Now the more I find out, the more it all makes sense even though I know there is always more to know.

Sorry, I can get redundant when I'm tired.

I feel the same way that you, friend.
When I discover Buddhism I said:

Hey, that is me!

Blessings