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Wisedom (and forgive my english
Hi, I just want to say hi, as the forum title (or subtitle) says. I am a chilean guy who is living in San Jose, California by now. I have been an atheist since i was 18, basically because i started to read the Bible "seriously" and "completely" and i realized that God, if exists, is not in the Bible, nor Christianity. I founded that many stories of the Old Testament was awful, there is so many war, death, vengeance and hate in God's heart... I thought that God shouldn't be like that, simply as that. That book was written by men, and not the better and wiser men... I also got involved in a very scientific and rational way of watching the universe that surrounds me, and i found that the universe is extraordinarily complex, beautiful sometimes, awful sometimes... but after all, i've learned to love Nature, and admire it. I always wanted to know everything i could about the universe, the laws that rule it, and how it works. I've learned about Einstein's relativity, quantum physics, chaos theory, etc, seeking for a knowledge about that Nature which became my "God". Good sometimes, bad sometimes. Beautiful and awful. It doesn't care about us, but we are part of it, so we can change it. I've learned to understand the universe, the living beings, people. I stopped hating people, because i understood what they were: living beings, good sometimes, bad sometimes. I felt really happy about that in that time.
I've never got into other religion and i always thought that i would be atheist for the rest of my life. But all the knowledge i've got about universe doesn't helped me to avoid sadness and confusion. I passed by really hard moments, that still hurts me when i remember them. One day (about a month ago), navigating on the net (i'm kinda geek, by the way) i started to read about Buddhism, and i get completely shocked with the idea of "desire as the cause of all pain" Wow! it was so right! I never thought about something like that! I read "The sermon at Benares", and that was it, i get completely hooked with Buddha. I never thought that i would found a religion so wise. Then I realized that buddhism don't worship any god, its only about being more wise, happy, and peaceful. I thought wow! thats a religion for me!. I started to read about meditation, and i realized that is something absolutely wonderful, so human, so natural... and so difficult, like a "extreme mind sport". I always wanted to get the Truth, and I found a lot of it in science. And I realized that science is only about the Universe that surrounds me, but what about ME?
Now i think i am ready to try really get into Buddhism. I wanted to know if there is some Buddhist church or place or people that i could meet to learn more about Buddha and Buddhism in the Bay Area, so i registered in this page and wrote this message, with the hope of a possitive response...
Well, that's my story 'til now... I just wanted to say hi...
Greetings.
Ivo
I've never got into other religion and i always thought that i would be atheist for the rest of my life. But all the knowledge i've got about universe doesn't helped me to avoid sadness and confusion. I passed by really hard moments, that still hurts me when i remember them. One day (about a month ago), navigating on the net (i'm kinda geek, by the way) i started to read about Buddhism, and i get completely shocked with the idea of "desire as the cause of all pain" Wow! it was so right! I never thought about something like that! I read "The sermon at Benares", and that was it, i get completely hooked with Buddha. I never thought that i would found a religion so wise. Then I realized that buddhism don't worship any god, its only about being more wise, happy, and peaceful. I thought wow! thats a religion for me!. I started to read about meditation, and i realized that is something absolutely wonderful, so human, so natural... and so difficult, like a "extreme mind sport". I always wanted to get the Truth, and I found a lot of it in science. And I realized that science is only about the Universe that surrounds me, but what about ME?
Now i think i am ready to try really get into Buddhism. I wanted to know if there is some Buddhist church or place or people that i could meet to learn more about Buddha and Buddhism in the Bay Area, so i registered in this page and wrote this message, with the hope of a possitive response...
Well, that's my story 'til now... I just wanted to say hi...
Greetings.
Ivo
0
Comments
Welcome to these boards. They are a wonderful place to learn more, not just about Buddhism!
I agree with you 110% about the Bible. Anyone who reads it with any sort of objectivity must be disgusted by the behaviour of this nasty tribal deity, Yhwh, who clearly suffered from delusions of grandeur!
You may be interested to know (or may already know!) that, in the early days of Christianity, there was a strong movement to exclude the 'Old Testament' from the Christian scriptures, with the excpetion of the Psalms and the Song of Solomon. I believe we would have been far better off if this had been the outcome. We would also have ditched that load of psychotic nonsense, the book called "Revelations".
I'm new here too, and have found everyone to be a great help. You can ask anything and get an answer.
Welcome
Fee
There are loads of Buddhist centers and temples around the bay area. California is the mecca (excuse the pun) for Buddhists in America, it seems. I'd check out Quiet Mountain (www.quietmountain.org, I think) or Shambhala (www.shambhala.org) or just do a Google on Buddhist and San Francisco. Or just pick up your Yellow Pages and look under "Church-Buddhist" or "Meditation". You'll probably find dozens.
Palzang
Excellent!
cheers,
Not in my little part of CA.
We seem to find outselves nearly in the same boat. I started questioning Christainity when I was about 20, when I noticed it was not consistent with my experiences and the things I saw around me. I'm also an atheist now, and highly interested in Buddhism.
I've found this forum very interesting and helpful. Hope it is the same for you.
Jason
Buddhi Vihara
402 Knowles Ave.
Santa Clara
CA 95050
Te. 408-246-9921
Duc-Vien Buddhist Community Pagoda
2420 McLaughlin Ave, San Jose, CA 95121
Tel: (408) 993-9158 Fax: (408) 885-0157
Email: ducvien@hotmail.com
Web site: www.ducvien.org
Tradition: Mahayana, Vietnamese
Gold Sage Monastery
11455 Clayton Road, San Jose, CA 95127
Tel/Fax: (408) 923-7243
Email: drbagsm@jps.net
Web site: www.drba.org
Spiritual Director: Ven. Master Hsuan Hua
Tradition: Mahayana, Ch'an (Zen)
Affiliation: Dharma Realm Buddhist Association
Gyalwa Gyatso Buddhist Center
P.O. Box 6030 San Jose, CA 95150
Tel: (408) 792 3460
Email: ggbc@gyalwagyatso.org
Web site: www.gyalwagyatso.org
Tradition: Tibetan, Gelugpa (FPMT)
Spritual Director: Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Director Gayna Riley
Gyuto Vajrayana Center
1439 Old Piedmont Road, San Jose, CA 95132
Contact:: Ven. Thupten Donyo
Tel: (408) 926 9430, Fax: (408) 272 1275
Email: info@gyutocenter.org
Web site: www.gyutocenter.org
Tradition: Tibetan, Gelugpa
Affiliation: Gyuto Tantric Monastic University, Dharamsala, India
Spiritual Director: Ven. Geshe Tsultrim Gyaltsen
Teacher: Venerable Dhakpa Tulku Rinpoche
San Jose Zen Center
20600 Mariani Ave., TCM Door, Cupertino CA 95014
Contact: Chikuzen Jerry Orzoff
Tel: (408) 281-8389
Email: Jerry_Orzoff@Excite.com
Tradition: "American Zen" incl Rinzai and Soto traditions
Affiliation: Choro-an Nyogen Senzaki , Kugai Henry Platov Traditions
Spiritual Director: Chikuzen Jerry Orzoff
Wat Buddhanusorn
t36054 Niles Blvd., Fremont, CA 94536
Tel.(510) 790-2294, 790-2296, Fax. (510) 796-9043
Email: buddhanusorn@hotmail.com
Web site: www.watbuddhanusorn.org
Abbot: Phra maha Prasert Kavissaro
Tradition: Theravada, Thai
(This is the one I go to)
Jinkees, Simon. I know you're probably getting sick of me but!...
That's some pretty rough stuff there.
Remember how you find it distasteful that some people don't acknowledge HHDL with the kind of reverence that you do? The "spatting" and whatever else it was. Like some people - who are following Buddhism as they see fit - aren't more conscience about what they say that affects you and your beliefs or participation in this site?
Well, there are some people here that have managed to reconcile God/Jesus/Yahweh/Whatever with their Buddhism. There are groups of Buddhist nuns and Catholic nuns that get together to discuss Christian Buddhism. Who knows what other hybrids might be out there.
It's just my opinion, and we all know what opinions are like, that praising someone's conversion to or belief in Buddhism by making (what some may see as) sacriligious statements about Christianity leads to ... ... ... ? How is this beneficial? How does this increase the validity of Buddha's teachings?
This could be just as bad as someone here making statements like "psychotic nonsense", "nasty tribal deity" or "delusions of grandeur" concerning someone that you revere.
Make sense? Or am I just being an ass?
Michael
I can't help feeling a bit strange when I hear about people saying that someone can be both a Christian and a Buddhist. I understand that this could work for some of the more liberal Christians. But the tradition I grew up in is big on the substututionary atonement, and that people die once and then are judged. In fact, I remember hearing the whole idea of reincaration denouced as a lie of the devil because it says we have more chances for salvation after this life. In the church I was raised in, hell was not mentioned a lot, but it was always there, lurking in the background, for people who did not belive that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life" and "the only way to the Father."
In fact, evangelical and fundamentalist Christians are likely not even to consider Buddhist Christians "True" Christians. It's sad, but I know it happens.
So on the topic of "sacriligious statements" I mostly agree with buddahfoot that they tend to do more harm than good. But I can't help sympathising with Simon as well . . .
BTW, what is HHDL? :scratch:
His Highness the Dalai Lama :uphand:
i agree with you 100%. i, personally, don't see how people can reconcile both completely. but, it's all about belief - so how can i say what they've come to terms with is right or wrong? and in fact, who cares?
i also agree about simon - simon doesn't go around here really saying bad about anything or anyone. i'm also sure he didnt' mean anything he said with any "wrong intent". sounded a little tough... but i'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
-bf
Thanks! I never would have guessed that one
where can i learn the "what's" and the "why's" about the different buddhist traditions....?
what happens if i dont believe in reencarnation? (maybe i believe in life after death, but not as my own life, but life i created, for example)
I read that the Dalai Lama said something like "If facts contradict Buddhism, we must change Buddhism" I think that is very smart and wise. But it is against my definition of "religion", i mean that religion is always dogmatic. I think in Buddhism not as a religion in the "occidental" meaning of the word, but as a knowledge, it seems more to science than religion. What do you think about it?.
I would like to have a long talk with somebody who really knows about this matter. Do I have a chance in a buddhist church here in San Jose?
...And so on... ( i think thats enough for now)
Well, thanks again...
Greetings
Ivo
(It's EEvo)
PD: maybe this is a stupid question, but did you see Star Wars III? Isn't Yoda character and sayings based a little on Buddhism? He always told Anakin "Not to be afraid of lose the things that you love, just let it go..." What do you think?
"Vediyamanassa kho panaham bhikkhave, idam dukkham ti pannapemi, ayam dukkha-samudayo ti pannapemi ayam dukkha-nirodho ti pannapemi, ayam dukkha-nirodha-gamini-patipada ti pannapemi."
"To one who experiences sensations, meditators, I teach the truth of suffering, I teach the truth of the arising of suffering, I teach the truth of the cessation of suffering and I teach the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering."
People may be free to take certain things out of Buddhism to use in their own pursuits, things like meditation, the precepts, the Eightfold Path, etc., but when you start to take the things out of Buddhism that you do not understand or do not like it no longer becomes the Dhamma-vinyana. At the beginning though, exploring what the Buddha taught is expected. Nothing should automatically be taken at face value, but nothing should be automatically disgarded as well. Everything the Buddha taught deserves careful consideration. Unfortunatly, you may find that Buddhism can be as dogmatic as any other religion, although Buddhism is more of a 'training' or 'way of life'. This being said, anywhere will accept you to come and learn more. Any temple/church/monastery should be a good place to ask questions, or learn meditation techniques. They will not turn you away because you do not believe or understand certain things.
P.s. Yes, I think Yoda's philosophy was based on Buddhism to some extant. The Jedi were created after Shaolin monks, or so George Lucas said on some Discovery Channel special