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What brought you to Buddhism?

ShoshinShoshin No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran

What brought you to Buddhism?
In other words what 'karmic' events (happenings in your life) lead you to the Dharma ?

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Comments

  • WalkerWalker Veteran Veteran

    I took up yoga and meditation upon medical advice. Became intrigued with the history of it all, and started reading.

    Shoshin
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @lobster said:
    Thanks for sharing!

    You're welcome Crusty :lol:

    Walker
  • Steve_BSteve_B Veteran

    Learned about it in a college class on world religions. Required class I would not have taken otherwise.

    Shoshinmmo
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @Walker said:
    I took up yoga and meditation upon medical advice. Became intrigued with the history of it all, and started reading.

    I often wonder how many Westerners entered Buddhism via meditation and mental health reasons ie, stress, depression, anxiety, etc .....

  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    edited July 2015

    Extensive travel in Thailand, including a family sharing Buddhist traditions with me.

    Shoshinmmo
  • howhow Veteran Veteran

    @Shoshin said:
    What brought you to Buddhism?
    In other words what 'karmic' events (happenings in your life) lead you to the Dharma ?

    Spoiler alert...I don't know anymore!

    As each karmic event is examined, subtler preceding ones can be found.

    Even when pining down ones life, as a subjective qualifier for karma's possible starting impetus, it simply becomes less definable the closer you look at it.

    Perhaps it's not really much different than the question that the Buddha sidestepped when asked "where did karma start from?" by simply saying that such an answer simply had nothing to do with suffering's cessation.

    lobsterShoshinNerima
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    Dabbling in substances and reading "Be here now" by that old hippy. ;)

    ShoshinDavid
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    ^^^ good answer. When did it start?

    I blame the Buddha (good job Dude).
    Apart from sharing thanks ... and you thought my first post in this thread was a josh ... tsk tsk ... mmm ...

    I would say it was the clarity, meditation and emphasis on enlightenment.

    I am not in the dharma business for Nothing ... eh wait ... I am not even sure I have been brought to somewhere known as Buddhism. O.o

    It might be more accurate to say I am under the dharma tree picking cherries to share ...

    Thanks for sharing! ;)

    Shoshin
  • By accident I watched a documentary about Siddhartha- after a while (like 3 days) I found myself closing my eyes and felt a relief on my well being. I never look the same thing about suffering. Best of all - I NO LONGER BLAME GOD. lol.

    Shoshinlobstersilver
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran
    edited July 2015

    I guess in the ultimate nutshell sense, "ignorance" that is not 'knowing' ( which includes not understanding the intricate workings of karma ) brought all us 'sense of selves' to explore Buddhism....

    But in the 'conventional' sense (that is from one sense of self to another) "What brought you to Buddhism?"

  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    @lobster said:> ^^^ good answer. When did it start?

    I think it was 1980, London Buddhist Centre. I've been addicted to meditation ever since, the doctors can't do nuffink to 'elp, still I suppose the National 'Elf Service can't help everyone particularly with an ageing Buddhist population.... ;)

    Shoshinsilver
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    edited July 2015

    @SpinyNorman said:
    Dabbling in substances and reading "Be here now" by that old hippy. ;)

    Me too, pretty much. Him, Watts, Ginsberg, Leary, Huxley... Fun times.

    Except I didn't find out about them until around 1989.

    Practice didn't get serious until around 2000 or so when the initial buzz started to wear off.

    Shoshin
  • EarthninjaEarthninja Wanderer West Australia Veteran

    Don't know anymore. :) maybe the colour of my favourite shirt? ;)

  • Steve_BSteve_B Veteran

    A raft.

    ShoshinrootsVastmindNerima
  • SpoogleSpoogle Explorer
    edited July 2015

    Began to take an interest as a child of 12yrs. I remember doing a project at school about the various beliefs, religions etc. Buddhism was the one that struck a chord.

    ShoshinEarthninjarohit
  • DakiniDakini Veteran

    @Shoshin said:
    What brought you to Buddhism?
    In other words what 'karmic' events (happenings in your life) lead you to the Dharma ?

    No karmic events. The logic of it appealed to me. As a kid, I thought belief in a Supreme Deity, the bearded guy in the sky, etc., was an odd type of adult make-believe. Buddhism didn't have that. It made a lot more sense: the 4 Noble Truths, and the 8-fold Path. It appealed instantly.

    WalkersilverShoshin
  • nakazcidnakazcid Somewhere in Dixie, y'all Veteran

    Actually, I got curious about Buddhism by reading a book by a militant atheist. While Sam Harris excoriated just about every religion, he had a good bit of praise for Buddhism and its meditation practices. Following up on that led me to a local Tibetan sangha, and then to refuge vows.

    ShoshinInvincible_summer
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited July 2015

    long story. But in short I encountered writings that were meaningful to me even at an early age. not all Buddhist or directed from a particular lineage. Then when the shit really hit the fan and I had my first psychotic break I got pretty serious about it as hoping for relief. It all seemed to work out. The qualities I needed to be serious and inquisitive came out as in I didn't just say 'this is lame' or that is to say that I had some quality to persist.

    in short I prioritized my dharma experience ahead of other things and it stayed in my life.

    Shoshinlobsterhow
  • RodrigoRodrigo São Paulo, Brazil Veteran

    @Shoshin said:
    What brought you to Buddhism?

    Suffering =)

    ShoshinbookwormNerima
  • bookwormbookworm U.S.A. Veteran

    I read the word Buddhism on the internet.

    ShoshinInvincible_summer
  • ZenshinZenshin Veteran East Midlands UK Veteran

    I was relapsing into Schizophrenia and was searching for a way to help calm my mind down so like @Rodrigo suffering. I like what I found and have stuck with meditation for four years long after I recovered from my psychotic episode.

    lobsterShoshinsilverInvincible_summer
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    It was my mother's fault. She MADE me do it.

    rootsInvincible_summerlobsterVastmind
  • Suffering.

    Shoshin
  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    What brought me to Buddhism?
    The realization that Dukkha is what it is and will never change, but it is up to me to change my attitude about it.
    And Buddhadharma simply presented me with the best recipe to learn acceptance and equanimity, the key elements to grapple with dukkha.

    ShoshinEarthninjaVastmindgundicus
  • rootsroots Veteran

    I just want to grow the #$@^ up.

    silverEarthninja
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    @roots said:
    I just want to grow the #$@^ up.

    I'm hoping to prevent that at all costs, in all manner of ways..... ;)

    But I get your point.
    'Child-like' does NOT equal 'childISH'.....

    bookwormrootslobstersilver
  • rootsroots Veteran

    @federica said:
    'Child-like' does NOT equal 'childISH'.....

    Thanks for understanding :waving: .

    lobster
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @roots said:
    I just want to grow the #$@^ up.

    "I" never want to grow the #$@^ up.... :lol:

    rootssilver
  • rohitrohit Maharrashtra Veteran
    edited July 2015

    Even if we may have all powers of this world , we can not control our happiness without mastering own mind. And i was always reluctant to believe God therefore it brought me near to try to practice Buddhism .

    Shoshingundicus
  • 0student00student0 Explorer

    I hit rock bottom a couple of years back and to get some relief I started meditating and exercising. I never went very deep into the dogma of Buddhism.
    Later I read some books by Tolstoy and that completely changed my perspective on Christianity. From then on I got more interested in religion and spiritually.
    In therapy, a lot of advice seemed to point to Buddhist practice (meditation, "observe your thoughts", etc). And after watching a few videos by Eckhart Tolle, I started to get a hunch that there's something more to Buddhism than I thought at first.
    Every now and then I watch documentaries and lectures on Buddhism and I try to keep practicing meditation, but yeah, that's where I'm at right now.

    Mahhlerroots
  • ajhayesajhayes Pema Jinpa Dorje Northern Michigan Veteran

    @Cinorjer said:

    That's fantastic! I was at Camp Castle, a tiny little blip near Camp Casey! I loved Korea and am hoping to go back as soon as possible.

    Cinorjer
  • @ajhayes said:
    That's fantastic! I was at Camp Castle, a tiny little blip near Camp Casey! I loved Korea and am hoping to go back as soon as possible.

    If you get a chance next time you're there, make the trip to see the Suekgarum Buddha, a wonderful ancient statue inside a small cave that faces the East. Stay at an inn at the town and arrange to be taken up there along with other pilgrims to see the sunrise spear in and light it up. One of my spiritual experiences.

    ajhayes
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran
    edited July 2015

    It would seem that the potential for learning is ever-present and when a person is ready to learn, they will be able to find that potential.

    As the following proverb highlights......

    "When the student is ready-the teacher will appear !"

    Nerimarootsl-maria
  • ajhayesajhayes Pema Jinpa Dorje Northern Michigan Veteran

    @lobster said:
    I blame Superman.

    Guys, it is very interesting to read your stories and the direct relationship to Dukkha.

    For me however, one inspiration was a friends brother who bought imported superhero comics, which were third hand lent to me. Ah to save people from disaster, Lex Luther types and other calamities. To be a superhero. Surely this is just an eight year olds heroic Bodhisattva?

    Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it is a Mahayanist ... :3

    ...I assume you're all wondering why I have gathered you here.

    It's time to kill superman!

    lobster
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