What brought you to Buddhism?

Bodhivaka

For the Buddhists on this forum, what initially sparked your interest in Buddhism and ultimately convinced you to follow the Dhamma?

For me, I've always been interested with religion in general, so Buddhism was just another study project for me; nevertheless I became particularly drawn to the Dhamma when I discovered it's message of liberation from suffering and its compatability with my atheist views, liberal outlook, and aversion to dogmatism.

I wouldn't call myself a Buddhist (yet), but so far my practice of the Dhamma has been a very rewarding experience.

footiam

A book, What Buddhist Believe?

federica

A combination of things, one following the other... I could point to a specific instance, but i believe the pre-amble was just as important as the defining moment. I guess it just built up to a blissful crescendo, until it hit me like a mallet between the eyes...

"oh.... THIS is what it's all about!"

LostLight

I came across it awhile back and found it pretty interesting. At the time I was a Christian so I only studied some of it and respected it; I never really devoted myself to it.

Later on I had an inner conflict against my beliefs and so many things contradicted what my religion spoke of, that I abandoned it completely for a while, all while searching for some answers. During this time, I was agnostic with an emphasis on Atheism I guess.

While looking for some sort of physical clue that there's more than the material world, I came across some chi healing videos online. Like this:





These videos eventually brought me to Buddhist meditations and teachings. This was where, eventually I decided to fully learn and immerse myself in Buddhism. While it was certainly difficult to swallow at first, I made the decision to become a Buddhist. It is a practice based on experience, and not on blind faith. It is a way of logic. Being a science major, this was certainly something that made sense. I figured, even though it wouldn't be easy, it was the right path for me. The hardest thing was to accept the idea of living a do whatever you want life and you'll be forgiven and go to heaven probably was never going to happen.

karasti

I first got interested in college, about 10 years ago. But our World Religion book was very basic and the points they made were not appealing to me even though was interested in the religion. I quickly moved on because I didn't have the time in my life to devote to learning it. More recently, my 15 year old son borrowed a book I had had for a long time and never read, "The Heart of the Buddha" by Thich Nhat Hahn. He started asking questions and I helped him find the answers. It led me to understand that the things I had learned in my basic college course weren't expressed very well so I sought out to learn more.

I was discouraged however, because I live in a very small, rural community near the Canadian border, and the closest Buddhist center (or teacher) was 350 miles away. Having 3 kids I can't just up and travel that far whenever I want. A few weeks later, I saw a poster at a store in our town that someone was hosting a Buddhist retreat! I couldn't believe it. I went to the retreat, and met who would become my teacher. I still do not get to see him often, but we formed a Sangha based on his Sangha and he Skypes with us and comes up a few times a year (he spends 6 months a year in Nepal and Tibet). It's been an amazing experience so far and I am hoping to be able to take Refuge Vows in November when my teacher returns to the US.

how

I've changed my mind numerous times as I remember things further & further back in time that might have brought me to buddhism. The funniest idea came only a month ago when my older sister said that I was made to be a Buddhist. When I asked her to explain that, she said that even as a baby I'd always been completely satisfyed staring for hours at a small section of dirt for whatever there was there to see. I think my sister & I have different ideas of what buddhism is.
Reading Carlos Castinada's first book as a teenager first perked my interest that reality might be subjective and worthy of exploring.

zenknight

Fifteen years ago I read "Awakening The Buddha Within" by Lama Surya Das. Tibetan wisdom for the western world. Lama Surya Das used modern day examples to explain and give shape to an old belief system(religion) that I believe is very much needed in today's world. How to put an end to suffering by understanding and living the eightfoldpath.

tmottes

As @federica said an non-starting, unending set of conditions too complex for me to understand The thing that really tipped the scales in that direction (or perhaps thing of which I was most conscious) was the experience of altered perceptions from drug use followed by a lot of research into what the hell just happened.

Takuan

Batman and Bruce Lee. lol

Jeffrey

I had a psychotic break and Kathleen McDonald's book on meditation got me introduced to meditation.

caz

I was Born. My father happened to be a Buddhist so I took it from there

budzen

hermann hesse novel - siddhartha

lamaramadingdong

discussed this elsewhere. Fluke occurance of me buying a book by HHDL that saved my marriage.

ZenBadger

I paint wargames miniatures for a bit of spare cash and a customer wanted me to paint up a couple of armies for him that I needed to research, one was a Mauryan Indian army and the other one was medieval Tibetan. I also started practicing martial arts at the same time (Karate, Kobudo and Iaido) and it all sort of converged.

ThomB

Actually someone drilled a whole in my head! Strange as it may sound I had brain surgery for an aneurysm and woke up drawn to Buddhism.

Paisley

I loved reading all your stories on how your paths intersected with Buddhism. It's interesting just how many different ways can lead us all to be here.

I was raised Lutheran. Went to private Lutheran school for a few years, was very heavy into my church until senior year of HS. I just, I dunno, suddenly decided I wasn't sure I believed in any of it and stopped going. I can't even recall what led me to that decision, honestly.

Started college, took a class taught by a professor who was a former catholic nun turned buddhist. She fascinated me to pieces and I took as many of her classes as I could, because she liked to tell anecdotes of her life.

Time moved on and over the last ten years Buddhism finds it's way back into my life through one form or another until I finally decided it was time to really buckle down and see what it's all about.

buddhistok

Was anyone else here drawn to Buddhism by the scientific studies backing meditation as a good treatment for mental illness and any illness in general?

Theswingisyellow

Was anyone else here drawn to Buddhism by the scientific studies backing meditation as a good treatment for mental illness and any illness in general?

I was not, but mindfulness and the Dharma were instumental in looking at my depression straight in the face and seeing it's nature. Were good friends now, he only comes around once in great while and the visits are short
To the OP I bought a book that had some pictures of Japanese block prints (I like art) but there was a chapter on Zen. I read it and that was it, it made too much damn sense.
All the best,
Todd

RonB

Was anyone else here drawn to Buddhism by the scientific studies backing meditation as a good treatment for mental illness and any illness in general?

Relaxation exercises involving guided meditation were part of a rehabilitation programme following a heart attack, that led to an interest in formal meditation for me. In pursuit of a good meditation environment/teacher I came across a buddhist centre locally presided over by a tibetan monk, Lama Coje Rabsang, of the Karma Kagju tradition and have been attending various classes since. So an appciation for the health benefits of meditative techniques led to studying the scientific background to practice and that to Buddhist teaching in my case.