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Why hello there everyone.
A hoy hoy. My name is Marcus, I'm new to this forum. I'm 15 years old, still a student at high school. And recently I've become enthralled about Buddhism for a year and a half or so and it is something I wish to become a part of. I've read a few books and have decided that it is the religion/philosophy for me. But now I've reached a predicament... I don't exactly know what to do, I'm not having very much luck meditating, but maybe that will come in a month or so. So really all I am doing at the moment is doing everything I normally have done. I know it would be a wise decision to go to a temple of some sort, however I don't feel comfortable about that quite yet. So does anyone out there have some suggestions on how I could become a Buddhist. Also when does one actually become a Buddhist?
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What do you mean?
I still don't consider myself a Buddhist per-se, but I have yielded some results and I still *continue* to study Buddhism, tackling every facet of it from different angles. Lately I've been listening to audio lectures at http://www.buddhanet.net/audio-talks.htm, and Ajahn Brahmavamso's talks on Buddhism and Science, Freedom and Enlightenment are pretty good. I'd also recommend "The Buddha's Teaching As It Is" by Bhikkhu Bodhi.
Basically what I'm recommending is that you keep studying. Every source I've come across has put things in a slightly different way, and you might actually accomplish higher levels of understanding of the Dhamma by continued effort in this regard. Also you may want to dive into the Tipitaka (I did the site-download of http://www.accesstoinsight.org and use the Pali Canon pages on it).
Hi Marcus. Welcome to the group. 15 is an excellent age to start thinking about how you want to approach life!
How do you become a Buddhist? Find a temple, find a group ... find a qualified resident teacher. You cannot become a Buddhist until you understand what Buddhist is, and there is a natural limit to the understanding that one can gain from a book alone. That is because (1) your teacher actually lives Buddhism, and you gain an understanding that is both consciously and subliminally learned from seeing how the teacher acts and reacts, and (2) your teacher will correct the misunderstandings and misinterpretations that inevitably crop up so you don't veer down deadend tracks.
You become a Buddhist when you start changing what you do and how you do it and how you think about it and feel about it as you go through your day. You become a Buddhist when you take refuge, not as an intellectual exercize or wish, but with the deep conviction that this is where your heart and essence lies.
When you stop hesitating about the answer to the question "Am I a Buddhist."
Or maybe when you really know how dependent things originate.
Perhaps when you let that car overtake, just because its the compassionate thing to do.
But remember, you don't need to call yourself a Buddhist to know Dharma:)
Peace.
Das isnt nict so! Ze must be ze Buddhist dat ze authorities command! Papers! Show me your papers! Only Joking!:P
...in case the OP doesn't know what I'm talking about, though...the idea is not to get too lost in "isms". They can be a real distraction from what you're trying to discover, IMO.
Every day, or as often as you can, go online to read, watch, listen, and ask questions. Keep meditating. It doesn't matter that you suck at meditating. The only way you will be good at meditating is by sucking at meditating. The improvement is slow and gradual, but worth it.
When you're with your friends, try to avoid doing things that you will regret later, such as: trying to be alpha male, being disrespectful, reacting to disrespect, taking things personally, etc. These things all gradually become easier to control.
This link was given to me when I started asking for help online. I clicked the link, saw that the text was ridiculously long, and didn't bother with it for another few weeks. I then started reading it and was shocked at the value of it. Really, read it!
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe1-4.html
This place is cool to explore. I'm very lazy so I haven't explored it much myself, but I recommend you start with the links on the right under "Beginnings".
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/index.html
There's another link I want to give you, but I can't find it and I ask for everyone else's help. It's that video of that old guy giving a meditation seminar, and he talks about how the commentaries leave out an important instruction that is found in the sutras, which is basically to calm the mind and body with each in breath and out breath.
And I just read through this yesterday, it is AWESOME.
http://www.unfetteredmind.com/translations/37.php
I hope that helped. My last advice is to be real to yourself, and don't worry too much about anything.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/
^_^
Dear Marcus
No one 'becomes' a Buddhist, being a Buddhist is whom you are - your mission however, should you choose to accept, is to realise this ...
Be patient, take your time, this is a journey of a lifetime.
Abu
PS Welcome !
My answer to your question is one becomes a Buddhist when one takes refuge in the Buddha, his teachings (the Dhamma) and his enlightened disciples (the Sangha).
The cores aspect is taking refuge in the Dhamma and using the Eightfold Path as a guide for living.
If you wish to officially become a Buddhist, the way how is to visit a Buddhist temple where there is a monk or teacher and request taking refuge, which generally also includes (but not always) a commitment to train in the five precepts.
Kind regards
DDhatu
Welcome, Marcus. My suggest is to just relax and take your time. Buddhism is a gradual path, after all (Ud 5.5).
At the beginning, just try to focus on three things: (1) observing the precepts, (2) practicing meditation and (3) developing insight. Do the best you can and the rest will gradual fall into place over time.