Any followers of the Buddha?

[B5C]

Well don't call me an official convert. I am studing Buddhism. I find studying the ideas of Buddhism helps me lower my stress. Especially for a year when I lost my faith in Christianity, my job, my apartment, and being unemployed for 6 months.

[Gpower]

Well, my mum is a Buddhist, so I know a thing or 2 about it. Not too sure about myself, I kinda half believe it.

[Col. Tartleton]

I think the Buddha story is pretty likely.

We've had how many people wandering this earth for how long and no one figured out how to actually be happy? That seems crazy.


Buddhism is almost like Stoicism but covering different goals. Stoicism is concerned with the natural world, Buddhism with the supernatural. Buddhists seek to eradicate their self. Stoics seek to purify it of unneeded emotion. Buddhists are concerned with compassion while stoics are foremost concerned with not giving a ****.

Its like they're on the same plane but seeking the opposite direction.

Stoics want to purify their state of mind. Buddhists want to get out of this state of mind we live in.

I don't know what's better. I like me. Killing myself (metaphorically) to be happy seems like a big sacrifice. I'd rather be in the happy clutches of denial...

[RO Citizen]

Accordind to a strange but accurate survey, the biggest number of ppl who visit this site are...Indians!!! So you may surely find some Buddhist, or Hindu.

[Boer]

I' not a Buddhist religiously, but think it has merit more as a philosophy of life. I don't buy rebirth and see karma more as just consequences to actions instead of the driving force of Saṅsāra. But some of its ideas have clear merit, such as proper thought and actions leading to less suffering (or however you want to think of it) and a focus on consequences in determining correct and incorrect action and ideas like holding on to anger actually harms ones-self.
Hopefully that makes sense to someone, but I'm not at all sure I've expressed myself clearly.

[Hax]

Accordind to a strange but accurate survey, the biggest number of ppl who visit this site are...Indians!!! So you may surely find some Buddhist, or Hindu.

There are fairly little Buddhists left in India, though, most of them being Tibetan immigrants or new Indian converts. Most Indians are either Muslim or Hindu.

Denny? Really? Well I guess I've been off TWcenter for too long.

I'm not really sure, in any case.

[Phier]

My take, good way to view life, silly to view it as religion.

[Squiggle]

My take, good way to view life, silly to view it as religion.

You obviously have a very limited knowledge on Buddhism. Its not just meditate and be a chill dude, and thats it. Theres a crapload of theology in it, its as intricate a religion as any else. On the flip side, its self evidentally anti rational nonsense.

[Denny Crane!]

You obviously have a very limited knowledge on Buddhism. Its not just meditate and be a chill dude, and thats it. Theres a crapload of theology in it, its as intricate a religion as any else. On the flip side, its self evidentally anti rational nonsense.

Could you show me the rule book?

[Phier]

You obviously have a very limited knowledge on Buddhism. Its not just meditate and be a chill dude, and thats it. Theres a crapload of theology in it, its as intricate a religion as any else. On the flip side, its self evidentally anti rational nonsense.

Chop wood, carry water.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Sure are a lot of Buddhists using computers what's up with that.

[Pra]

I'm Hindu/Buddhist/Brahmo Samaj.

I guess that's the closest way to look at my religion.

I take the good ideas from every religion and use those that I believe ine.

[B5C]

What appealed me too Buddhism is the 4 Noble Truths, it doesn't fight science but accepts it, no blind faith, and end of suffering. The teachings emphasize compassion, tolerance, and moderation.

I diliked the arrogance of Christianity and the other Abrahamic religions.

[Elfdude]

I have a hodge podge of beliefs that I've stolen from various religions/philosophies/sciences and mashed together. Buddhism has a very notable impact on those beliefs. Specifically the optimistic view of the world and the desire to eliminate pain/misery by encouraging happiness and goodwill.

Still I find any organized message to be easily corruptible and unfortunately buddhism was proven in tibet to be just as corrupt as it's western counterparts. Thus no, I would not align myself with the Buddhists if only to deny the legitimacy that my presence (if only others did the same) would give to the group.

[Dr. Oza]

My take, good way to view life, silly to view it as religion.

well as any good conservative.. the only true religion is christianity isnt it?

but oh... you're an atheist?

[hellas1]

@The O.P.

Hi!

I'm a Christian who deeply respects modern day Buddhism but ultimately believes that modern Buddhism does NOT reflect the original intent of the Buddha.

Ex. Modern Buddhists are mostly disgruntled Atheists
Buddha pointed to an ultimate ground of being, which can be argued as being God

Ex. Modern Buddhism is a schism of various sects
Buddha taught one dharma, not multiple dharmas

I personally have received empowerment by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche to practice Dzogchen (both a Pre-Tibetan Buddhist & Tibetan Buddhist meditation.)

I deeply, deeply respect the "teachings" of Jiddhu Krishnamurti as well MORE THAN the Buddha's "teachings" which come from Pali sources.
Krishnamurti explained and extrapolated Christianity & Buddhist thought without being either. He also was not an Atheist.

Any time you want to discuss not debate, PM me.
hellas1 OM AH HUM PHAT! Emaho!

[Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh]

As somebody mentioned, a connection can be drawn with Buddhism and Stoicism. I find this connection to be in the frame-of-mind that accompanies the ethical doctrines of these two philosophies.

I would suggest, that if this study is more a reaction to your modern life and loss of faith, Stoicism or Epicurean Hedonism are probably better solutions. Buddhism does have a mythology, does have a cosmology, even if people like to ignore it, and call it only a philosophy of life.

I think if you take some of the ethics from buddhism (the 4 noble truths, the 8 fold path, the 5 precepts, the 12 Nidanas, etc) and apply them to a more Stoic ethical system, you could find some real peace and solace in the modern world.

But, I mean, if you think you actually believe in the Buddhist cosmology, then all good-wishes to you. I think its a pretty amazing and beautiful religion, though I think the same of almost all religions.

[Denny Crane!]

Well don't call me an official convert. I am studing Buddhism. I find studying the ideas of Buddhism helps me lower my stress. Especially for a year when I lost my faith in Christianity, my job, my apartment, and being unemployed for 6 months.

I don't know about follower, but I enjoy it and enjoy trying to bring some of those ideas into my life. I recently went through a fair bit of stress myself with a business folding and all the related problems that come with that, debt, working 7 days a week etc. and the odd bits of meditation and relaxation help you through that and stop the stress impacting to much on your life. As a system of morality it is more well developed and natural than any other I've come across as well.

I think the Buddha story is pretty likely.

We've had how many people wandering this earth for how long and no one figured out how to actually be happy? That seems crazy.


Buddhism is almost like Stoicism but covering different goals. Stoicism is concerned with the natural world, Buddhism with the supernatural. Buddhists seek to eradicate their self. Stoics seek to purify it of unneeded emotion. Buddhists are concerned with compassion while stoics are foremost concerned with not giving a ****.

Its like they're on the same plane but seeking the opposite direction.

Stoics want to purify their state of mind. Buddhists want to get out of this state of mind we live in.

I don't know what's better. I like me. Killing myself (metaphorically) to be happy seems like a big sacrifice. I'd rather be in the happy clutches of denial...

Not sure if I can agree that buddhism is concerned with the supernatural. The entire focus of buddhism seems to rest soley on the mind and the thoughts you have. You don't seek to extinguish the self, but to come to terms with it and accept the nature of your existence. It is easy to view buddhism as ascetic (give up everything, get rid of everything including all self and feeling) but in reality a deeper understanding of it shows you that it is completely the opposite. I'd also say it is less about concepts and more about doing. I haven't considered myself as taking buddhism to seriously precisely because I've never got to grips with meditation as a practice.

Denny? Really? Well I guess I've been off TWcenter for too long.

You have and sorely missed sir, welcome back.

My take, good way to view life, silly to view it as religion.

Very good POV actually.

As somebody mentioned, a connection can be drawn with Buddhism and Stoicism. I find this connection to be in the frame-of-mind that accompanies the ethical doctrines of these two philosophies.

I would suggest, that if this study is more a reaction to your modern life and loss of faith, Stoicism or Epicurean Hedonism are probably better solutions. Buddhism does have a mythology, does have a cosmology, even if people like to ignore it, and call it only a philosophy of life.

I think if you take some of the ethics from buddhism (the 4 noble truths, the 8 fold path, the 5 precepts, the 12 Nidanas, etc) and apply them to a more Stoic ethical system, you could find some real peace and solace in the modern world.

But, I mean, if you think you actually believe in the Buddhist cosmology, then all good-wishes to you. I think its a pretty amazing and beautiful religion, though I think the same of almost all religions.

In the history of Buddhism there are adherents to the mythology and cosmology but that isn't something that was in existence from the start, the Tibetan school added an awful lot in and first and foremost at the heart of the buddhist teaching is to not believe anything that you can't verify or have reasonably peer reviewed amongst appropriate people that you can trust. That is literally buddhism 101, and ultimately a full study of the texts leads to the appropriate conclusions that it is a study of yourself and your mind with the goal of happiness.

A lot of similarities that are more appropriate I think, can be drawn between existentialism and buddhism. There is a lot to be said for authenticity and nibbana.

[Hax]

There are very religious elements to Buddhism, which differ from school to school, basically. For example, the Tibetan schools are generally very much more religiously inclined than say the Ch'an or Nichiren schools. In general, Buddhism is not so much concerned with dealing with the cessation of suffering after we die, but during our life.

[Copperknickers II]

Certainly meditation helps with stress, though its a proto-Hindu idea that predates Buddhism. I'm an Atheist, and tbh if I was going to be religious I'd rather go the whole hog and put blind faith into Ganesh and Kali and Shiva, rather than actually try and find meaning in the physical universe through spiritual pursuits. As far as I'm concerned the only meaning in life is the meaning you put there, and the influence of your ancestors, so I find Hinduism makes more sense as it's more of a doctrine, than a treatise on how the universe works like Buddhism.