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Do you know any Buddhists not from the internet.

thewalkindudethewalkindude
edited March 2011 in Buddhism Basics
Do you know anyone who actively practices a form of Buddhism, aside from people you've met on the internet?

I personally do not but i live in a small town where everyone seems either Christian or Atheist.

Comments

  • finding0finding0 Veteran
    edited March 2011
    I know some people who are of the "hippy" type that claim to be buddhist. But truely they only use it to add onto there egoic identity of who they wish to be and how the want to appear to others
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Hi Thewalkindude,

    I know hundreds of em! I would highly recommend that you get involved in an offline Sangha if possible (if you are not already), it is a great way of removing some of the feeling that you're alone on a path considered weird and backwards to most.

    Metta,

    Guy
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    I know quite a few. But I think for people who live in small, homogeneous communities where the predominant flavor is Christian, a virtual sangha is a good option. I'm glad internet sanghas exist for people who have no other option.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    I don't have an ongoing relationship, but when I lived in another town there was a community available and I meditated with some folks. I never got to socialize there however.
  • GuyCGuyC Veteran
    I know quite a few. But I think for people who live in small, homogeneous communities where the predominant flavor is Christian, a virtual sangha is a good option. I'm glad internet sanghas exist for people who have no other option.
    Amen. :hiding:
  • thewalkindudethewalkindude
    @finding0

    I feel that way about a lot of people unfortunately some of them being my friends or former friends. You worded that very well :)

    I wish i could find a good Buddhist community but the only places in Ohio seem to be in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

    Basically center of the state, upper part of the state, and very bottom. I live in the far eastern area of Ohio so those are not viable options.
  • nibbutinibbuti
    edited March 2011
    Do you know anyone who actively practices a form of Buddhism, aside from people you've met on the internet? I personally do not but i live in a small town where everyone seems either Christian or Atheist.
    Some people I know in flesh practise Yoga stretching, others pray.

    Trying to see wise and unwise rather than Buddhist and non-Buddhist.


    :)
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran

    Some people I know in flesh practise Yoga stretching, others pray.

    Trying to see wise and unwise rather than Buddhist and non-Buddhist.
    How about just accepting people as they are, rather than judging? Is there anything wrong with Buddhists practicing yoga or Chi Gong? They're just exercise and meditation techniques.

  • nibbutinibbuti
    edited March 2011
    How about just accepting people as they are, rather than judging? Is there anything wrong with Buddhists practicing yoga or Chi Gong? They're just exercise and meditation techniques.
    Do you think there should be something wrong with Buddhists practising Yoga or Chi Gong? (How about reading what was written :P)
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    What is the "wise and unwise" in reference to?
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    I don't know anyone who calls themselves a Buddhist in "real life", including me. :)
  • ArjquadArjquad Veteran
    I'm sure there are some Buddhist in my school but I don't know them personally.
  • B5CB5C Veteran
    My cousin. She introduced me into Buddhism.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    I wish i could find a good Buddhist community but the only places in Ohio seem to be in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

    Basically center of the state, upper part of the state, and very bottom. I live in the far eastern area of Ohio so those are not viable options.
    Where in OH? My fiancee is from Springfield, and may know of something near you. There appear to be some in Dayton.
  • thewalkindudethewalkindude
    I wish i could find a good Buddhist community but the only places in Ohio seem to be in Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati.

    Basically center of the state, upper part of the state, and very bottom. I live in the far eastern area of Ohio so those are not viable options.
    Where in OH? My fiancee is from Springfield, and may know of something near you. There appear to be some in Dayton.
    Lancaster, so the closest would be in central Columbus.
  • ThaoThao Veteran
    the walkindude, i am with you on this as i live in a small town with no other buddhists. my teacher corresponds with me, and that helps. otherwise i am only meeting buddhists via internet
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    Lancaster, so the closest would be in central Columbus.
    There are a bunch less than an hour's drive from you. Am I right in guessing from this and your handle that you don't have a car?
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    Do you know anyone who actively practices a form of Buddhism, aside from people you've met on the internet?

    I personally do not but i live in a small town where everyone seems either Christian or Atheist.
    Yes, I know Brian and Lincoln. Besides that, I know a few people from a local Buddhist group.
  • SeMichSeMich Explorer
    I was introduced to Buddhism through my uncle, who practiced from the mid 1990s until the time of his death in 2004. I know quite a few offline and on, in the US and elsewhere. I have started to attend temple services on the weekends and I suspect that a few of the attendees at my yoga classes are also dharma practitioners. :-) There are plenty people out there; the internet is a handy way to come into contact with existing groups.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    Understand this isn't really the nature of the question the walkindude asked, and I have been fortunate over the years and come to know many people who practice Buddhist principles in their lives. I have had several offline teachers and become involved in groups at three different centres. Knowing people, in the same way from online interactions isn't really possible in my experience.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    Liberation from the views of connections, the dharma is transmitted across time and space.
  • Tristram30Tristram30
    Exactly as Cloud said, an individual who is seriously practicing the path and not just using Buddhism as some sort of logo, is unlikely to talk about being a "Buddhist". I have never discussed Buddhism with anyone in person, even my wife!
  • ZaylZayl Veteran
    A few, yes.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    @Tristram30, I wouldn't go that far. Calling yourself a Buddhist doesn't make you one, nor does not calling yourself a Buddhist. Though we can get caught up in "being" a Buddhist, which is just another thing to let go of eventually anyway. I use Buddhist teachings to find the truth and peace, to find out what I really am rather than to define me, and this is why I don't call myself a Buddhist. Not looking to be anything special. :)
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited March 2011
    If it's any consolation, I'm 71 years old today and probably have less of a clue than earlier in my life as to what a Buddhist might be. Yes, I can do the usual riffs on precepts and the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, and yes, I know a number of people with whom I do or did practice Zen Buddhism. And yes, it is nourishing to spend time in the company of like-minded people with a common direction. It seems -- and I emphasize "seems" -- to lighten the load. It is encouraging and helps soften the blow of questions like, "Have I involved myself in some nut-ball process?" Among friends, if you are crazy, well, at least you have some company. :)

    But there is something to be said, in the midst of whatever point in Buddhism we may find ourselves, to remember that before anyone became a "Buddhist," they were a human being. Nothing fancy, just a human being. Good days, bad days, ecstasy, despair, bright lights and dark nights ... just a human being. In that context, Buddhism is like putting on a particular shirt ... a way to be cozy in the winds that blow. You wouldn't wear the same shirt all the time -- you're a human being after all -- but this shirt is a good shirt to wear.

    Anyway, I seem to have gotten off on a toot here. If you can find breath-to-breath friends who are Buddhists, that's fine. But if you can't, you might ask yourself from time to time, who could possibly NOT be a Buddhist ... we're all human, after all and pigeon-holing or limiting others is as dubious and uncomfortable-making as pigeon-holing or limiting ourselves.

  • ShutokuShutoku Veteran
    I attend a Jodo Shinshu Temple currently with around 60 members. The vast majority were raised Buddhist, and most are now in their 70's and 80's
  • Tristram30Tristram30
    @ Shutoku - what are they like, the ones in their 70s and 80s who were raised Buddhist? Do you consider that they are enlightened? I'd love to meet someone like that!
  • Tristram30Tristram30
    @ genkaku "Have I involved myself in some nut-ball process?" - that is probably a serious concern of people practicing in isolation, I certainly get that pang every now and again, especially when I sense that I doing something differently to how I would have done.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Exactly as Cloud said, an individual who is seriously practicing the path and not just using Buddhism as some sort of logo, is unlikely to talk about being a "Buddhist". I have never discussed Buddhism with anyone in person, even my wife!
    Hi Tristram30 ... meeting other practitioners and having the opportunity to discuss ideas, to ask and answer questions and having the opportunity over time get to know them has been very beneficial for me .... as others have also shared, what calling oneself a " Buddhist " would actually mean has become more of a conundrum for me over time. As humans are social creatures, interaction ( and decision to withdraw from it, in the form of retreats and silent retreats, taking vows etc ) is a human activity. Likewise, the desire to interact on a forum like this is based on this aspect of being human - for me, it is very different though to real life.

  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited March 2011
    Genkaku raises a good point. One needn't narrow one's search for friends to Buddhist circles. One needs to find kind, thoughtful and generous human beings. They come in all stripes. People who share values that we would call "Buddhist", but that really, are universal human values.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    For sure, agree with this aspect too. Meeting and doing Hatha yoga with a group of women who also practice Bahkti yoga ( a devotional Hindu practice ) in the past 6 months has been great - going for a walk and coffee with them today too.
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