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Where to start?
Alright, i'm sure this has been posted somewhere, but i wanted to make it unique to me.
I was raised by my mother and father, my mother of which being semi- strong believer. We went to a UCC church every Sunday until I was about 8. We stopped going because we had moved and we didn't know the area real well. We started going to a Lutheran church when i was 10. I did First communion there as well as became a member.
The years that I was attending my Lutheran Church, I didn't really believe in the idea they were teaching. I really just went along with it. I followed more of the Karma ideals. When i saw a spider inside, instead of killing it(ignoring my girlfriends screams:) i put it outside.
While disagreeing with a lot of the churches ideas and teachings i sought out another religion. I came across Buddhism and have read up a little about it.
I would like to know where to start off in practicing Buddhism and learning about it.
Books? other forums?
Where should I start? What should i know?
Thank you all Very much.
I was raised by my mother and father, my mother of which being semi- strong believer. We went to a UCC church every Sunday until I was about 8. We stopped going because we had moved and we didn't know the area real well. We started going to a Lutheran church when i was 10. I did First communion there as well as became a member.
The years that I was attending my Lutheran Church, I didn't really believe in the idea they were teaching. I really just went along with it. I followed more of the Karma ideals. When i saw a spider inside, instead of killing it(ignoring my girlfriends screams:) i put it outside.
While disagreeing with a lot of the churches ideas and teachings i sought out another religion. I came across Buddhism and have read up a little about it.
I would like to know where to start off in practicing Buddhism and learning about it.
Books? other forums?
Where should I start? What should i know?
Thank you all Very much.
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Comments
But isn't that the whole idea behind this forum? To express your knowledge of Buddhism. There may be a few bad eggs out there trying to push their beliefs on others, but that could just be some ill-advised people. After reading some of the posts here, I believe i will stay a little longer and see how it goes.
If that's not your choice, than I wish you luck on your journey.
I am very sorry you feel this way. This has personally not been my experience here in the forum. I have only been on the board for a short time and I feel that I have learned so much by hearing from different people.
Then again it is the internet, just text on the screen, so sometimes it's difficult to convey the proper meaning or emotion.
Again, I'm sorry to see you go. I have enjoyed hearing your input.
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Reading different books and texts is a fantastic resource! That's how I began my quest in Buddhism, by researching different titles and studying each one as I learned about it. My search also brought me here, to the newbuddhist.com e-sangha, and I'm very glad it did. I find it's a very good place to get input on difficult topics, or just chat with like-minded individuals. So I think both reading and discussing our ideas are important facets of practice.
Again, I haven't seen that happen on this board yet. Some people have strong opinions about things, and that is their belief. By opening ourselves up to discussion and dialogue we can learn so much from each other.
I do hope you reconsider leaving, but if you must go I hope you find a place where you feel comfortable.
Welcome to Buddhism! I'm pretty new to it myself, but I would suggest reading a few books on the basics. The books that really got me hooked are ' eight mindful steps to happiness: walking the buddha's path' by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, and 'mindfulness in plain english' by the same author. You can read Mindfulness in Plain English: here
Next, just start practicing. Start meditating a little bit each day--I started with five minutes at a time--and go from there. Keep reading and keep practicing, and it starts coming together. Stick with it, and the results will really start to show.
Also, keep asking questions around here. There are tons of people who are willing to give you good advice. This is a great source for information and advice.
Welcome derik123 :wavey:
How much do you know about Buddhism so far? I only had a vague understanding when I started this path.
Here's a quote from a similar thread regarding where to begin:
[In case you don't know, the different spellings (dhamma / dharma, nibbana / nirvana, etc) was also discussed in another thread - different translations between Pali and Sanskrit texts.]
Meditation is at the heart of Buddhist practice. Most people start with basic breathing, which is a form of placement meditation. We place our mind on the breath and keep it there. If there are thoughts, acknowledge them and return your mind to the breath. There are many books on meditation and many include it; this simple technique is an excellent place to begin.
If you haven't already, check out the Recommended Reading thread. I know there's a few pages to go through, but it'll give you a good selection of books to start.
So that's a little bit of a starter, hope it didn't overwhelm you too much. I would highly recommend you pick up an introductory book on Buddhism and read up on it if you haven't already. If you want to ask more specific questions please do!
Thanks for joining us :om:
So nobody attacked you personally....
It would help if you gave us an example of what you consider to be 'bullcrap'....
No matter.
in other factors, you are probably quite right...lthough your post is impolite, tactless, ungracious and frankly, somewhat offensive.
Thanks for that.
Nice of you to stop by.
Leave the key on the hook, as you won't be needing it again, apparently.
Bye......