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boring intro
Hello,
My name is Tim. I'm not a buddhist. I'm not a very smart person, and buddhism confuses me
Primarily here to read what is being said, but figured I should say hi.
picture guy nodding head saying "hey"
I'm interested in religion in general. Haven't read boo about buddhism, jeepers, in 17 years.
So, if you want to exchange greetings, I'm a friendly gent. If you want to ignore this silly intro, I'll be content with lurking.
Light socket
My name is Tim. I'm not a buddhist. I'm not a very smart person, and buddhism confuses me
Primarily here to read what is being said, but figured I should say hi.
picture guy nodding head saying "hey"
I'm interested in religion in general. Haven't read boo about buddhism, jeepers, in 17 years.
So, if you want to exchange greetings, I'm a friendly gent. If you want to ignore this silly intro, I'll be content with lurking.
Light socket
0
Comments
Welcome. I consider myself to be quite smart and Buddhism confuses the hell out of me.
But, I'm here to ask questions (ad infinitum) and learn, learn , learn from those who know a lot more than me.
Thank you for the welcome.
Do you really believe the simple act of living should be so complicated?
I've been browsing the forum and I'm just, whoa, I don't think this is what was intended.
I mean, you eat, you sleep, you excrete waste, you procreate, that's life. Why so many words?
I have a predisposition to believe that anyone should be capable of life. If one is not capable of life, one dies. Why need an IQ of 200 to "get it"?
But, I'll keep reading more for a few days.
Looking forward to your reply.
Glass
As a beginner, there seems to be so much to learn and it becomes overwhelming. I think we can make it more complicated than it actually is. But that is life, isn't it? Where we make mountains out of molehills and dramatise situations?
I know in my own experience, I am very impatient and want all the answers now....... no...... yesterday....! But I am also aware that this is probably the very thing that will prevent me learning. I need to step back, realise it will take time and that I can't absorb thousands of years worth of knowledge within a couple of weeks. But, if I want to learn I need to practice being patient, and accept that learning will come at a slower pace.
What do you mean by saying you don't think this was what was intended? Do you mean Buddhism should be simpler or the posts here should be simpler? I find the posts here very enlightening - sometimes I need to ask further questions, or re-read something over and over again, before I come to some understanding - not necessarily total understanding, but some.
I don't think IQ has anything to do with it at all. But I do think we have minds in order to use them, to test them to their limits and figure things out for ourselves (with lots of help along the way)
I hope you keep reading, there really are a number of helpful and knowledgeable people here willing to share what they have found. And that is a gift to all of us - one I gratefully accept.
You are quite right: the truth about life is exactly as you say. The secret is how to get on with it.
But what are the questions?
I must be honest, I haven't read posts yet today, so my opinion my change tonight, and it will definately change in time. But what was intended by Siddhartha Gautama? How does it relate today? I think these are questions to ask.
I think IQ has everything to do with it. Sorry, that sounds confrontational, it's not. "four noble truths" must apply to a mentally retarded person, as well as all the "psychos". Else, it just ain't a truth -- It's a rule with exceptions. There are gaggles of those, and they ain't so special. Does the person who can't afford laundry soap have to be concerned with an "eightfold path", or is buddhism just pretentious elitists engaged in empty chatter?
Granted, as mentioned, it has been nearly two decades since I studied Gautama, but I recall reading about a guy who cared.
Questions seems to be a theme going through this post. What is the purpose of Buddhism?
I'll reserve comment on what I've seen, until I've seen more.
Gutten tag, you're it.
Thank you for the welcome
The tao which can be spoken just isn't the real tao, end of story. I see modern Buddhism tightly integrated with the old words of Lao-tzu. After nirvana, your poop still smells equally foul to the next person to walk into the toilet room. Nothing changed.
I think IQ has everything to do with it. Sorry, that sounds confrontational, it's not. "four noble truths" must apply to a mentally retarded person, as well as all the "psychos". Else, it just ain't a truth -- It's a rule with exceptions. There are gaggles of those, and they ain't so special. Does the person who can't afford laundry soap have to be concerned with an "eightfold path", or is buddhism just pretentious elitists engaged in empty chatter?
I think you've just agreed with me that IQ has nothing to do with it.
My questions relate to life, Buddhism, where it comes from , what it means, how I practice, what a sanskrit word means, what's the meaning of prayer wheels, why is somebody called His Holiness, what's the purpose of prayer beads, was Buddha fat, rebirth or reincarnation, what about other religions, is it a religion, what about the different traditions, what are the different traditions, why are there different traditions, how do I work on my practice, where do I find a teacher, do I need a teacher, do I want a teacher, why mindfulness, what is chanting, what is its purpose, how do I do it, what is a religion what is a cult, why does it feel Buddhism has been injected directly into my veins, why does it feel so familiar, am I being foolish or am I becoming more enlightened, why does the sound of Tibetan monks chanting move me to tears, what are the four noble truths, why does it have to be so complicated, why isn't there a temple near me, how do I find the compassion and patience I so desperately need, how do I stop hating, when do I start forgiving, why have I come to this now, who shall I ask for help, who should I steer clear of..................
As you see, my questions are endless but it doesn't matter what they are, as long as I can find my answers, my own truth. Your question of how it relates today is another one of mine - I don't know the answer - but I am trying to find out. I'm trying to keep an open mind and go with the flow. But that doesn't mean I'm a sheep who follows ignorantly. I question everything.
What is the purpose of Buddhism? Well, what is the purpose of anything? Does it need a purpose or is that just our way of fitting everything neatly into a box?
I don't know - hence the questions and the regular reading of this forum and other materials.
You're it...........
Hya everyone! She's back and this time, it's completely and utterly impersonal!
hello Simon, how's you? Hugs to everyone, Jeez but it's good to be back! Who's go is it to make the cocoa....? :smilec:
Was the summer job OK? I hope it improved from the time we last spoke.
Chewy, you can, of course, follow the Chinese path and 'integrate' Taoism into understanding the Dharma. Many Westerners find that quite satisfying. It is, however, only one of the routes that the teaching has taken.
Was the summer job ok.... now thereby hangs a tale.....!
I was approached by the same company Nick worked for, and asked to resign my job as camp site manager, in order to take on a job with them as a bi-lingual receptionist. This I duly did, after careful and painstaking investigation to make sure I wasn't shooting myself in the foot, and rowing myself up a creek without a paddle if I gave in my notice on a temporary/seasonal contract. Could have been tricky.... But all went ahead, I spent three full days packing and preparing our little home for a prolonged absence..... and on the 10th of August left home for an eight-hour 600-mile drive, at 5:00am.
Little did I know that Nick was, as I drove, being co-erced into signing a 'Rupture de contrat en accord commun'..... (That's a termination of contract through mutual consent) only he didn't want to consent to anything. In short, neither the sales manager nor the Site director were keen on him, because (a) he can do the job better than they can standing on his head and (b) he's English, and they have made life a systematic hell for anyone who "doesn't fit"....
Shall I go on?
Welcome back! I missed you. How are you doing? All my best to you and yours.
Adiana :smilec: :smilec: :woowoo: :cheer:
Thanks for the reply. I'll be quick. In retrospect, I've started to pick a fight, and that wasn't my intention here
The forum has been nice. Grabbed a couple articles and pdfs via links found -- but not quite what I've been looking for. So today I opted to hit the library. (I'm a big fan of dead tree reading.) First book I started to read is called "The New Buddhism" by David Brazier. I think I'm going to like it. In the opening he states what I've felt from my limited reading:
Don't think I'll agree with all his conclusions, but I've got an inkling he'll point me in the right direction :uphand:
paz
There are vist swathes of Buddhist writing, as you must have noticed. Some of it is very technical, some is even 'mythogenic'. It is hard to find a way in to these millennia of exploration.
One, short (thank Whoever!) book that I love and which seems to me to be extremely useful, is Alan W. Watts The Way of Zen.
I'm sorry if it looked like I was fighting with you..it's hard to put emotions over on the web, I was just replying to your "you're it" because I thought it was funny.
I'm reading "Buddhism Without Beliefs" by Stephen Batchelor. I'd just like to quote a paragraph I've just read.....
"A purpose may be no more than a set of images and words, but we can still be totally committed to it. Such resolve entails aspiration, appreciation and conviction: I aspire to awaken, I appreciate its value, I am convinced it is possible. This is a focused act that encompasses the whole person. Aspiration is as much a bodily longing as an intellectual desire; appreciation is as much a passion as a preference; conviction as much an intuition as a rational conclusion. Irresepective of the purpose to which we are committed, when such feelings are aroused, life is infused with meaning."
I thought you might be able to relate to that, I certainly did. Let me know
When I first ment my teacher, I asked Why would I should study Buddhism? And here is his reply.
Each of us is attracted to a different doorway of learning . Some yearn to return to a more grounded sense of Being through direct experience; some are content with pathways that have been laid down by others through the years. Tried and true techniques seem guaranteed to work on our paths to Enlightenment. So it depends on one's vasanas which path will draw one forward. However, whatever path one chooses, we need to keep our lights on in our quest. Too often a practice can become stale or more habitual rather than vital.
I hope this helps, I know it helped me when I was lost.
That is all well and good.
I live in a big house, I don't have any debt, so I have lots of time to worry about little things, like finding the right doorway of learning. Maybe others are drawn to Buddhism because they also live in a big house (or want to), but do have lots of debt, and need an escape from the stress. I think both scenarios are wrong.
I recall reading one Buddhism Q&A for beginners, by a man who thought himself "enlightened". He promoted the caste system. Go figure. How can one spend years studying Buddhism, and come away with the belief that castes are good? It's easy to dismiss the author as temporarily misguided, or some such other thing. But little details like this trouble me. How did he manage to find justification for his prejudice in the teachings?
In and earlier post, I touched on "the four truths". While they are nice and all, I think there are three more important truths in human life -- food, shelter, and reproduction. And I think the people who provide food and shelter are VERY important people. One may see how the 30 year old fast food cook or sweat shop laborer could have life improved by Buddhism, but, really, what are the chances or such a message reaching these people in most of the world? And even these people are relatively better off than a certain percentage of the population who have an even lesser chance of ever hearing, much less understanding the message. Heck, I'm an educated man, and the stuff goes right over my head. Is it just our place in life, our castes?
I've noticed something very strange in America. I love to take a road trip from time to time. I drive through lots of small towns. I don't ever recall seeing a homeless shelter in all these hundreds of towns of 1000 people or less. But, in my home town of only 100,000 people, we have multiple homeless shelters -- a couple for men, and a couple for women. In my world view, where food and shelter are the most important truths, small towns seem to be doing a better job at helping people.
In my youth, I once spent a summer living in a homeless shelter. But it's just not the same, because I knew that at any moment, I could pick up the phone and be out. I learned nothing. Buddha dedicated his life to renouncing the material world and the caste system, but...
My current gripe with Buddhism is the apparent irony of truths. Siddhartha went in search of truth when his belly could be full, and his basic needs met. But how does this help others meet their basic needs? I feel it can, in some round-about way. I think this is an issue that he was onto, but he could only address in a limited way given his time and place. Are we stuck?
When I started writing this, I think I had a point I was going to make, however I've gotten so carried away in my tangents, I've forgetten where I was going. Maybe someone here will be smart enough to connect the dots
I must add "sleep" to my list of important truths. I'm definately lacking it these days :crazy: and it shows.
Peace