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Buddhism in a Nutshell: Part 2
MindGate
United States Veteran
(If you don't feel like reading all of this, skip to paragraph 3)
I walked into a small used book store today. As I entered, the clerk and owner of the store, a man in his late 50's-earl 60's, welcomed me. He offered me help if I needed it and then I went on my way. I scoured the bookstore looking for the religion, spirituality, and philosophy section and eventually found it. I searched through the bookshelf full of books until I found a couple that interested me - each being 4 dollars. I called my mother to come pick me up from the store and then headed out to the front desk.
Out sat an old wooden chair in which I sat down in. The man said hello to me again, and after a small awkward silence, we began talking. After a while, we got to talking about me and Buddhism. He asked me one of the simplest questions a person could ask, and yet I couldn't answer it: How do you practice Buddhism? I sort of sat there a minute and then looked at the man and said, "You know, I really don't know how to answer this. Its such a wide subject - though, I think the key is being mindful. By mindful, I mean living in the moment, observing and questioning everything." He said that seemed like a sufficient answer and we kept talking and then went on our merry ways.
Though, it bothered me that I could not answer this simple question. When people ask me to define Buddhism, I can't do it. So, can you explain Buddhist concepts, such as Emptiness and Mindfulness in just a paragraph or two? How would you explain it to someone in a nutshell?
I walked into a small used book store today. As I entered, the clerk and owner of the store, a man in his late 50's-earl 60's, welcomed me. He offered me help if I needed it and then I went on my way. I scoured the bookstore looking for the religion, spirituality, and philosophy section and eventually found it. I searched through the bookshelf full of books until I found a couple that interested me - each being 4 dollars. I called my mother to come pick me up from the store and then headed out to the front desk.
Out sat an old wooden chair in which I sat down in. The man said hello to me again, and after a small awkward silence, we began talking. After a while, we got to talking about me and Buddhism. He asked me one of the simplest questions a person could ask, and yet I couldn't answer it: How do you practice Buddhism? I sort of sat there a minute and then looked at the man and said, "You know, I really don't know how to answer this. Its such a wide subject - though, I think the key is being mindful. By mindful, I mean living in the moment, observing and questioning everything." He said that seemed like a sufficient answer and we kept talking and then went on our merry ways.
Though, it bothered me that I could not answer this simple question. When people ask me to define Buddhism, I can't do it. So, can you explain Buddhist concepts, such as Emptiness and Mindfulness in just a paragraph or two? How would you explain it to someone in a nutshell?
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Comments
Cultivate goodness
Purify the mind
This is the teaching of all Buddhas
That’s the brilliant part!
Thinking about them is relatively pointless.
I suppose.
We need some trust in our practice.