Did you gravitate from another spiritual path to Buddhism ?
Shoshin
No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
Kia Ora,
It would seem many Western Buddhists have gravitated from one of the three Abrahamic religions and some no doubt still hold ties to their former belief system(be it in some cases, by a very thin and fragile thread)...
I was C of E by name only, but definitely not by nature... As a child I was never forced into a spiritual belief system, in other words I didn't attend church apart from weddings, funerals, and of course the church jumble sale(what girl can resist shopping..:D..
I was (to begin with) somewhat agnostic when it came to a creator god and after a while this agnosticism evolved into full blown atheism (well I'm an atheist agnostic=there is no god, but if intangible proof was given-I would reluctantly bite the bullet and accept the finding-but I have a feeling it an't gonna happen)...
Eastern philosophical thought (especially Buddhism) was like a magnet, I was drawn to it when struggling to come to terms with the trials and tribulation of life, I wanted answers...
So how about you...did Buddhism drag you away from your old belief system completely ? or do you still have ties to it ? or perhaps (like my self) you never had to buy into one in the first place ?
Metta Shoshin 
Comments
I'm completely a Buddhist at this point. I still have ties to my "old" religion due to family, weddings, funerals, that kind of stuff. I was born and raised Lutheran. When I was around 20 I started looking elsewhere, took some world religions classes in college. Tested Buddhism, found it far too depressing due to misunderstanding and poorly written college text books. Went down a sort of Shamanic/Native American study, then I spent a few years as a Wiccan, which was the closest I came to feeling at home until I went back to Buddhism. At that point there was no question, my son reintroduced me to it when he was around 13 years old (he is 17 now) and I met my teacher a couple months later. Home sweet home. Being a Buddhist wasn't something I became, that I turned away from one thing to be a Buddhist. Buddhist is what I always was. Being raised Christian took me away from that more than anything. I knew from a very early age, but was not given a choice in the matter.
My divorced parents both followed the religion of the intellect. My father's father was a Presbyterian minister so his distaste for religion (he was compelled to memorize hunks of the Bible by candlelight) is understandable. He became a college professor and positively adored James Joyce. My mother, who was smarter and intellectually more courageous than my father, lost her mother to the influenza epidemic of 1918. She grew up in comfortable, WASP-narrow confines and couldn't wait to get away from home. She became a pretty good writer.
It wasn't until 30 that I thought much about spiritual life ... other than the obligatory snide remarks popular with the intellectually gifted. I hooked up with Hindu Vedanta, read voraciously, fell in and out of love with ecumenism, went to a couple of retreats and then realized that I wanted something a little less frilly and a little more go-for-the-throat. I didn't want to believe -- I wanted to know.
I don't think I could have taken up Zen without Vedanta for a backdrop, but by that reasoning I also have to admit I had a blue tricycle when I was little. After a while, it's a little hard to sort out any part of life -- religious, employment, entertainment, marital or whatever -- that didn't contribute to later or current circumstances. I suspect it's the same for everyone ... the gods of another time and place always whisper one way or another.
Anglican raised until I refused to go to church when I was 7. Discovered Buddhism at 18 when looking for something more than what the world values around me seemed to be offering.
My movement was not from one spiritual path to another but was simply from a worldly mind towards a spiritual one. Different variations of self gradually dissipating as my practice allowed selflessness to unfold.
Prior to taking refuge, I was a militant agnostic
I was raised in a watered down Christianity where I was told 'well, everyone believes in God' but we didn't go to church as a family, or have any religious rituals. The only religious encounters I had were with the local Christian organizations for youth, summer camps, etc.
For about two years I was a member of the church of Christ, considered cultish nowadays, because my boyfriend was
I did take it VERY seriously, and when I left the church, I was pretty traumatized. It took a few years to get over being terrified of going to Hell for the slightest infraction.
Then I discovered the New Age just as it was beginning to take hold. At the same time I discovered Jungian psychology. I rejected Christianity as a full out self defense and to this day I have a limited equanimity about the particular 'fundamentalisms' that have risen up in the US. My children were raised completely without Christian indoctrination, and it's been interesting to witness a kind of person who can't fathom a need to be 'saved'.
In my 20's I discovered Buddhism, mindfulness and meditation (this would be in the 80's and 90's). I too felt like I found 'home' and though I didn't practice, the lens of Buddhism stayed with me up until a year ago, when I began to practice.
Less and less do I perceive the process I'm undergoing as "Buddhism" as if it were something distinct from everything else. But for the sake of simplicity I am a Buddhist.
What is this 'Buddhism' you speak of?
I was raised to be catholic which I basically rejected by around 9 years old. Went to an Atheist stance until I found myself in a 12 step program 23 years ago -part of which is "came to believe a power greater than me could restore me to sanity" . Atheism still fit since the group was a power greater than me but as my exploration deepened agnostic seemed to be the logical conclusion for me. If I had to label it ,it would be mindful agnostic...Since no thing is truly known-no thing can be discounted. Bob
Went to Catholic primary school, grew up in a Baptist family, eventually became a rabid atheist/anti-theist, and now I'm a Buddhist. Who would've known?
"Bless me father for I have sinned, it has been over 40 years since my last confession..."
Had a completely R.Catholic upbringing; being half Italian it's not surprising....
Baptised, educated, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, regular Church-going, Catholic Nuptial Mass when I married, and did the same to my daughters.
I even became a Parent-Governor at their RC primary school.
I tried, I really did... I threw myself into it wholeheartedly.
And in truth, I never once felt oppressed, forced, obliged, programmed or conditioned to conform, or else. I never came across anything or anyone unpleasant, distasteful, bitter, nasty or twisted.
(well....the nuns were something else, but I digress....)
Then my wonderful, Roman Catholic Italian mother, of all people, sent me a Buddhist book.
"The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying " by Sogyal Rinpoché. Completely changed my life, my direction and my calling.
In one swift blow.
And the rest, as they say, is history....
One of the most profound Buddhist writers I know is Thomas Merton.
Incidentally, he was a Trappist monk.
I recently read his The Seven Storey Mountain autobiography. Very good. He did learn a lot from Buddhists though. It just kind of shows that mystic Christianity isn't that far from Buddhism (IMO).
With regards to coming to Buddhism from another spiritual path, I came to Buddhism from A.A.'s 12 Step program, then after some time studying Buddhism, went back to the 12 Steps. It's still kind of Buddhist though, in that it's about living an ethical life, practising compassion and meditation.
I just think I'm more effective with helping other alkies recover from their alcoholism if I'm just a regular recovered alkie myself, rather than being a 'Buddhist' recovered alcoholic, which may put some folk off from asking me to help.
Can't you be both...?
Been in 12 step almost 24 years. For a bit I had issue with resolving the teachings I was exploring in my 11th step . I dont consider myself Buddhist more a mindful agnostic. That said I realized the steps are about mindfulness and that falls right in line with my mindful practice.
Again the JKZ quote comes to mind
A student once said: "When I was a Buddhist, it drove my parents and friends crazy, but when I am a buddha, nobody is upset at all."
Jon Kabot-Zinn
I reminds me not to have too let everyone know I'm a practicing mindful agnostic - just to be one. Bob
FWIW, here are some thoughts on alcohol addiction/Buddhism.
If Buddhism is a belief system . . . that would be a drag. Having briefly studied the mystical side of the Abrahamic religions, I find only superficial differences in outcome. So I am quite happy to be a Buddhist for a while . . nobody seems to mind too much . . .
. . . however in the spirit of the question . . . my upbringing was largely RC. I like the current Rinpoche Pope, love doing the Sadhana known as 'The Stations of The Cross' and generally don't care if I am coming or going . . .
@Hamsaka, that's interesting you mentioned your kids. I agree, comparing my 3 kids to my sister and myself, how they've grown up is much different. There is no sense of guilt and shame or doing the right thing out of fear or needing to apologize to someone other than themselves (or the person they wronged). My first child was baptised, because I was young (20) and it was just what our parents told us had to be done. But we never went to church, no Sunday school or Vacation Bible School or anything. We just talk about differing beliefs as situations arise in their lives. At first, I was a little afraid, I was constantly told by my mother than they would go to hell if something happened to them as babies and I didn't baptize them (the other 2 were not baptized). I was told they couldn't cope with life without a religious tradition to fall back on. But I never felt it was my job to choose that for them. I always talked to them about my beliefs, but made it clear that they were free to form their own, too. It certainly hasn't caused them any harm, and it's lead them to be far less judgmental of others (in my opinion). The older one meditates and studies Buddhism (but has been reluctant to meet my teacher, which is ok). The middle one leans towards Buddhism and is quick at picking it up and learning about himself, and the youngest is only 5, so he's just getting to the point where we have talks about what happens when a pet dies, and so on. I keep it pretty basic. They certainly haven't suffered in not having doctrine or religion forced on them. I know that's a strong word, but that was how I felt as a kid. I knew by the time I was 7 that Christianity didn't work for me, but I had to take confirmation classes as a teen, I went to church and so on until I was physically too old for my parents to force me to go, 15 or so. If my dad claimed he found God in the woods and didn't go to church, then I sure as heck wasn't going to church, lol.
I was raised in a Roman Catholic household and brought up in a Catholic school in Argentina. Like @federica said, I never experienced the dark side of Catholicism because both my parents and the nuns at school were all very open-minded and democratic.
The day of my First Communion (I was nine), the school presented us with a Bible. I read it voraciously thinking I would find there all the answers to my existential ponderings... alas, no! Was totally disenchanted with what I read. Nothing resonated with me.
As First Communion gift, I received a book on Ancient China and fell head-over-heels with Confucianism and Taoism. I still like both to this day.
But when I was twelve, my best friend's mother joined the Theosophical Society and she lent me a book on Theosophy, Jinarajadasa's "Principles of Theosophy". It was an a-ha moment for me. For the first time in my short life, after my infatuation with Confucianism and Taoism, I had a glimpse of an idea of Truth.
As with @genkaku, Vedanta came next. My command of the English improved and with my pocket money I bought some antique English books of Vedanta and the Upanishads.
This rare book shop had an important stock of antique Asian religion books (I bought them all) and in the pile, there was my first "Dhammapada" (Max Müller-1872)
I have been a Buddhist ever since, though my formal practice began in the late twenties.
In fact, I have always felt deeply Asian at heart. My grandfather was an English empire-builder of sorts, as I like to say (Argentina back then was economically if tacitly part of the empire), so who knows if some ancestor of his had lived in a colony in Asia and that memory runs vividly in my blood.
All I know is that the first time I was to Asia, as the plane landed in Malaysia, I remember thinking to myself "I'm home, at last."
My husband is Swiss and was raised Protestant but is definitely agnostic, and my son says he's a Buddhist, though I don't talk to him much about Buddhism for the time being. I prefer to give him the freedom to choose what he wants to be. For the time being...
Sport was my religion. Still is to some degree. However I find buddhism much more fulfilling!
Do you worship at the altar of the All Blacks @Shoshin?
Kia Ora,
No Bunks, I'm not a big fan of sports, however on the odd occasion I might watch the Silver Ferns play,..It's a bit boring watching the All Blacks win all the time, it's not fair on all the other teams ..
Metta Shoshin
I had a breakdown from reality which made me think there were three types of people: authoritarian, natural, and compassionate. Both authoritarian and compassionate claimed they were from God and the other from the Devil. I remember times of strangeness like listening to music but not hearing a melody, just noise. I don't know why that happened.
But what goes up must come down! And I crashed big time. It wasn't clinical depression because I had good reasons to be depressed. My mind didn't work the same anymore and I wasn't able to follow my dreams I had worked on through all of my preparatory education till that point.
I bought a book on meditation from Kathleen McDonald. Meditation was hard but every time when I stood up I felt better.
Isn't that an oxymoron?
I was raised Catholic by a Jewish Mother and Catholic Father. Upon completing High School I dabbled in Buddhism whilst embarking on a 20 year journey in Paganism. Four years ago I started investigating Judaism more closely and two years ago I "got serious" about the Dharma and Buddhism.
I thought I was a Buddhist, then I got diagnosed with a terminal illness. I realised I'm just a wannabe Buddhist, but I'm trying really hard.
Kia Ora @dhammachick,
May you be and stay well...
No it's not an oxymoron-even though at first glance it may look that way... - :eek2: ____
I sometimes use the term agnostic atheist or atheistic agnostic...I guess a person can be an agnostic atheist or an agnostic theist , it depend which way one is leaning...
I can't remember where or when I read this but it fits who I am... how I-dentify...
"I'm an atheist in that I don't recognise an absolute personal deity...But I'm not philosophically atheistic because I don't deny Ultimate Reality !"
Metta Shoshin
I'll take your word for it
It is normal reality that most of us are in denial over :wave: . . . so Mr Cushion tells me . . .
I was raised by a devout Christian mum and went to a Christian school! I went to an Anglican Church.
I wouldn't say I ever was very religious! I'm still not haha. I went to church because I thought it was what I should do!
I was watching Shaolin Monks about 5 months ago and that led me head first into Buddhism. I wouldn't say I'm a strict Buddhist, I dabble in Dao and Hinduism. Hahaha
I do. Rugbiers are definitely my type. All Blacks, all teams. I love to watch those tons of male flesh charging after a ball, those broad shoulders, those bull necks, those massive limbs...
Sorry, have to quit the forum to fix my lust-craving issues on the cushion.
Be back in half an hour... :om:..
Robinsons Lemon Barley Water.
Glad to see that you don't deny Ultimate Reality @Soshin...thats a weight off.
What with your little trade marks and formulated signs-in and signs -outs there is no danger of you not taking yourself seriously ..is there ?
Fetter Citta : (
>
Dabbling is not always a good thing in the long run. At one point you will find it far more fulfilling to plant your flag-pole in one camp and stay there. You may even come to the decision that it's what you need to do...
Why 'Hahaha'....?
I don't get how being diagnosed with a terminal illness made you think of yourself as a "wannabe". Care to explain?
Being diagnosed with cancer actually strengthened my practice.
Well if you read any of my numerous posts here you'd get an idea why I call my self a wannabe.
But in essence, once I was taken out of my nice little bubble of comfort and faced with death for the second time in my life (I was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 21 and fought it for four years before beating it), my world fell apart around me and I realised my grasp on Buddhism was tenuous at best. Even though I had studied the Dhamma and theoretically understood it, I wasn't really practising as I completely lost it.
12 months later, with no possible cure for this disease, I am inching towards living the Dhamma. I am by no means a "legit" Buddhist, but I am sincere in working towards it.
Thanks for the honesty.
As much as I'd like to offer some advice, I'm pretty certain you've been given plenty already.
No sense in adding to the confusion (if there is any).
Good luck.
:orange: When I was a toddler the boy next door had a tricycle, which I was occasionally allowed to play on as we were passed over the garden fence. When I got my own tricycle, I insisted on having it in my cot with me before going to sleep.
What can ever replace our whispers? In other words what vehicle are we peddling now? Dharma tricycle anyone?
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/12/the-worstest-buddhist-magazine/
When I say dabble I mean to say that I try to take what I feel as wisdom from anywhere really. Like the Hinduistic concept of Brahman or Atman. I consider it, religion has so much interpretation! Like Therevada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Pureland, Zen. Buddhism has hindu references also! I think it pays to be open minded.
I don't like to be religious because it tends to imply dogma, buddhism appeals to be because it implys more philosophy of come and see
As far as hahaha goes I guess I find it amusing that I don't plant my flag. I've been proven wrong so many times. I'm pretty bad at articulating my points, I'll try my best
Thank you, that makes sense.
I've been proven wrong more times than I'd care to admit, so I guess I should really have a laughing Icon against my name!