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Would like to go to a temple, but...
Ok, so I would like to go to a temple, but the one closest to my town is a 2-hr drive on the freeway away, and I'm 14, and can't drive!! :banghead:
The option is to take the bus or the train, but my allowance is about 150 SEK (1$=7,89SEK)!!!
What should I do???
The option is to take the bus or the train, but my allowance is about 150 SEK (1$=7,89SEK)!!!
What should I do???
0
Comments
Is this something that's not being supported by the parents?
I don't think my friends would be very interested, they're kind of religous (though I haven't asked them), besides in Sweden you aren't allowed to drive until you're 18, and none of them that old... I don't think it would be a very good idea to ask mom or dad to drive me, you see they are getting divorced and the car belongs to dad who's an atheist and thinks everything religous is "Mumbo Jumbo", mum who is very spiritual thinks I shouldn't get "stuck up" with anything, sometimes I feel like she is smothering me, she keeps drowning me in books on meditation and books on her belief :sadc:. Though she's still the one more likely of them to drive me, even I'm not sure if dad will let her borrow the car, their divorce isn't very...peaceful...
Well, I just wanna say I appreciate your advice, I'll try to get my best friend to go with me (she's kind of an atheist but supporting in a way my dad isn't) and I'll save up so I can get a bus ticket or something :smilec: Tack så mycket!! Hehe....
//Madeleine
That's sad. I'm an atheist, too, and I do think a lot of religious stuff is Mumbo Jumbo -however, I find that Buddhism even has room for skeptical atheists like myself. Obviously, some branches of Buddhism seem really far out there to me, but that doesn't mean that I can't be a different kind of Buddhist. Nor does it mean that I can't learn from Buddhists who believe in deities, reincarnation, or karma in that saving-up-for-the-next-life kind of way. Maybe your dad has only heard about the more mystical types of Buddhism. I know a lot of people think that we're all Tibetan Buddhists or something. Even if you do hold more mystical beliefs, it might help for him to know that there is a lot to Buddhism that he might really approve of. Personally, I think Buddhism is a great "religion" for us atheists since it demands that we think for ourselves and consider the consequences of our actions, without fussing too much on things we probably will never know for sure (like gods, death, etc.).
You are having a hard time at the moment. I do feel for you.
In some ways, a hard time is exactly when most of us discovered Buddhism. Gautama, the Buddha who taught in India, often compared himself to a physician who brought the medicine for people's ills.
You and I are at the two ends of the community of drivers. Having lost all my money, I have no car and so I cannot travel freely either (plus I have a 15 year-old son and I refuse to drag him along to my 'hobbies'). One of my friends goes, occasionally, to a Quaker Meeting in a neighbouring town. I sometimes go along too. It is an hour of silence. No need to be a member or to focus on 'Jesus'. Mind you, we get very few people 'moved by the Spirit' to speak, which is a relief. Being at least marginally Christian, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) make a good compromise when family pressure is around.
Buddhism is a perfect vehicle for the atheist or the deist, although theists often have a bit of a problem. The late Pope, JP2, didn't even consider Buddhism to fall within the definition of a 'religion'.
If your mother is swamping you with books, you might consider finding one or, possibly, two of them and tell her you are really going to study them. Alternatively, you could look at all the books on Buddhism that all we over-educated people have recommended and ask her to get you one of those. Become "pro-active".
There is a Dzogchen saying (Tibetan Tantric Buddhism) by which I try to live:
Trust me, you don't need temples. Use your heart as your guide, for itself contains your Buddha-nature from within. All you need, is either a good book, or a good teacher. I use good book, cause I don't have a teacher. But if all fails, use your heart to guide you.
If its teachings you're searching for here's a great site............
http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.shtml
You can even ask the monks questions there and they will get back to you quickly.:)
There's LOTS of stuff ther as well as free books to read online.
You can listen to teachings too if you get fed up of reading all the teachings.
Good luck.
Much love Jess :om: