Buddhism

I am very seriously contemplating becoming a Buddhist, I know thatthere aredifferent types of Buddhism....and you should be careful which one you want to practice, anyway.....are there any Buddhists around the site that could shed some light?

If you want to read the story of Buddha (the main one) the guy who made Astro Boy did a manga version of his life story. Its kind of weird but its a good way of getting the gist of it in an easy to understand illustrated format.

I'm not of any religion in particular, but I think that you should follow your own path, taking in what feels "right" instead of completely conforming to something.BranKetra

I feel the same way.Follow your heart.

I would never be christian/muslim because those 2 are so spiteful and imo both radical. Im no religion but Buddhism is what Id follow.

buddhism tends to be more of a philosophy than a religion. Some sects and such have rules for Monks and whatnot but there's really no "divine path", or "absolute belief". It's mostly about properly understanding everything.

I suggest looking into the 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, anikka, annata, and dukha. Then you'll figure out where to go from there.

Meditation is very practical even if you don't want to learn about buddhism, and I suggest looking into mindful meditation techniques.

The nice thing about buddhism is you don't believe in any of it. You take the knowledge, and understanding you have and go from there.

I'm not of any religion in particular, but I think that you should follow your own path, taking in what feels "right" instead of completely conforming to something.BranKetra

Dude dude, I got some info for ya! Dude, screw Buddsim, become Muslim! Islam rules man, If you blow yourself up in a terrorist attack, you'll go to heaven! And Guess what? You get 7 virgins, a whore, and a goat named Oliver! Now that's a deal!SpaceDragonMan

hey im a muslim and i can tell you that what you said is NOT TRUE!!!. you cant kill innocent people and expect heaven... ah man your probably brain dead anyway

There's a Simpsons episode that you might find enlightening. It's the one where Lisa becomes a Buddhist.SolidSnake35

hmmmmmmmm have you tried christianity yet?Putzwapputzen

I am very seriously contemplating becoming a Buddhist, I know thatthere aredifferent types of Buddhism....and you should be careful which one you want to practice, anyway.....are there any Buddhists around the site that could shed some light?

Fooshie

dont' declare yourself one, just be one

Thanks everybody for all the responses....you have all been very helpful.

Anyway, you don't want to get into organized religion. Be spiritual, not religious. All of the religions have something valid to offer, but none of them hold all the answers. Maybe they all started off with the truth, but over time all religions have been distorted from the truth. Now you've got christian faith-healers on TV scamming old people, buddhists ringing bells for 12 hours a day, and muslims blowing up everything in sight. This is not how it's supposed to be.

Don't BELIEVE, KNOW. Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to sit back and believe whatever a religion throws on you. You can seek to know for certain by actively searching and proving spiritual truths to yourself. Be a spiritual anarchist. Don't believe any religion... don't even believe me telling you this.

I've basically invented my own kind of gnostic/esoteric/occultist belief system, which is based on what I gather from all the spiritual information I find. If I find something that fits my belief system and seems good, I encorporate it. If I don't like it, I disregard it. So I have ended up with the best possible "faith" for me. Of course this is subjective for everyone, and you must find your own way.

Buddhism can't offer you the meaning of life. Neither can Christianity, Islam, Judiasm, Zoroastrianism, Scientology, Hinduism, or any other established religion. You have to find out for yourself.

If you want details into what I consider my personal "truth" I can go into that for you, or if you want some suggested reading material to get you started on your own personal path to enlightenment.

I don't understand Buddhism. If they want to lose all desire, then why do they constantly desire to reach a state ofNirvana?soldier-dark

I am very seriously contemplating becoming a Buddhist, I know thatthere aredifferent types of Buddhism....and you should be careful which one you want to practice, anyway.....are there any Buddhists around the site that could shed some light?

Fooshie

people who are buddhist are FREAKIN AWESOME!!! i mean its amazing, i'll love to be one of them!!

a monk XD

The thing that I have found.... it is very hard for a north american white kid in a small city to learn about buddhism. What I've found on the internet is pretty vague. It's easy to find the eight-fold path and whatever the 4 truths or so is, you might be able to read about the Wheel of Samsara a little bit, but you can't get very in-depth into Buddhism from the internet.

Anyway, you don't want to get into organized religion. Be spiritual, not religious. All of the religions have something valid to offer, but none of them hold all the answers. Maybe they all started off with the truth, but over time all religions have been distorted from the truth. Now you've got christian faith-healers on TV scamming old people, buddhists ringing bells for 12 hours a day, and muslims blowing up everything in sight. This is not how it's supposed to be.

Don't BELIEVE, KNOW. Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to sit back and believe whatever a religion throws on you. You can seek to know for certain by actively searching and proving spiritual truths to yourself. Be a spiritual anarchist. Don't believe any religion... don't even believe me telling you this.

I've basically invented my own kind of gnostic/esoteric/occultist belief system, which is based on what I gather from all the spiritual information I find. If I find something that fits my belief system and seems good, I encorporate it. If I don't like it, I disregard it. So I have ended up with the best possible "faith" for me. Of course this is subjective for everyone, and you must find your own way.

Buddhism can't offer you the meaning of life. Neither can Christianity, Islam, Judiasm, Zoroastrianism, Scientology, Hinduism, or any other established religion. You have to find out for yourself.

If you want details into what I consider my personal "truth" I can go into that for you, or if you want some suggested reading material to get you started on your own personal path to enlightenment.

Yarcofin

and that my friend, its called hippie!

hmmmmmmmm have you tried christianity yet?Putzwapputzen

Yeah... I did... And it failed me utterly... Just my personal story, though.

Dude dude, I got some info for ya! Dude, screw Buddsim, become Muslim! Islam rules man, If you blow yourself up in a terrorist attack, you'll go to heaven! And Guess what? You get 7 virgins, a whore, and a goat named Oliver! Now that's a deal!SpaceDragonMan

Sigh. Why must the world contain people such as this?

I am not a Buddhist but my partner is, so I can share a bit. There are two major branches of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayan. Therevada is the older form and is most widely practice in Pacific coast and Pacific island nations. It emphasizes the importance of self-examination as a crucial element of the path to enlightenment. Mahayana is a more recent development (relatively, as in dating to around 1st century BCE) and shows it with "liberal" traditions that emerged in more contemporary religions, such as a more egalitarian stance (as it indicates that everyone will eventually become a Buddha) and emphasizing that compassion is essential. All Buddhism is characterized by an aspiration to achieve Nirvana, which literally means extinguish/put out, as in a candle. A central tenet of Buddhism is that we and everything in our lives in impermanent, and that this limitation is ultimately the source of all suffering. Achieving Nirvana represents an escape from this limitation, ending all desire and transcending the wheel of rebirth. Hope this is useful. It's just a very bare bones treatment. If you want to know more, I'm sure a lot can be found online or at a local library. There may also be centers for Buddhism near you if you live in certain areas.xaos

Actually, there are three main branches. You neglected to mention Tantric Buddhism, though it is less followed, I believe.

Actually, there are three main branches. You neglected to mention Tantric Buddhism, though it is less followed, I believe.

muthsera666

[QUOTE="Yarcofin"]The thing that I have found.... it is very hard for a north american white kid in a small city to learn about buddhism. What I've found on the internet is pretty vague. It's easy to find the eight-fold path and whatever the 4 truths or so is, you might be able to read about the Wheel of Samsara a little bit, but you can't get very in-depth into Buddhism from the internet.

Anyway, you don't want to get into organized religion. Be spiritual, not religious. All of the religions have something valid to offer, but none of them hold all the answers. Maybe they all started off with the truth, but over time all religions have been distorted from the truth. Now you've got christian faith-healers on TV scamming old people, buddhists ringing bells for 12 hours a day, and muslims blowing up everything in sight. This is not how it's supposed to be.

Don't BELIEVE, KNOW. Contrary to popular opinion, you don't have to sit back and believe whatever a religion throws on you. You can seek to know for certain by actively searching and proving spiritual truths to yourself. Be a spiritual anarchist. Don't believe any religion... don't even believe me telling you this.

I've basically invented my own kind of gnostic/esoteric/occultist belief system, which is based on what I gather from all the spiritual information I find. If I find something that fits my belief system and seems good, I encorporate it. If I don't like it, I disregard it. So I have ended up with the best possible "faith" for me. Of course this is subjective for everyone, and you must find your own way.

Buddhism can't offer you the meaning of life. Neither can Christianity, Islam, Judiasm, Zoroastrianism, Scientology, Hinduism, or any other established religion. You have to find out for yourself.

If you want details into what I consider my personal "truth" I can go into that for you, or if you want some suggested reading material to get you started on your own personal path to enlightenment.

AL13NK1LL3R

and that my friend, its called hippie!

man i love hippie people specally here in boulder county (colorado) XD

.Actually I hate hippies. Maybe I'm a bit new-age if anything but I don't consider myself a hippy. For one thing, I could care less about the environment and helping people. :P

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

Actually, there are three main branches. You neglected to mention Tantric Buddhism, though it is less followed, I believe.

xaos

Ah, good point. I forgot that it was partially attributed to Mahayana.

Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.EboyLOL

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.muthsera666

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.muthsera666

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.EboyLOL

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

It doesn't really. I just thought it was interesting.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.quiglythegreat

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

Calm down. I just thought it was interesting.

Dude dude, I got some info for ya! Dude, screw Buddsim, become Muslim! Islam rules man, If you blow yourself up in a terrorist attack, you'll go to heaven! And Guess what? You get 7 virgins, a whore, and a goat named Oliver! Now that's a deal!SpaceDragonMan

Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.EboyLOL

I don't think so. Unless you cannot tell the difference between "Crusader" and "Christian". I consider myself to bea good Christian who attends church frequently. I never hurt people and I am a friendly person. May I ask how Buddhism "trumps" me?

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.quiglythegreat

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

I heard he was a real ladies man, believe it or not. I'll care.

[QUOTE="quiglythegreat"][QUOTE="muthsera666"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.DarkKar

Did you know that the Catholic Chuch canonized the Buddha? Saint Josephat...

I heard he was a real ladies man, believe it or not. I'll care.

Feynman pwns Einstein.

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.Supernova_86

I don't think so. Unless you cannot tell the difference between "Crusader" and "Christian". I consider myself to bea good Christian who attends church frequently. I never hurt people and I am a friendly person. May I ask how Buddhism "trumps" me?

[QUOTE="Supernova_86"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.EboyLOL

I don't think so. Unless you cannot tell the difference between "Crusader" and "Christian". I consider myself to bea good Christian who attends church frequently. I never hurt people and I am a friendly person. May I ask how Buddhism "trumps" me?

Karma sir, shall reward your benevolence.

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"][QUOTE="Supernova_86"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.DarkKar

I don't think so. Unless you cannot tell the difference between "Crusader" and "Christian". I consider myself to bea good Christian who attends church frequently. I never hurt people and I am a friendly person. May I ask how Buddhism "trumps" me?

Karma sir, shall reward your benevolence.

[QUOTE="DarkKar"][QUOTE="EboyLOL"][QUOTE="Supernova_86"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.EboyLOL

I don't think so. Unless you cannot tell the difference between "Crusader" and "Christian". I consider myself to bea good Christian who attends church frequently. I never hurt people and I am a friendly person. May I ask how Buddhism "trumps" me?

Karma sir, shall reward your benevolence.

apples and oranges is my favorite idiom :)

[QUOTE="DarkKar"][QUOTE="EboyLOL"][QUOTE="Supernova_86"]

[QUOTE="EboyLOL"]Buddhism destroys. It trumps the **** out of Christianity.EboyLOL

I don't think so. Unless you cannot tell the difference between "Crusader" and "Christian". I consider myself to bea good Christian who attends church frequently. I never hurt people and I am a friendly person. May I ask how Buddhism "trumps" me?

Karma sir, shall reward your benevolence.

Karma is incorporated into Buddhism as well, though it may not play as large of a part.