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looking for some points of view

letsgodowntherabbithletsgodowntherabbith
edited November 2009 in Meditation
Ok, this is my frist post here. I have a short story that is relevent to my question. I have spent the past 4 years of my life just apathetic about religion. I spent the prior 4 years to that inside a cult. I'm 22 and so that is a nice chunk of my life. My wife recently started reading buddhist material and suggested that I read a certain book, The Art of Happiness. Since then I have found these forums with her help and have set aside some time the past two days to some meditation. The whole thing just sort of makes sense to me, and it's filling something in my life that I have felt I was missing. That being said, I'm not sure I want to subscribe to any sort of religion but I enjoy the changes my little contact with meditation and Buddhism (if that is the proper word) have brought to my life. Am I able to find any teachings on meditation that wont lead to a religion? If so, where can I find these? I hope not to offend anyone with this post, but I'm not going to get anywhere if I'm not strictly honest about my thoughts. I hope to find help here.

Comments

  • ValtielValtiel Veteran
    edited November 2009
    What the Buddha taught was not religion. He never used the word "Buddhism." In his words: “I teach only suffering and the path of release from suffering.” It has been turned into a religion by many, with dogma and rituals and such... this is perfectly ok, if it's what you're after. But you can also learn what the Buddha taught without becoming a "Buddhist" or taking on any of these things. The Buddha's teachings were simple truth, timeless and universal, and much of what you've heard is likely misconception and add-on.

    If you are mostly interested in meditation, then you can probably find local meditation classes. If you're interested in exploring the Buddha's teachings and meditation a bit more, you might consider a zen centre, in which practise focuses around meditation and direct insight.

    Meditation from a Buddhist perspective... well, I would suggest going directly to the suttas: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118.than.html (a discourse in which the Buddha teaches Mindfulness with Breathing meditation). I would also highly recommend watching this video that discusses this sutta and proper meditation practice, and how it will help you: http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=-3529760254352711693# <- this is probably one of the best meditation talks I've seen.

    Good luck. :)
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited November 2009
    letsgodowntherabbithole wrote: »
    Am I able to find any teachings on meditation that wont lead to a religion? If so, where can I find these?
    Rabbit, if I understand what you mean by religion, I came to my practice from a very similar perspective. My teacher takes a nonauthoritarian, largely non-ritualistic approach which you are likely to find appealing. Buddhism in a Nutshell gives an overview of the perspective he starts from. Most of his teachings can be found in his podcasts, but I would also recommend his book for a coherent overview of how it fits together.
    letsgodowntherabbithole wrote: »
    I hope not to offend anyone with this post, but I'm not going to get anywhere if I'm not strictly honest about my thoughts. I hope to find help here.
    If you offend a Buddhist, you're doing them a favor. You can probably find help here.
  • 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
    edited November 2009
    Welcome.

    I can fully understand your 'resistance' to any form of formalised religion.
    to many, Buddhism is a religion, to others it's a philosophy, yet again, others question any labels at all.
    In short, what you'll find here, is whatever you choose to call it.
    As o0Mundus pointed out, the Buddha didn't teach Buddhism. He wasn't Buddhist. We call ourselves that, because at least, we have to call ourselves something!

    I'd rather call you Alice, it's shorter.....:p :D

    But that's not your name, and neither is your Forum title... so feel free to be liberal with how you term what you learn.

    I hope you enjoy your time here.
    Thank you for taking your time to join us.
    I'm grateful for your positive continuation on your path.
    Good for you.


    :)
  • letsgodowntherabbithletsgodowntherabbith
    edited November 2009
    oh, by all means call whatever you like. Alice is something I get called a lot online, also White, or white rabbit. Forums are a hobby of mine. I use the same name every place though, except for my "family's" blog, I go by ugly then. in order for that to make sense you would have to check my blog, pm me if you want the url. I don't know that this is the place to promote my blog. anywho, I'm so excited at the response I got so far. I am going to grab some lunch and watch that video posted above. I think I'm here to stay, thats for sure
  • Inji-gyoInji-gyo
    edited November 2009
    letsgodowntherabbithole wrote: »
    The whole thing just sort of makes sense to me, and it's filling something in my life that I have felt I was missing.

    If there is something missing in your life, rather than fill it in, examine that hole and why it is there. Through skillful examination you may find that the hole has filled itself.
  • 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
    edited November 2009
    Now that's deep.

    Inji-gyo.

    or the hole.


    Take your pick! :D
  • DhammaDhatuDhammaDhatu Veteran
    edited November 2009
    letsgodowntherabbithole wrote: »
    That being said, I'm not sure I want to subscribe to any sort of religion but I enjoy the changes my little contact with meditation and Buddhism (if that is the proper word) have brought to my life. Am I able to find any teachings on meditation that wont lead to a religion?
    Welcome L.G.

    Many Buddhists and many of us subscribe to 'non-religious' Buddhism.

    Your post is not offensive but to the contrary enlightening.

    There are so many 'non-religious' Buddhist resources, where to start depends on what you are looking for.

    You may look here: http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/

    Try the titles that sound like simple introductions rather than serious, like The Basic Method of Meditation, Attending to the Here & Now, Benefits of Learning Meditation, The Eightfold Path in Practical Terms, etc.

    Kind regards

    DDhatu

    :)
  • Inji-gyoInji-gyo
    edited November 2009
    federica wrote: »
    Now that's deep.

    Inji-gyo.

    or the hole.


    Take your pick! :D


    It's a deep hole, never holy but at least it's whole.
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited November 2009
    Hiya, Rabbit.

    Welcome to the site! I'm sure you'll love it here. We're a pretty friendly bunch.

    I don't go in for all that religious stuff either so I can understand where you're coming from, as can so many of us on this forum. You've already received some great stuff to get started so I won't overwhelm you with more. Just wanted to welcome you and wish you peace and joy. :)
  • ThoughtOfThoughtThoughtOfThought
    edited November 2009
    Take what is useful to you, and forget about the rest. :)
  • AllbuddhaBoundAllbuddhaBound Veteran
    edited November 2009
    letsgodowntherabbithole wrote: »
    Ok, this is my frist post here. I have a short story that is relevent to my question. I have spent the past 4 years of my life just apathetic about religion. I spent the prior 4 years to that inside a cult. I'm 22 and so that is a nice chunk of my life. My wife recently started reading buddhist material and suggested that I read a certain book, The Art of Happiness. Since then I have found these forums with her help and have set aside some time the past two days to some meditation. The whole thing just sort of makes sense to me, and it's filling something in my life that I have felt I was missing. That being said, I'm not sure I want to subscribe to any sort of religion but I enjoy the changes my little contact with meditation and Buddhism (if that is the proper word) have brought to my life. Am I able to find any teachings on meditation that wont lead to a religion? If so, where can I find these? I hope not to offend anyone with this post, but I'm not going to get anywhere if I'm not strictly honest about my thoughts. I hope to find help here.

    There are a some great resources that I know can help. They deal with acceptance, mindfulness and awareness, but there is no religious rhetoric used with them since they are utilized in treatment and as a consequence, religion is pretty much taboo:

    "The Happiness Trap" by Russ Harris I highly recommend. An extremely easy read.
    "Get Out Of Your Mind and Into Your Life" by Steven Hayes (psychological workbook) Exercises to help with Mindfulness.
    "Loving What Is" by Byron Katie. Another simple read with amazing results.
    "Full Catastrophe Living" by John Kabat-Zinn. A great workbook with several ideas.
    "Coming To Our Senses" by John Kabat-Zinn. A classic.
    "The Mindful Way Through Depression" by Williams, Teasdale, Segal and Kabat-Zinn. Guided meditations and great insight.

    Many Buddhist and Taoist teachings have been incorporated into medical treatment and religion would not be welcomed in that vein.

    Namaste
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