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New here with beginners question
Makarov
Explorer
I would describe myself as a curious agnostic and I'm trying to figure out Buddhism. I guess what is baffling me so far is the relationship between meditation & "inner-self" type growth... and actual "religion/worship" of a deity.
Now let me explain why an agnostic is even here. I actually have become interested in Buddhism as a result of my interest in Chinese/Japanese Tea drinking and ceremonies. I started out using the opportunity to shut out the rest of the world and sit calmly for 30 minutes or so preparing and drinking Chinese teas prepared a Tetsubin. I find the relaxation to be great and I look forward to my moment of calm and tea every day. From there I purchased Chinese Classical Music CD's to listen to while relaxing...my interest in Buddhism seems to have sprouted from this.
I am fascinated by the apparent calming. meditational qualities of Buddhism. I am not a sinner looking for a "church" or "salvation" or need for forgiveness, healing, etc as expected by Christian Churches. I am simply looking for some form of guidance in establishing and living a peaceful, rational, natural life style.
Am I going in the wrong direction? Misguided? Misinformed? Thanks for any input!
Erich
Now let me explain why an agnostic is even here. I actually have become interested in Buddhism as a result of my interest in Chinese/Japanese Tea drinking and ceremonies. I started out using the opportunity to shut out the rest of the world and sit calmly for 30 minutes or so preparing and drinking Chinese teas prepared a Tetsubin. I find the relaxation to be great and I look forward to my moment of calm and tea every day. From there I purchased Chinese Classical Music CD's to listen to while relaxing...my interest in Buddhism seems to have sprouted from this.
I am fascinated by the apparent calming. meditational qualities of Buddhism. I am not a sinner looking for a "church" or "salvation" or need for forgiveness, healing, etc as expected by Christian Churches. I am simply looking for some form of guidance in establishing and living a peaceful, rational, natural life style.
Am I going in the wrong direction? Misguided? Misinformed? Thanks for any input!
Erich
0
Comments
I too developped an interest in buddhism a bit "bizarrely" through a growing love and interest of Oriental culture and Japanese food - so you're not the only one to approach it via a scenic route - !!
meditation means many things to many people, and there are different ways to meditate....
meditation is about quietening the mind, the constant insiduous babble of thoughts which by and large are unnecessary and intrusive.... we have literally thousands of thoughts per day, most of which are needless.... fretting about past events (unchangeable) and future 'plans' (unpredictable.) Meditation is about stopping the excess chatter, so that we can come to know ourselves - or inner self - better.
There are several ways you can do this.
You enjoy your music, so sit quiet, with your eyes closed, any way you feel comfortable, and listen. But listen to every single note.... every single pitch and toss of the sound.... and the moment you have a thought coming through - even if it's something like 'I love this bit' or 'that's a weird instrument' - STOP. Take a deep breath, and start again. Listen without commentary. Empty your mind of the words we create to distract ourselves from going deeper.....
For answers to whether Buddhism is a Religion/philosophy, may I suggest you go down to the very bottom thread entitled 'Buddhism FAQ contributors zone' and read post #2 by Justin. That gives a pretty good summary.
I picked up Buddhism just for fun and thought it would be funny to impress my friends with some crap.
But then hey-hey, that's when I got serious. This is no joking religion.
You will find that Buddhism is a perfect vehicle for that type of agnosticism which wants to prove things by experiment and experience.
Deities and all the rest are simply methods of focusing imagination, I believe, although this is the subject of work that I am doing at the moment on Buddhist Psychology. They are far from essential to the practice, just as is the Cha-no-yu (Tea Ceremony), but, if it works for you then use it. Buddhism is also profoundly pragmatic!