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Welcome, Vincent. I love how you make sure to tell us that you're legally a resident of VA. If I moved from the state, I'd want to make sure everyone knew who I was reppin' too.
Welcome, Vincent. I love how you make sure to tell us that you're legally a resident of VA. If I moved from the state, I'd want to make sure everyone knew who I was reppin' too.
VA!!! TWO UP TWO DOWN!!!
Okay I'm done.
Lol, yeah, I grew up there and enjoy the heritage and history of Virginia. I still consider it my permanent home. My wife is less attached than I am (born in the Philippines, moved to Maryland when she was 8)
Of course it also helps that Illinois doesn't consider me a resident of IL.
Name: Dan
Age: 22
Born & Live: Vancouver, Canada
Favorite book: Neuromancer, JPod, many others
Favorite band: Changes very often, but I'd say The Knife, Arjen A. Lucasson's many musical projects, KMFDM, and Depeche Mode are mainstays.
Favorite food: Chinese vegetarian cuisine, or poutine depending on my mood.
Favorite movie: (500) Days of Summer, Atonement, Terminator 1 & 2, Amelie, Blade Runner, Children of Men, The Fountain
Favorite colour: Black, Purple, Blue
I was born into and raised a Protestant Christian, the rest of my family are still devout Christians. I broke away from that scene around age 17 and became a militant atheist/anti-theist. More recently, I was recommended a book - Huston Smith's The World's Religions - and the chapter on Buddhism really opened my mind.
I am ashamed of my ignorant and narrow-minded past and am very interested in Buddhism. It is the most intellectually satisfying belief system I have encountered. This site seems great and I hope to learn more!
Name: Dan
Age: 22
Born & Live: Vancouver, Canada
Favorite book: Neuromancer, JPod, many others
Favorite band: Changes very often, but I'd say The Knife, Arjen A. Lucasson's many musical projects, KMFDM, and Depeche Mode are mainstays.
Favorite food: Chinese vegetarian cuisine, or poutine depending on my mood.
Favorite movie: (500) Days of Summer, Atonement, Terminator 1 & 2, Amelie, Blade Runner, Children of Men, The Fountain
Favorite colour: Black, Purple, Blue
I was born into and raised a Protestant Christian, the rest of my family are still devout Christians. I broke away from that scene around age 17 and became a militant atheist/anti-theist. More recently, I was recommended a book - Huston Smith's The World's Religions - and the chapter on Buddhism really opened my mind.
I am ashamed of my ignorant and narrow-minded past and am very interested in Buddhism. It is the most intellectually satisfying belief system I have encountered. This site seems great and I hope to learn more!
Name: Nidish
Age: 15
Sign: Pisces
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Height: 180cm
Weight: 60 kg
Born: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Live: As above
Favorite book: What The Buddha Taught - Walpola Rahula
Favorite movie: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, And... Spring ; Fearless; Hero
Favorite colour: Yellow, Black and other Dark colours...
I hail from a family of orthodox Hindus who think only their religion is true... Even I used to be this way...
..But only till this Jan when I came upon Buddhism(In a quest to learn other religions)... I read a book called "What The Buddha Taught" By Walpola Rahula and immediately realised that Buddhism was(and is ) the closest to truth.. So I converted... And, I have told my parents about this... They did not like me following Buddhism at all for it was expressing ideas like "God AND The Soul are both mental projections"... And now, i have made it clear to them that I am a Buddhist and no one's gonna change that... Solves a great deal of arguments ...
Name: Leslie
Age: 34
Sign: Aquarius
Chinese Sign: Fire Dragon
Hair: Blond or Light brown
Eyes: Blue-Green
Born: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Live: Alexandria, Virginia
Favorite book: Black Beauty, although I'm an avid reader and read books about many things.
Favorite band: Don't really have one. Love most types of music
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: Fried Green Tomatoes
Favorite colour: Blue
Hi. I am Leslie. Currently living in the wonderful state of Virginia. Originally from Wisconsin. Grew up in a really small town but love the convenience offered by living in a more suburban area. Although if I come into money anytime soon I will be moving out to the Shenandoah. I love the mountains and beauty of nature. I am the mother to two wonderful daughters. Currently I work as and administrative assistant but in the future I would like to return to college and complete my degree in nursing.
I discovered buddhism a couple years ago and wish to further my knowledge through this forum as well as reading and studying.
Well, I'm new to Buddhism (big surprise...;)). I first got interested in it a few years ago shortly after moving to the Bible Belt (go figure). I wasn't raised in any religion, not really. My parents were Christian but we didn't really do anything besides celebrate Easter and Christmas, and even then it was pretty much about the gifts. I read some books and practiced some meditation, primarily breath-counting. I got away from it for a while, but some personal circumstances over the past year have made me more reflective and interested in seeking the truth about who I am. I always seemed to gravitate towards Eastern philosophies in general, and Buddhism in particular. Zen Buddhism was what originally piqued my interest, but I don't know what school of Buddhism would suit me best. In the meantime I'm trying to learn as much as I can, applying it as best I can.
As for other aspects of my life...I was born and raised in CA, went to school in New England, and am now living in the South. My biggest interest is music (what I studied in New England). I work as a corporate investigator, but I'm considering going back to school to pursue a career in the health care field.
While I'm not as experienced or as well-read as many of you here, I hope I'll be able to provide some help and support, as meager as it may be.
Welcome new folks! Yay, another Virginian! Leslie, I feel you on the mountains. This state is gorgeous. I could never live up where you're at; Northern Va is definitely like an entirely different state. I live out near the Chesapeake Bay, kind of close to Williamsburg.
Hope everyone is enjoying exploring the forums!<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_129357", true); </SCRIPT>
With this message I would like to introduce myself. My (nick)name is Steppewolf, I'm 24 years old and I'm living in The Netherlands.
I was raised as a protestant (reformed). At my eighteenth I stopped going to church. The church believes were IMHO too dogmatic and not universal enough. Also the lack of complative methods was quite a disappointment to me.
During this time I was always inspirated and fascinated by Buddhism. Especially after I had seen a show of the Shaolin Monks.
At the moment I'm into a Zen course. I really enjoy the simplicity, wisdom and humor of Zen.
I'm very interested in what Zen (and Buddhism in general) and my birth religion (Christianity) can learn form each other.
This discussion forum is a good way to share experiences.
Name: Jeremy
Age: 24
Sign: Leo
Hair: Long, blond and awesome!
Eyes: Hazel
Height: 5'7
Weight: 225
Born: Only once that I can remember - West TX, USA
Currently: Central TX
Favorite color: All shades and tints of blue.
Favorite music: 90's Alternative
Favorite food: Asian food (rice, noodles, sushi, etc)
Favorite movie: The Big Lebowski, it really ties the room together
Favorite book: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Howdy all! Newbie here and figured this was the perfect place to introduce myself. Former Atheist/Agnostic raised in a house full of alco/work-a-holic baptists. I had my own thoughts and ideas and I tried not to fall into the mold as everyone else did. I've always been interested in the interconnected aspects of life and then I came across a book by Thich Nhat Hanh and that really sealed the deal. These ideas had been infront of my eyes the entire time but this book gave it a name. I'm in a small town in Central Texas now and I'm 3 hours away from the nearest temple of any form of Buddhism, so now I'm taking my search online to learn what I can.
I to enjoyed the Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy (The Movie did not do it justice) and am soon to read the rest of the compilation of his 5 other books that he later wrote...
I hope you learn a lot here... I have and am still... There's a great group of people here with a lot to share...
Aah, Douglas Adams's books, I'm yet to read the last one or two, although I can't say they're my favourite books, but they are... different.
Welcome, anyway
I have several favorite books, but figured that one was the most recognizable. The movie was a little disappointing and I'm sure a lot of other fans thought so too. For the first few days on a message board I go into the "watcher" mode and just read other topics, I'll chime in if I can think of something profound to say...but often don't.
I am a relative newcomer to this path. My introduction to Buddhism was through a Tibetan Monk,
so right now Mahayana is the path I walk. However, I truly enjoy all the various flavors of Buddhist traditions.
The Dalai Lama reminds us that just because others are not traveling on the same path as us,
it doesn not mean they are lost.
Looks to be a very nice online sangha, and I hope I can learn and contribute.
Hello there. I didn't post here earlier because I didn't know if I'd stick around. I've grown to like this forum as it gives the brain a bit of a workout, so I think I'll stay for a while.
I go by ShiftPlusOne on the interwebs. Born in Ukraine, but lived in Australia for the majority of my life. My interest in Buddhism grew out of my interest for hypnosis and astral projection (of all things). I found that self-hypnosis was in many ways a form of meditation and naturally all the time spent concentrating on breathing led to some of the same realisations as taught by Buddha. I therefore find the teachings quite accurate to what I observe and also intellectually stimulating. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a Buddhist, but I like to study it nonetheless.
I didn't know where to introduce myself so i thought I'd just go here. Feel free to move me!
Hi, my name is Esther + I always called myself a Christian but that religion never really made sense to me. I believe in a "God" + I believed my prayers were answered by a higher power but i didnt ever see God the way Christians did + I certainly couldnt get my head round heaven + hell + i didnt believe in the bible either. I also found Christianity to be quite hypocritical sometimes. Some Christians would quote kindness + non-judging but then didnt carry through.
Anyway, I dont even know how or why, but the other week i started looking up on other religions + found Buddhsim to really make sense to me. EVERYTHING though, down to the tiniest detail just fit for me. So, I decidied I was really interested in Buddhism + wanted to study it more to see where I was at with it. + I wanted to attend a course. The only one i could find where i live was really expensive so i started teaching myself a little bit (I hardly know anything yet!!) online + then hubby suggessted finding a forum so here I am.
Nothing in my life has ever made so much sense to me as Buddhism seems to + granted, I have only just started finding out but am excited to learn more.
Anyway, if anyone knows of any groups or classes in Manchester that aren't really expensive, would be great to hear. Otherwise, hope you dont mind me sticking around for a bit.
I'm fairly new as well. I too have the "buddhism is exactly for me" feeling, and i've studied online a lot so I feel like I have a decent grip. Of course, there's always lots to learn.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited September 2010
Welcome est4elvis! I popped you in the new members' thread! Nice to meet you!
I'm in Hertfordshire, but I'm sure if you google Buddhist centres Manchester, you may well come across a couple of places nearby!
Let us know what you find, and we'll try to tell you a bit about the traditions, if you'd like!
Well, hi everybody. I had come across this site a while ago, and made a mental note to return, so here I am! I'm what I suppose you could call an aspiring Buddhist. I've done initial research, and feel that it's right for me. But it's a huge (and slightly daunting) topic, so I felt that coming to a forum of average people would help a lot. I don't feel that I know enough to call myself a Buddhist, as of now.
I'm a young male, who was born (and live) in the island of Puerto Rico. I was raised a Catholic, but my family is pretty irreligious. Only one of my parents actually was Catholic, and only sporadically had me go to church. Despite that, I went through a hard-line Catholic stage that, in retrospect, was pretty frightening. Then I went into a hard-line atheist stage, which was probably even more frightening. Thankfully, I've mellowed out and hope to learn from the Buddha's teachings.
I'm chock full of questions that are probably very basic but this place seems very inviting, so I have high hopes.
Heya new people - amituofo! Been bit by the Buddhism bug, have you? :P
Steppewolf- Layman P'ang is one of the coolest examples of enlightened laypeople, and comes from the Chan/Zen tradition. I have a little book on his "sayings" and meetings with Chan masters, and they're quite koan-ish. But, he's such a wonderfully smart-arse and wise character that he makes an entertaining read.
Name: Evan
Age: 19
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Gray
Height: 5ft7
Weight: 195 lbs
Born: Dallas, TX
Live: Flower Mound, soon to be Austin, TX
Occupation: Warehouse worker
Hey everyone, nice to meet you all! I found this website in search for more information about Buddhism and I can really say it's helped a lot. i recently discovered a temple somewhat near me and plan to go there very soon!
Hi all, I am new. I haven't taken refuge yet because I want to research and make sure that I am making an informed decision. So now I am just learning and thinking a lot about Buddhist teachings.
Ah, yeah. I have quite a strong aversion to traveling such distances on my own. I especially hate the mediocre public transport where I live - the closest sangha that I get on with so far is four and a half hours away :P
Oh I don't mind the travel that much... I think it would be worth it. Plus I'm quite nomadic anyway... I'm considering volunteering overseas a few summers during college.
Hello, and good evening... or morning, depending on where you are and what time you're reading this.
My name is Steve, I'm 20 years old, I live in Michigan in the U.S. and have been reading up on Buddhism for a little while now, and still find myself as clueless as when I started... hence why I have come here. I will be asking many, many questions so I hope none of you mind. After all, everyone has to start somewhere right?
Comments
VA!!! TWO UP TWO DOWN!!!
Okay I'm done.
Lol, yeah, I grew up there and enjoy the heritage and history of Virginia. I still consider it my permanent home. My wife is less attached than I am (born in the Philippines, moved to Maryland when she was 8)
Of course it also helps that Illinois doesn't consider me a resident of IL.
Age: 22
Born & Live: Vancouver, Canada
Favorite book: Neuromancer, JPod, many others
Favorite band: Changes very often, but I'd say The Knife, Arjen A. Lucasson's many musical projects, KMFDM, and Depeche Mode are mainstays.
Favorite food: Chinese vegetarian cuisine, or poutine depending on my mood.
Favorite movie: (500) Days of Summer, Atonement, Terminator 1 & 2, Amelie, Blade Runner, Children of Men, The Fountain
Favorite colour: Black, Purple, Blue
I was born into and raised a Protestant Christian, the rest of my family are still devout Christians. I broke away from that scene around age 17 and became a militant atheist/anti-theist. More recently, I was recommended a book - Huston Smith's The World's Religions - and the chapter on Buddhism really opened my mind.
I am ashamed of my ignorant and narrow-minded past and am very interested in Buddhism. It is the most intellectually satisfying belief system I have encountered. This site seems great and I hope to learn more!
Age: 15
Sign: Pisces
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Height: 180cm
Weight: 60 kg
Born: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Live: As above
Favorite book: What The Buddha Taught - Walpola Rahula
Favorite movie: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, And... Spring ; Fearless; Hero
Favorite colour: Yellow, Black and other Dark colours...
I hail from a family of orthodox Hindus who think only their religion is true... Even I used to be this way...
..But only till this Jan when I came upon Buddhism(In a quest to learn other religions)... I read a book called "What The Buddha Taught" By Walpola Rahula and immediately realised that Buddhism was(and is ) the closest to truth.. So I converted... And, I have told my parents about this... They did not like me following Buddhism at all for it was expressing ideas like "God AND The Soul are both mental projections"... And now, i have made it clear to them that I am a Buddhist and no one's gonna change that... Solves a great deal of arguments ...
Age: 34
Sign: Aquarius
Chinese Sign: Fire Dragon
Hair: Blond or Light brown
Eyes: Blue-Green
Born: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Live: Alexandria, Virginia
Favorite book: Black Beauty, although I'm an avid reader and read books about many things.
Favorite band: Don't really have one. Love most types of music
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: Fried Green Tomatoes
Favorite colour: Blue
Hi. I am Leslie. Currently living in the wonderful state of Virginia. Originally from Wisconsin. Grew up in a really small town but love the convenience offered by living in a more suburban area. Although if I come into money anytime soon I will be moving out to the Shenandoah. I love the mountains and beauty of nature. I am the mother to two wonderful daughters. Currently I work as and administrative assistant but in the future I would like to return to college and complete my degree in nursing.
I discovered buddhism a couple years ago and wish to further my knowledge through this forum as well as reading and studying.
Is this thing on? *tap* *tap*
Well, I'm new to Buddhism (big surprise...;)). I first got interested in it a few years ago shortly after moving to the Bible Belt (go figure). I wasn't raised in any religion, not really. My parents were Christian but we didn't really do anything besides celebrate Easter and Christmas, and even then it was pretty much about the gifts. I read some books and practiced some meditation, primarily breath-counting. I got away from it for a while, but some personal circumstances over the past year have made me more reflective and interested in seeking the truth about who I am. I always seemed to gravitate towards Eastern philosophies in general, and Buddhism in particular. Zen Buddhism was what originally piqued my interest, but I don't know what school of Buddhism would suit me best. In the meantime I'm trying to learn as much as I can, applying it as best I can.
As for other aspects of my life...I was born and raised in CA, went to school in New England, and am now living in the South. My biggest interest is music (what I studied in New England). I work as a corporate investigator, but I'm considering going back to school to pursue a career in the health care field.
While I'm not as experienced or as well-read as many of you here, I hope I'll be able to provide some help and support, as meager as it may be.
Hope everyone is enjoying exploring the forums!<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_129357", true); </SCRIPT>
With this message I would like to introduce myself. My (nick)name is Steppewolf, I'm 24 years old and I'm living in The Netherlands.
I was raised as a protestant (reformed). At my eighteenth I stopped going to church. The church believes were IMHO too dogmatic and not universal enough. Also the lack of complative methods was quite a disappointment to me.
During this time I was always inspirated and fascinated by Buddhism. Especially after I had seen a show of the Shaolin Monks.
At the moment I'm into a Zen course. I really enjoy the simplicity, wisdom and humor of Zen.
I'm very interested in what Zen (and Buddhism in general) and my birth religion (Christianity) can learn form each other.
This discussion forum is a good way to share experiences.
Greetings,
Steppewolf.
Age: 24
Sign: Leo
Hair: Long, blond and awesome!
Eyes: Hazel
Height: 5'7
Weight: 225
Born: Only once that I can remember - West TX, USA
Currently: Central TX
Favorite color: All shades and tints of blue.
Favorite music: 90's Alternative
Favorite food: Asian food (rice, noodles, sushi, etc)
Favorite movie: The Big Lebowski, it really ties the room together
Favorite book: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Howdy all! Newbie here and figured this was the perfect place to introduce myself. Former Atheist/Agnostic raised in a house full of alco/work-a-holic baptists. I had my own thoughts and ideas and I tried not to fall into the mold as everyone else did. I've always been interested in the interconnected aspects of life and then I came across a book by Thich Nhat Hanh and that really sealed the deal. These ideas had been infront of my eyes the entire time but this book gave it a name. I'm in a small town in Central Texas now and I'm 3 hours away from the nearest temple of any form of Buddhism, so now I'm taking my search online to learn what I can.
I to enjoyed the Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy (The Movie did not do it justice) and am soon to read the rest of the compilation of his 5 other books that he later wrote...
I hope you learn a lot here... I have and am still... There's a great group of people here with a lot to share...
Welcome, anyway
Steppewolf - you read any Layman P'ang yet?
I am a relative newcomer to this path. My introduction to Buddhism was through a Tibetan Monk,
so right now Mahayana is the path I walk. However, I truly enjoy all the various flavors of Buddhist traditions.
The Dalai Lama reminds us that just because others are not traveling on the same path as us,
it doesn not mean they are lost.
Looks to be a very nice online sangha, and I hope I can learn and contribute.
Listen to the J man, lizard boy :wtf:
I go by ShiftPlusOne on the interwebs. Born in Ukraine, but lived in Australia for the majority of my life. My interest in Buddhism grew out of my interest for hypnosis and astral projection (of all things). I found that self-hypnosis was in many ways a form of meditation and naturally all the time spent concentrating on breathing led to some of the same realisations as taught by Buddha. I therefore find the teachings quite accurate to what I observe and also intellectually stimulating. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a Buddhist, but I like to study it nonetheless.
So... hello there.
No not yet, what is it actually?
Hi, my name is Esther + I always called myself a Christian but that religion never really made sense to me. I believe in a "God" + I believed my prayers were answered by a higher power but i didnt ever see God the way Christians did + I certainly couldnt get my head round heaven + hell + i didnt believe in the bible either. I also found Christianity to be quite hypocritical sometimes. Some Christians would quote kindness + non-judging but then didnt carry through.
Anyway, I dont even know how or why, but the other week i started looking up on other religions + found Buddhsim to really make sense to me. EVERYTHING though, down to the tiniest detail just fit for me. So, I decidied I was really interested in Buddhism + wanted to study it more to see where I was at with it. + I wanted to attend a course. The only one i could find where i live was really expensive so i started teaching myself a little bit (I hardly know anything yet!!) online + then hubby suggessted finding a forum so here I am.
Nothing in my life has ever made so much sense to me as Buddhism seems to + granted, I have only just started finding out but am excited to learn more.
Anyway, if anyone knows of any groups or classes in Manchester that aren't really expensive, would be great to hear. Otherwise, hope you dont mind me sticking around for a bit.
ps sorry for the essay
Hope you find your stay here beneficial. I am not familiar with your area so can't help out there, but perhaps someone else is.
I'm in Hertfordshire, but I'm sure if you google Buddhist centres Manchester, you may well come across a couple of places nearby!
Let us know what you find, and we'll try to tell you a bit about the traditions, if you'd like!
Welcome!
I'm a young male, who was born (and live) in the island of Puerto Rico. I was raised a Catholic, but my family is pretty irreligious. Only one of my parents actually was Catholic, and only sporadically had me go to church. Despite that, I went through a hard-line Catholic stage that, in retrospect, was pretty frightening. Then I went into a hard-line atheist stage, which was probably even more frightening. Thankfully, I've mellowed out and hope to learn from the Buddha's teachings.
I'm chock full of questions that are probably very basic but this place seems very inviting, so I have high hopes.
Steppewolf- Layman P'ang is one of the coolest examples of enlightened laypeople, and comes from the Chan/Zen tradition. I have a little book on his "sayings" and meetings with Chan masters, and they're quite koan-ish. But, he's such a wonderfully smart-arse and wise character that he makes an entertaining read.
Age: 19
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Gray
Height: 5ft7
Weight: 195 lbs
Born: Dallas, TX
Live: Flower Mound, soon to be Austin, TX
Occupation: Warehouse worker
Hey everyone, nice to meet you all! I found this website in search for more information about Buddhism and I can really say it's helped a lot. i recently discovered a temple somewhat near me and plan to go there very soon!
I'd love to see your greeter's outfit. I wonder what one of those looks like. Post a pic!
My name is Steve, I'm 20 years old, I live in Michigan in the U.S. and have been reading up on Buddhism for a little while now, and still find myself as clueless as when I started... hence why I have come here. I will be asking many, many questions so I hope none of you mind. After all, everyone has to start somewhere right?