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Hi, My name is Dannie & I have a lot of questions about Buddhism
I've recently started studying Buddhism, and I'm very interested in learning more and living a Buddhist lifestyle. I meditate on a daily basis and I find the 5 precepts easy to follow sense I've always done these things naturally.
I'm just confused by the different types of Buddhists there are, how to become one, what the Eight-fold path means to each practice, and if it's acceptable to practice at home instead of a monastary or alone instead of in a group. I don't know everything, and it'd be helpful if I had one person to guide me and answer my questions. I need to know which type of Buddhism fits my lifestyle. Thank you.
I'm just confused by the different types of Buddhists there are, how to become one, what the Eight-fold path means to each practice, and if it's acceptable to practice at home instead of a monastary or alone instead of in a group. I don't know everything, and it'd be helpful if I had one person to guide me and answer my questions. I need to know which type of Buddhism fits my lifestyle. Thank you.
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You can say you are a Buddhist now if you want because you are interested. There is a formal ceremony called refuge for when you devote your life to the teachings. The eight fold path is rules to live by. The full name is noble eightfold path and it is only the real path when we stumble upon right view. It is acceptable to study at home and you can even take refuge at home in some traditions.
I follow Tibetan Buddhism. My practice is very devotional because I have a hard time feeling stable enough to do much meditation or reading. It's hard to explain, but I am glad for what I HAVE found rather than worry if it is the 'right one'.
My recommendation is to pick up some vibes on forums. Read and listen to youtube. Meditate. Then when the time is right you will know what type to practice.
Is there any Buddhist centers near you? Why not meet the teachers there and go for it!
Your greatest allies in your travels are your own very good patience, courage and doubt. Take your time. Be where you are. If the truth of Buddhism were anything special, it would have gone belly-up long ago. Relax and let Buddhism come to you.
Just investigate the terrain at your own pace. Read books, go to lectures, visit temples if you like and most important, don't worry that you are doing something 'wrong.' This practice is for you, for your life, and your understanding, whatever it is, is just fine.
Keep up your meditation practice. Belief and hope are nice encouragements, but they can't hold a candle to the kind of experience that meditation provides. Practice alone or practice with a group ... just practice and see what happens.
Best wishes.
I lived the same situation that you, I not have any buddhist center nearby and when I start I didn't know what of all tradition to follow, so later I just take wisdom from anything, I don't care from where tradition this come. Yes, here exist differents but in the core all are equally the same, all follow the four noble truths and the eightfold path.
Blessing.
I would suggest to get the most out of daily meditation for now, and not worry about traditions. If you are at a point where you need questions answered, try to find it in books or online. Depending where the answers come from, you will know if it works for you or not. It will all come together.
metta
Good luck.
Very generally speaking, Zen emphasizes meditation, and insight gained from meditation. Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes transformation through elaborate ritual, and is really into philosophical learning as well, it has a very intellectual side. TB has its own canon. Theravada focuses on studying the Pali Canon, believed to be the teachings straight from the Buddha, putting that into practice, and meditation. They say that the Mahayana schools (Zen, Ch'an, TB) emphasize compassion, but I think they all do. Mahayana followers devote themselves to working toward achieving enlightenment for every sentient being before the practitioners themselves become Enlightened.
Somewhere online there's a chart that compares all the different aspects of each school, but I haven't been able to find it.
It's perfectly fine to practice at home, some of us have been doing that for years. You can buy DVD's on different meditation techniques if you feel you need help, but you seem to be doing fine on that score.
Oh, and last, but by no means least, lol, there are the "secular Buddhists", sort of no-frills Buddhism for Westerners, without belief in anything supernatural, without belief in rebirth. See books by Stephen Batchelor for that.
If one tradition of Buddhism fits your lifestyle, it is just a small step to another one. In my eyes the differences between them are there, but are relatively small and easy to overcome. So I'd advise to not immediately fixate on choosing one particular tradition. After a while you may or may not settle upon a particular tradition. For the moment it is enough to know there are multiple traditions with slightly different interpretations.
It is also very illustrating to see how close the meditation teachings are. In all traditions the basic meditations are quite the same as far as I'm aware. Therefore I would suggest to start with this, meditation, mindfulness.
This is one free online meditation guide that you may find useful.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html
Or here is a nice video series:
Click here!
(both are from Therevadan Buddhism, but if you search on this forum I'm sure you will find many other meditation instructions from other traditions also if you are interested. But again, in my eyes there is hardly any difference in them.)
And remember to smile, this is the most important thing to become a 'Buddhist'.
And let me tell you another secret: actually there is not just Zen, Therevada, etc, but there is a type of Buddhism for each Buddhist. My Buddhism is Sabre-buddhism, which happens to be close to Therevadan Buddhism, but even within this tradition people are not the same and have their own methods. This is part of the path, to find what works for us.
With loving kindness,
Sabre
Thank you SO much for all the information & I love how each of you are saying the same thing basically. I'll take my time and continue to look into all the different stems and branches of Buddhism. I really appreciate the encouragement to find my own thing like, "Dannie-ism" that definitely changed the way I was thinking about this. I was always raised in a religious household, so it's a little difficult for me to wrap my head around all the possibilities. I'm just so much more excited now because you all have been very welcoming and it was difficult to find that in religions with a strict doctrine. Thank you all & If I have any more questions, I'll be sure to message one of you.
@Dannieknight, in your situation, that's probably the best you can do, but I'd strongly recommend finding some good Buddhist sites/videos (like http://www.youtube.com/user/BuddhistSocietyWA ) and getting as much as you can from those, in addition to following the 4NT, 8FP, etc.
Say what you want about cherry picking, but cherry pickers are at least usually thinking.
I also think this is wonderful about Buddhists. Of course there are always some who are very sticky to their particular tradition, this happens everywhere, but most are very open to other interpretations, also to other religions. A lot of great monks I know also have such an attitude. Even if they think they are on the right track, they don't proclaim what others teach is worthless and may even encourage us to look further.
Here is a nice talk about "Which yana? (which vehicle?) Hahayana" if you are interested.
http://diydharma.org/which-yana-hahayana-ajahn-brahmavamso
But (yeah, there's always a BUT
Personally I still draw a lot of inspiration from teachers from all the traditions. I think all have their strengths and weaknesses. I must say, it may prove a bit comforting to be able to settle with one particular tradition with time. But don't hurry it.
With metta!
Sabre
You might enjoy this video - an introduction to Buddhism, by the Dalai Lama. I find sometimes that when absorbing a lot of new info at once, it seems easier to process when I'm hearing it with my ears as well as reading about it:
Snoop around, visit some real life centers and then dig in. The process is also a journey
Best wishes, and welcome
Abu
I would start with the basics, the Four Noble Tuths and the Eightfold Path. As far as I am aware this is the base of all styles of Buddhism.
Here might be a good place to start: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/
Under the "quick guide" there is a self guided tour regarding the Buddhas teachings.
For myself I tend to be Theravada minded in my studies, Zen in my meditation and and a bit of Tibetan for my devotional side. There is great beauty and wonderful teachings in all three traditions. Take your time, go easy and find what resonates in your heart.
All the best,
Todd
http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/index.php
suffice to say it declares the Italians to be the Police.
'nuff sed.....
I would disagree that Tibetan Buddhism is about ritual. That would be like saying that my house is about breakfast because we eat breakfast. I would say Tibetan Buddhism is about study, contemplation, and meditation. That is how TB self identifies itself. Additionally the guru is important and the dharma is not learned from texts, rather it is transmitted from the studenet to teacher. In any relationship like that meditation is extremely important. Zen also is based on transmission.
Theravada practices mainly from the Pali Canon, it's commentaries, and sub-commentaries. Theravadins meditate in order to attain Arahatship. In order to become a Theravada practitioner, one simply needs to undertake the practice of the eightfold path. For this practice, it is not necessary to practice with a group.
Mahayana practices from what is known as the Mahayana Sutras, and often the Pali Canon. These practitioners meditate in order to attain full Buddhahood. In order to become a Mahayana Buddhist, one undertakes the Bodhisattva Vows. Generally, Mahayana practitioners practice the eightfold path. Practicing in a group is not necessary for this.
Vajrayana are generally classified as Mahayanists, the difference being that Vajrayanas practice a form of meditation known as Tantra, a visualization process that unifies the meditator with a certain object. Vajrayanas also generally practice the eightfold path. In order to become initiated into the practice of Vajrayana, a group setting is probably necessary. When the practitioner has become more advanced, successful solitary practice is feasible.
This was very helpful because I think it just confirmed my thoughts that Theravada was the one that would fit me best. Of course I still have a lot of research to do, but at least now I feel like I have a direction. Thank you & Thank you @Sile for the video, I watched the whole thing & it was very informing. I'll be looking on Youtube as well.
Plus, the Bodhisattva Vow that Mahayana Buddhists take can be interpreted as their rejection of Buddhahood - as opposed to the desire to gain Buddhahood - until all sentient beings are liberated from samsara.