Buddhism

[Southern Buddhist 1]

That's interesting, I didn't know that.

That's my understanding, at least. Your friend would know more than I, but Buddhists tend to be pretty honest about their own behavior. I will certainly concede that I might be wrong.

[timwakefield 68]

That's my understanding, at least. Your friend would know more than I, but Buddhists tend to be pretty honest about their own behavior. I will certainly concede that I might be wrong.

Oh no you're probably right.

[longshottwelve 0]

Thanks for answering my questions on Buddhism, guys. The majority of my friends are Vietnamese and Cambodian and all claim to be Buddhist, but none can ever describe to me what Buddhism is all about. What I know I learned in college and it always seemed to be rather cold to me. It's good to get some clarification from those who actually practice it.

[timwakefield 68]

It's good to get some clarification from those who actually practice it.

Unlike Southern Buddhist, I don't actually practice. I hope to start though, maybe this year.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

Unlike Southern Buddhist, I don't actually practice. I hope to start though, maybe this year.

Wow. For someone who doesn't practice, you have a _ton_ of understanding. Very impressive.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

I was walking home from work, and something occurred to me...The Bible is very concerned about building a society, i.e., how people behave toward their neighbors, when you should stone your neighbors, what is an abomination, whether you should convince them to convert, taking the gospel to them, how justice is supposed to be meted out, etc. and so on. In fact, the more I think about it, the vast majority of the Bible, both testaments, is about living in community with others and setting up rules for that.Buddhism is almost entirely internal. How you behave is how you behave. You'll bear the consequences, so there's no reason for me to judge you and no reason for me to set rules for you, or you for me.Judaism and Christianity both grew in a place where society was chaotic and fractured. The Jews didn't have a homeland, and the whole Old Testament is about them being in and out of slavery, battling other tribes, and establishing a home. Laying down the rules for a stable society that could last had to be pretty paramount for them, and it shows in their holy books. Christians were outcasts at first within the Roman empire, and outcasts from Judaism as well. They were a tiny minority, and again, establishing a society on their own terms was of great importance.By contrast, Buddhism grew primarily in India, Tibet, China, and Japan. All four were for the most part stable societies. China had a bureaucracy established, with civil service exams and all, by 5,000 BC (how crazy is that?). And in India, Hinduism was so well-established that its age can literally be measured in geological time. There's a temple built where the Ganges River flows out of the glacier that feeds it. But the temple is so old that the glacier has retreated more than 25 miles from the temple. So, as one writer put it, Hinduism (the world's oldest organized religion) is old enough to be measured in geological time. So all of these societies were well-established and mostly peaceful. There were periods of war, but they didn't threaten the very existence of the cultures as they did in the Mideast. So it was never important for Buddhism to lay down rules like "don't steal," and "don't bang your neighbor's wife" and so on. Society had already established all of those rules. Thus, Buddhism was able to concentrate more on internal development.Just a thought.

[checkymcfold 0]

SB, i don't know that i'd call the history of the far east "mostly peaceful," but i do think you're onto something with regard to the type of violence that existed there and its possible effects in terms of religious development in the area. while the middle east was often dealing with invaders from outside that brought in profoundly different types of cultural influences, the fighting in eastern asia was primarily feudalistic, both in japan and china (korea's a little different, since japan kinda made korea its bitch there for a while). india's a bit different in that regard, but hinduism was a fairly mature religion by the time the english came into the indian subcontinent.

[phlegm 6]

Human greed,like the serpent moving toward the eastern sun shall not have a pit to hiss in.

[speedz99 145]

Do you guys have any recommendations for finding somewhere to learn more about Buddhism? I like a lot of the ideas behind it, but wouldn't know where to start in terms of just showing up at a random temple. I found these three in my area...thoughts?http://www.manjushriinstitute.org/Khmer Temple...I can't find a site for this but it looks like part of http://www.cambodianbuddhist.org/http://www.livingdharmacenter.org/

[checkymcfold 0]

Do you guys have any recommendations for finding somewhere to learn more about Buddhism? I like a lot of the ideas behind it, but wouldn't know where to start in terms of just showing up at a random temple. I found these three in my area...thoughts?http://www.manjushriinstitute.org/Khmer Temple...I can't find a site for this but it looks like part of http://www.cambodianbuddhist.org/http://www.livingdharmacenter.org/

of the three links you gave, i've actually heard good things about the manjushri institute, i THINK, unless i'm mixing it up with something else. the second place i've never heard of, and the third appears to be somewhat new-agey on a purely aesthetic level, as would be the case for most western temples advertising themselves as "zen."as for becoming more acquainted with buddhism in general, it might be best to try to take an intro class at a local university just to get a good foundational understanding of the various sects and their differences. or if you have questions, go ahead and fire away in this thread--seems that we have a few knowledgeable people here.

[speedz99 145]

of the three links you gave, i've actually heard good things about the manjushri institute, i THINK, unless i'm mixing it up with something else. the second place i've never heard of, and the third appears to be somewhat new-agey on a purely aesthetic level, as would be the case for most western temples advertising themselves as "zen."

Cool, thank you.

as for becoming more acquainted with buddhism in general, it might be best to try to take an intro class at a local university just to get a good foundational understanding of the various sects and their differences. or if you have questions, go ahead and fire away in this thread--seems that we have a few knowledgeable people here.

Unfortunately, I'm already paying so much for school that I can't really afford to pay for another class. It definitely does seem like people here can answer questions, which I appreciate, but I'd also like to get something more personal to really feel it out.I've got a really stupid, basic question...so you go to your temple...what do you do there on any given day? Meditate? Talk about teachings? Whittle?

[timwakefield 68]

Do you guys have any recommendations for finding somewhere to learn more about Buddhism? I like a lot of the ideas behind it, but wouldn't know where to start in terms of just showing up at a random temple. I found these three in my area...thoughts?http://www.manjushriinstitute.org/Khmer Temple...I can't find a site for this but it looks like part of http://www.cambodianbuddhist.org/http://www.livingdharmacenter.org/

My mom knows a lot about Buddhism in the Massachusetts area. I'll ask her for the name of some good temples or groups that are free (meditation classes/retreats cost moneys, but there are certainly temples where you can go practice/learn for free).

[speedz99 145]

My mom knows a lot about Buddhism in the Massachusetts area. I'll ask her for the name of some good temples or groups that are free (meditation classes/retreats cost moneys, but there are certainly temples where you can go practice/learn for free).

Ok...so what does that mean? I understand a lot of the theories, just not how people practice, per say.edit: and thanks for asking

[Southern Buddhist 1]

So, Alec Baldwin, we meet again...(last time was in the "I want to try acid" thread).I got my introduction to Buddhism through reading about it, since I'm in the wilds of rural Virginia. The Manjushri Institute looks very cool, but also very traditional, with a lot of mandalas and gods/goddesses and other semi-supernatural things. If you're up for it, that's cool, but if you're looking for a more austere aesthetic, Zen is very stripped-down. It's purely a matter of what appeals to you most. My own practice is mostly solo, so it's more Victorian fixer-upper in aesthetic.I highly recommend picking up the magazines _Shambhala Sun_ and _Buddhadharma_. They're both excellent. Any book by Pema Chodron is great, and a really good starting point is Steve Hagen's _Buddhism Plain and Simple_. Clint Walker edited _Why Meditate?_, which includes chapters from many different Buddhist writers. That's a good place to start finding a sensibility you like. There's a little pocket-sized book published by Shambhala and edited by Jack Kornfeld called _Teachings of the Buddha_. That's a good place to get a lot of teachings culled from dozens of places all at once. Dating from way back in the '60s or '70s is Shunryu Suzuki's _Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind_. It's a classic. New this year is Lama Surya Das' _Buddha Is as Buddha Does_. Lastly (I broke this all up into paragraphs so it would be more like a list), two really good books that I have quoted from a lot in the book I'm currently writing are:_One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism_, Joseph Goldstein_The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way: A New Translation with a Guide to Reading the Text_, Glenn Wallis

[Southern Buddhist 1]

Ok...so what does that mean?edit: and thanks for asking

Mostly, it means meditation and listening to a teacher give a dharma talk, which is an explanation or thoughts on some particular point of Buddhist teaching.

[timwakefield 68]

I've got a really stupid, basic question...so you go to your temple...what do you do there on any given day? Meditate? Talk about teachings? Whittle?

I've never really practiced in a temple - that's one of the nice things about Buddhism, at least in my understanding. It's not like you go to temple every Sunday, or that you have to go to the temple for some reason. In other words, you can learn and practice meditation anywhere, so you should also check out smaller groups and things like that. As far as what I've done when studying with a teacher: Well sometimes they will talk about history, or certain teachings of the Dharma, and sometimes they will talk about meditation, and then generally there are group meditation periods. The whole idea of Buddhism is that the path to liberation/salvation/enlightenment is found by just sitting, so that is mostly what you do.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

Also, if you're a formal student of a particular teacher, it means meeting with the teacher, who will assess your progress and, in Zen practice, provide you with questions to think about until your next meeting.

[crowTrobot 2]

give a dharma talk

i hated that show. greg was such a pansy.

[speedz99 145]

So, Alec Baldwin, we meet again...(last time was in the "I want to try acid" thread).

Oh, I remember...anyone who understands the "did that just happen?" phenomenon is automatically ok in my book.

I got my introduction to Buddhism through reading about it, since I'm in the wilds of rural Virginia. The Manjushri Institute looks very cool, but also very traditional, with a lot of mandalas and gods/goddesses and other semi-supernatural things. If you're up for it, that's cool, but if you're looking for a more austere aesthetic, Zen is very stripped-down. It's purely a matter of what appeals to you most. My own practice is mostly solo, so it's more Victorian fixer-upper in aesthetic.

Hmm, interesting point. I'm definitely not looking for anything supernatural.

Lots of books.

I'm not sure how to say this...but reading wouldn't work for me (other than supplementing what I'm learning in person). I guess there are a few reasons why.-After spending hours reading chem, bio, and microbio, I'm burned out on the whole "reading to learn" thing. I wish I had an unlimited supply of energy for that kind of thing, but I don't.-In general, I learn much better when I can listen to someone and be interactive in a conversation (like most people, I suppose). When I try to teach myself something from the pages of a book it seems to fly right in and out of my brain in a matter of seconds. -Maybe it's because of the way I was raised, but I just can't picture doing this without actually being in a temple (or just with a monk). I guess I'm not self-actualized or whatever they're calling it these days.Thanks for the help...I'm pretty open to anything at the moment, so I probably will pick up one of those books to give it a try.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

hours reading chem, bio, and microbio,

Blargh.

-Maybe it's because of the way I was raised, but I just can't picture doing this without actually being in a temple (or just with a monk). I guess I'm not self-actualized or whatever they're calling it these days.

Nah, that's cool. It makes sense to want face-to-face conversation, Q&A, and all. Definitely, then, try to find a local sitting group or a teacher giving a dharma talk.You might really like the Insight Meditation Society. A few of the authors I mentioned are connected with them. Here's a link to their website (opens their links page with centers worldwide and websites for more info):http://www.dharma.org/ims/mr_links.html

[checkymcfold 0]

I'm in the wilds of rural Virginia.

say hi to blacksburg for me. i grew up there/radford .

[speedz99 145]

Blargh.

Blargh indeed.

[SBriand 4]

blerg not blargHmmm, I was always interested in Buddhism. The meat thing might be an issue. I like chicken and pork. Blerg.

[Southern Buddhist 1]

say hi to blacksburg for me. i grew up there/radford .

O...M...G!!!!! You're shitting me. I love your avie, love your posts, and I grew up in Hillsville! [For those not from SW Virginia, yeah, that town is exactly as hip 'n' happenin' as it sounds.] I live in Staunton now, after some detours to New York, New Jersey, and Florida.SBriand, as previous posts note, eating meat is totally a personal decision. I don't, but I do eat seafood. Some hardcore Tibetan Buddhists eat meat happily, even after they come to America. Buddhists range from vegan to omnivore, and there's really no judgment about it (there shouldn't be, anyway).

[lordofelt 0]

I'll agree with the posters above that all of that has been written in this thread has been very interesting and enlightening (see what I did there?) and I appreciate everything that has been shared as I'm sure others do to.I'd just like to add that I'm slowly learning a little bit about Buddhism as a whole and all that goes along with it and the part I like the most is that I have yet to come across anything that directly contradicts my own "secular" values. My main problem with Christianity and other religions has never been the supernatural beliefs they hold (though I often find them ridiculous) but the parts/stories/teachings of them that are morally wrong and disturbing. Often these other religions either sweep these parts under the rug or try and interpret them in a positive light but neither of these approaches clears my own conscience.So far in my buddhist learnings I haven't encountered anything about the Buddha spreading his word by the sword or condemning the killing of thousands of "evil" people and thats what is encouraging me to learn more about it. That and the lack of judgement placed upon people who disagree with the religious leaders.Some more quick questions:Is there any type of exocommunication within Buddhism where someone could be "cast out" from their religion/temple etc.Most religions seem to have some opposement to science explaining the world what is Buddhism's opinion on science?As always thanks for the opportunity to learn.