Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Some days I really feel like I don't get this stuff.

edited March 2011 in Buddhism Basics
I read all of these conversations, and some of them just sail right over my head, and it frustrates me, or even when I try to participate in some discussions, I seem to be disregarded entirely, maybe it's because I just don't understand some of the more complex concepts? Some days I feel like I have a good idea of Buddhism, and others, I am completely lost. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Comments

  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Get really really comfortable with the basics. Any questions? I can usually find a way to boil down complex subjects to a simple essence.

    Like karma. Karma's hard for some people. I just call it "choices and their consequences". We make choices, either of thought, speech, or body... and they lead us either toward or away from Nirvana. The Noble Eightfold Path that the Buddha set up is a structure of skillful choices/karma to do just that!

    Impermanence means everything changes. Comes and goes.

    Not-Self means nothing stands on its own, everything is inter-dependent.

    Dukkha is any kind of suffering, frustration, dissatisfaction with our lives... and is really all a product of the mind. If the mind doesn't suffer, it doesn't matter what happens to the body!
  • Do you think that a beginner should focus on certain things? Like the 8 Fold Path, and Karma? I have a book I bought...Maybe a year and a half to two years ago, that has a lot of sutras that were translated into English. I have read some of them, although they are beautiful, they are somewhat subtly complicated in their own way. Perhaps I am trying to dig into too much information at once? :-/
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited March 2011
    I'd really recommend going to http://www.buddhanet.net and trying the Study Guide, learning as much as you can. I've gotta go for now. Good luck!
    (the Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path for sure, Impermanence/Not-Self, Five Precepts and meditation)
  • 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
    A beginner should start at the beginning.

    The Buddha's first sermon was at deer park, to his previous companions, who beheld the wisdom of his words, and the extraordinary change in their friend, that they instantly saw the deep and true meaning in his words.
    He taught The Four Noble Truths, and The Eightfold path (A continuation, of the 4.....)

    This lesson is all at once, extremely simple, and deceptively profound.
    I know one monk (whom I count as a good friend) who devotes his time to understanding all aspects of each lesson, each factor, and he's convinced that true understanding, acceptance and realisation of such simplicity, can take a lifetime.

    The key is to Simplify.

    Kamma is intentional/Volitional action.
    It all counts, and we don't get away with anything.

    Re-birth?
    Leave that be. It either clicks or it doesn't. Again, you can consider this as a definite possibility, or leave it aside and watch others chatting.
    you'll soon see many Buddhists are as divided about this as anyone could be, and there is confusion and uncertainty.
    Me? I'm open-minded. It could well happen, but I'll only find out at the end, and even then, I won't remember anything about this life, and I won't be able to report back.

    Self/Not-Self?

    I look at this simplistically too...

    I'm a person. An existent, breathing human being (cryin' talkin' sleepin' walkin' Livin' Doll!) And if I hit my thumb with the hammer, it fekkin' hurts.

    But I also perceive I'm just a composite of a gadgillion different things, and will one day cease to be....I'm 'non-existent' in the sense that there is nothing representative about how I manifest, that is actually definitive of "who I am"....

    Just sit back and absorb, think watch and learn.

    It's supposed to be fun and mind-opening, not a challenging ordeal.
  • SabreSabre Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Dear SkyLotus,

    I think you are reading too much indeed. Remember, the Buddha also didn't have suttas to help him ;)

    For now I'd advise you to focus on meditation and keeping the 5 precepts. Use these two tools to overcome problems you face in or get to face your life. Why do you have these problems or emotions? Use Buddhism and meditation as a means rather than as a goal and it will reveal itself slowly.

    Buddhism isn't about intellectual knowledge, I call it outside knowledge. It is about inside knowledge, about understanding yourself. Some people have read countless suttas and don't really know anything while others read almost nothing and really know themselves and are very happy and wise. Those of the last category are those who listened to their heart instead of their thoughts.

    You can always ask questions about the more difficult subjects if you want. There are some people around here who really know their stuff and can explain it really well.

    With metta,
    Sabre :)

  • edited March 2011
    I have been reading! :) I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to how I can re-condition myself to separate sin from suffering? I was raised as Roman Catholic, and so, when I see a precept that says that this one thing will cause suffering, my schema automatically snaps to sin, which can be really annoying. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! :) I really appreciate it!

    @Sabre & @Federica I didn't see your comments there initially! When I posted this initially, then your comments showed up. :) I think that simplifying will really help me, as well as starting at the beginning, which is certainly what I'm doing now. I tend to have the habit of going incredibly deeply into things without starting where I should sometimes.
  • I have a feeling this is going to turn into a whole pile of questions as I read.

    "The Buddha is omniscient but he is not omnipotent. He is capable of innumerable feats but there are three things he cannot do. Also, a Buddha does not claim to be a creator of lives or the Universe." What are the '3 things he cannot do?'
  • 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
    I remember reading this, and I forget where, but I think dissolve someone's kamma for them, (implying omnipotent forgiveness) is one of them....

    I'll try to check it out.

    However, do remember that The Buddha was a human being, a man, as subject to physical pain and impermanence just as much as any other being.
    Some claims and accounts are made regarding certain abilities and 'powers' he developed as a Buddha, but I bring it down to this:
    He was born, lived, suffered sickness and old age, and died just like anyone else.
    Try to not attach too much importance or significance to the stories surrounding him.
    Focus on the fact that with dedication and perseverance, practice and focus, he attained enlightenment.

    And we are just as open to that as he was.
  • 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
    as far as I can see, he could not eliminate negative kamma for anyone, he could not transform negative kamma for anyone, and he could not escape death.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    Some days I feel like I have a good idea of Buddhism, and others, I am completely lost.
    ________________________________

    Amen to that! At times, it's clear as a bell. At others, it swarms like bees and sometimes the bees sting.

    What happens over time, I think, is that the experience that meditation and attention and responsibility provide simply leaves all the "concepts" in the dust. It's like some endless conversation about riding a bike or playing the piano ... having learned to ride or play, the endless conversation is not so necessary.

    Be of good cheer -- being "completely lost" means you are open and aware and willing to learn. Having a handle on things has a way of confusing the scene.

    Best wishes.
  • A good text for beginners is Mindfulness In Plain English.
  • edited March 2011
    Suffering has nothing to do with sin. Suffering can be anything; being sick, if only temporarily, feeling bad about a low grade you got in a class, troubles with a significant other (or longing to have a significant other if you have none), feeling bad about body image. Suffering usually is in our minds, and because it's in our minds, it can be eliminated easily be a change in attitude. This is Buddhism--training the mind.

    The suttras are usually studied with a teacher, who provides interpretation for the more obscure parts, and discussion. But I've learned a lot from the discussions of suttras presented here. Take what you can, and leave what is over your head. You can't inhale and digest the whole of Buddhist teachings in a few months. Step by step. :)
  • 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
    (and little ones, at that.) :)
  • Get really really comfortable with the basics. Any questions? I can usually find a way to boil down complex subjects to a simple essence.

    Like karma. Karma's hard for some people. I just call it "choices and their consequences". We make choices, either of thought, speech, or body... and they lead us either toward or away from Nirvana. The Noble Eightfold Path that the Buddha set up is a structure of skillful choices/karma to do just that!

    Impermanence means everything changes. Comes and goes.

    Not-Self means nothing stands on its own, everything is inter-dependent.

    Dukkha is any kind of suffering, frustration, dissatisfaction with our lives... and is really all a product of the mind. If the mind doesn't suffer, it doesn't matter what happens to the body!

    Thank you. I am also lost in the vocabulary.

  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    It's not unusual for beginners to bite off more than they can chew. Take the theory slowly, stick with meditation and the very basics for awhile. Don't feel frustrated just because you can't participate on some of the threads--you're only creating suffering for yourself if you get frustrated, haha! ^_^ Work on meditation and mindfulness, understanding the 4Noble Truths and Eightfold Path (you don't have to memorize it). And karma. That's enough to last you months. Possibly as a next step, take a look at "non-attachment"--it's usefull for avoiding suffering/dukkha. That's actually a pretty thorough practice right there, when you can work in all those elements together. Be patient with yourself. :)
  • Understanding Karma, I have no problem when it comes to attachments and controlling them - this is a different story.

    I know that they are bad but this is what made us what we are. Human and high in the progress of consciousness. It must count for something?! :banghead:
  • I read all of these conversations, and some of them just sail right over my head
    Welcome to my world! Not only here, but in school as well :)
Sign In or Register to comment.