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so far everything that I have read, especially the teachings of the Dalai Lama ring true to the thoughts and emotions that I have felt all my life.
Maybe I was a Buddhist in past lives because it all makes perfect sense to me, and many things I have come across are exactly how I have felt most of my life.
I always resisted religion being raised a catholic, but the two things that sold me on Buddhism were the non-belief of an almighty creator, and the encouragement to question everything.
I feel like I have arrived home, I finally found a school of thought where I can be who I am and who I'm destined to be. Not unlike my recent journeys into Classical Guitar and Healthy eating.
Welcome Olarte and everyone else. I try to keep up with all the posts, but I've been really busy lately. But I can relate to what you're saying, Olarte. The first time I encountered the Dharma (it was an interview in the Chicago Reader with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche many years ago) I had the same experience, that what he was saying just rang true and matched the way I'd always thought, despite growing up in a theistic religion in a very conservative place. Karma is a funny thing, ennit?
I wanted to say hello, ive been trying so hard for the last 8 years to keep myself on the path, having 5 little ones and now teaching at school im finding no time at all to practice meditations and have a sanga around me that will help me keep to the path, hopefully out there i will get advice from people to help me practice , once again hello.:o
543735ehvlz7xadn.gifHello Louise & Emh1701.
A very warm welcome from Holland.I hope all is well.
I wish you all (and L&P and Palzang) a very nice weekend.
Hi everyone. I just joined to participate, discuss, and share experience, and will strive to come back and do so.
Until then, don't trouble your minds with memories of an unchangable past, or illusions of an unpredictable future. Just be here now.
Everything won't just suddenly go right . You'll just realise that it's never been wrong.
Hiya, I'm new here and figured I ought to make a post on this thread! I'm a student studying Philosophy in Edinburgh and like to pretend to be an artist and a bit of a writer in my spare time. I was raised around Buddhist ideas for pretty much my entire life and I've really embraced these in the past few years so I suppose I'm at a point where I'm looking to discuss and develop my views with others. And make some good friends too, obviously.
I do not normally do forums, so I am hoping over time I will catch on to how it works. I have recently started studying Buddhism as a path I may wish to take. I am hoping to grow and share in a way that will be helpful to us all.
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
Hello to all
I just joined a Buddhist forum a couple of days ago. My first posting was a new topic:- "does anapanasati mean mindfulness of breathing or with breathing" After a good couple of good replies the thread was closed/censored - really freaky - nobody was being nasty.
So I googled and now I am here.:D
Name: Brian
Age: 25
Sign: Ares
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130lbs
Born: Arkansas
Currently: Arkansas
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite band: Creed
Favorite food: Potato Chips...
Favorite movie: Star Wars
Favorite book: Green Eggs and Ham
Hello, I've always known about Buddhism but never really knew what it was really about until this year when I started researching meditation. I was born and raised as a Baptist and there are just some things about Christianity that I've just come to realize don't make sense to me. Now if I were to go to a family member or my wife with these questions I would get the standard our minds can comprehend God's will or plan. So, I've been looking at other teachings to get a feel for what is out there. I've noticed it is hard to shake the ideologies that are ingrained into a person from childhood. I'm hoping to get past all that. Hopefully, I will find my path.
Yet another new face here, though I hope to become familiar. Learning and growing, seeking peers and guides. Finding a new path is very exciting, though a bit lonely. Much data, a few glimmers of recognition, dustings of understanding. Roots changing course to find more nourishing soil.
Christian youth group, camp, and retreats dabbled adolescent life. Never believed the scripture or words, but enjoyed the community of minds and souls who gathered and sang, played without hatred or envy. Ignorance, though... too much.
Realized as a teenager that going to concerts filled me with a similar feeling. Community, symbiosis, the hum of life, Om. Everyone singing the same word, everyone giving in to the moment. Peace.
Unfortunately, one can't exactly live every day for a feeling at a concert - and this girl's wallet certainly can't fund very frequent such adventures. For a long, long time... there was nothing but logic and work and knots of thought. A lot of art, too, but mostly the angsty kind.
Recently the focus has been healthy food, attempting to fix a very broken sleeping schedule, and balancing limited energy and time. That is very difficult with nothing to drive you other than a craving for improvement (freedom from suffering). As they say, it takes a village to raise a child - and I am now a child again. Teach me how to live right, without corrupting calm with threats and superiority (as other paths would do). Teach me how to think clearly, without suppressing the importance of art. Guide me as a religion, without the insane dogma and subtle threat of fear lurking behind every instruction.
This is why I'm here.
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 March 2010
Welcome.
we're a very mixed bunch, here. Take whatever you wish to take, that we offer, and leave aside that which is not useful to you.
Yet another new face here, though I hope to become familiar. Learning and growing, seeking peers and guides. Finding a new path is very exciting, though a bit lonely. Much data, a few glimmers of recognition, dustings of understanding. Roots changing course to find more nourishing soil.
Have you been to a Dhamma center? If there are any in your area, check it out, see what it's like. Come and see for yourself if what is being taught there makes sense and see if the monks and nuns are practicing what they preach. If you like it, then that's great. If you don't like it, that's fine too, there's no obligation, no entry (or exit) fee.
That is very difficult with nothing to drive you other than a craving for improvement (freedom from suffering). As they say, it takes a village to raise a child - and I am now a child again. Teach me how to live right, without corrupting calm with threats and superiority (as other paths would do). Teach me how to think clearly, without suppressing the importance of art. Guide me as a religion, without the insane dogma and subtle threat of fear lurking behind every instruction.
One of my favourite Suttas (discourses of the Buddha) is the Kalama Sutta. In this discourse it tells the story of a group of people who have been visited by a number of followers of different religious sects all proclaiming different "truths" about the world. Here the Buddha is asked the question: with so many different religions and different doctrines which often contradict each other, what should we believe?
Instead of the Buddha telling the Kalamas what they should believe simply because he says so, he says they should learn to see for themselves what is right and wrong from reflecting on their own experience:
As they sat there, the Kalamas of Kesaputta said to the Blessed One, "Lord, there are some priests & contemplatives who come to Kesaputta. They expound & glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, & disparage them. And then other priests & contemplatives come to Kesaputta. They expound & glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, & disparage them. They leave us absolutely uncertain & in doubt: Which of these venerable priests & contemplatives are speaking the truth, and which ones are lying?"
"Of course you are uncertain, Kalamas. Of course you are in doubt. When there are reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering' — then you should abandon them.
...
"Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them.
"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, October 31, 2009
The advice of wise beings such as the Buddha is, in my opinion, invaluable as a guide but we should still check it against our own experience and see if it stands true.
Instead of the Buddha telling the Kalamas what they should believe simply because he says so, he says they should learn to see for themselves what is right and wrong from reflecting on their own experience
That is exactly why I respect this path so greatly. Telling people what to believe is not right, power-hungry orders and insistence do not feel true - just threatening. My life has been a collection of experiences that I've learned from and live by, same as everyone else. Looking inward conjures more answers than following rules can.
The advice of wise beings such as the Buddha is, in my opinion, invaluable as a guide but we should still check it against our own experience and see if it stands true.
Yes indeed! I have trained myself from a young age to take every word with a grain of salt, as they say. You could say I molded myself into somewhat of a cynic. Surprisingly there is very little in this path I disagree with. So far the only real issue I've had is with the 7th precept, refraining from dancing/singing. I have a hard time understanding how that would be beneficial to anyone, but at least it's not one of the main guidelines for lay Buddhists.
I am realizing more and more that there will never be a whole, complete set of beliefs that matches my own - and that is exactly as it should be.
Hi Irris, Guy, and all the others who have recently joined. Welcome! As Fede said, (hey, that rhymes!) take what fits and leave the rest. We're not teachers, but it can be a good place to learn from other seekers.
Irris, about the 7th precept, in fact the precept does not ban all singing and dancing. Sacred song and dance are still allowed. The point of the precept is that certain types of singing and dancing can stimulate desire, and we take the precepts to dampen desire, not to arouse it. I take a more pragmatic than literal view of the precepts though, even though I'm a monk and our precepts are quite a bit stricter than lay precepts. It's impossible to avoid music in modern 21st century life, so really what's important is the motivation involved. If the motivation is to really get into it such that your desire is aroused, then I would say that would be acting against the spirit of the precept. However, there are lots of other reasons for listening to music or for dancing. For example, I listen to the classical music station when I drive to and from work (yes, we have to work, bummer). I do it to keep my mind alert when I'm still waking up, to get the traffic reports and news that are also played on the station, and simply because I've always loved classical music. There is nothing in the precepts about not enjoying yourself! And I really can't imagine getting my desire aroused listening to a Bach cantata! So my advice would be not to have a tight mind about things like precepts and such, but simply use a little common sense. Checking your motivation for doing things is, to me, much more important than blindly following some rules. Precepts are simply external guides for our inner work. They're not written in stone. Taking precepts is also not something that is required. It's up to you. As the Buddha said, everyone must work out their own salvation. All he did was supply the guideposts.
If you need help finding a center to visit in Washington (where there are quite a few, depending on where you live), there are several good sources online, like snowlionpub.com, buddhanet.net, Tricycle, and others.
Hello all! I am a philosophy college student taking a course on Buddhism in American literature. I spent the last few hours reading Kerouac's Dharma Bums and am falling in love with the philosophically rich and deep teachings of Buddhism. I hope to learn much, much more in the years to come.
Thanks Palzang, that makes sense (for the most part). I'd love to talk more about music and its tendency to invoke various feelings, perhaps another thread elsewhere should be created.
And thanks for the links! There are apparently lots of places in Seattle, now the hard part will be choosing one to try out and gathering the motivation to venture there alone.
There are different precepts for different purposes. My understanding is that the five precepts are there to safeguard us from the dangers in the world and to be free of remorse. You can still listen to music if you want to. As for the eight precepts these are usually kept either by people who are in training to become monks or by lay people who keep them temporarily during a meditation retreat or on lunar observance days.
The reason why things such as sex, entertainment, music, food after midday, etc. are to be avoided for someone keeping the eight precepts is not because any of these things are "bad" or "immoral" but because they tend to draw the mind out into the world of the five senses. When you are on a meditation retreat, for example, your goal is to try to develop inner-happiness, inner-contentment so it is very useful to avoid these things for that purpose. Then with a happy, contented mind wisdom has the opportunity to arise.
I am also going to copy Elohim's format.
Name: Sean
Age: 22
Sign: Taurus
Hair: Light brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 183cm
Weight: 74kg
Born: Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Live: Saint Louis, Missouri
Favorite book: catcher and the rye
Favorite band: hmm many.
Favorite food: Beef and Broccolli (Chinese dish)
Favorite movie: Truman's Show <--- really good movie.
Favorite colour: White, Blue
I once heard on the news of a Buddhist monk who got young people interested in Buddhist teaching my rapping the suttras
Haha, yes! I saw that a few days ago. Now if only more rap included Buddhist principles. The only one I know is Nas' classic album, although it's filled with gangsta themes too
Hello, I am fairly new to buddhism and just wanted to say hi. Well, a little about my religious background and me...I was raised catholic and spent a few years as a penecostal before going back to the catholic church. I left the church a few years ago became a so called atheist. I dunno if atheist was the right word for me, it wasn't that I didn't believe, I just couldn't believe in a 'god' in the classic sense that most people think of, especially in the US. I am, I guess what most people would refer to, as goth. I love being part of that subculture and having people as friends with the same music and artistic and fashion tastes. But something was alway missing in my life that friends and all this stuff that people thought should make me happy didn't. I became interested in buddhism and have been doing the simple steps for a few months now. Meditating (which I have found to be a fundamental part of my day now), thinking about karma and how it affects me, and thinking about the dharma and how it seems to make sense to me. But the question is, can I be a buddhist without going to a temple or do I need to? I am pretty content with just being me and studying its teachings and the like. Also, since there are so many different sects of buddhism, can someone be a 'non-denominational' buddhist like how some christians are non-denominational, without leaning towards one form of teachings or another? I would like to go to a temple eventually, but for now I feel like I am still slowly gliding my way into this. I am more content and seem to be clear headed for the first time in years. But anyway, just wanted to say hi and ask a few questions and share a little.
Hello Lucas.
I`m Eric (from Holland) and I`m quite new to the site too.
A warm welcome and I want to say;"it`s a great site".I`ve allways been very welcome here and I`m one of those people that "do my own thing" too.
I have never belonged to any religion and have my own view about things.
I`m not "a real" Buddhist but I really believe in a lot of the "teachings".
I believe that everybody has a lot of Buddhist in themselves.It`s looking at\in YOURSELF for a good/happy/fullfilling life,doesn`t everybody want that ?
I wish I had enough peace in me to really meditate.I can only do so with music.(Is that meditating?).
Again welcome,and have a nice weekend;Eric.:) (I hope my English is ok).
Hello Lucas.
I`m Eric (from Holland) and I`m quite new to the site too.
A warm welcome and I want to say;"it`s a great site".I`ve allways been very welcome here and I`m one of those people that "do my own thing" too.
I have never belonged to any religion and have my own view about things.
I`m not "a real" Buddhist but I really believe in a lot of the "teachings".
I believe that everybody has a lot of Buddhist in themselves.It`s looking at\in YOURSELF for a good/happy/fullfilling life,doesn`t everybody want that ?
I wish I had enough peace in me to really meditate.I can only do so with music.(Is that meditating?).
Again welcome,and have a nice weekend;Eric.:) (I hope my English is ok).
Yeah, I'll follow what seems to be a popular format
Name: Tara, but I usually use the screen name TaraJo around the interwebz
Age: 31
Sign: Gemini
Hair: Light brown/dark blonde (take your pick)
Eyes: blue
Height: 5'10"
Weight: about 200 lbs
Born: Joliet Il.
Live: Houston TX.
Favorite book: Lord of the Rings
Favorite band: Green Day
Favorite food: Generally something Italian or Tex/Mex
Favorite movie:
Favorite colour: I dunno on this one;
Hi folks, I'm Ken, mid 40's, live in the Cotswolds in the UK, been studying various philosophies for a while, joined this forum to discuss some Buddhist topics. That's it really.
I just wanted to give a quick introduction. My name is Steven and I currently live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am originally from the US. I grew up in New Mexico, but lived in San Francisco for 10 years.
Although I have read multiple books on Buddhism, I consider myself a novice because I haven't really expanded beyond that. It would be great to share experiences with people here. Also if you know of or would be interested in starting a Sangha here in Buenos Aires, please let me know.
Name: Holly
Age: 27
Sign: Leo
Hair: Light brown/dark blond
Eyes: hazel
Height: 5'2"
Weight: about 280 lbs
Born: Washington, IN
Live: Near Washington, IN
Favorite book: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Favorite band: Linkin Park
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite movie: The Last Samurai
Favorite colour: Hot pink/red
Hatchet was my favorite when I was younger. I'm currently reading the classic "Walden" by Henry Thoreau. It was written in the 1800's and is considered to the staple to the independent wilderness settlement books/media. You might like it, talks a lot about life and what's essential compared to the illusionary "needs" of a human being, so great from a Buddhist standpoint as well despite not being about Buddhism.
Comments
Welcome Olarte and everyone else. I try to keep up with all the posts, but I've been really busy lately. But I can relate to what you're saying, Olarte. The first time I encountered the Dharma (it was an interview in the Chicago Reader with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche many years ago) I had the same experience, that what he was saying just rang true and matched the way I'd always thought, despite growing up in a theistic religion in a very conservative place. Karma is a funny thing, ennit?
Palzang
.
Louise?
Love & Peace
Jellybean
A very warm welcome from Holland.I hope all is well.
I wish you all (and L&P and Palzang) a very nice weekend.
Greetzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz;Eric........:wavey:
Until then, don't trouble your minds with memories of an unchangable past, or illusions of an unpredictable future. Just be here now.
Everything won't just suddenly go right . You'll just realise that it's never been wrong.
I just joined a Buddhist forum a couple of days ago. My first posting was a new topic:- "does anapanasati mean mindfulness of breathing or with breathing" After a good couple of good replies the thread was closed/censored - really freaky - nobody was being nasty.
So I googled and now I am here.:D
Age: 25
Sign: Ares
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130lbs
Born: Arkansas
Currently: Arkansas
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite band: Creed
Favorite food: Potato Chips...
Favorite movie: Star Wars
Favorite book: Green Eggs and Ham
Hello, I've always known about Buddhism but never really knew what it was really about until this year when I started researching meditation. I was born and raised as a Baptist and there are just some things about Christianity that I've just come to realize don't make sense to me. Now if I were to go to a family member or my wife with these questions I would get the standard our minds can comprehend God's will or plan. So, I've been looking at other teachings to get a feel for what is out there. I've noticed it is hard to shake the ideologies that are ingrained into a person from childhood. I'm hoping to get past all that. Hopefully, I will find my path.
Christian youth group, camp, and retreats dabbled adolescent life. Never believed the scripture or words, but enjoyed the community of minds and souls who gathered and sang, played without hatred or envy. Ignorance, though... too much.
Realized as a teenager that going to concerts filled me with a similar feeling. Community, symbiosis, the hum of life, Om. Everyone singing the same word, everyone giving in to the moment. Peace.
Unfortunately, one can't exactly live every day for a feeling at a concert - and this girl's wallet certainly can't fund very frequent such adventures. For a long, long time... there was nothing but logic and work and knots of thought. A lot of art, too, but mostly the angsty kind.
Recently the focus has been healthy food, attempting to fix a very broken sleeping schedule, and balancing limited energy and time. That is very difficult with nothing to drive you other than a craving for improvement (freedom from suffering). As they say, it takes a village to raise a child - and I am now a child again. Teach me how to live right, without corrupting calm with threats and superiority (as other paths would do). Teach me how to think clearly, without suppressing the importance of art. Guide me as a religion, without the insane dogma and subtle threat of fear lurking behind every instruction.
This is why I'm here.
we're a very mixed bunch, here. Take whatever you wish to take, that we offer, and leave aside that which is not useful to you.
Works for me!
I decided to check this site out today after hearing about it on another Buddhist forum. Looking forward to some good Dhamma discussions!
With Metta,
Guy
Have you been to a Dhamma center? If there are any in your area, check it out, see what it's like. Come and see for yourself if what is being taught there makes sense and see if the monks and nuns are practicing what they preach. If you like it, then that's great. If you don't like it, that's fine too, there's no obligation, no entry (or exit) fee.
One of my favourite Suttas (discourses of the Buddha) is the Kalama Sutta. In this discourse it tells the story of a group of people who have been visited by a number of followers of different religious sects all proclaiming different "truths" about the world. Here the Buddha is asked the question: with so many different religions and different doctrines which often contradict each other, what should we believe?
Instead of the Buddha telling the Kalamas what they should believe simply because he says so, he says they should learn to see for themselves what is right and wrong from reflecting on their own experience:
"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, October 31, 2009
You can read the rest of the Kalama Sutta here: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html
The advice of wise beings such as the Buddha is, in my opinion, invaluable as a guide but we should still check it against our own experience and see if it stands true.
Kind Regards,
Guy
Not yet. I hope to find some places to go, and people to see.
That is exactly why I respect this path so greatly. Telling people what to believe is not right, power-hungry orders and insistence do not feel true - just threatening. My life has been a collection of experiences that I've learned from and live by, same as everyone else. Looking inward conjures more answers than following rules can.
Yes indeed! I have trained myself from a young age to take every word with a grain of salt, as they say. You could say I molded myself into somewhat of a cynic. Surprisingly there is very little in this path I disagree with. So far the only real issue I've had is with the 7th precept, refraining from dancing/singing. I have a hard time understanding how that would be beneficial to anyone, but at least it's not one of the main guidelines for lay Buddhists.
I am realizing more and more that there will never be a whole, complete set of beliefs that matches my own - and that is exactly as it should be.
Irris, about the 7th precept, in fact the precept does not ban all singing and dancing. Sacred song and dance are still allowed. The point of the precept is that certain types of singing and dancing can stimulate desire, and we take the precepts to dampen desire, not to arouse it. I take a more pragmatic than literal view of the precepts though, even though I'm a monk and our precepts are quite a bit stricter than lay precepts. It's impossible to avoid music in modern 21st century life, so really what's important is the motivation involved. If the motivation is to really get into it such that your desire is aroused, then I would say that would be acting against the spirit of the precept. However, there are lots of other reasons for listening to music or for dancing. For example, I listen to the classical music station when I drive to and from work (yes, we have to work, bummer). I do it to keep my mind alert when I'm still waking up, to get the traffic reports and news that are also played on the station, and simply because I've always loved classical music. There is nothing in the precepts about not enjoying yourself! And I really can't imagine getting my desire aroused listening to a Bach cantata! So my advice would be not to have a tight mind about things like precepts and such, but simply use a little common sense. Checking your motivation for doing things is, to me, much more important than blindly following some rules. Precepts are simply external guides for our inner work. They're not written in stone. Taking precepts is also not something that is required. It's up to you. As the Buddha said, everyone must work out their own salvation. All he did was supply the guideposts.
If you need help finding a center to visit in Washington (where there are quite a few, depending on where you live), there are several good sources online, like snowlionpub.com, buddhanet.net, Tricycle, and others.
Palzang
And thanks for the links! There are apparently lots of places in Seattle, now the hard part will be choosing one to try out and gathering the motivation to venture there alone.
There are different precepts for different purposes. My understanding is that the five precepts are there to safeguard us from the dangers in the world and to be free of remorse. You can still listen to music if you want to. As for the eight precepts these are usually kept either by people who are in training to become monks or by lay people who keep them temporarily during a meditation retreat or on lunar observance days.
The reason why things such as sex, entertainment, music, food after midday, etc. are to be avoided for someone keeping the eight precepts is not because any of these things are "bad" or "immoral" but because they tend to draw the mind out into the world of the five senses. When you are on a meditation retreat, for example, your goal is to try to develop inner-happiness, inner-contentment so it is very useful to avoid these things for that purpose. Then with a happy, contented mind wisdom has the opportunity to arise.
With Metta,
Guy
Name: Sean
Age: 22
Sign: Taurus
Hair: Light brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 183cm
Weight: 74kg
Born: Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Live: Saint Louis, Missouri
Favorite book: catcher and the rye
Favorite band: hmm many.
Favorite food: Beef and Broccolli (Chinese dish)
Favorite movie: Truman's Show <--- really good movie.
Favorite colour: White, Blue
I once heard on the news of a Buddhist monk who got young people interested in Buddhist teaching my rapping the suttras
Haha, yes! I saw that a few days ago. Now if only more rap included Buddhist principles. The only one I know is Nas' classic album, although it's filled with gangsta themes too
I`m Eric (from Holland) and I`m quite new to the site too.
A warm welcome and I want to say;"it`s a great site".I`ve allways been very welcome here and I`m one of those people that "do my own thing" too.
I have never belonged to any religion and have my own view about things.
I`m not "a real" Buddhist but I really believe in a lot of the "teachings".
I believe that everybody has a lot of Buddhist in themselves.It`s looking at\in YOURSELF for a good/happy/fullfilling life,doesn`t everybody want that ?
I wish I had enough peace in me to really meditate.I can only do so with music.(Is that meditating?).
Again welcome,and have a nice weekend;Eric.:) (I hope my English is ok).
.
What did you say about my friend :wtf:
Name: Tara, but I usually use the screen name TaraJo around the interwebz
Age: 31
Sign: Gemini
Hair: Light brown/dark blonde (take your pick)
Eyes: blue
Height: 5'10"
Weight: about 200 lbs
Born: Joliet Il.
Live: Houston TX.
Favorite book: Lord of the Rings
Favorite band: Green Day
Favorite food: Generally something Italian or Tex/Mex
Favorite movie:
Favorite colour: I dunno on this one;
It's a pleasure to meet, greet and seat you!:D
Tea...?;)
Hehehe.
I just wanted to give a quick introduction. My name is Steven and I currently live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am originally from the US. I grew up in New Mexico, but lived in San Francisco for 10 years.
Although I have read multiple books on Buddhism, I consider myself a novice because I haven't really expanded beyond that. It would be great to share experiences with people here. Also if you know of or would be interested in starting a Sangha here in Buenos Aires, please let me know.
Regards,
Steven
Name: Holly
Age: 27
Sign: Leo
Hair: Light brown/dark blond
Eyes: hazel
Height: 5'2"
Weight: about 280 lbs
Born: Washington, IN
Live: Near Washington, IN
Favorite book: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Favorite band: Linkin Park
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite movie: The Last Samurai
Favorite colour: Hot pink/red
Hatchet was my favorite when I was younger. I'm currently reading the classic "Walden" by Henry Thoreau. It was written in the 1800's and is considered to the staple to the independent wilderness settlement books/media. You might like it, talks a lot about life and what's essential compared to the illusionary "needs" of a human being, so great from a Buddhist standpoint as well despite not being about Buddhism.