Absolute Beginner with a few (many) questions.
Bumbles
New
Good Afternoon Everyone!
First I would like to say hello and that I'm really pleased to be able to join you all and learn more about Buddhism. I am very new to Buddhism and I have a few questions. I've looked around the site and have been reading various discussions, but I've not found similar posts or threads on some of the questions I have. I do apologise in advance though if I'm asking things that have been asked countless times previously.
I should probably begin with explaining where my interest in Buddhism started as I am somewhat worried about my motivation as I understand that Buddhist practice is centered quite a lot in our motivations. Initially it began with my interest in trying to 'right' or 'improve' some aspects of myself, I have problems with anxiety, worry, over-thinking and I often cause more problems for myself and my well-being due, in part, to some of these things. So I started looking around at calming tools and stumbled upon Mediation. Of course this led to looking into Buddhism. I started reading about the concepts and practices and found that so much of what was said, made so much sense to me. However I have become worried that my motivation to improve my own well-being through Buddhist practices would be negative motivation as it is for the self?
I've also been reading a book, 'Buddhism: Plain and Simple' authored by Steve Hagen and although he brings explanations on the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-fold Path and concepts such as Impermanence and Identity, I find myself at a loss. When studying or practicing Buddhism, where do we start? What is it we need to do? This is where much of my confusion is, do I need to study the teachings of the Buddha or do I need to practice mindfulness, or both or something else? I admit my naivety on the subjects, but I have found it difficult to find non-conflicting information on the net and I unfortunately don't have a Buddhist Temple locally.
Also a topic I am confused about is to do with rebirth/reincarnations/past lives and the like. I have read many mixed views on these things, and I was wondering which one (if any) is actually associated with Buddhism, although I understand that the mind continues after death and decay?
My final question is to do with mindfulness. Since exploring Buddhist concepts I've realised how many aspects of myself are misplaced or wrong and it seems like a daunting task to pinpoint these things and understand and change them. Is this something that everyone experiences when they begin?
I apologise for asking so many (probably simple) questions, but until this point I haven't been able to talk to or ask questions on the subject.
Many thanks and Best wishes!
Comments
Welcome! You catch me as I am about to fly out of the door and do a bit of necessary grocery shopping. We Buddhists need to eat too, see....? :P
I'm sure you'll receive laods of helpful advice form everyone - enjoy your time with us, and chill! The best thing I can tell you right now, is that it's not a race, and it should be a fun walk!
@Bumbles: hello to you too.
i am not a buddhist, rather a hindu. so if you wish you can neglect reading by below post. also since i am too much defiled and ignorant, in that sense also if you wish you can neglect reading my below post. but since i have some little understanding of buddha's teachings over the last 2 years, so thought of sharing with you.
i have been reading about buddha's teachings from the last 2 years and different teachings from different buddhist monks over internet - till now, i have not bought a single book on buddha's teachings - rather just read on different web-pages and heard different dhamma talks on internet.
some useful URLs having teachings from different Thai forest tradition monks like Ajahn Chah, Brahm, Sumedho etc are in this link : http://www.dhammatalks.net/
a website from Thannisaro Bhikku having his dhamma talks is in this link: http://dhammatalks.org/
on youtube, you can search for Ajahn Brahm dhamma talks - there are plenty of them from Ajahn Brahm and they are very good. there are talks from other monks like Sumedho, Amaro etc which are also very good.
basic understanding is needed for 4NT(Four Noble Truths), 8FP(Eight Fold Path), DO(Dependent Origination) - there is a pdf file about what Buddha taught by Bhante Walpola Rahula on internet - you can go through this pdf file for getting basic understanding.
understanding the teaching and then applying the teaching by practicing are both important - without understanding how will you apply it and with just understanding and no practice, it shall not be of any much use. daily sitting meditation practice shall be helpful. how to meditate - search for Anapanasati meditation or mindfulness of breathing meditation on google and you shall get the instructions for it.
different traditions of buddhism are therevada, mahayana, hinyana, zen, tibetian, vajrayana etc.
metta to you and all sentient beings.
Federica, Thank-you for the warm welcome, I'm really looking forward to learning from everyone on here and gaining a better understanding of things
Hey Misecmisc1, thank-you so much for your insights! I really appreciate it and your post was very helpful. I'll be sure to check out all of the links you shared with me. I understand what you mean about gaining understanding in the teachings and then applying them. I think for the most part so far I've been trying to go at it the other way around, which hasn't been too productive as you can imagine XD Thank you again
@Bumbles: you are welcome.
i posted a thread here sometime back - here is the url for it - it is having many links in it, which i have collected over the last 2 years, since i started reading about Buddha's teachings: http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/20243/thank-you-and-useful-internet-urls#latest
if you wish, you can go through the links in the above link - may be the above link can be of some help to you.
metta to you and all sentient beings.
@misecmisc1 Again thank-you so much! I have bookmarked your thread link and will go through the links you've shared there. I really appreciate your help
Best wishes.
Welcome @bumbles. Hope you find something useful here.
Do what you can to be patient. Buddhism is not some glowing ball of wondrous light that shines brightly while you -- poor bastard -- cower in some shadowy corner. It may be hard not to feel the lash of imagined short-comings, but do what you can to remember what may not be immediately clear: Without you, Buddhism would mean precisely nothing. This is literally, and not just metaphorically, true. Soo...
Take your time. Read a few books. Visit a center or temple if you feel inclined. Try a little meditation. Try not to expect things to happen ... just take one step at a time and see what happens. Buddhism is not a threat-based persuasion: You won't get to heaven if you do it and you won't go to hell if you don't.
You are already fully equipped with courage and patience and doubt. Nothing needs to be added. Just put one foot in front of the other. Pay attention and...
Best wishes.
Thank you @genkaku, to be honest that was just what I needed. I have to admit I had a sense of urgency about me, that there were all of these things I needed to do, and if I didn't do them a certain way it would be wrong etc. I keep thinking that there is a set pattern or path that must be taken to understand and practice Buddhism, but it seems that's not necessarily the case. I'll be sure to keep this in mind and as you say, put one foot in front of the other
Everybody gravitates to a different focus. You can't study everything at least not all at once. I would start with meditation.
Doesn't the Stephen Hagen book address this? I would ask this in a separate thread because the topic might dominate this thread. Rebirth discussions go on and on and it might overshadow the other questions. There is no one Buddhism. There is no pope.
It is a daunting task. Each person has their own experiences. Some take longer than others and have different problems.
The Steven Hagen book discusses mostly the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold path, breaking each one down into sections to explain the reasoning and purpose of each stage. Although there is some mention of rebirth, it's not really a main focus point, the same with Karma. From my reading the main focus is seeing reality and being in the present moment. To be honest though, it is an absolute beginners book so it would probably be worth while picking up something a little more in depth.
Thank you for replying. I feel a lot better since opening this thread this morning. I really appreciate all of the guidance that has been offered to me. I've started with Mindfulness of Breathing meditation so far and I think it has been going rather well
Best wishes
Well fellow you have come to the right place
I'd Recommend these books as well, The Path is the Goal is a great reference for meditation, but it takes a little bit of time to completely digest *at least for me anyways XD
Cultivating a Mind of Love- Thich Nhat Hanh
The Path is the Goal- Ghogyam Trungpa
Open Heart, Clear Mind- Thubten Chodron
Still Thoughts-Yeng Chen <--This is mainly a quote book that while simple makes great food for thought.
The best thing I can recommend to you besides the names of a few books is to come back to yourself, be mindful of your inner thoughts and feelings. Center on your breathing, let loose your tensions. It is easy to get warped up in the stressful environments we cultivate for ourselves today, but once we step back and recognized that we only have control over how we think and react to situations both good and bad we can then flow with the changes that come our way.
As for you questions on reincarnation I will put it this way:
Matter cannot be destroyed, it is only changed
Every action has an equal or opposite reaction
-Isaac Netwon
This is a good example to use for people today, even the Isaac wasn't a Buddhist
@Bumbles I actually started out with the Alan Watts series "Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life." Very good stuff in there. You can find it on YouTube.
I'm a recent convert myself, back in January. It can be overwhelming at times, but just take it slow.
A helpful reminder to myself is that if something is "hard for me to accept" such as reincarnation or the various forms of Naraka, I try to remember that just because I don't believe it now doesn't mean I won't believe it later as my understanding of Buddhism increases.
I guess what I am saying is try to keep an open mind with what you encounter. Even though there can be commonalities with Buddhism and other religions, Buddhism is different from them. Its alright if you read something and think "That's freaking weird!"
Just remember the more you mindfulness/study you undertake, the less "weird" things will be.
I try to read a bit of the Dhammapada each day, as it helps me be mindful:
http://www.buddhanet.net/dhammapada/
This page should help too: http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_g.htm
Hope this helps!
-AB
@Padmini42 Thank-you so much for the book recommendations and I will certainly try and follow your advice on coming back to myself, my mind has a tendency to wander sometimes
@Aspiring_Buddhist Thank-you for your advice as well. You're spot on with some of the concepts seeming strange to begin with, I've felt that way a few times and usually I'd just brush them off and not bother anymore, but I found that the more I read into it, the more sense it began to make. Thank-you for the links as well, I think I'll aim to read some per day as well. I'm sure it will certainly help me on my way
Many thanks and best wishes
Even if you are not thinking about practicing Tibetan Buddhism, I would highly recommend Lojong (which means mind training) slogans for the question you asked about pinpointing issues and helping to recognize and deal with them. They are a wonderful thing to practice and I think pretty much any type of Buddhist can use them. The more you use them, the more they pop into your head when you have a situation to deal with. I made flashcards myself and I focus on a different one every day. You can just google lojong slogans to find the list. There are commentaries that explain each one available online or in book form. They are also known as the 7 points of mind training. Wonderful practice.
I agree on putting the rebirth/karma questions into a separate thread. We had a couple of conversations on this in the past couple weeks, I think the search function is broken right now but if you scroll through the list you should find them, they might be of use.
It is pretty confusing to start off on your own. There is a lot out there to choose from and for me, when I started I was reading so much, I just got confused. I ended up finding a teacher to work with who helped set a path for me. I still read a lot of things outside of the flavor of Buddhism I practice, but I don't get confused because I know my path. If you are able, find a teacher. It does get easier, you start to get a better grasp on terms and as you continue to meditate, you will find things sink in better and you will have sparks of "OH! Now I get it!" It's more so about experiencing than explaining. It's a wonderful journey
Someone probably said this already; most if not all of us who aren't born into the Buddhist tradition enter it for what appears to be 'wrong view', ie, self-improvement.
But why do we want to improve ourselves? Why, because we are suffering. And that is why the Buddha decided to share his wisdom, for the realization and cessation of SUFFERING.
Thus, you are right on track.
Anxiety, depression and other mental disturbances are papancas (pronounced papan'-yas), a Pali word for what amounts to 'mental or emotional proliferation'. As a person who relates well to anxiety and depression, it's clear to me that what I've been anxious or depressed about is a great pile of proliferated stories, thoughts, mental objects etc that grows like kudzu around 'triggers' for those states of mind. It doesn't get much better than the 4 Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path to vanquish depression and anxiety. Modern interventions such as therapy are excellent vehicles for the cessation of suffering as many therapists today have clue'd in to how effective mindfulness meditation and other Buddhist principles are, so if that is one's desire, finding a Buddhist-friendly therapist is not only kind of easy but it saved MY butt
As for where to start . . . I started with mindfulness but quickly was overwhelmed by how much of Buddhism seemed pertinent to my being and life. I just sort of went with it, and it's worked out. You'll hear about specifically 'correct' approaches and you'll hear about half-cocked chaotic albeit successful approaches. Buddhism is about YOUR experience of it, and since the principles are already imbedded the fabric of the cosmos (thus imbedded in you) HOW to start seems less important than that you DO start.
My only piece of advice is to begin daily meditaton, no matter how short a period of time, with basic mindfulness meditation practices. You can find out more than you need to know for FREE on the interwebs. As for the rest, just start reading and listening. There are many hugely valuable teachings, both written and spoken that are free in ebook, pdf, mp3 and video online. You can pay a lot of money too if you want to, I've paid for free stuff if it appeared the money would show up as 'dana' or generosity for the teacher.
It is overwhelming at first, but just follow your gut and keep it 'light', you are wandering at this point. You will get pulled into a tradition or line of ideas or whatever and 'know' when to go deeper. You can't really do this wrong IN MY OPINION
That's been the case for me in spite of what opinions might disagree.
Thirty-five years after I began I still don't know if I am doing it 'right'.
However, now I don't care.
I read. I understand a little, I misunderstand a lot.
I meditate. Sometimes things go the way I used to want. Sometimes they don't. I do it anyway and don't really concern myself with how I think it went.
Lastly, I try my very best to do the next right thing according to my understanding of life, the universe and everything. Sometimes my best rocks; sometimes my best sucks. Sometimes I discover that my view of life, the universe and everything is completely screwed up - at which point I readjust my thinking and keep on keeping on.
All the best to you on your journey and welcome.
. . . rock on . . .
Read great budhist books for free.
http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebidx.htm
@hermitwin Ooo nice resource, thanks for sharing!
Maybe, before you accept Buddhism, you'll have to first accept yourself.
Good Afternoon everyone XD Thank-you all so much for your help and guidance
@karasti I'll have a look at the Lojong slogans, thank you for recommending them, I think I'll find them quite useful. I'd really like to find a teacher, but I don't have any Buddhist temples near by, but I think I'll look into some a little further afield and see if I can find somewhere to go.
@Hamsaka Thank-you for your insight, I feel a lot better that my reasoning isn't a negative one. I completely understand about what you mean about anxiety and triggers and things, much of mine (likely all) is as you say, proliferated thoughts
I've started with daily meditations, getting myself into a routine with it and I'll venture into more as I go 
@Yagr Thank-you for your encouragement, I definitely feel a lot better about the approach I was taking
@hermitwin Thank-you for the link
@footiam You hit the nail on the head there, I think that has been and probably will be one of my biggest hurdles, but I have, since starting daily meditations noticed and worked out aspects about myself that I hadn't noticed or been aware of in the past.
Thanks again everyone, I really appreciate it
Best wishes to you all