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@reb1220 hit the nail on the head: "Finally honestly questioning everything I believed, or had been told to believe. Which led me to seek for something that made more sense that a god who would send you to hell for not believing exactly as one is told to believe, or a god who could only forgive mankind by killing a son of his own. The more I thought of it, the less sense it made. "
I could no longer pray to a God who sits up there in heaven, judging us, punishing us, loving us...this same God who takes away our loved ones just because He "wanted them in heaven", etc. I mean come on! It made no sense to me.
It took me many years to realize I was uncomfortable with Christianity.
@Nerima said:
It took me many years to realize I was uncomfortable with Christianity.
This right here. I then considered myself agnostic/atheist, and was pretty bitter towards most other organized religions. Picked up a book by Thich Nhat Hanh that changed my life and the rest is history.
5
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
Hi @KarmaTsultrimPalden. I'm glad you found TNH -- Could you divulge which of Master TNH's many books got you started with the Buddhist path? {and welcome to NB}
@silver said:
Hi KarmaTsultrimPalden. I'm glad you found TNH -- Could you divulge which of Master TNH's many books got you started with the Buddhist path? {and welcome to NB}
Hey thanks for the greetings!
I was working at a bookstore and was scouring the eastern relgiions/philosophy section. Thich Nhat Hanh's Anger, was the first Buddhist book I picked up. After reading this in a couple days, I then picked up No Death, No Fear, which changed my life. Then, The Heart of Buddha's Teaching, which is a great introduction to Buddhism. I've branched out since then, but Thich is so accessible.
And it's pretty funny that I purchased Anger on a whim...I'm fairly cool, calm, and collect. The book changed my way of thinking and how I used mindfulness in my daily life. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and had it from my teens into my twenties. My panic attacks have disappeared since I began practicing.
It was my mother who introduced me to Buddhism - she's never attached herself to the label of course, but we had interesting discussions around the dinner table when I was a child as my dad did (and still does) thinks it's all a load of old nonsense but admits that he's grateful my mother discovered buddhism as it's made her less neurotic!!! As a teenager I thought it was "cool" to tell everyone my mum was a Buddhist and pretended that I was too - without knowing the first thing about it! I was 23 when I first had a glimpse of what she'd been getting at for all those years when I actually sat down and read one of the many books in her dharma bookshelf. I've dipped in and out over the years, but have to admit that I suffered a setback in my late twenties when I coupled an obsession with Buddhism with major marajuana addiction which resulted in a scary psychotic episode. Now that enough years have passed I feel less scared about dipping my toe in the water again as I'm confident that the psychotic episode was a result of the marajuana, not the Buddhism teachings!!!
I've read some of the first two books of Master TNH's you listed and, I'm always shouting his praises for his biography of Buddha, which I've encouraged everybody to read, Old Path White Clouds. I absolutely love and adore this book.
@silver said:
I've read some of the first two books of Master TNH's you listed and, I'm always shouting his praises for his biography of Buddha, which I've encouraged everybody to read, Old Path White Clouds. _ I absolutely love and adore this book_.
@silver said:
I've read some of the first two books of Master TNH's you listed and, I'm always shouting his praises for his biography of Buddha, which I've encouraged everybody to read, Old Path White Clouds. I absolutely love and adore this book.
@silver
When I was going to college, I checked this book out of the library! Sadly, I never got around to reading it. For the longest time on IMDB, Thich Nhat Hanh was supposedly penning a script for a movie about the life of the Buddha, loosely based on this book. Pretty sure the project was scrapped.
@Medusa_ said:
As a teenager I thought it was "cool" to tell everyone my mum was a Buddhist and pretended that I was too - without knowing the first thing about it!
You had a Buddhist mum? Luxury! [that is an 'in joke' based on the monty python, four Yorkshiremen sketch]
I used to discuss Dharma, life the universe and everything with my aunt over the years. She never practiced and without practice we are just dharma tourists ...
Most of us follow Buddhism superficially, half heartedly to start with. Only when we acknowledge it as a means that can be effective do we become earnest ...
I hate to say it but it was women that led me and my pursuit of them. I wanted more confidence and I wanted to be present to the moment. I thought by meditating I would change into this awesome chick magnet. Of course I was wrong but as I got into meditation I kinda wanted to look into Buddhism as I had been circling the drain for a few years thinking that the beliefs fit mine really and the key to finding the answers lies within ones own mind. The more I got into Buddhism I have found that my need for a woman is what is causing me suffering and making me weaker. I have not had a relationship for 5 years and being 26 it hurts. I find now though that is becoming less of a big deal and I see that I want a relationship so bad because I believe its going to answer all my problems. That desire is making me unhappy with the person I am. I dont know If Buddhism will ever help me find my inner confidence but I hope it will allow me to stop putting so much emphasis on the idea of being in a relationship at the expense of my self worth.
One day at a time.
Meditation can slowly, gradually carry over into the rest of your day. Mindfulness, the 8-fold path. It's all here. You just need to give yourself enough space to relax and let it absorb itself into you.
Women eh? It was booze and my alcoholism that got me to Buddhism; but to put it in a simpler way, my suffering got me to booze, which led to further suffering, so I ended up in A.A.. A.A. has a 12 Step program which includes meditation, but it doesn't teach meditation, but it suggests that we 'be quick to see where the religious are right', so I went to a drop in Buddhist meditation class and my interest grew from that.
@Mingle
We all wrestle with a dream of something that offers to assuage our innate experiences of inadequacy with existence.
Good on you for managing to face it so directly.
@how said:
Good on you for managing to face it so directly.
When I was first doing five element practice, my focus was eventually joined with one particular point of samsara, who eventually became a partner. Everything changes.
Tara the Buddha magnet. What a babe. So many forms ... LOL.
It's very common phase through which every person goes wrt to age. Once we start overcome lust and cravings then things becomes so cool. Regular Meditation can help to acheive this.
@Mingle well done, you have clear eyes. No external situation provides lasting happiness. If it is caused, it will go. Find unconditional happiness, that's the goal right. I heard today you can only find unconditional happiness when you stop trying to chase happiness.
I guess it's more to do with how we make ourselves unhappy. We are the ones who have a problem with how things are or should be.
I like Buddhism because it points at truth rather than belief. Mostly.
1
DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
I think it was a little rabbit.
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
a white one...? On someone's shoulder, maybe....?
1
DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one.
I try not to use Matrix references, lol.
I feel as though I was always following clues and would have found Buddhism eventually no matter what.
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
I know what you mean. I think the same.... Even though I was brought up while being fed a totally exclusive diet of Roman Catholicism (you know the whole deal, I'm sure) I was always, but always conscious that there had to be more to all of it than 'this'...
Something just didn't fit... You know.... a bit like completing the totally clear blue sky portion of a jigsaw puzzle. There is no colour variation, but the pieces go where the pieces go... and in 'my puzzle', the bits just weren't going in the right spaces. It LOOKED ok... but it just wasn't right.
Then Mother produced the book.
And the rest, as they say, is history.....
When I first came to Buddhism, it was because I was fascinated with the culture. And well, I've always wanted to be somehow 'special' to cover up the fact that I'm a freak who messes up everything. Not a good place to start. However, Buddhism left a mark and I can probably never get rid of it entirely.
Then I gave up after a few years but after some months of abandon I found myself thinking such thoughts like "Life is actually just chaos and pain and we'd better learn how to handle it." (Not in a desperate way, it was more like a "ok, life is like that" kind of thought.) Then I realised that it sounds a bit like the First Noble Truth. So, why not?
I'm still struggling with "to be or not to be Buddhist" dilemma though...
@Mingle said:
I find now though that is becoming less of a big deal and I see that I want a relationship so bad because I believe its going to answer all my problems. That desire is making me unhappy with the person I am. I dont know If Buddhism will ever help me find my inner confidence but I hope it will allow me to stop putting so much emphasis on the idea of being in a relationship at the expense of my self worth.
I think it can help you with both problems and a great deal more.
Me? I was born an original sinner
I was born in an original sin.
And my mother told me good
My mother told me strong
You can mess with your Kamma accumalation
But never mess with your Dhamma cultivation.
No but seriously. I was born a Buddhist but I stayed with it because it makes sense and I like it and it helps me tons in everyday life.
I suppose Buddhism came to me when I was ready for it. I wrote this on the forums 3 years ago...
Lee82 said: Recently I have been doing a lot of soul searching to discover who I am and what is important to me. I realised that I had to stop worrying about the past and let go of my expectations of the future; I have always wanted a stable happy family home like my parents have always had but perhaps it is because I am too keen to achieve this goal that I keep failing, rather than living day by day and letting the future take care of itself.
It is the realisation that I need to learn to live in the present that has led me to buddhism. It was like a lightbulb moment where the final piece of a jigsaw had just fallen in to place. All this time I have been following the path that buddhism encourages without knowing it, and by learning to let go of my expectations of the future I have found peace within myself. I have never been a religious person, I had always classed myself as atheist as I do not believe in any deity, but having read up on buddhism for the past couple of weeks it makes perfect sense to me. When I read quotes it constantly resonates with how I live my life already, it is like I have started to discover who I am and feel like I have found somewhere I belong. Before now I knew nothing of the Noble Eightfold Path but having read all about it it reflects who I am perfectly.
I am keen to learn more about buddhism and involve myself in it. I feel better about myself as an individual now than at any time I can remember. I no longer have those deeply held desires of how I want my future to turn out, I am content to just live my life and be happy, without being dependant on other people or material things for my happiness. I am sure I will have many questions as I get more involved in buddhism but for now I just wanted to introduce myself here and say hello.
I am now comfortable with who I am and am in a better place in my life than I have ever been, and safe in the knowledge that no matter what happens, everything will be just fine :-)
I think that only once you are happy to be yourself and in your own company are you able to be at your best for someone else. Once you are at that point you will find the desire has much less influence on you but also that everything comes so much easier to you.
The first nobel truth led me into Buddhism, I was walking in a quiet forest, with birds and trees around me, and nice weather was it aswell, but at the same time, my mind was in a total diffrent place, in hells realm, because I had some few problems, you really fucked it up, what did you do? what you gonna do now?" and so on, my mind didnt stop, so my trip went into a mental nightmare.
Suddenly one man came, passing me, he smiled and said good morning, he was very happy.
Then I thought hmm...whats wrong with me, Iam her, the best place in the world, but cant enjoy it....so when I came home I tried to find the best solution to deal with mental, problems, and I found it, so her I am, walking this path, far away from hells realm (I hope)
1
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 August 2015
MODERATOR NOTE:It was pointed out that we had two very similar threads running: One previously created by @Shoshin , in 'General Banter' and now one created by @Mingle , both questioning how Members generally found, sought or discovered a Buddhist calling.
The suggestion of merging seemed a good one. So here we are.
As each karmic event is examined, subtler preceding ones can be found.
Karma is a subtle interweaving.
Maybe it was the book on yoga my parents brought home from the library with pictures. They would challenge me and my sister to do the poses. I was at most six or seven. They were particularly interested that we could do the full lotus but not very impressed with our efforts to 'sit quietly'. A game that involves sitting quietly for five minutes is every parents dream and every kids punishment.
I could go through a long and vivid description , but the bottom line is that it was time. It was my time to encounter and begin my practice of Buddhism. The how and the why were just the happenstance. Again, it was time.
My psychotherapist suggested meditation and mindfulness and me being the way that I am I took it to the extreme and decided that I would become fully fledged Buddhist.
In reality it tied in with how I was living most of my life and allowed me to see the middle way and not do things to the extreme so ironically if I was steered towards mindfulness and meditation now that's all I would do and not find Buddhism.
There have been many things that led me to Buddhism; I'm quite certain I remain unaware of at least some of them. The final push though was a picture taken during the Vietnam War (with the United States). Two monks set themselves on fire in protest.
That a person could sit there and endure that...seemed superhuman. And yet, these were most definitely humans. It showed me, in a way that I couldn't deny or explain away, that they had found something more significant than I had yet imagined. They had learned to subdue the mind.
For me I took the Chinese culture class as an elective at university. Also an art history east and west elective. The studies and papers I wrote really made me think. I started actually meditating after I had my mental breakdown in graduate school. Been meditating since then and have participated in a lot of things online for Buddhism over the years. I like my current teacher Lama Shenpen Hookham. She has youtube teaching lectures if anyone is interested. Of course they are hour and a half long and not 'dharma lite'.
Back in 2012 I was depressed as f* and browsing youtube when I found this video on depression and anxiety by Ajahn Brahm. I watched it, it was funny and it made sense. I kept watching many of his videos.
Six months later I started practicing meditation and dharmma to improve my social skills (be less ashamed, talk to people and have fun doing it, etc) & overcome my depression.
It worked really, really well. If it wasn't for buddhism and my therapist (who at the time opened my mind enough to let myself sink into philosophies) I'm not sure where I would be right now.
I have memories as a child of feeling that this world wasn't really home, but I could never find a worldview that really made sense. I think coming to Buddhism was a long process. What precipitated it was the end of a long (over 20 years), on-and-off relationship, starting full of passion and yearning, eventually resulting in marriage and children and ending in a horrendous divorce. When it was over I tried to understand what had drawn us together again and again and what it had all been about, basically. Reading about karma made sense to me as a possible explanation. Then I watched "Oblivion" (a great science fiction film) in which the characters eventually find out that they aren't who they think they are and the world isn't what they think it is - they have been snared in illusion. This rang a bell with me that has been reverberating ever since.
@dantepw said: Back in 2012 I was depressed as f* and browsing youtube when I found this video on depression and anxiety by Ajahn Brahm. I watched it, it was funny and it made sense. I kept watching many of his videos.
I love Ajahn Brahm, he's my favourite Buddhist comedian.
Comments
@reb1220 hit the nail on the head: "Finally honestly questioning everything I believed, or had been told to believe. Which led me to seek for something that made more sense that a god who would send you to hell for not believing exactly as one is told to believe, or a god who could only forgive mankind by killing a son of his own. The more I thought of it, the less sense it made. "
I could no longer pray to a God who sits up there in heaven, judging us, punishing us, loving us...this same God who takes away our loved ones just because He "wanted them in heaven", etc. I mean come on! It made no sense to me.
It took me many years to realize I was uncomfortable with Christianity.
This right here. I then considered myself agnostic/atheist, and was pretty bitter towards most other organized religions. Picked up a book by Thich Nhat Hanh that changed my life and the rest is history.
Hi @KarmaTsultrimPalden. I'm glad you found TNH -- Could you divulge which of Master TNH's many books got you started with the Buddhist path? {and welcome to NB}
Hey thanks for the greetings!
I was working at a bookstore and was scouring the eastern relgiions/philosophy section. Thich Nhat Hanh's Anger, was the first Buddhist book I picked up. After reading this in a couple days, I then picked up No Death, No Fear, which changed my life. Then, The Heart of Buddha's Teaching, which is a great introduction to Buddhism. I've branched out since then, but Thich is so accessible.
And it's pretty funny that I purchased Anger on a whim...I'm fairly cool, calm, and collect. The book changed my way of thinking and how I used mindfulness in my daily life. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and had it from my teens into my twenties. My panic attacks have disappeared since I began practicing.
Here are some links:
Anger
No Death, No Fear
The Heart of Buddha's Teaching
It was my mother who introduced me to Buddhism - she's never attached herself to the label of course, but we had interesting discussions around the dinner table when I was a child as my dad did (and still does) thinks it's all a load of old nonsense but admits that he's grateful my mother discovered buddhism as it's made her less neurotic!!! As a teenager I thought it was "cool" to tell everyone my mum was a Buddhist and pretended that I was too - without knowing the first thing about it! I was 23 when I first had a glimpse of what she'd been getting at for all those years when I actually sat down and read one of the many books in her dharma bookshelf. I've dipped in and out over the years, but have to admit that I suffered a setback in my late twenties when I coupled an obsession with Buddhism with major marajuana addiction which resulted in a scary psychotic episode. Now that enough years have passed I feel less scared about dipping my toe in the water again as I'm confident that the psychotic episode was a result of the marajuana, not the Buddhism teachings!!!
I can't even remember smoking the weed
I've read some of the first two books of Master TNH's you listed and, I'm always shouting his praises for his biography of Buddha, which I've encouraged everybody to read, Old Path White Clouds. I absolutely love and adore this book.
Don't go getting too attached to it @silver
@silver
When I was going to college, I checked this book out of the library! Sadly, I never got around to reading it. For the longest time on IMDB, Thich Nhat Hanh was supposedly penning a script for a movie about the life of the Buddha, loosely based on this book. Pretty sure the project was scrapped.
I need to get a copy of this book...
You had a Buddhist mum? Luxury! [that is an 'in joke' based on the monty python, four Yorkshiremen sketch]
I used to discuss Dharma, life the universe and everything with my aunt over the years. She never practiced and without practice we are just dharma tourists ...
Most of us follow Buddhism superficially, half heartedly to start with. Only when we acknowledge it as a means that can be effective do we become earnest ...
I used to know a guy who smoked all day, he hadn't been straight for years.
So did I & I
I hate to say it but it was women that led me and my pursuit of them. I wanted more confidence and I wanted to be present to the moment. I thought by meditating I would change into this awesome chick magnet. Of course I was wrong but as I got into meditation I kinda wanted to look into Buddhism as I had been circling the drain for a few years thinking that the beliefs fit mine really and the key to finding the answers lies within ones own mind. The more I got into Buddhism I have found that my need for a woman is what is causing me suffering and making me weaker. I have not had a relationship for 5 years and being 26 it hurts. I find now though that is becoming less of a big deal and I see that I want a relationship so bad because I believe its going to answer all my problems. That desire is making me unhappy with the person I am. I dont know If Buddhism will ever help me find my inner confidence but I hope it will allow me to stop putting so much emphasis on the idea of being in a relationship at the expense of my self worth.
One day at a time.
Meditation can slowly, gradually carry over into the rest of your day. Mindfulness, the 8-fold path. It's all here. You just need to give yourself enough space to relax and let it absorb itself into you.
Women eh? It was booze and my alcoholism that got me to Buddhism; but to put it in a simpler way, my suffering got me to booze, which led to further suffering, so I ended up in A.A.. A.A. has a 12 Step program which includes meditation, but it doesn't teach meditation, but it suggests that we 'be quick to see where the religious are right', so I went to a drop in Buddhist meditation class and my interest grew from that.
@Mingle
We all wrestle with a dream of something that offers to assuage our innate experiences of inadequacy with existence.
Good on you for managing to face it so directly.
When I was first doing five element practice, my focus was eventually joined with one particular point of samsara, who eventually became a partner. Everything changes.
Tara the Buddha magnet. What a babe. So many forms ... LOL.
Our original motivation, which you admit, is rarely untainted, more likely dependent on samsara. It really is not unusual or surprising ...
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/06/the-truth-about-love/
It's very common phase through which every person goes wrt to age. Once we start overcome lust and cravings then things becomes so cool. Regular Meditation can help to acheive this.
@Mingle well done, you have clear eyes. No external situation provides lasting happiness. If it is caused, it will go. Find unconditional happiness, that's the goal right. I heard today you can only find unconditional happiness when you stop trying to chase happiness.
I guess it's more to do with how we make ourselves unhappy. We are the ones who have a problem with how things are or should be.
I like Buddhism because it points at truth rather than belief. Mostly.
I think it was a little rabbit.
a white one...? On someone's shoulder, maybe....?
Oh yeah, I forgot about that one.
I try not to use Matrix references, lol.
I feel as though I was always following clues and would have found Buddhism eventually no matter what.
I know what you mean. I think the same.... Even though I was brought up while being fed a totally exclusive diet of Roman Catholicism (you know the whole deal, I'm sure) I was always, but always conscious that there had to be more to all of it than 'this'...
Something just didn't fit... You know.... a bit like completing the totally clear blue sky portion of a jigsaw puzzle. There is no colour variation, but the pieces go where the pieces go... and in 'my puzzle', the bits just weren't going in the right spaces. It LOOKED ok... but it just wasn't right.
Then Mother produced the book.
And the rest, as they say, is history.....
When I first came to Buddhism, it was because I was fascinated with the culture. And well, I've always wanted to be somehow 'special' to cover up the fact that I'm a freak who messes up everything. Not a good place to start. However, Buddhism left a mark and I can probably never get rid of it entirely.
Then I gave up after a few years but after some months of abandon I found myself thinking such thoughts like "Life is actually just chaos and pain and we'd better learn how to handle it." (Not in a desperate way, it was more like a "ok, life is like that" kind of thought.) Then I realised that it sounds a bit like the First Noble Truth. So, why not?
I'm still struggling with "to be or not to be Buddhist" dilemma though...
I think it can help you with both problems and a great deal more.
Me? I was born an original sinner
I was born in an original sin.
And my mother told me good
My mother told me strong
You can mess with your Kamma accumalation
But never mess with your Dhamma cultivation.
No but seriously. I was born a Buddhist but I stayed with it because it makes sense and I like it and it helps me tons in everyday life.
Cheers
Victor
I suppose Buddhism came to me when I was ready for it. I wrote this on the forums 3 years ago...
I am now comfortable with who I am and am in a better place in my life than I have ever been, and safe in the knowledge that no matter what happens, everything will be just fine :-)
I think that only once you are happy to be yourself and in your own company are you able to be at your best for someone else. Once you are at that point you will find the desire has much less influence on you but also that everything comes so much easier to you.
The first nobel truth led me into Buddhism, I was walking in a quiet forest, with birds and trees around me, and nice weather was it aswell, but at the same time, my mind was in a total diffrent place, in hells realm, because I had some few problems, you really fucked it up, what did you do? what you gonna do now?" and so on, my mind didnt stop, so my trip went into a mental nightmare.
Suddenly one man came, passing me, he smiled and said good morning, he was very happy.
Then I thought hmm...whats wrong with me, Iam her, the best place in the world, but cant enjoy it....so when I came home I tried to find the best solution to deal with mental, problems, and I found it, so her I am, walking this path, far away from hells realm (I hope)
MODERATOR NOTE: It was pointed out that we had two very similar threads running: One previously created by @Shoshin , in 'General Banter' and now one created by @Mingle , both questioning how Members generally found, sought or discovered a Buddhist calling.
The suggestion of merging seemed a good one. So here we are.
Comment ends.
Karma is a subtle interweaving.
Maybe it was the book on yoga my parents brought home from the library with pictures. They would challenge me and my sister to do the poses. I was at most six or seven. They were particularly interested that we could do the full lotus but not very impressed with our efforts to 'sit quietly'. A game that involves sitting quietly for five minutes is every parents dream and every kids punishment.
I could go through a long and vivid description
, but the bottom line is that it was time. It was my time to encounter and begin my practice of Buddhism. The how and the why were just the happenstance. Again, it was time. 
My psychotherapist suggested meditation and mindfulness and me being the way that I am I took it to the extreme and decided that I would become fully fledged Buddhist.
In reality it tied in with how I was living most of my life and allowed me to see the middle way and not do things to the extreme so ironically if I was steered towards mindfulness and meditation now that's all I would do and not find Buddhism.
There have been many things that led me to Buddhism; I'm quite certain I remain unaware of at least some of them. The final push though was a picture taken during the Vietnam War (with the United States). Two monks set themselves on fire in protest.
That a person could sit there and endure that...seemed superhuman. And yet, these were most definitely humans. It showed me, in a way that I couldn't deny or explain away, that they had found something more significant than I had yet imagined. They had learned to subdue the mind.
For me I took the Chinese culture class as an elective at university. Also an art history east and west elective. The studies and papers I wrote really made me think. I started actually meditating after I had my mental breakdown in graduate school. Been meditating since then and have participated in a lot of things online for Buddhism over the years. I like my current teacher Lama Shenpen Hookham. She has youtube teaching lectures if anyone is interested. Of course they are hour and a half long and not 'dharma lite'.
Back in 2012 I was depressed as f* and browsing youtube when I found this video on depression and anxiety by Ajahn Brahm. I watched it, it was funny and it made sense. I kept watching many of his videos.
Six months later I started practicing meditation and dharmma to improve my social skills (be less ashamed, talk to people and have fun doing it, etc) & overcome my depression.
It worked really, really well. If it wasn't for buddhism and my therapist (who at the time opened my mind enough to let myself sink into philosophies) I'm not sure where I would be right now.
^^^ What a story
Cushion approves
Bravo Brahms!
Another cushion...?!
About time!!
I have memories as a child of feeling that this world wasn't really home, but I could never find a worldview that really made sense. I think coming to Buddhism was a long process. What precipitated it was the end of a long (over 20 years), on-and-off relationship, starting full of passion and yearning, eventually resulting in marriage and children and ending in a horrendous divorce. When it was over I tried to understand what had drawn us together again and again and what it had all been about, basically. Reading about karma made sense to me as a possible explanation. Then I watched "Oblivion" (a great science fiction film) in which the characters eventually find out that they aren't who they think they are and the world isn't what they think it is - they have been snared in illusion. This rang a bell with me that has been reverberating ever since.
Very inspiring, @Susanna ! Dealing with relationships can be really painful sometimes!
I love Ajahn Brahm, he's my favourite Buddhist comedian.
Just a slight adjustment to the spelling @SpinyNorman