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It's kind of been on my mind lately
Can anyone say that they are buddhist?
I mean, ever since i've been introduced to buddhism i've fallen in love with it, I find it as a very peaceful life and when someone asks me "What religion are you?" i'm not quite sure what to answer.
I mean, ever since i've been introduced to buddhism i've fallen in love with it, I find it as a very peaceful life and when someone asks me "What religion are you?" i'm not quite sure what to answer.
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I mean, what do they want to know. ask them their definition of religion...what they want to know.....etc, ....you know..what's your definition of religion..
you could answer that question a million different ways depending on the situation...maybe you're a buddhist, but are you sure? never. maybe that question is invalid
I am a buddhist, but i'm not a buddhist....maybe you should say, you're religion is..
human-beingism...,
or they want to know which set of commonly accepted lies you follow..
Anyone can say anything they want to.
There are no canonical criteria for who is and isn't a Buddhist. People have often suggested that I'm not really a Buddhist. It doesn't bother me. I follow the Buddha's teachings in order to end suffering, not in order to look like a Buddhist.
Greetings Cameran, I noticed you recently and in the "newbies" thread and guess we arrived here at about the same time.
I think your question is bound up somewhat with what we mean exactly when we use the word "religion", which as of late has become a profoundly negative word, at least here in America. What most people don't seem to understand is that the word "religion" is derived from the Latin word religio which means "to re-link" or "to re-connect". As I see it this means to reconnect to what is most important. That means that in the truest sense, to call your mother on Mothers Day or spend time with your children is a "religious" activity. Again, most people have this strange idea that "religion" is something tha happens in a spacific building with a spacific group of people on a spacific day of the week using a spacific book...and this is incorrect in my view.
When someone asks me what is my "religion" I generally just say that I'm a Buddhist for the sake of simplicity. I will sometimes describe myself as "one who follows the Dharma". I like that one because it often gets people to ask me what that means, which always results in an interesting conversation.:)
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
How are you doing?
Well, I only recently started calling myself buddhist. I thought it was too pure and wonderful a title for me to deserve it but I am a mortal and I'm as good as I can be in that I really try to be good, compassionate, non egotistical etc.
It's whatever you feel comfortable with!
I was born and raised a Christian but I never thought it would be my religion for life. Buddhism, on the other hand, is definitely going to be my last.
There just isn't a single answer because it isn't a single question for those of us who are not part of a recognised 'congregation'.
turned out to be no problem, muslims/christians/catholics anyone can attend this school.
but it does make you think, when asked, am I coming of as religious loser- like when Ned Flanders calls himself a Christian-there are some "nerdy" and "weirdo" connotations-however nowadays I no longer care.
cheers
Since I have taken the precepts and accept the triple gem as a guiding principle for my practice, does that make me a "Buddhist?" Not necessarily so, for I do not belong to any recognized lineage or formalized sangha. Our local sangha is eclectic and leader-free. There is no guru, no roshi, no priest, and thus no cult of personality! Exactly the way I prefer it to be. If one finds a sangha from an established tradition which fits, that's wonderful, but it doesn't make such a person a Buddhist anymore than it turns me into a non-Buddhist.
I call myself a Buddhist because that is what I am.
~nomad
Belief in such things is not a requirement of Buddhism. The Buddha certainly didn't require it, and he pointed out that although such views may cause one to act morally, they are based in mere speculation and do not lead one to the quenching of suffering, which is what He taught.
One example of the Buddha pointing this out can be found in the Maha Cattarisaka Sutta, MN 117, which can be found at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.117.than.html .
When you find proof in your heart & mind about what is suffering, its cause, freedom from suffering and its cause, you will be Buddhist or awake.
In Buddhism, the practical substitute is the word dharma. This is derived from the meaning "to support, to maintain, to uphold". So dharma is that which supports or maintains life.
For example, our work, our relationships, our knowledge & skills, our spiritual practice, the environment, the Nirvana element, the Buddhist teachings, our eyes, ears, nose, body, mind, intenstines, etc, etc, etc, are things that support and maintain our life and mind. Without them, our life would die or be troubled.
So the word dhamma is much more accurate, meaningful & practical than the word religion.
If we read the Buddhist scriptures, we will learn the Buddha called his religion 'this Dhamma-Vinaya'.
We will learn when various sectarians met eachother, they would ask eachother the question: "To whose dhamma do you profess?".
I would point out that the Buddha denied the existance of an immortal/immaterial "soul" (atman) and therefore reincarnation is not a part of Buddhist belief, teaching or doctrine unless you happen to be from Tibet.
However, Buddha separated his teachings into two kinds: mundane truth and supramundane truth.
Buddha taught belief in rebirth sides with merit (but is connected to becoming and defilement). It promotes morality in those who believe it plus its doctrine accords with the laws of kamma. That is, unenlightened action today will bear a result in 'the future'. Siding with morality means it protects adherents from self-harm.
For instance ... If a random person on the street or someone at work asked me what religion i am - id tell them '' hindu'' ... its a simple word that for most people will conjure up basic images of gods and temples and women in saris... .it by no means comes close to explaining my beliefs but then the complexities of it for most people in a simple conversation would either be way over their heads or just too much information...
it gets the idea over that - despite my western looks - i dont subscribe to western thinking or ideals and sometimes thats enough for me...
Other times Ill say im a follower of Sanatana Dharma - '' universal truth or path or teaching'' ... its what some people believe is the ''correct '' name for Hindus... ( the word Hindu orginally described the inhabitants of the Indus area... and many Hindus dont like using it - but it does have the convenience of being short and simple
To other Hindus im a Vaishnavah - a follower of Vishnu/ Krishna...
I guess id also describe myself as a Buddhist too...I read and follow the teachings of Buddha and believe he reached enlightenment and liberation from Samsara... I do believe in an eternal soul / atman as well as a creational life force that has many faces ( I dont like using the word God ) ... does that make me Tibetan Buddhist or not Buddhist at all ? I really have no idea...
I think if a person on the street really asked me Id say Buddhist Hindu... my faith is a mix of the two - kind of the way it is in Nepal...
Definitions like that though really are - i think more for the benefit of other people that the person being asked to define themselves in a religious context... faith and belief are so complex that when you think about it - trying to contain it all in a single word - seems quite silly....
you are whatever you believe yourself to be...
It is not really possible to "combine" Buddhism and Hinduism and remain in any meaningful way orthodox to either...like being a "Muslim Christian", it just doesn't work.
Personally I reckon we can be Buddhists even if we've hardly heard any of Buddha's teachings, so long as we've heard some and acted on what we heard.
However, the day 'I' realised 'I' was a Buddhist, it was a great shedding of ignorance.
To acknowledge one is a follower of the Buddha's teachings is cool.
Now I come to think of it, that's a real pity and it actually says lots about my values and insecurities I guess.
For myself, I rarely tell anyone I am a Buddhist. Usually, it simply does not feel appropriate.
Two nights ago I met a Christian woman alone on our beach and we spent an hour or two talking about her life and matters very important to her.
Whilst she was impressed by my understanding of the Bible and extremely grateful for the practical knowledge I had to share, I mentioned often I was not a Christian and did not mention once I was a Buddhist.
(We live in a small rather liberal community, with a strong drug culture).
There was no reason to say I was a Buddhist.