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Greetings from Sangmu
Hello Everyone,
I am a new member (12-29-07). What a way to begin the new year!
Briefly, by way of introduction, I am a 70 year old female U.S. citizen who retired permanently to the Republic of Panamá in April 2007. I have been a "student" of religions and philosophies for many years. As a child I was indoctrinated into fundamentalist Christianity but, as an adult, I realized that it is not The One. Buddhism makes more sense to me than any of them.
I have been reading your forums here and it looks like a very good place to interact and to learn. Recently I took refuge, though not in any formal way. I suppose that is enough for now.
I greatly feel the need to be a part of the sangha. Since I live in a rather remote area in a predominately Roman Catholic country, that is not possible for me. Fundamentalist Protestantism is also making inroads here.
My name, Sangmu, comes from a search on Google for baby names. The name is apparently popular for baby girls among the Sherpas in Nepal/Tibet and it means, "the kind hearted one". This is a personality trait to which I aspire.
So, that's it for now. I will create an avatar later and fill in my profile.
Wishing all a good day.
Sangmu
I am a new member (12-29-07). What a way to begin the new year!
Briefly, by way of introduction, I am a 70 year old female U.S. citizen who retired permanently to the Republic of Panamá in April 2007. I have been a "student" of religions and philosophies for many years. As a child I was indoctrinated into fundamentalist Christianity but, as an adult, I realized that it is not The One. Buddhism makes more sense to me than any of them.
I have been reading your forums here and it looks like a very good place to interact and to learn. Recently I took refuge, though not in any formal way. I suppose that is enough for now.
I greatly feel the need to be a part of the sangha. Since I live in a rather remote area in a predominately Roman Catholic country, that is not possible for me. Fundamentalist Protestantism is also making inroads here.
My name, Sangmu, comes from a search on Google for baby names. The name is apparently popular for baby girls among the Sherpas in Nepal/Tibet and it means, "the kind hearted one". This is a personality trait to which I aspire.
So, that's it for now. I will create an avatar later and fill in my profile.
Wishing all a good day.
Sangmu
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Comments
It's wonderul to have you with us, and we're very happy to see you aboard.
we offer tea, biscuits and hospitality to all who come in and on top of that, there's no washing up.
Though the toaster might need emptying of breadcrumbs now and then....!
namaste and metta to you!!
hey everyone, we finally have a wonderful grandma!!
How lucky are WE!!??
Thanks for your warm welcome. I'm certain I'll soon be making myself right at home here.
Federica, I think our toasters may be a matched set. Mine has crumbs too. And raisins...from toasting raisin bread.
Small world...I spent my teen years growing up in Pontiac and Waterford Twp. I even lived out Grand River Ave. in Redford Twp. in the early 70's. Just a few years before you were born.
Simon, thank you, too, for the welcome. I have been enjoying your website today.
I have not had an opportunity to look at profiles of the members; are there many of us "elders"? Funny. We equate "elders" with knowledgeable and wise persons. I don't think I can qualify.
Welcome to NewBuddhist! It's lovely to meet you. Lovely name you chose, too!
I too come from a RC background having been born and raised as such. I had a heavy infulence during my adult life too, having gone to a convent school, been married in an RC church (full nuptual mass) and having participated as a school governor at the RC school my girls attended....
But for my part, I cannot in all honesty term it an indoctrination as such. not with malicious controlling motives (although some of the nuns....!!) but the upbringing was in evidence, all the time.
I too moved away as I found it did not sit well with me, and began my Buddhist studies nearly 20 years ago, but Took Refuge (much as you did) in 2002....
I live in the Town of St Albans, a stone's throw from the imposing and handsome abbey dedicated to that eponymous saint... (I keep telling tourists armed with fancy cameras that it's just a plastic replica - the real one is in Ugglebarnby....!)
Incidentally Simon, (although knowing you, it's possible you will already know this!)
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert (Alexander Kennedy) Runcie, is buried in the cemetery/grounds of the Abbey, having been Bishop of St Albans from 1970 to 1980. He was born in 1921 (as was my father - there, the similarity ends!)
I mention it because recently a programme on TV said that all Archbishops of Canterbury are buried there, and I thought "No they're not....!"
Hello, Brigid. It is a pleasure to meet you too. Yes, I think the name is pretty. I very often peruse baby name books to find a suitable name for my online persona.
Namaste,
Sangmu
Well, I, in all honesty, must confess that I believe all revealed religions have "malicious controlling motives" and it was really kicked into high gear when Emperor Constantine crawled into bed with the Church. It was a way to control the masses of people. It is why some of us in the U.S. fight tooth and nail for separation of Church and State. Now that our Constitution is being systematically dismantled, we'll probably lose that one too. As far as the nuns in your childhood are concerned, it is the natural order of a male-dominated society or institution. The pecking order. I see it here in Panama where domestic violence is a great problem. Daddy beats up Mama; Mama hits the kids; The Kids kick the dog and/or the cat. (This is a generalization, of course, but there is more truth than fiction to it.)
St. Albans...I know where that is. I lived in England from 1955-1958. Northants, Cheshire, and Kent. A young US Air Force bride. So...now I know where Verulamium is. Wickipedia is such a wonderful learning tool!
Wishing you a glorious day....
Sangmu
LOL! I saw that Time Team or whatever it was, too, and was not convinced!!! "Cantuars" are buried in all sorts of places and nobody knows where the bones of Thomas Becket were scattered. I didn't know that Runcie was planted in Verulam. He was a nice man and, coincidentally, went to the same Oxford college as I did. Unfortunately, so did David Cameron, I believe.
Happy New Year all! Insh'ullah I shall have a DSL connection early next year again so shall come and make a nuisance of myself again then.
BTW, as I'm well off-topic here, has anyone else read Karen Armstrong's The Great Transformation?
Thanks and the same to you!
See ya around...........
I don't think it's that necessary to have taken the refuges in an 'official' way. I'm not even sure how one would go about doing that.
BTW, the Sang in Sangmu may come from the same word as Sangye, which is Tibetan for Buddha. Sang in this case means "awake". Or maybe not!
Palzang
Thanks for the welcome. I have not been on here very much this week either although I have not been doing monkly things.
Wonderful work you are doing there with the dog rescue facility. (I love doggies...well, all animals really.)
That's interesting, the alternative meaning for "Sang". As I mentioned in my initial post on this thread, I chose it from a list of baby girl names.
Nice to meet you and I hope you have a great year!
Sangmu
DITTO, SANGMU! Good to hear you, young lady!
Or maybe not???? What then, Palzang, does the "Sing" in Sing Sing mean? Answer that question without reference to Ossining, as your penalty for confusing me and Jehovah knows who else.
May everybody's New Year be blessed with further awakening and less confusion!
Nirvy
So there.
I only said the sang in Sangmu may not be the same as the sang in Sangye because it is nearly impossible to tell how a Tibetan word is spelled just from the way it is transliterated, so it may not even be the same word. I'm also not sure if the Sherpas speak Tibetan or a dialect thereof or what, though I think it's at least a form of Tibetan.
Palzang