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Hello everybody;I think it`s a she.I saw her for the first time and HAD to download her.
One of the cutest I`ve ever seen.I`ts a "gif" file and on my forum-info you can see her moving (Getting scared).
Nanimo,L&P, and Dazzle I wish you all the best,greetings;Eric.
I've been lurking for a while. It's hard to figure out how to put this, but I've read people put it the same way. I've always been a Buddhist in action and beliefs my whole life, but never really fully knew how much until I actually started to read more about it about a month ago.
I've always been exposed to Eastern Thought and Buddhism through martial arts that i have practiced and my own belief structure, so I've always had an important place for meditation in my life throughout the years...But my meditation has always been centered around my martial arts...not towards "enlightenment". This is going to be tough at first, I imagine to change my approach.
I'm leaning more towards Zen Buddhism, what school doesn't really concern me as much, but in what I already believe that seems to be where I'm more naturally orientated towards.
Anyway, for personal info...I'm 30 years old, happily married with two beautiful children (7 and 18 mos). Pretty normal guy, but am finally in a place where I am calm in mind and life enough to focus on my spiritual growth...I'm finally ready to look at myself and do so from a good place, if you know what I mean. Growing up in Los Angeles, I came up from a rough, anger filled and violent past, but that has been long behind me for over a decade, but I do have some anger issues that I am hoping I can come face to face with and relieve myself of through daily practice as well. Don't get me wrong I've never hit my wife or anything like that LOL...just that I anger easily and have a very defined perception of "I"/"Me" from my past...and I'm ready to let go of that.
We now live in upstate NY (15 miles out of Ithaca) and love living in this beautiful part of the country with a lot more down to earth people than LA (I know I know it's not nice to compare)...
As I've mentioned I've always studied a martial art in my late teens/adult life...my other passion is photography (www.studio4115.com) as well as music: I play cello, violin, guitar, piano, clarinet, flute.
I look forward to getting to know you all more. Thanks for your time!
Ren79,a warm welcome from Holland.I hope you find what your looking for.
Greetings to you (and the others on this forum);Eric.
Love & Peace;I thought we would keep that a secret,I had so hoped that nobody would recognise me without long hair !!! (:)).To you too:All the best;Eric.
I'm new to the board. I'm 26, just moved from Pennsylvania to Indiana to be with my fiance (and with a baby on the way). I've been studying Buddhism since I was 14, and mostly have been involved with the Tibetan traditions, though I did briefly attend some SGI services years ago and I do enjoy Unitarian Universalist services. I have to admit, the last few years I was a non-practicing "Buddhist," but now that I have time again, I've been trying to rededicate myself. It's definitely time for me to get back on the path!
I'm looking forward to the discussions here and learning from you all!
I've been lurking for a while. It's hard to figure out how to put this, but I've read people put it the same way. I've always been a Buddhist in action and beliefs my whole life, but never really fully knew how much until I actually started to read more about it about a month ago.
I've always been exposed to Eastern Thought and Buddhism through martial arts that i have practiced and my own belief structure, so I've always had an important place for meditation in my life throughout the years...But my meditation has always been centered around my martial arts...not towards "enlightenment". This is going to be tough at first, I imagine to change my approach.
I'm leaning more towards Zen Buddhism, what school doesn't really concern me as much, but in what I already believe that seems to be where I'm more naturally orientated towards.
Anyway, for personal info...I'm 30 years old, happily married with two beautiful children (7 and 18 mos). Pretty normal guy, but am finally in a place where I am calm in mind and life enough to focus on my spiritual growth...I'm finally ready to look at myself and do so from a good place, if you know what I mean. Growing up in Los Angeles, I came up from a rough, anger filled and violent past, but that has been long behind me for over a decade, but I do have some anger issues that I am hoping I can come face to face with and relieve myself of through daily practice as well. Don't get me wrong I've never hit my wife or anything like that LOL...just that I anger easily and have a very defined perception of "I"/"Me" from my past...and I'm ready to let go of that.
We now live in upstate NY (15 miles out of Ithaca) and love living in this beautiful part of the country with a lot more down to earth people than LA (I know I know it's not nice to compare)...
As I've mentioned I've always studied a martial art in my late teens/adult life...my other passion is photography (www.studio4115.com) as well as music: I play cello, violin, guitar, piano, clarinet, flute.
I look forward to getting to know you all more. Thanks for your time!
Ren79,a warm welcome from Holland.I hope you find what your looking for.
Greetings to you (and the others on this forum);Eric.
Love & Peace;I thought we would keep that a secret,I had so hoped that nobody would recognise me without long hair !!! (:)).To you too:All the best;Eric.
Hehehe! Have you got a picture of you as a baby? That would be funny
All the best!
I'm new to the board. I'm 26, just moved from Pennsylvania to Indiana to be with my fiance (and with a baby on the way). I've been studying Buddhism since I was 14, and mostly have been involved with the Tibetan traditions, though I did briefly attend some SGI services years ago and I do enjoy Unitarian Universalist services. I have to admit, the last few years I was a non-practicing "Buddhist," but now that I have time again, I've been trying to rededicate myself. It's definitely time for me to get back on the path!
I'm looking forward to the discussions here and learning from you all!
Hiya tatvamasi (love the name) :wavey:
I've considered toying with Unitarian Universalism but what put me off was there beliefs on abortion. Recently though I've been sort of seeing some points of view, and obviously only if it's a good reason. I might look back into it and see if I click with it
Hello tatvamasi(तत् त्वम् असि or तत्त्वमसि),congratulations on the new life you and your soon to be wife are giving to this world.Welcome to this forum.(And indeed a very nice name!).
Love & Peace:My kind is bald(we are ugly when very young),after about 1 year the hair starts to grow.
I must be brushed every day,and then after a few years I look like this.(I have cut my hair,as I`ve told you).When I look at your foto you need to be brushed often too.(Is he/she your "soulmate" ? My cat was,he allways comforted me when I was down.
Now a serious question;I would love to know if there is a "must have read" book about Zen-Buddhism ? I have read Chrishnamurti,Lao Tze,I Ching and MUCH to MUCH Nietsche.I`ve allways been very interested in the very basic form of Buddhism,I`ve been tought that`s Zen,and would love to know if there is a Zen "bible".
I`ve read:A Buddhist bible(D.Goddard),I found it lacking(A LOT).
How on Earth do you write those squigles? (तत् त्वम् असि or तत्त्वमसि) - (coppied from Eric).
Anyway there's been some sighns of spring in England too! And it's Easter soon, (I only celebrate for the chocolate ). On my avatar is my doggy, I don't know if she's my soul mate, I love her very much though, she's right here now
Hello L&P...I just copied with my mouse(Go over text and hold L-mouse till text="blue",then R-click on blue and copy).This text is difficult for;Im-Translator(FREE),I don`t believe it comes with Sanskrit standard but mybe you can upgrade,it does do a lot of other languages?Another free program that DOES do Sanskrit(And only Sanskrit I believe)is;Alphadictionary.శాంతి <=is Telugu out of the Google-Dictionary(Free),it looks A BIT like Sanskrit.I hope I`ve helped you.
By the way;Nice dog.Don`t you ever have the feeling your pet reacts to your mood?I really think pets are very "open" to their "owners".My cat was.
I wish you,and all others on this forum all the best;greetings;Eric.;)
Palzang thanks again for your help.I`ll read it as soon as I can.(my mind is a bit of a chaos now so I`ll wait a bit.(I want to read it with a "sharp" mind).I`ll take a look at Dogen too.
I hope all is well with you,thanks again;Eric.
I'm doing fine, Eric. Spring seems to have arrived in DC-land! Yesterday when I was at the temple there were crocuses blooming all around the stupa! (Well, one of the stupas - we have a lot of them).
Hello all. Just wanted to post a quick message to say hello. I'm an American living in Ireland and I would say I'm a spiritual person who leans towards Buddhism. I hope to learn a lot here. Thank You for having me.
Guess I was supposed to post here first, so this is a duplicate of my first post. Sorry.
At age 55 I've "discovered" Buddhism. Grew up a Lutheran, but Western religion never made sense to me and I was pretty much unaware of Buddhism except as a word. It has been a life-changing experience, even early in my new spiritual journey!
I stumbled on to A New Earth (amazing IMO) and other Tolle books, which led me to Buddhism for Dummies, Mindfulness in Plain English, Pema Chodron (a favorite) and then Lama Surya Das and many online reads. I cannot get enough, I've had one "a-ha" moment after another and keep asking myself how did I live for 55 years so unaware? Amazing...
However, there don't seem to be any places within driving distance to further my journey, so I am confined to reading, although it has been enlightening and most enjoyable. I am thinking about finding a weekend or weeklong retreat on Buddhism nearby, but no luck so far.
I don't know if I will become a Buddhist or not, but I can't imagine not continuing my exploration of Buddhism in my remaining years.
Just introducing myself, and looking forward to reading, learning and if possible contributing eventually.
<!-- / message -->
Hello from Eric (Holland).And a warm welcome.
The emerald isle,I have allways wanted to visit there,yep I know,a lot of rain bit we have that here too.I`m no "real" Buddhist too and allways felt very welcome here.
I hope all is well,greetings;Eric.
Brigid,have a nice weekend too.
Hello! I'm glad to find this forum. I've been a practicing Buddhist for 13 yrs now (wow, I'm getting old). NewBuddhist looks like a nice friendly place to share thoughts and experiences.
Howdy everyone! My name is Robin, 21 years old from Montreal, Canada. I am grateful for finding such an active Buddhist forum with a seemingly great community. I have been interested in Buddhism for two years now and starting to take a more substantial engagement in the practice recently. Through Pranayama already I feel significantly more awakened, and this feels like it's only the tip of the iceberg and I have much to discover. I have lurked a little and found some great thought-provoking articles, so I'm looking forward to discussion!
Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido
Shinkendo
Toyama Ryu
choosing a style is as personal as choosing your beliefs...One can't really lay a blanket statement down like "you should do this or that..." It all depends on what you seek to attain from your training. Do you want purely martial application...or are you looking for moving meditation? Are you looking for immediate use out of it like self defense, or are you looking at the grand picture? Would you be more an internal style type person, or external, etc etc...
I wish I could answer it simply for you, but I would need to know more about you to do so.
My name is Ivan Olarte, and I'm a 48 year old man learning whatever I can, wherever I go, and for as long as I can.
Don't let my avatar fool you, that has become my "identity" throughout the internet because it's me 34 years ago when I was 14 and first studied classical guitar which is one of the main passions of my life... but that's another story.
Anyway, as I mentioned above I live to learn, and because of this, life seems to better and more beautiful every day.
I have returned to music after a 30 year absence and have made tremendous progress in the last 2 years with guitar.
I have managed to reverse the effects of diabetes, eliminated the need for 8 medicines, and in the process have lost 45 lbs in the last 4 months. All this by learning to see food, cooking and eating in a completely different way. In fact cooking and eating has become yet another passion of my life.
I have always been intrigued by Buddhism, although I never followed that path because of my resistance to religion partly due to my upbringing as a catholic.
Well it seems that the time has come to take this path, to learn what I can about Buddhism, and to see where it leads me. I always felt\believed in the concept of goodness and selflessness and so it's no surprise that so far everything I have read about Buddhism (which admittedly is not very much :rolleyesc) has rung very true to me.
I'm a very active member on a classical guitar forum and I figured that there might be a place just like that forum for Buddhism, and well... here I am.
I look forward to being member here... to learn from all of you, and to share what I can as well.
One last thing, I have setup my own website to document and share what I can about my own personal Journey. The site is very bare right now and right now it's mainly about Classical Guitar, and Healthy eating and living, but I'm sure this new path that I'm taking will also be reflected there. I will be adding content about Classical Guitar which in many ways parallels our own quest for happiness, and also about healthy cooking and eating including some of my favorite recipes and eating habits.
If you are curious about who I am, please feel free to visit and to subscribe to my blog at http://ivanolarte.com and if you are curious about Classical Guitar, you may also want to check out my youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/olarte99
choosing a style is as personal as choosing your beliefs...One can't really lay a blanket statement down like "you should do this or that..." It all depends on what you seek to attain from your training. Do you want purely martial application...or are you looking for moving meditation? Are you looking for immediate use out of it like self defense, or are you looking at the grand picture? Would you be more an internal style type person, or external, etc etc...
I wish I could answer it simply for you, but I would need to know more about you to do so.
Thanks, I appreciate the detailed response. I seek something that's more toward a martial application like a self defense, yet still something that maintains a mind-body duality in the art. When I was a child I took Kaekwondo, although the course I took seemed to neglect the mental aspects. Perhaps it varies on where you take it and age (I was quite young at the time)? Maybe I can spectate a few different types and classes to see what I would suit me. Thanks again.
If you are curious about who I am, please feel free to visit and to subscribe to my blog at http://ivanolarte.com
Ivan, you make me wish I had my classical guitar with me as I am in Cuba or 4 months and cannot practice! I brought one of those finger exercisers by Planet Waves to keep my hand and pinky-strength building up to par.
Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and to Buddhism in general. My partner of 10 years left me 23 days ago and I have been spinning ever since. I am trying to find a grounding. I have realised that I have lost touch with my spirituality and self and let myself live in a place of anger and frustration. I love my partner immensely but due to a number of external influences on both of us I just lost touch with compassion and was hurtful to myself and my partner and she was hurtful to me. So now I am on a new journey. I have engaged with a Buddhist counsellor because it just felt right to me. My partner has been exploring Buddhism for some time now. I was interested but never became actively involved. Then when she left I was looking, searching for ways to calm myself and become grounded once again. I read some of the teachings of Pema Chodron and they just really spoke to me in a hearful but painful way. So I am on this new journey now to find some peace in myself and in the world. I don't really know where to start or how to travel but I think that might be the best place to start! :rolleyes:
I am learning that compassion is the hardest thing in the world to do and I consider myself a compassionate person. I am also learning that for me at the moment the hardest person to show compassion for is myself. I am interested in learning from the experiences and wisdom of other and hopefully have a few bits and pieces to share myself.
While reading your post, my mind kept making parallels to Herman Hesse's "The Journey to the East". It would probably be a great read for you if you haven't read it already, and it contains great motivation for beginners in spiritual development like us.
Hi rbastien why not see if you can pickup a cheap guitar or even borrow one while you are in Cuba?
By the way if you are into Classical Guitar, you should head over to http://delcamp.us it's a great place.
That in fact is how I found about this place. I "live" over at delcamp, and unfortunately ( and I suppose for good reason) any discussions on religion or politics are not allowed there... Anyway I figure I bet there is a place like this for Buddhism, one google search and here I am. Delcamp is like a mirror image of this place except it's dedicated to the pursuit in the mastery of Classical Guitar.
It's ironic too that while I'm a mod there, here I'm very much of a newbie, not just in the fact that I just arrived here but that I'm just taking the very first baby steps into Buddhism.
Yet life being the paradox that it is, so far everything that I have read, especially the teachings of the Dalai Lama ring true to the thoughts and emotions that I have felt all my life.
Maybe I was a Buddhist in past lives because it all makes perfect sense to me, and many things I have come across are exactly how I have felt most of my life.
I always resisted religion being raised a catholic, but the two things that sold me on Buddhism were the non-belief of an almighty creator, and the encouragement to question everything.
I feel like I have arrived home, I finally found a school of thought where I can be who I am and who I'm destined to be. Not unlike my recent journeys into Classical Guitar and Healthy eating.
Hi, I am new here. For most of my life (or actually, all of it) I've been neglecting my spiritual self. With a bit of research, it seems that buddhism fits my views/morals. I know I have a lot to learn, but we all have to start out somewhere. Hopefully I'll stick around.
0
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 2010
Yes, hopefully you will.
There's stacks of washing-up to do, the dishwasher's broken, and we had macaroni cheese last night!
Comments
L&P,All the best to you too.
Is that a warm fuzzy as your avatar Eric? It's cute whatever it is.
Hi there - and welcome to the group !:)
.
One of the cutest I`ve ever seen.I`ts a "gif" file and on my forum-info you can see her moving (Getting scared).
Nanimo,L&P, and Dazzle I wish you all the best,greetings;Eric.
I've been lurking for a while. It's hard to figure out how to put this, but I've read people put it the same way. I've always been a Buddhist in action and beliefs my whole life, but never really fully knew how much until I actually started to read more about it about a month ago.
I've always been exposed to Eastern Thought and Buddhism through martial arts that i have practiced and my own belief structure, so I've always had an important place for meditation in my life throughout the years...But my meditation has always been centered around my martial arts...not towards "enlightenment". This is going to be tough at first, I imagine to change my approach.
I'm leaning more towards Zen Buddhism, what school doesn't really concern me as much, but in what I already believe that seems to be where I'm more naturally orientated towards.
Anyway, for personal info...I'm 30 years old, happily married with two beautiful children (7 and 18 mos). Pretty normal guy, but am finally in a place where I am calm in mind and life enough to focus on my spiritual growth...I'm finally ready to look at myself and do so from a good place, if you know what I mean. Growing up in Los Angeles, I came up from a rough, anger filled and violent past, but that has been long behind me for over a decade, but I do have some anger issues that I am hoping I can come face to face with and relieve myself of through daily practice as well. Don't get me wrong I've never hit my wife or anything like that LOL...just that I anger easily and have a very defined perception of "I"/"Me" from my past...and I'm ready to let go of that.
We now live in upstate NY (15 miles out of Ithaca) and love living in this beautiful part of the country with a lot more down to earth people than LA (I know I know it's not nice to compare)...
As I've mentioned I've always studied a martial art in my late teens/adult life...my other passion is photography (www.studio4115.com) as well as music: I play cello, violin, guitar, piano, clarinet, flute.
I look forward to getting to know you all more. Thanks for your time!
Welcome to the forum!
Greetings to you (and the others on this forum);Eric.
Love & Peace;I thought we would keep that a secret,I had so hoped that nobody would recognise me without long hair !!! (:)).To you too:All the best;Eric.
I'm new to the board. I'm 26, just moved from Pennsylvania to Indiana to be with my fiance (and with a baby on the way). I've been studying Buddhism since I was 14, and mostly have been involved with the Tibetan traditions, though I did briefly attend some SGI services years ago and I do enjoy Unitarian Universalist services. I have to admit, the last few years I was a non-practicing "Buddhist," but now that I have time again, I've been trying to rededicate myself. It's definitely time for me to get back on the path!
I'm looking forward to the discussions here and learning from you all!
Hiya Ren! :wavey:
Hehehe! Have you got a picture of you as a baby? That would be funny
All the best!
Hiya tatvamasi (love the name) :wavey:
I've considered toying with Unitarian Universalism but what put me off was there beliefs on abortion. Recently though I've been sort of seeing some points of view, and obviously only if it's a good reason. I might look back into it and see if I click with it
Love & Peace
Jellybean
thanks everyone for the warm welcome.
Love & Peace:My kind is bald(we are ugly when very young),after about 1 year the hair starts to grow.
I must be brushed every day,and then after a few years I look like this.(I have cut my hair,as I`ve told you).When I look at your foto you need to be brushed often too.(Is he/she your "soulmate" ? My cat was,he allways comforted me when I was down.
Now a serious question;I would love to know if there is a "must have read" book about Zen-Buddhism ? I have read Chrishnamurti,Lao Tze,I Ching and MUCH to MUCH Nietsche.I`ve allways been very interested in the very basic form of Buddhism,I`ve been tought that`s Zen,and would love to know if there is a Zen "bible".
I`ve read:A Buddhist bible(D.Goddard),I found it lacking(A LOT).
Anyway there's been some sighns of spring in England too! And it's Easter soon, (I only celebrate for the chocolate
Love & Peace
Jellybean
By the way;Nice dog.Don`t you ever have the feeling your pet reacts to your mood?I really think pets are very "open" to their "owners".My cat was.
I wish you,and all others on this forum all the best;greetings;Eric.;)
Palzang
I hope all is well with you,thanks again;Eric.
I definitely agree with you that pets can tell how you feel
Palzang
Dipping one toe into the water.:)
Glad to meet you all.
Sheryljoyce
Lovely to meet you.
Lucky you, living in Ireland. You must be well into Spring by now.
Welcome to the site!
At age 55 I've "discovered" Buddhism. Grew up a Lutheran, but Western religion never made sense to me and I was pretty much unaware of Buddhism except as a word. It has been a life-changing experience, even early in my new spiritual journey!
I stumbled on to A New Earth (amazing IMO) and other Tolle books, which led me to Buddhism for Dummies, Mindfulness in Plain English, Pema Chodron (a favorite) and then Lama Surya Das and many online reads. I cannot get enough, I've had one "a-ha" moment after another and keep asking myself how did I live for 55 years so unaware? Amazing...
However, there don't seem to be any places within driving distance to further my journey, so I am confined to reading, although it has been enlightening and most enjoyable. I am thinking about finding a weekend or weeklong retreat on Buddhism nearby, but no luck so far.
I don't know if I will become a Buddhist or not, but I can't imagine not continuing my exploration of Buddhism in my remaining years.
Just introducing myself, and looking forward to reading, learning and if possible contributing eventually.
<!-- / message -->
The emerald isle,I have allways wanted to visit there,yep I know,a lot of rain bit we have that here too.I`m no "real" Buddhist too and allways felt very welcome here.
I hope all is well,greetings;Eric.
Brigid,have a nice weekend too.
bows
May I ask what martial arts you have practiced and any that you can recommend to a beginner? It's something I would like to start. Cheers
.
P.S. I'm not Cow Boyian
Hi Robin,
I was born and raised in Montreal. Lovely to meet you!
Pleasure to e-meet you too! How did you like Montreal and where's your igloo located now?
I grew up in Gatineau, just across from Ottawa on the Quebec side.
Chen Taiji
Yin Bagua
Hung Ga
and Japanese Sword arts:
Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido
Shinkendo
Toyama Ryu
choosing a style is as personal as choosing your beliefs...One can't really lay a blanket statement down like "you should do this or that..." It all depends on what you seek to attain from your training. Do you want purely martial application...or are you looking for moving meditation? Are you looking for immediate use out of it like self defense, or are you looking at the grand picture? Would you be more an internal style type person, or external, etc etc...
I wish I could answer it simply for you, but I would need to know more about you to do so.
My name is Ivan Olarte, and I'm a 48 year old man learning whatever I can, wherever I go, and for as long as I can.
Don't let my avatar fool you, that has become my "identity" throughout the internet because it's me 34 years ago when I was 14 and first studied classical guitar which is one of the main passions of my life... but that's another story.
Anyway, as I mentioned above I live to learn, and because of this, life seems to better and more beautiful every day.
I have returned to music after a 30 year absence and have made tremendous progress in the last 2 years with guitar.
I have managed to reverse the effects of diabetes, eliminated the need for 8 medicines, and in the process have lost 45 lbs in the last 4 months. All this by learning to see food, cooking and eating in a completely different way. In fact cooking and eating has become yet another passion of my life.
I have always been intrigued by Buddhism, although I never followed that path because of my resistance to religion partly due to my upbringing as a catholic.
Well it seems that the time has come to take this path, to learn what I can about Buddhism, and to see where it leads me. I always felt\believed in the concept of goodness and selflessness and so it's no surprise that so far everything I have read about Buddhism (which admittedly is not very much :rolleyesc) has rung very true to me.
I'm a very active member on a classical guitar forum and I figured that there might be a place just like that forum for Buddhism, and well... here I am.
I look forward to being member here... to learn from all of you, and to share what I can as well.
One last thing, I have setup my own website to document and share what I can about my own personal Journey. The site is very bare right now and right now it's mainly about Classical Guitar, and Healthy eating and living, but I'm sure this new path that I'm taking will also be reflected there. I will be adding content about Classical Guitar which in many ways parallels our own quest for happiness, and also about healthy cooking and eating including some of my favorite recipes and eating habits.
If you are curious about who I am, please feel free to visit and to subscribe to my blog at http://ivanolarte.com and if you are curious about Classical Guitar, you may also want to check out my youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/olarte99
Warm Regards,
Ivan Olarte
Thanks, I appreciate the detailed response. I seek something that's more toward a martial application like a self defense, yet still something that maintains a mind-body duality in the art. When I was a child I took Kaekwondo, although the course I took seemed to neglect the mental aspects. Perhaps it varies on where you take it and age (I was quite young at the time)? Maybe I can spectate a few different types and classes to see what I would suit me. Thanks again.
Ivan, you make me wish I had my classical guitar with me as I am in Cuba or 4 months and cannot practice! I brought one of those finger exercisers by Planet Waves to keep my hand and pinky-strength building up to par.
I am new to this forum and to Buddhism in general. My partner of 10 years left me 23 days ago and I have been spinning ever since. I am trying to find a grounding. I have realised that I have lost touch with my spirituality and self and let myself live in a place of anger and frustration. I love my partner immensely but due to a number of external influences on both of us I just lost touch with compassion and was hurtful to myself and my partner and she was hurtful to me. So now I am on a new journey. I have engaged with a Buddhist counsellor because it just felt right to me. My partner has been exploring Buddhism for some time now. I was interested but never became actively involved. Then when she left I was looking, searching for ways to calm myself and become grounded once again. I read some of the teachings of Pema Chodron and they just really spoke to me in a hearful but painful way. So I am on this new journey now to find some peace in myself and in the world. I don't really know where to start or how to travel but I think that might be the best place to start! :rolleyes:
I am learning that compassion is the hardest thing in the world to do and I consider myself a compassionate person. I am also learning that for me at the moment the hardest person to show compassion for is myself. I am interested in learning from the experiences and wisdom of other and hopefully have a few bits and pieces to share myself.
Love & Peace
Jellybean
While reading your post, my mind kept making parallels to Herman Hesse's "The Journey to the East". It would probably be a great read for you if you haven't read it already, and it contains great motivation for beginners in spiritual development like us.
With Metta,
Robin
By the way if you are into Classical Guitar, you should head over to http://delcamp.us it's a great place.
That in fact is how I found about this place. I "live" over at delcamp, and unfortunately ( and I suppose for good reason) any discussions on religion or politics are not allowed there... Anyway I figure I bet there is a place like this for Buddhism, one google search and here I am. Delcamp is like a mirror image of this place except it's dedicated to the pursuit in the mastery of Classical Guitar.
It's ironic too that while I'm a mod there, here I'm very much of a newbie, not just in the fact that I just arrived here but that I'm just taking the very first baby steps into Buddhism.
Yet life being the paradox that it is, so far everything that I have read, especially the teachings of the Dalai Lama ring true to the thoughts and emotions that I have felt all my life.
Maybe I was a Buddhist in past lives because it all makes perfect sense to me, and many things I have come across are exactly how I have felt most of my life.
I always resisted religion being raised a catholic, but the two things that sold me on Buddhism were the non-belief of an almighty creator, and the encouragement to question everything.
I feel like I have arrived home, I finally found a school of thought where I can be who I am and who I'm destined to be. Not unlike my recent journeys into Classical Guitar and Healthy eating.
Ivan
There's stacks of washing-up to do, the dishwasher's broken, and we had macaroni cheese last night!
welcome to our humble abode!