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Hello, everybody

AtzigaraAtzigara
edited January 2006 in Buddhism Basics
I just happened to stumble onto this site, and just wanted to say "HI!" I am no longer a Catholic, no longer a Christian. I am not sure what I am. I just want to rest.

I don't mean to bore you all, but after suffering some major setbacks in my life, I am now working with a life-coach whose advice is quite practical and concrete, while having a profoundly spiritual bent. Her spiritual approach is alot like New Thought teachings, and my life is improving greatly.:rockon:

But I would still like to intergrate a rather practical form of Buddhism into my life. It is an intelligent religion/philosophy that seems kind and loving and helpful in the daily lives of its adherents.


Buddhism seems kind of tough, but nice.

Anyway, hello, everyone. I hope I'll have something to contribute.

Atzigara
P.S. I really like that SYW Convert to Buddhism site!

Comments

  • AtzigaraAtzigara
    edited December 2005
    OH! And I am having a really good time reading articles from the buddhismtoday.com Interesting reading for a rainy night.
  • CraigCraig
    edited December 2005
    Hello there.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited December 2005
    hello Atzigara and welcome....

    I'm sorry you feel you had such a raw deal whilst you practised Catholicism...
    Have a trawl through our Buddhism and Christianity threads, because there is a huge distinction between what Christianity teaches, and what is 'human-imposed doctrine....
    The Dalai Lama encourages people to remain with their own religions if they can, because he believes that if you are born there, it has purpose.
    Having said this, I too was a practising roman catholic who decoded to step onto the Buddhist Path - but I view my Catholic beliefs as constructive and character-forming....
    It got me to here, I suppose.
    We all have our own reasons and motivations, and they are ours for us to evaluate, and ours alone....
    So enjoy your self and hope you find the fruit you seek! It's fun looking!!
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited December 2005
    Hello, Atzigara.
  • PandoraPandora
    edited December 2005
    Hi! Nice to meet you! I am new to Buddhism myself, having taken a long and winding spiritual path from Christianity to Agnosticism to Paganism and to just plain old seeking, which is where I am now.

    I have been curious about life-coaching before--what is it like to have one? How has it helped your spiritual search? I understand that life-coaching tries to deal with your life as a whole, but I've heard that it frequently focuses on the career search--does it? :grin: I'm just all questions! Thus the name.

    Anyhow, not bored by your post in the least! Hope to hear from you!
    Pandora
  • pobpob
    edited December 2005
    Just saying hello welcome, I to am new, and by the way where is the syw convert to site?
    pob:thumbsup:
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited December 2005
    Here it is.... :)

    http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/buddhism/buddhism.html
  • carbonunitcarbonunit
    edited December 2005
    Hi, I was also brutalised by by catholasism as a child. Why do you do you say that Buddism is tough?
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited December 2005
    carbonunit wrote:
    Hi, I was also brutalised by by catholasism as a child. Why do you do you say that Buddism is tough?

    How were you brutalised by Catholicism, if it's not too personal a question?
    (If it is, i'll just shaddup, but as you mentioned it, I thought I'd ask..... :) )

    Buddhism, BTW, is tough, because there's nothing outside of ourselves we can hang the blame or responsibility on... it's all our own work, so it takes discipline and self-will to apply the teachings and stick to them...
    There's no absolution or 'God' to forgive us, if we screw up... We answer to ourselves, and some are pretty hard task-masters...!!
  • carbonunitcarbonunit
    edited December 2005
    My choice of wording was perhaps a little severe. Perhaps one of the worst memories for me was when I was sent to a boarding school in my primary school years. This was in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Every Sunday we had to assemble in the main courtyard in military fashion and march in single file to the chapel. I then had to endure 40 mins of rhetoric and hymns from an Anglican priest that was shipped in from the nearest town. When chapel was finished all of the other kids - except the catholic kids - were free to go, get changed and continue with their day. The catholic kids then had to wait to be collected, driven for an hour into town, wait for mass to start, sit through mass, and then be transported back to school again. We would then have to walk past all the other kids enjoying an hours swim in the pool, and eat a cold lunch that had been saved for us, upon our arrival back at the school. After this point swimming time was over - as was most of the day. I then had to endure being called a "Roman Cattle Tick" for the rest of the day by the other kids. Despite my asking my parents not to do this to me and sulking through this ritual week after week at the school teachers - nothing changed. Its not surprising that became a staunch atheist for many years. This post was not supposed to be about me. There is a much longer story (whew do I feel worked up.) When I first learned to "let go" my life changed. The days that I realise that I am the least important person around, are always the best. Mindfulness is the gift of Buddha to me.
  • AtzigaraAtzigara
    edited December 2005
    Hang on! So many responses with such good questions! This is cool!:type:

    I guess I was being a bit melodramatic when I said Buddhism was tough. I think at first, the entirely new language of this new path is a bit overwhelming (hey Pandora, I was a pagan, too, for a few years. I remember first starting and thinking "W-w-w-wait, what moon phase is for what what again?!") But Buddhism is amazing in its simplicity, I have discovered. And in a way, you can meet it wherever you are.

    Going to Catholic school for so many years, I witnessed some of the worst psychological abuse ever performed on children. It still hurts to even mention it...... Oh, and the suspected pedophilia of a few past priests (note: suspected) gives me shivers, too.

    Having a life-coach has been a great help. I tend to be so darn sensitive, and when I am deeply hurt, it seems I become the greatest procrastinator. My life-coach is helping me reassemble my whole world, helping me see that maybe I can have a better life spiritually, as well as workwise and healthwise. From what I am learning so far about Buddhism, it seems it might be a great complement to my life and temperment.:grin:
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited December 2005
    carbonunit wrote:
    My choice of wording was perhaps a little severe. Perhaps one of the worst memories for me was when I was sent to a boarding school in my primary school years. This was in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Every Sunday we had to assemble in the main courtyard in military fashion and march in single file to the chapel. I then had to endure 40 mins of rhetoric and hymns from an Anglican priest that was shipped in from the nearest town. When chapel was finished all of the other kids - except the catholic kids - were free to go, get changed and continue with their day. The catholic kids then had to wait to be collected, driven for an hour into town, wait for mass to start, sit through mass, and then be transported back to school again. We would then have to walk past all the other kids enjoying an hours swim in the pool, and eat a cold lunch that had been saved for us, upon our arrival back at the school. After this point swimming time was over - as was most of the day. I then had to endure being called a "Roman Cattle Tick" for the rest of the day by the other kids. Despite my asking my parents not to do this to me and sulking through this ritual week after week at the school teachers - nothing changed. Its not surprising that became a staunch atheist for many years. This post was not supposed to be about me. There is a much longer story (whew do I feel worked up.) When I first learned to "let go" my life changed. The days that I realise that I am the least important person around, are always the best. Mindfulness is the gift of Buddha to me.

    Having taught in both Catholic and Anglican schools (as well as having friends from Rhodesia/Zimbabwe - St George's, particularly), I think that it was your school system and the bullying behaviour of your contemporaries that was at fault rather than "Catholicism". And I say this as someone who is far from an advocate of the Church.

    It was heart-breaking to me to watch and listen while the challenge of Christianity was ground down into a smooth, boring banality by those in authority. It still is. In addition, the vast body of spiritual and social thought that has developed over the last two millennia becomes obscured by the abreaction among the young caused by these (to me) blasphemous distortions of the message Jesus taught.

    I am sure that there are many here for whom the whole process by which Christianity has been hijacked and fundamentally distorted from its origins by the cant spewed from pulpits. It has become what we used to call a "scandal" and an "occasion of sin". The churches will - if their 'paradise' and 'judgment' mythologies turn out to be true - have some pretty serious charges to answer before the Throne of Grace!
  • carbonunitcarbonunit
    edited December 2005
    Thanks for the insight Simon and your mail Frederica, like tug boats you have nudged me back on course :smilec:
  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited January 2006
    Atzigara wrote:
    Hang on! So many responses with such good questions! This is cool!:type:

    I guess I was being a bit melodramatic when I said Buddhism was tough.


    Nope. :winkc:
  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited January 2006
    Carbonunit, I used to go to Prince Edward High School in Rhodesia. Good to meet you here and good too that you survived the war (and the peace). :cheer:
  • carbonunitcarbonunit
    edited January 2006
    Rev. Genryu, good to make your aquaintance also. WOW, what a small world it can be. I went to R.E.P.S and to Plumtree High. Survived is nearer the truth than I realised at the time. Living very much at peace at the moment though. You have some nice stuff in your shop - now thats the kind of animal testing that I like to see. :-)
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited January 2006
    carbonunit wrote:
    Thanks for the insight Simon and your mail Frederica, like tug boats you have nudged me back on course :smilec:

    Great.... Now I'm a tugboat...!!:D
  • carbonunitcarbonunit
    edited January 2006
    Tugboats are very stable :smilec:
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited January 2006
    federica wrote:
    Great.... Now I'm a tugboat...!!:D



    Oooooh, i'm so pwoud!!

    hence the title!
  • carbonunitcarbonunit
    edited January 2006
    Well that's official then. (did you click on the link?) Did you answer the V. I. S. A. B. E. A. M question? I cannot find where that was posted :scratch:
  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited January 2006
    carbonunit wrote:
    Rev. Genryu, good to make your aquaintance also. WOW, what a small world it can be. I went to R.E.P.S and to Plumtree High. Survived is nearer the truth than I realised at the time. Living very much at peace at the moment though. You have some nice stuff in your shop - now thats the kind of animal testing that I like to see. :-)


    :D
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited January 2006
    carbonunit wrote:
    Well that's official then. (did you click on the link?) Did you answer the V. I. S. A. B. E. A. M question? I cannot find where that was posted :scratch:

    It's here....http://www.newbuddhist.com/forum/showthread.php?t=981&page=3
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