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Ok, I suppose it's my turn. I've posted a few times in there forums so it's time I introduced myself.
My name is Evan and I have Greek ancestry. My full name is Evangelos and Vangelis is another shortened verson of my name, hence that's what I use on forums. I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. I'm 45 and the father of 2 beautiful girls (ok, i'm biased - lol) and a beautiful wife (oops more bias). I stumbled upon Buddhism when I was searching meditation on the internet rather later in life (late 30s) but once I started reading about it, I was instantly attracted to it. It was logical, complete, coherent and consistent. These were important attributes for me because I came from a scientific background so whatever I accepted needed to make logical sense.
Unlike some on these forums, I don't get as much chance to practice meditation because I have a job and a family. I do sometimes get a chance to get away like last monday when I went to he Warburton monastery for an all day meditation. I really enjoy those times but they don't come around as often as I would like. I do feel that I live a privileged life because I was born during a time when the Buddha's dispensation is available and I have come across the Buddha-dhamma in this lifetime.
Anyway, I look forward to some interesting discussions on these forums.
Thank for sharing about yourself. I think you'll find that many of us here are (or have been until retirement) in the same sort of position as you: the world is too much with us and gobbles up time we could better spend in silence. It has taken me decades (I am a very slow learner) to find the silence in the noise and busyness. And I hate to admit how often I tried and failed to acquire a daily habit of meditation and reflection!
I missed this when I first came in, so here goes now.
My name is Tony, 33 from the states. I live in a little town in the Pacific Northwest called Steilacoom, right on the Puget Sound, great views. My screen name is for my dog, she's kinda adorable and I hate her for it. I'm newish to Buddhism and don't really have a tradition or anything yet. I lean toward Mahayana. I have a problem with ritual and strict structure so I haven't found a sangha in my area yet, but for some reason Buddhism makes perfect sense to me. I enjoy reading as many books about Buddhism as possible. I may ask some odd or stupid questions from time to time, but please humor me. This path excites me and I hope it goes on for ever.
I came here from e-sangha because that place it too big and it seems like they are bothered by you unless you belong to a strict tradition. I also didn't like the fact that there are certain Buddhist principals and traditions that weren't open for discussion.
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited March 2009
Odd that you have a problem with ritual and structure, but have leanings towards Mahayana.....
But don't worry.... I would surmise that the vast majority of "new" Buddhists tentatively taking primary steps, have come to Buddhism along a Mahayana route.... My first tap on the shoulder came from "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying"; then I had a great relationship with Lama Surya Das, and his famous "Awakening" Trilogy.... I also came across "The Healing Power of Mind (Patrul Rinpoche) but also avidly absorbed Thich Nhat Hahn's words (Zen).......
I have recently read some of Pema Chodron's writings, and of course, "The Cave in the Snow" (The biography of Tenzin Palmo) and her own work, "Reflections on a Mountain Lake" have been inspirational.
Tony, you are most welcome here. We're delighted to have you on board, and virtually everything under the sun, moon and stars is up for discussion.
No problem with airing anything you want to air.
We're an eclectic bunch here, and we're glad to make room for you at our table, and welcome you to our home.
For some reason I'm feeling extra happy to see new members here and I'm thrilled to welcome you all. I love how people come and go, stay, go, come back. It's a great illustration of the changeable nature of the world.
To echo what Fede said, please feel free to ask any stupid questions you want and make as many asinine pronouncements as you wish. That way we'll all be even. If you don't believe me you can have a look back at some of the ridiculous things I've posted over the years. Oy vey!
Anything goes here as long as it's respectful, kind, and follows the precept of Right Speech. If your intentions are pure and this community knows it, it doesn't matter how clumsy you are at expressing yourself.
We're here to learn from each other and boy, do we ever!!
I am a Vajrayana Buddhist studying with Ven. Peling Tulku Rinpoche in Madoc, Ontario, Canada. I first met the dharma in 1988, taking refuge with HH Penor Rinpoche. I identify most strongly with the Nyingma, Jonangpa and Shangpa lineages, but I am decidely non-sectarian. I have a strong interest in and love for the Shakta Tantra, advaita philosophy, vedic astrology and the mystery traditions of all cultures.
I am 42 years old and live with my wife and two boys in Oakville, Ontario a bedroom community of Toronto. I work in IT management and hate every moment of it.
I am prone to babbling on about things I have no understanding of, but hope that my confusion can serve as warning to others.
Namgyal, Welcome. I know Ven. Peling Tulku Rinpoche. We participated in an ordination ceremony together in New York a few years ago, and we also made a bunch of Guru Rinpoche statues for his center quite a while ago. I think I also saw him at the Kalachakra His Holiness did in Rochester back in 1996? Or thereabouts. He seems very nice.
My name is Adeline. I am happily married to a free-thinker with 2 children. I know very little about Buddhism and was introduced to Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism by friends that I met in Singapore recently. I come from a family that does not believe in any religion and have never practice any religious belief. Since young, my spouse and I have never seriously practice any belief and we do not have any religion. It's really funny because we explain everything that happened to us in a very logical and scientific manner. No wonder we are attracted to each other and became husband and wife!
However, something happened to me in 2004 and I couldn't explain it scientifically, so here I am. Hopefully, I could learn from all of you about Buddhism before I take the real plunge. I would like to take refuge one day. Apparently, I am still sitting on the fence because I am just afraid I can't kill the mosquitoes or take my protein (amongst other things) after I take refuge. Although I can still compromise on not eating meat, I just can't stand mosquitoes in this hot climate! Sorry, I really have little compassion for those little pests! If there is a mantra for chasing mosquitoes away better than the repellent, I am interested!
Okay, this intro is probably going to irk some of you guys but well, this is how I am!
Looking forward to talking to you all!
Adeline
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federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited April 2009
The Dalai Lama once said:
If I have mosquito on arm, I blow it away. like this.... *puffs on arm*
If it come back, I brush it off.
If it still come back, I be a bit more forceful! "Go away!" like this! *brushes arm more forcefully*.
Sometimes, if we are in a position of having to dispatch something (and bear in mind, mosquitoes, like flies, carry pestilence and disease) you might like to consider it fulfilling kamma and pray they have a more fortunate rebirth than being born a pestilent creature.
Killing anything is frowned upon in Buddhism.
I can't help feeling there may have been occasions when the Buddha also swatted the occasional pestilential creature. It's only a notion of mine, but it's not outside the realms of possibility....
Sometimes, we have a choice.
Sometimes we have a difficult choice.
If this is the worst we ever do, it's maybe understandable that we do it.
Welcome to our little home! It's nice to meet you!!
Okay, this intro is probably going to irk some of you guys but well, this is how I am!
Greetings, Adeline! You're enchanting, as the French say.
It's highly doubtful that what you wrote could irk anyone on here. We really are not a dogmatic lot. We try to be an online sangha for people along the way and try to put people with all their differing attitudes, histories, and habits above all doctrines, ideologies and causes.
It's nice to discuss things like non-killing. For one, it makes us think and enable our compassion to grow and mature. Not a bad thing at all to address in any nondogmatic way. Our people here have been known to change their minds, and some even brag about that fact:
To many people's annoyance, I have tended to take the view that we need to change our minds regularly, like our socks. Few things worry me more than 'certainty' in a universe so vast and old. 'Certainty' suggests that we have arrived at a destination but each arrival is only the moment before a new departure.
This is probably why, over the past 45 years, I have given all my books away three times.
I can't count the number of times I have been asked about killing mosquitoes and non-harm! Probably every time I have been engaged in the discission since I was around 8! I can even remember that eight-year-old me and what I said to the boy who mocked me for my idea that "killing is wrong" when he saw me slap one of the little buggers. I said something like: "My Dad has malaria. He got it from mosquito bites. He gives me medicine to kill germs and I kill mosquitoes to prevent malaria." Now, it is true that there is very little native malaria in Kent (which is where I was at the time) but the principle still holds true.
When I have been in mosquito latitudes, I have reduced the slapping to a minimum by covering up when I could, wearing whatever locals told me repelled insects and sweating with the windows closed. Beyond that, I accept that the physical part of what I call 'Simon' is both attractive and reactive to the mosquito and that there is still a way to go before I catch up with HHDL.
I do my best and recognise that I am a killer: I kill millions of viruses and bacilli, I kill bugs on my garden vegetables (or, at least, unleash and encourage predators like slug-killing hedgehogs), and I swat buzzers. I see our karmas as interwoven, a Celtic knot I am too simple to understand.
On a side note, you may like to consider that the smear of red on your hand or your wall represents another chance for a precious human rebirth.
Seriously tho', over-scrupulousness can be a real obstacle to peace of mind. May I suggest a time of compassion towards yourself as an integral part of your daily practice?
Hi! My name is Lorn, I cannot recall a single moment of the last 25 years in its entirety, and I'm from Connecticut. I'm interested in learning more about Buddhism because I have found what little I seem to know of it already useful and applicable in my life. This is limited mainly to what I've read in The Three Pillars of Zen, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, and a few Wikipedia articles. I'm not really interested in acquiring a prescribed set of beliefs so that I can become a Buddhist; I intend to make use of whatever wisdom the Buddha and this community have to offer.:) I have [varying] difficulty communicating due to neurological constraints. This is not hugely stressful, just worth noting in case my posts ever seem oddly vague, detached, or unintentionally funny. In real time what comes out of my mouth is not necessarily limited to anything like what I mean to say, though I guess that could be said of many, here this should be increasingly veiled by the massive self-editing I tend to do before posting. Hopefully what I can say will suffice.:D
@federica, you know what, I've tried to do what the Dalai Lama did by brushing and/or blowing mosquitoes away but it just doesn't work for me, sigh! Yup, I gave up and gave in to killing. I agree we have choices but I don't know why I actually make quite a lot of bad choices in my life and gees... this is depressing... because besides killing I think I have committed all the rest of the things you are not suppose to do as a Buddhist. I actually regretted most of the bad choices that I made in my life after I read about Buddhism and hopefully I will change for the better.
@Nirvana, thanks for your warm welcome and comments. I was afraid I'd ended up in one actually. I just like to be true to who I am and am not going to pretend to be someone I am not. I am a modern woman and you know, some of the things I read about Buddhism can be a real turn-off for me to accept Buddhism. Forgive me, but I actually felt Buddha was sexist with his remarks about women. But well, I suppose I need more time to seek the truth and understand it more.
@Simonthepilgrim, yup, I've been admitted to the hospital for dengue fever too. It's really a bad experience and almost took my life away from my kids and husband. Yes, I do ponder over my actions and in time to come, I wish to be a full-time vegetarian. Right now, I am a fair-weather Buddhist. Yeah, I know, it's lousy and circumstantial. I'll probably be the lazy one too!! The last time I tried meditation, I ended up feeling sleepy, sigh! I believe in what you mentioned about Karma. It's pretty scary to me because I think I have a lot to pay back.
You guys are great and I am looking forward to read and follow up on your posts. I think I have to take the express course on Buddhism to understand what you guys will be posting in the future. So, see ya all around!
Welcome both of you, Adeline and lornwight. Don't be put off by any idea that anyone here has all the answers - we haven't even heard all the questions yet. We are, by and large, a welcoming and congenial bunch.
I've been lurking on this forum for about the past week or three, and finally decided today that I would register. There's not much to me. I'm a human being with many interests, many of which may become apparent as I post on these forums.
Although I probably wouldn't be here if one of those interests wasn't Buddhism. I've been reading Buddhist texts (the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dhammapada, amongst others) and trying to practice what I learn. I've been practicing for about 4 or 5 months now, so I'm still very new. Hopefully I will learn more as I go along reading and participating on these forums.
I've been lurking on this forum for about the past week or three, and finally decided today that I would register. There's not much to me. I'm a human being with many interests, many of which may become apparent as I post on these forums.
Although I probably wouldn't be here if one of those interests wasn't Buddhism. I've been reading Buddhist texts (the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dhammapada, amongst others) and trying to practice what I learn. I've been practicing for about 4 or 5 months now, so I'm still very new. Hopefully I will learn more as I go along reading and participating on these forums.
I cannot recall a single moment of the last 25 years in its entirety, and I'm from Connecticut.
Hello, Lornwight! Interesting intro. But you know, we all have our different ways of seeing things. For instance, somebody totally unfamiliar with American geography might have thought you were alluding to a special place of meaningful connections in contrast to its opposite, a place with none (DISCONNECTicut).
Seriously, though, one thing Newbuddhist does well is to provide a geographically dispersed sangha composed of countless good souls whose mission in life is to help others and thereby lift themselves higher.
I lived in Cambridge, Mass. for a dozen years and really miss New England. I'm interested in hearing more from you about your takes on everything.
Thanks for introducing yourself. That's something I'm not good at and never knew how to begin. Ingenious people like yourself, however, seem to do it with the greatest of ease.
This is my first post to the forum, as I just joined the forum.
I answer to Rob, a native Texan hanging my hat in Mississippi for most of my life. Encountered Insight, Zen, and Tonglen back in the mid 90s and some of it seems to have stuck.
I'm in the middle of buying a house right next to the office and look forward to finally having a little space permanently set aside for dharma practice. (My current home is so cramped that I don't even have room for a love seat.)
I'd been poking around the forum some & decided this looked like an interesting bunch of people. Cheers!
Welcome, padre. The only time I was in Mississippi was when we were there rescuing dogs from Katrina. We used the Best Friends staging area, which was in Mississippi. The main thing I remember was all the love bugs covering the RV we were using! Yuk! Here we were rescuing sentient beings from the disaster in New Orleans while killing thousands of sentient beings by just driving on the roads. Isn't samsara grand?
Indeed. I once took vows for a 6-month period that included not even swatting a mosquito. That proved a serious test of my resolve, as I found myself engulfed in the insect life here and more aware of it than ever before!
I was here for Katrina, and actually bicycled in the storm (without question, the most reckless thing I've ever done). The occasional killer storm aside, this place is sort of a jungle/forest paradise for the most part.
Yeah, I liked the countryside actually, despite being in the midst of a disaster. My parents used to love to go to Biloxi on vacation, but I never went with them, unfortunately.
My other memory of Mississippi, bizarrely, was sitting in Jackson trying to find someone to pick up and fix a truck that we were driving that broke down. We were parked in a gas station parking lot and using a wireless connection from a nearby Knights Inn to find a place (which we did). But what I remember is looking straight up and seeing a lone B-52 flying straight north. Talk about incongruity! Sometimes you see things that make absolutely no sense at all...
Hello all newbies. We were in your shoes at one time and got treated the same way. You are most welcome here. Feel free to post what you need when you need to. If you use common courtesy and thoughtfulness, you will have no problems with what to write.
First of all, to all the guys:
1. We have the most beautiful women on the net here. Remember to tell them regularly.
2. Never forget number 1!
This must be where newbies introduce themselves. I'm 23, from New Zealand, and through a couple of revolutions in my life I became interested in buddhism. Unfortunately I'm prone to kinda long posts, so apologies in advance:)
For a couple of years I was non-demoninational, taking after Buddha's words 'Believe nothing, no matter who has said it, not even if I have said it; but only if it agrees with your own reason and common sense'. With these words in mind I just learnt - and still do learn - simply from whoever has something to contribute that agrees with my own reason, which in my case means something that is both verified and yet falsifiable. This led me to an entirely non-metaphysical interpretation of buddhism, keeping the psychology and way of life without supernatural beliefs, until I eventually found a word on the internet for this style of practicing from others who had done the same thing: Navayana.
Navayana is for those of us who 'are so made that we cannot believe', so to speak, but who nevertheless are drawn to Buddha's way of experiencing the profound. Navayana is more of an alternative to religion than a religion itself, for if comfort from suffering is a large part of why religion exists, then Buddha's method of finding and eliminating the cause of suffering may be an important answer to the need for supernatural beliefs in the first place. This isn't to say navayanists think they have a better understanding of buddhism than others; it's just that we personally do not find support for supernatural propositions (like reincarnation) and so are forced to do without.
I'm looking forward discussing things like this and more with everyone here. I actually got banned and my posts deleted from the E-Sangha forum for saying nothing more than the above, so if my account is not deleted after this I'll know I've come to the right place- a place that respects truth enough to know that if I'm wrong on a given point, then surely mature, adult argument will show me to be wrong- not childish censorship!
(Sorry, still frustrated from the clash with E-Sangha!)
The only thing I would say is that personally I don't think Buddhism is a religion, and I don't believe in anything supernatural either. In fact, I try not to "believe" in anything that isn't supported by logic and reason. That may sound odd based on some of my posts, which can be downright mystical sounding, but believe me, it's true.
I do, however, think that faith plays a role in Buddhism, just as it does in, say, learning how to play a guitar. You have to have faith that the teacher knows his stuff and will lead you to master the subject because obviously if it's something you're learning, you don't already know how to do it. So therefore you have to have faith that you will accomplish the goal even though you can't yet see the way clearly.
Comments
Your prize is a pure white, unblemished lotus bloom that will never fade!!
Orangeblossom - thanks for kicking off the next thousand with the 1001th!!
What a wonderful prize!!! And here I said I never win anything!!! Thanks!!
My name is Evan and I have Greek ancestry. My full name is Evangelos and Vangelis is another shortened verson of my name, hence that's what I use on forums. I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. I'm 45 and the father of 2 beautiful girls (ok, i'm biased - lol) and a beautiful wife (oops more bias). I stumbled upon Buddhism when I was searching meditation on the internet rather later in life (late 30s) but once I started reading about it, I was instantly attracted to it. It was logical, complete, coherent and consistent. These were important attributes for me because I came from a scientific background so whatever I accepted needed to make logical sense.
Unlike some on these forums, I don't get as much chance to practice meditation because I have a job and a family. I do sometimes get a chance to get away like last monday when I went to he Warburton monastery for an all day meditation. I really enjoy those times but they don't come around as often as I would like. I do feel that I live a privileged life because I was born during a time when the Buddha's dispensation is available and I have come across the Buddha-dhamma in this lifetime.
Anyway, I look forward to some interesting discussions on these forums.
With Metta,
Vangelis
Thank for sharing about yourself. I think you'll find that many of us here are (or have been until retirement) in the same sort of position as you: the world is too much with us and gobbles up time we could better spend in silence. It has taken me decades (I am a very slow learner) to find the silence in the noise and busyness. And I hate to admit how often I tried and failed to acquire a daily habit of meditation and reflection!
I hope you enjoy your time here.
Namaste'
Deb
My name is Tony, 33 from the states. I live in a little town in the Pacific Northwest called Steilacoom, right on the Puget Sound, great views. My screen name is for my dog, she's kinda adorable and I hate her for it.
I came here from e-sangha because that place it too big and it seems like they are bothered by you unless you belong to a strict tradition. I also didn't like the fact that there are certain Buddhist principals and traditions that weren't open for discussion.
But don't worry.... I would surmise that the vast majority of "new" Buddhists tentatively taking primary steps, have come to Buddhism along a Mahayana route.... My first tap on the shoulder came from "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying"; then I had a great relationship with Lama Surya Das, and his famous "Awakening" Trilogy.... I also came across "The Healing Power of Mind (Patrul Rinpoche) but also avidly absorbed Thich Nhat Hahn's words (Zen).......
I have recently read some of Pema Chodron's writings, and of course, "The Cave in the Snow" (The biography of Tenzin Palmo) and her own work, "Reflections on a Mountain Lake" have been inspirational.
Tony, you are most welcome here. We're delighted to have you on board, and virtually everything under the sun, moon and stars is up for discussion.
No problem with airing anything you want to air.
We're an eclectic bunch here, and we're glad to make room for you at our table, and welcome you to our home.
Tea?
To echo what Fede said, please feel free to ask any stupid questions you want and make as many asinine pronouncements as you wish. That way we'll all be even. If you don't believe me you can have a look back at some of the ridiculous things I've posted over the years. Oy vey!
Anything goes here as long as it's respectful, kind, and follows the precept of Right Speech. If your intentions are pure and this community knows it, it doesn't matter how clumsy you are at expressing yourself.
We're here to learn from each other and boy, do we ever!!
Welcome, welcome, welcome!!
.
I am a Vajrayana Buddhist studying with Ven. Peling Tulku Rinpoche in Madoc, Ontario, Canada. I first met the dharma in 1988, taking refuge with HH Penor Rinpoche. I identify most strongly with the Nyingma, Jonangpa and Shangpa lineages, but I am decidely non-sectarian. I have a strong interest in and love for the Shakta Tantra, advaita philosophy, vedic astrology and the mystery traditions of all cultures.
I am 42 years old and live with my wife and two boys in Oakville, Ontario a bedroom community of Toronto. I work in IT management and hate every moment of it.
I am prone to babbling on about things I have no understanding of, but hope that my confusion can serve as warning to others.
Namgyal
"The future isn't what it used to be."
Namgyal,
I like ya already.
-bf
Palzang
My name is Adeline. I am happily married to a free-thinker with 2 children. I know very little about Buddhism and was introduced to Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism by friends that I met in Singapore recently. I come from a family that does not believe in any religion and have never practice any religious belief. Since young, my spouse and I have never seriously practice any belief and we do not have any religion. It's really funny because we explain everything that happened to us in a very logical and scientific manner. No wonder we are attracted to each other and became husband and wife!
However, something happened to me in 2004 and I couldn't explain it scientifically, so here I am. Hopefully, I could learn from all of you about Buddhism before I take the real plunge. I would like to take refuge one day. Apparently, I am still sitting on the fence because I am just afraid I can't kill the mosquitoes or take my protein (amongst other things) after I take refuge. Although I can still compromise on not eating meat, I just can't stand mosquitoes in this hot climate! Sorry, I really have little compassion for those little pests! If there is a mantra for chasing mosquitoes away better than the repellent, I am interested!
Okay, this intro is probably going to irk some of you guys but well, this is how I am!
Looking forward to talking to you all!
Adeline
If I have mosquito on arm, I blow it away. like this.... *puffs on arm*
If it come back, I brush it off.
If it still come back, I be a bit more forceful! "Go away!" like this! *brushes arm more forcefully*.
Sometimes, if we are in a position of having to dispatch something (and bear in mind, mosquitoes, like flies, carry pestilence and disease) you might like to consider it fulfilling kamma and pray they have a more fortunate rebirth than being born a pestilent creature.
Killing anything is frowned upon in Buddhism.
I can't help feeling there may have been occasions when the Buddha also swatted the occasional pestilential creature. It's only a notion of mine, but it's not outside the realms of possibility....
Sometimes, we have a choice.
Sometimes we have a difficult choice.
If this is the worst we ever do, it's maybe understandable that we do it.
Welcome to our little home! It's nice to meet you!!
Greetings, Adeline! You're enchanting, as the French say.
It's highly doubtful that what you wrote could irk anyone on here. We really are not a dogmatic lot. We try to be an online sangha for people along the way and try to put people with all their differing attitudes, histories, and habits above all doctrines, ideologies and causes.
It's nice to discuss things like non-killing. For one, it makes us think and enable our compassion to grow and mature. Not a bad thing at all to address in any nondogmatic way. Our people here have been known to change their minds, and some even brag about that fact:
Do lend us your dear voice!
____________________
(The blue arrow icons take you to their posts.)
Good to meet you in such congenial surroundings.
I can't count the number of times I have been asked about killing mosquitoes and non-harm! Probably every time I have been engaged in the discission since I was around 8! I can even remember that eight-year-old me and what I said to the boy who mocked me for my idea that "killing is wrong" when he saw me slap one of the little buggers. I said something like: "My Dad has malaria. He got it from mosquito bites. He gives me medicine to kill germs and I kill mosquitoes to prevent malaria." Now, it is true that there is very little native malaria in Kent (which is where I was at the time) but the principle still holds true.
When I have been in mosquito latitudes, I have reduced the slapping to a minimum by covering up when I could, wearing whatever locals told me repelled insects and sweating with the windows closed. Beyond that, I accept that the physical part of what I call 'Simon' is both attractive and reactive to the mosquito and that there is still a way to go before I catch up with HHDL.
I do my best and recognise that I am a killer: I kill millions of viruses and bacilli, I kill bugs on my garden vegetables (or, at least, unleash and encourage predators like slug-killing hedgehogs), and I swat buzzers. I see our karmas as interwoven, a Celtic knot I am too simple to understand.
On a side note, you may like to consider that the smear of red on your hand or your wall represents another chance for a precious human rebirth.
Seriously tho', over-scrupulousness can be a real obstacle to peace of mind. May I suggest a time of compassion towards yourself as an integral part of your daily practice?
Thanks for the very warm welcome!
@federica, you know what, I've tried to do what the Dalai Lama did by brushing and/or blowing mosquitoes away but it just doesn't work for me, sigh! Yup, I gave up and gave in to killing. I agree we have choices but I don't know why I actually make quite a lot of bad choices in my life and gees... this is depressing... because besides killing I think I have committed all the rest of the things you are not suppose to do as a Buddhist. I actually regretted most of the bad choices that I made in my life after I read about Buddhism and hopefully I will change for the better.
@Nirvana, thanks for your warm welcome and comments. I was afraid I'd ended up in one actually. I just like to be true to who I am and am not going to pretend to be someone I am not. I am a modern woman and you know, some of the things I read about Buddhism can be a real turn-off for me to accept Buddhism. Forgive me, but I actually felt Buddha was sexist with his remarks about women. But well, I suppose I need more time to seek the truth and understand it more.
@Simonthepilgrim, yup, I've been admitted to the hospital for dengue fever too. It's really a bad experience and almost took my life away from my kids and husband. Yes, I do ponder over my actions and in time to come, I wish to be a full-time vegetarian. Right now, I am a fair-weather Buddhist. Yeah, I know, it's lousy and circumstantial. I'll probably be the lazy one too!! The last time I tried meditation, I ended up feeling sleepy, sigh! I believe in what you mentioned about Karma. It's pretty scary to me because I think I have a lot to pay back.
You guys are great and I am looking forward to read and follow up on your posts. I think I have to take the express course on Buddhism to understand what you guys will be posting in the future. So, see ya all around!
Adeline
I'm a newbie to Buddhism and to this forum too! Nice meeting you.
Adeline
I've been lurking on this forum for about the past week or three, and finally decided today that I would register. There's not much to me. I'm a human being with many interests, many of which may become apparent as I post on these forums.
Although I probably wouldn't be here if one of those interests wasn't Buddhism. I've been reading Buddhist texts (the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dhammapada, amongst others) and trying to practice what I learn. I've been practicing for about 4 or 5 months now, so I'm still very new. Hopefully I will learn more as I go along reading and participating on these forums.
- Robert
Hi there Robert. Enjoy yourself here.
Thank you!:D
Buddha Bob, I like it. Sort of like Bob the Builder for [alleged] adults.
And Path of Least Resistance, welcome to you too.
Lorn, vague, detached, unintentionally funny, yeah, I can relate!
Palzang
Hello, Lornwight! Interesting intro. But you know, we all have our different ways of seeing things. For instance, somebody totally unfamiliar with American geography might have thought you were alluding to a special place of meaningful connections in contrast to its opposite, a place with none (DISCONNECTicut).
Seriously, though, one thing Newbuddhist does well is to provide a geographically dispersed sangha composed of countless good souls whose mission in life is to help others and thereby lift themselves higher.
I lived in Cambridge, Mass. for a dozen years and really miss New England. I'm interested in hearing more from you about your takes on everything.
Thanks for introducing yourself. That's something I'm not good at and never knew how to begin. Ingenious people like yourself, however, seem to do it with the greatest of ease.
Bravo!
Heh heh... thanks.
Can we attain Enlightenment?
Yes we can!
_/\_
Adeline
Welcome to the board, BuddhaBob! I hope you like it here as much as I do.
((Chortle))
This is my first post to the forum, as I just joined the forum.
I answer to Rob, a native Texan hanging my hat in Mississippi for most of my life. Encountered Insight, Zen, and Tonglen back in the mid 90s and some of it seems to have stuck.
I'm in the middle of buying a house right next to the office and look forward to finally having a little space permanently set aside for dharma practice. (My current home is so cramped that I don't even have room for a love seat.)
I'd been poking around the forum some & decided this looked like an interesting bunch of people. Cheers!
Palzang
I was here for Katrina, and actually bicycled in the storm (without question, the most reckless thing I've ever done). The occasional killer storm aside, this place is sort of a jungle/forest paradise for the most part.
My other memory of Mississippi, bizarrely, was sitting in Jackson trying to find someone to pick up and fix a truck that we were driving that broke down. We were parked in a gas station parking lot and using a wireless connection from a nearby Knights Inn to find a place (which we did). But what I remember is looking straight up and seeing a lone B-52 flying straight north. Talk about incongruity! Sometimes you see things that make absolutely no sense at all...
Palzang
Dazzle
.
Padre, will ye hear my confession...?
How long you got?
cancel any holidays.....!!
Welcome to you!!
Is it OK if I just pretend to listen?
Yes, sure, they usually do.....!!
First of all, to all the guys:
1. We have the most beautiful women on the net here. Remember to tell them regularly.
2. Never forget number 1!
Everything else will fall into place in time.
Yuriy Nikshych, Kiev, ukraine
interests include stereoscopy , lucid dreaming and also escaping the samsara
This must be where newbies introduce themselves. I'm 23, from New Zealand, and through a couple of revolutions in my life I became interested in buddhism. Unfortunately I'm prone to kinda long posts, so apologies in advance:)
For a couple of years I was non-demoninational, taking after Buddha's words 'Believe nothing, no matter who has said it, not even if I have said it; but only if it agrees with your own reason and common sense'. With these words in mind I just learnt - and still do learn - simply from whoever has something to contribute that agrees with my own reason, which in my case means something that is both verified and yet falsifiable. This led me to an entirely non-metaphysical interpretation of buddhism, keeping the psychology and way of life without supernatural beliefs, until I eventually found a word on the internet for this style of practicing from others who had done the same thing: Navayana.
Navayana is for those of us who 'are so made that we cannot believe', so to speak, but who nevertheless are drawn to Buddha's way of experiencing the profound. Navayana is more of an alternative to religion than a religion itself, for if comfort from suffering is a large part of why religion exists, then Buddha's method of finding and eliminating the cause of suffering may be an important answer to the need for supernatural beliefs in the first place. This isn't to say navayanists think they have a better understanding of buddhism than others; it's just that we personally do not find support for supernatural propositions (like reincarnation) and so are forced to do without.
I'm looking forward discussing things like this and more with everyone here. I actually got banned and my posts deleted from the E-Sangha forum for saying nothing more than the above, so if my account is not deleted after this I'll know I've come to the right place- a place that respects truth enough to know that if I'm wrong on a given point, then surely mature, adult argument will show me to be wrong- not childish censorship!
(Sorry, still frustrated from the clash with E-Sangha!)
Peace:)
I think you're safe here (relatively).
The only thing I would say is that personally I don't think Buddhism is a religion, and I don't believe in anything supernatural either. In fact, I try not to "believe" in anything that isn't supported by logic and reason. That may sound odd based on some of my posts, which can be downright mystical sounding, but believe me, it's true.
I do, however, think that faith plays a role in Buddhism, just as it does in, say, learning how to play a guitar. You have to have faith that the teacher knows his stuff and will lead you to master the subject because obviously if it's something you're learning, you don't already know how to do it. So therefore you have to have faith that you will accomplish the goal even though you can't yet see the way clearly.
Palzang