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new to buddhism, question!
hello there! i really love this forum and i decided to convert to buddhism for the new year. i have a few questions. because the nature of all things is impermanence and we cannot relish in impermanence, does that mean we can't be...(for lack of a better way to put it) happy? are you supposed to sort of brush it off and be like "eh i'm happy but its not gonna last so what's the use?"
another question, is optimism counterproductive? i'm a very optimistic person, and i was wondering if it was bad to be optimistic as a buddhist?
thanks in advance...i'm sre this question will be one in a series of many haha.:D
another question, is optimism counterproductive? i'm a very optimistic person, and i was wondering if it was bad to be optimistic as a buddhist?
thanks in advance...i'm sre this question will be one in a series of many haha.:D
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I think it may be a bit premature, and unnecessary, to be talking of converting to Buddhism at this time. You don't need to be a card-carrying Buddhist to attend classes or ceremonies at a temple or Buddhist centre, or to participate on this forum. You can check out Buddhanet to find a centre near you. You might even want to check out a couple of different temples and traditions, chat with some of the monks/ nuns, attend a meditation class or two, and see how you like it!
A lot of people do get the impression that Buddhism is a depressing religion, and I can understand why. Teachings on impermanence, equanimity and "life is suffering" can easily be misconstrued as advocating that we transform ourselves into unfeeling robots. But this is not really the case.
Most of the things that people rely upon to make us happy are transient and unreliable. The ecstasy of your favourite sports team winning a championship will certainly be replaced by disappointment, your top-of-the-line new computer will be obsolete in less than a year, etc. True and lasting happiness is therefore not dependent on external circumstances. The well-trained mind can be content and at ease in any situation. That's probably why brain researchers have dubbed a Tibetan lama and long-time meditator the happiest man in the world!
Of course, it's also important to remember that all things are impermanent so that we don't become attached to them. When you do that, you can enjoy them for what they are.
The one thing that we find as Buddhists is that when you start to care about others you don't really have time to worry about your little old self much anymore, so you tend to be happier. Helping others can be the source of much happiness. Taking the bodhisattva vow to help all sentient beings achieve liberation, then, is the source of boundless happiness, not just for oneself, but for all beings.
As for more questions, ask away!
Palzang
and i've chosen the theravada way as a basis for my study; i was wondering if meditation could be done any other ways to calm the mind? like more observing your thoughts than trying to do away with them and focus on breathing?
She says to not try and do away with your thoughts...Just watch them go by like clouds floating by in the sky. When you have thoughts come up just label them "thinking" and then let the thought go. If another one comes up label it "thinking" and then let it go etc....
She explains it so well.......
Palzang
You might also want to check out the book my teacher wrote about meditation. She's an American, so the way she explains things is easy for us to understand. The book is called Stabilizing the Mind and is available here at a very reasonable price ($13.82) or you can download it for $3.00. How can you beat that?! You can find many other teachings by her and other lamas here.
Palzang
my only challenge now is time organization. i like to try to fit lots of things into a single day, so i have to sort of reorganize my day to include daily meditations and more exercise!
As ever, it is a question of priorities. When we have persuaded ourselves that our sitting practice is at the top of the list, it becomes our 'line of least resistance'. On a purely practical front, having meditation as our number one priority puts all the rest of our activity falls into place.
One of my early teachers said something that has meant a lot to me. He 'threw away' a comment that the Four Noble Truths could be summed up as a Q&A: "Is your life painful? The answer lies in how you live, day by day and minute by minute. There is a way out of the experience of pain: live differently. The choice is ours." Although a 'cradle Buddhist' he quotes the Tanakh to us: "I set before you Life and Death. Choose Life" (Deut. 30)
The choice is ours.
its so funny that you put that because just as i began to feel frustrated and angry ad have a little "temper tantrum" as i call it, i took a breath, calmed down and stepped back. why don't i ever have time to meditate? and i looked at the honest answer which is that i ALWAYS put school work and chores and trying to get all these other things done first.
the same applies for everything else that i want to do but never have time to :rolleyes:. i simply have to rearrange my priorities and it will fall into place.
thank you, again, so many times. this forum is like a gigantic, wise brain haha.
It's the same with everything, as you said.
Imagine yourself as a stream flowing downhill. You will take the easiest way down the slope, drawn by gravity and heading towards wider waters and, ultimately, the sea. You water the surrounding territory. If you want those waters to be productive, you may decide to dig irrigation ditches. You will also manage the stream so that, when it floods, as it will when the snows melt, it does not destroy everything around it.
Digging a new course for the stream may take some time and effort. It will need daily attention until it is complete. At first, the half-finished ditches may seem to make things worse: the ground gets soggy and difficult. But, if we persevere, the stream wil flow mnaturally along the new channels.
That is 'brain plasticity'. That is what a practice enables.
But we are going to get wet, muddy, tired and discouraged sometimes until the work is done - if it ever is. And the example of those who have gone before us and succeeded give us hints and hope.