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Questions On Buddhism
I've been interested in Buddhism for quite some time now, and I've wanted to become Buddhist, but I have alot of questions that keep me from that. So, I was wondering if you guys could help me out.
Thank you
Thank you
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Comments
My second question is, how exactly do I become a Buddhist? I get the feeling I don't just proclaim I am, and instantly I am.
Third question is, I play Video games, use the computer, play music and I do marital arts, would any of this have a negative affect on my practice?
In the case of sex, or of just about anything really, there is the application of the Precepts for monks and nuns, and those for lay people. So in the case of sex for ordained people that means complete celibacy. In the case of lay people, it has much more of a "gray area" to it. You will often see the phrase "skillful means" used in a lot of situations in Buddhism, because, by and large, "skillful means" is the Buddhist approach to ethics- more situational than prescriptive or rule-based. This would mean sexual behavior that is responsible, that respects the other person, that does not exploit the other person, and that does no harm to either person. Each sexual situation would have to be evaluated on its own merits or faults, but, for the most part, for lay people, sex means responsible sex and not heedless or exploitative sex.
If you both like dressing in black binliners and swinging from bungees whilst having sex, then go for it.
if only one of you wants to do that, and the other feels obligated or coerced - then that would fall under Sexual Misconduct.
(Or Mrsconduct, if you're married.....
see taking Refuge in The Triple Gem.
Only if they become so important that they become an obsession and you crave them unhealthily.
some desires are good. Like the desire to become a Buddhist.
but desires should not be clung to in such a way as to make them a hindrance.
Do the things you love doing. But be sure that you can stop any time you want, and wouldn't miss them if you never did them again.....
As for the Triple Gem, what exactly must be done for this? Must I chant the words, or can I just say them, does it have to be in Pali, or can I say them in english?
And as for the activities, yes, I can basically stop playing video games whenever I want. However, music is different, music is everywhere and it's kinda what I'm going for a degree in. Does this count as being addicted?
I once took refuge in Tibetan with a high lama. That was important too. But we take refuge in the triple gem in our own language pretty much every time we do something that has to do with practice.
Do you need a Buddha statue? Could a picture on the computer screen work?
For my thoughts on what sexual misconduct means, see this.
According to the Buddha, a lay-follower (or practitioner) is one who's gone to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha for refuge [as guides], and is committed to the practice according to the Dhamma (AN 8.25). In short, being sincere in your practice makes one a Buddhist, and as Cloud has pointed out, this is an internal commitment. You can go through all the external motions if you want (i.e., going to a temple and formally taking the precepts or doing it in front of a Buddha statue at home), but it's not a requirement.
No, I don't see why it should.
I'm starting to become more into Buddhism now, but, I kinda don't want to become a Buddhist, I like the practices and the philosophy, but deep inside I don't want to dedicate myself to it. This is probably a stupid question to ask, but is there a way I could just incorporate the practices into my life without, necessarily, being a Buddhist?
One of the beauties of Buddhism is that it's not a hierarchy with someone in charge who is telling you what to do. There are no Buddhist police (well, maybe in Bhutan or Nepal, but that's different). You can do or not do whatever you want, and call or not call yourself anything you want. Buddhist precepts are wonderful to live by whether you call yourself Buddhist, Methodist, animist, or Loretta. It makes no difference at all.
If you're truly interested in Buddhism, I think the question you have to ask yourself is, why am I afraid to call myself a Buddhist? Not that we're trying to coerce you into doing so, but questioning motives is one thing that Buddhism has taught me about myself. If I have a fear, what is it that I'm really afraid of? And why live in fear? Is it because I'm afraid other people will think differently of me for this or that? Why am I afraid of that? Does it make me any less if someone thinks differently of me? Do you see what I'm getting at? It actually becomes fun after a while, and the gigantic side benefit of questioning one's self is that pretty soon you start to realize how much you're growing in awareness. And awareness is what it's all about. Not living in delusion as most people do 24/7 around the world.
Anyway, I wish you the best in your quest, and always feel free to ask any question that comes to your mind. There's always somebody around here who will pipe up!
Peace _/\_
I think I like the aspect of Meditation and inner peace. But I guess I have this weird notion that I HAVE to be Buddhist to achieve that. I also don't know where to start with Buddhism, I was told that there are around 2,000 or so teachings of the Buddha. How does one be a Buddhist? All these thoughts confuse me. I need some one to teach me, yet, there are no Buddhist centers, Temples, what have you, in my area sadly.
Buddhism is centrally what you DO. In YOUR life. It does not require a "I am a Buddhist" tattoo. What you do means what you actually experience and not so much how you explain or dissect that experience.
So ... given the fact that there are no centers near you, I suggest you try a little meditation -- literally find some time each day or each week to sit down, erect your spine, sit still, shut up, and focus the mind. This requires patience and courage and doubt. It requires constancy. It does not require goodness or badness -- it requires doing. You might want to create a clean space for yourself. Get a statue if you like. Burn incense if you like. But when you promise yourself to practice your meditation, then do so ... make a promise, keep a promise.
I don't know what your leanings are as far as school-of-Buddhism goes, but all schools encourage meditation in one way or another and the physical attributes are pretty much the same. Here is one description (with pictures) of meditation practice from a Zen Buddhist point of view.
Take your time ... you're doing fine.
To "be" a Buddhist, all you need is an internal commitment. We call this "taking refuge" in the "Triple Gem"... the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
There's a good bit of study material at http://www.buddhanet.net.
Namaste
I think I've figured out exactly what I want. I wish to be a kind and caring person, I want to take what I know from Buddhism, incorporate that into my daily life.
I get the feeling that I just don't want to put the label of 'Buddhist' upon myself. Not yet anyways.
By the way, I have been meditating for quite some time now, it very helpful and relaxing.
I'm glad you've figured out what you're going to do. We have a Meditation section here for any specific questions or issues that arise.
"Buddhism for Dummies" - despite the title, a very good primer on Buddhism in general, and very readable.
"Buddhism Plain & Simple" by Steve Hagen - small and digestible. Very well written.
And for meditation, "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
The amount of material can be overwhelming. Try to concentrate on basics (see the above books), and let that guide your eventual practice. I'm still very much a rank amateur at this. I wish I had more hours in the day that I could devote to dharma study, but right now I'm a full time grad student, so I just don't. Someday I will. But for now, I try to practice according to the Four Noble Truths (4NT's) and the Eightfold Path (8FP) to the best of my ability. I don't worry too much about the thousands of sutras, the bewildering variety of 'schools' of Buddhism, or any of that. Outside the 4NT's and the 8FP, much of the rest is man-made window dressing on top of the basic truths that Buddhism reveals. Living consciously (in a state of being awake) according to the 8FP more or less automatically steers us toward the Buddhist path, even if that's not what you choose to call it.
I highly recommend those three books. There are many other good ones, but I've personally found those to be useful to me.
Peace~ _/\_
And thank you also Mountains again for the Advice, I will try to get a copy of those books you requested. Lol, the Buddhism for Dummies book always seemed odd to me. When I started getting interested in Buddhism I thought of getting the 'Dummies' book, but of course, because of the title, I turned it down.