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but that is what buddha taught.
and if you ask senior monks like ajahn brahm and thanissaro bikkhu or bikkhu bodhi,
they will tell you it is true.
you dont have to believe it, but it is buddhism.
it is how the world works according to buddha.
you dont have to believe it, but it is the core of buddhist teachings.
just keep that in mind.
i am sure it is all very confusing for you.
dont listen to anyone, read buddhist books by credible authors
and judge for yourself.
when i first got interested in buddhism, i was totally confused too.
one of the reasons is there are too many people who use the term "Buddhism"
without knowing what the Buddha actually taught.
Let's start from step 1, Buddhism is the teachings of the Buddha.
Who is the Buddha?
That would be a good place to start.
Hi, @msac123!
Keep it simple. If you like Buddhism, keep reading, keep learning. More importantly, take your practice from the cushion to your life, otherwise it's useless. If you come up with ideas which you find difficult to accept, keep learning, and either they'll make sense in the future or not. You can admire different things from different religions. If you choose to call yourself a Buddhist (though I still don't see it as a religion) it might be because most of its tenets appeal to you. The idea of Buddhism is to be happy here and now, so don't feel you have to wrestle with abstract metaphyiscal points.
I heard a dharma talk the other day, in which the teacher, I think it may have been Gil Fronsdal on the 4NT, said having a human rebirth is very unlikely, it's like a blind turtle swimming around the pacific ocean for 100 years and as it comes to the surface to take a breath it happens to put its head through the only log floating in that ocean with a hole in it.
Comments
1st of all, why are you in a hurry to become a buddhist?
You hardly know anything about Buddhism.
I like certain teachings in Islam and Christianity.
I like to read some books about them.
But I dont need to be a muslim or a christian.
Which Buddha ?
Dipanakara Buddha?
Shakyamuni Buddha ?
Vairocana Buddha ?
Avalokiteshvara Buddha ?
Ratnasambhava Buddha ?
Short interval while hermitwin does some googlin'.
Hi, @msac123!
Keep it simple. If you like Buddhism, keep reading, keep learning. More importantly, take your practice from the cushion to your life, otherwise it's useless. If you come up with ideas which you find difficult to accept, keep learning, and either they'll make sense in the future or not. You can admire different things from different religions. If you choose to call yourself a Buddhist (though I still don't see it as a religion) it might be because most of its tenets appeal to you. The idea of Buddhism is to be happy here and now, so don't feel you have to wrestle with abstract metaphyiscal points.
I heard a dharma talk the other day, in which the teacher, I think it may have been Gil Fronsdal on the 4NT, said having a human rebirth is very unlikely, it's like a blind turtle swimming around the pacific ocean for 100 years and as it comes to the surface to take a breath it happens to put its head through the only log floating in that ocean with a hole in it.
I get that.
Metta