How long did you study Buddhism before considering yourself a Buddhist?

GravityBear

Hi everyone, since this is my first post I'll just give a small background on myself.

Im an african american male age 19 living in texas, I was brought up Christian but began doubting christianity around the age of 15 or 16 and became atheist. Recently over the past few months I have really been looking into and studying Buddhism and it has just clicked with me and my style of living. It meshes with my understanding of life and science and give me inner peace with the life I have been given as well as the fact that I will one day loose it. I have become more aware of the beautiful world around me and the people within it. I feel more connected to the universe. I've yet to really tell any of my family or friends that I am atheist, let alone studying Buddhism! Unfortunately just not believing in god is still extremely taboo in the african american community and more than enough to be outcast and cut off.

Anyway, I dont necessarily consider myself Buddhist even though I study Buddhism and practice meditation. Im just not one to call myself something before I really know too much about it. I've only really been studying it for a month or so.

So I was curious, how long did you study the teachings of Buddha before considering yourself a Buddhist, and how did you "come out" to your friends and family, if you did?

Thanks

DhammaDhatu

GravityBear wrote: »

It meshes with my understanding of life and science and give me inner peace with the life I have been given as well as the fact that I will one day loose it. I have become more aware of the beautiful world around me and the people within it. I feel more connected to the universe.

Nice. :smilec:

So I was curious, how long did you study the teachings of Buddha before considering yourself a Buddhist, and how did you "come out" to your friends and family, if you did?

Well, my friends & family always thought I was a "Buddhist" after I spent some time meditating in a Buddhist monastery but it took me many years to realise I was a "Buddhist".

When I first studied, I used to meditate alot and never regarded myself as anything.

But, in my experience, there is a vision of reality that is more than one can find through meditation and that I found by studying the teachings of the Buddha.

In my gratitude towards the Buddha, I began to consider myself a Buddhist. This probably took 15 years.

But still, there is no need for me to tell anyone I am a Buddhist.

Welcome.

:smilec:

jovialprankster

Hi Bear, do yourself a favour, don't stick a label on yourself.
It sounds like you have found something that really works, so stick with it & see where it leads.
As soon as you label yourself you start thinking "As a Buddhist I should be doing this & shouldn't be doing that" and that spoils all the fun!

Jeffrey

I would think that when you have taken a refuge vow with a sangha then you are pretty much a buddhist whether labled as such or not.

Before taking a refuge vow get aquainted with buddhism and continue with your meditation practice. If you should find a group of buddhists (a sangha) in your area that you feel comfortable with you may begin practicing with them. Then at some point, when you understand what it means, you may take refuge.

By the way I consider myself a buddhist although I have not yet taken refuge. Because I study and meditate and intend to take refuge at a later date.

Stephen

So as not to confuse people, a layperson does not need to take a vow in the presence of monks to be/become a Buddhist. What is important is your internal commitment to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.

Don't want to make everyone rush to a monastery thinking they somehow aren't Buddhist because they need to perform a ritual.

fivebells

I will have been practicing regularly for 9 years come April, and have done well over 4,000 hours of Buddhist meditation, but I don't consider myself a Buddhist. In fact, I identify less with Buddhism now than I did at the start.

RichardH

Took refuge in 1991.

I consider myself "Buddhist" when yapping about it. Otherwise there is just doing practice. I don't talk about it at all with people outside of Sangha (or here).

Jeffrey

Stephen I didn't mean to say that you aren't a buddhist when you haven't taken refuge vow. I meant to say that you pretty much are when you have. A vow with a community has the advantage that you have said the vows in front of respected mentors and peers. Its like if you told your whole family that you were going to stop eating potato chips. If they see you the next day eating potato chips you will remember your vow more easily than if you had only made it only to yourself. Perhaps a better example is its like an exercise partner. You both walk together everyday and because another person is expecting you you have more energy to overcome obstacles. Same idea. Which isn't to say a vow to yourself is invalid or lesser or anything. I am just recognizing the power of making a vow to a peer or mentor.

jinzang

Trungpa Rinpoche once was asked, "When are you a Buddhist?"

He said, "When you're in an accident and rushed to the hospital, and they ask you your religion, and you reply, 'I'm a Buddhist.'"

Stephen

Jeff: I'm with you on the power of being public with your choices. A vow made in public is a great motivator since you then feel you need to live up to your peers' or family's expectations. At the same time though, the only thing that matters is that you actually mean the words. If you do not actually take refuge internally, or you stop taking refuge in the future, you're no longer a Buddhist.

Our path is much less about what we say we are, and much more about the mental effort and commitment. It's a constant or continual effort rather than a one-time deal. Many choose to start their day by taking refuge; some would think this to be formulaic, but I think it's more to remind us that being a Buddhist is not something we are, but something we do.

I'd love to actually go to a monastery sometime and I'm sure I'd take refuge while I was there, but like I said it's just a ritual; I've already taken refuge and there's nothing that will sway me from what I know now to be true.

PietroPumokin

how long did you starve before you became a foodist? is the real question at stake here

DhammaDhatu

Whilst I am not recommending becoming 'a Buddhist', it can have some merits.

Most 'Buddhists' become 'Buddhist' later rather than earlier.

For the Buddha, acknowledgement or respect was important, such as in the Garava Sutta.

Here, after his enlightenment, he regarded proper acknowledgement as perfecting unperfected qualities of his mind.

mrdude1228

There's a book I mentioned in another topic and adore, Blue Jean Buddha, that actually addresses just this question -- the trend among Buddhists to... well, not be too direct about calling themselves Buddhists. At least for quite some time. Common replies range from "I'm a Buddhist practitioner" to "I use Buddhist practices."

I believe some of the alleged reasons correspond with what's in this topic. Many converts don't want to feel like they're once again defined by their religious title; or they don't want to be subjected to the many misconceptions in modern society of even the most fundamental Buddhist subjects (see: "Do you float?"). Very interesting subject.

Personally, I've only recently began bluntly saying I'm Buddhist to a few people, so that makes it... after the better part of the year? I'm tired of beating around the bush, and if someone becomes skeptical I simply clarify that I don't believe in the superstitious aspects.

skydancer

I practiced Buddhist meditation and attended retreats for five years before I started calling myself a Buddhist.

I took temporary vows during retreats, later I took formal refuge vows.

GravityBear wrote: »

Hi everyone, since this is my first post I'll just give a small background on myself.

Im an african american male age 19 living in texas, I was brought up Christian but began doubting christianity around the age of 15 or 16 and became atheist. Recently over the past few months I have really been looking into and studying Buddhism and it has just clicked with me and my style of living. It meshes with my understanding of life and science and give me inner peace with the life I have been given as well as the fact that I will one day loose it. I have become more aware of the beautiful world around me and the people within it. I feel more connected to the universe. I've yet to really tell any of my family or friends that I am atheist, let alone studying Buddhism! Unfortunately just not believing in god is still extremely taboo in the african american community and more than enough to be outcast and cut off.

Anyway, I dont necessarily consider myself Buddhist even though I study Buddhism and practice meditation. Im just not one to call myself something before I really know too much about it. I've only really been studying it for a month or so.

So I was curious, how long did you study the teachings of Buddha before considering yourself a Buddhist, and how did you "come out" to your friends and family, if you did?

Thanks

Brigid

Hi Bear,

Love your avatar, btw.

I felt like you do. When I first started practicing and studying Buddhism I didn't know much about it so it didn't feel right to call myself a Buddhist. Once I got a handle on the basics though I knew I was a Buddhist and would be following the Dhamma for the rest of my life.

Unlike you I have no pressure from family, friends, or community about my spiritual path and could freely call myself a Buddhist when I felt comfortable with my level of knowledge to do so.

But as others have pointed out, identifying strongly with a label can be problematic. Identifying with anything as 'me' or 'mine' is problematic. (See the Buddha's teaching of anatta.)

But in conventional conversation we still must use labels of various sorts in order to communicate. I use the label 'Buddhist' because it describes my view and behavior (most of the time...) in a way some people can understand. At the same time I know if I cling to the identity of 'being a Buddhist' it will cause suffering for me. So I try to see the label as a convenience, not an identity. Buddhism isn't what I am. It isn't 'me' or 'mine'. Buddhism is what I do.