[Closed] buddhism

wikipedia? A RS teacher

http://buddhanet.net/

Book of Life is a great read....perhaps not exactly what u'r looking for but it's written by a buddhist and it's quite interesting+one of the most sincere books i've ever read in my life.

okay i think ill have a look at that book of life. i think it might be something like that im looking for cause i just want to learn about the buddhist way of thinking/living.

i guess thats what buddhism really is isnt it? a way of thinking or a path in life?

Originally posted by raun
okay i think ill have a look at that book of life. i think it might be something like that im looking for cause i just want to learn about the buddhist way of thinking/living.

i guess thats what buddhism really is isnt it? a way of thinking or a path in life?

I used to think the same thing, once I started getting deeper into it though I realised it isnt that much different from other religions in many ways. Buddhism doesnt seem to have a single authoritative text as other religions do but is still built around supernatural beliefs which I couldnt accept. If you are looking for something without supernatural beliefs at all try humanism.

@delete: i see i will try and google it then

@Dendra is it by J. Krishnamurti ?

it's falsely labeled a religion, or at least the way i perceive the definition of religion - more like a way of thinking, a philosophy ~ you're right.

Buddhism is a religion - it is based on magical/supernatural beliefs for which there is not nor has ever been the slightest amount of evidence, and there is nothing outside of Buddhism which suggests it to be true.

Many buddhists tend to downplay or even ignore the supernatural element of the religion, focussing instead on the ethical and moral teachings within it, which most of them consider to be much better than those found in more popular religions.

i can imagine the trailer for this movie:

In the struggle to fight tilt, one man is forced to turn to fictional characters to find inner peace.

ps too mean?

Originally posted by excelgeo
i can imagine the trailer for this movie:

In the struggle to fight tilt, one man is forced to turn to fictional characters to find inner peace.

ps too mean?

lol sounds like a chick flick, better throw in some explosions to make it interesting

Gautama Buddha isnt a fictional character though, he was a real man from India

@ raun

Do you want to learn more about Buddhism just because you're interested or because you are seeking a structured philosophy? ... or perhaps for some other reason you may wish to share(maybe because Phil Laak suggests it).

i suppose i just wanna be enlightened. i can ignore the superstition im just in it for the philosofical truths. to find a path in life that will lead to happiness and peace of mind.

imo you should never try and mould yourself to fit somebody else's belief system - this usually leads to dissatisfaction and disappointment later in life. If you find yourself saying "this is what I want to become" then you are on the wrong path. When you find the right path you will be saying "hey, this is basically what I believed anyway".

Good luck in your quest

> The "Dhammapadha (The Path of Truth)" - an ancient book with what is believed to be the teaching of Buddha himself. Not the easiest read at the beginning but very deep.
> You can find many other books on it and also here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/index.htm

best regards!

my apologies, it is Tibetan book of living and dying http://www.rigpaus.org/WIR/TBLD/SPLASH_index.html

@ delete461; Maybe I just misunderstood some of the things you were saying... but:

Originally posted by delete461
imo you should never try and mould yourself to fit somebody else's belief system - this usually leads to dissatisfaction and disappointment later in life.

Dissatisfaction?! - look at the happy masses under organised religion.

Originally posted by delete461
... If you find yourself saying "this is what I want to become" then you are on the wrong path.

Some people are lucky enough to be on the right path when they say that to themselves.

Originally posted by delete461
When you find the right path you will be saying "hey, this is basically what I believed anyway".

Actually it just means that you agree with "this" - you may have been fooled or tricked into believing, by the way "this" was presented. Could be the right or the wrong path.

Don't believe "enlightenment" comes through books by the way. Whilst they can open your mind for the understanding you are seeking, they can also mess it up - just like certain substances. Better to discover things for yourself - the problem I find with reading, is that you can never really know if what you perceive to be true is not just something from a book, the rhetoric of which you agree with and therefore take as the truth.

Originally posted by delete461
Good luck in your quest

+1

My suggestion for topics to read(cough, cough) about, are "The Five Tibetans" and walking, standing, sitting meditation - probably best if you find sources that focus on the exercises themselves as to not get carried away with the stories and spiritual stuff that come with it.

Originally posted by raun
can anyone recommend a website with some Buddhist writings or something?

http://www.dharmanet.org/
Sadhu! (lots of links there, mostly theravada)

http://www.buddhanet.net is mentioned already, check this course there, it can be a good intro.

I do not recommend wikipedia, it's often not ... ehm... very accurate.

Tibetan Book of Living and Dying is pretty useless reading unless you practice certain forms of Tibetan buddhism (which you shouldn't do without a teacher).

I'd recommend to start with modern teachers' lectures (there are plenty on the Net), ancient texts are easier to misinterpret (not that you can't misinterpret a modern teacher ... ). Once you have a good grasp of fundamentals and terminology, Tipitaka texts like Dhammapada or Sutta Nipata are excellent reading, but it's not a good idea to start with them, imo.

Originally posted by raun
or should i take a different approach?

Well, I think it would be better to find a Buddhist community, either live or online, and ask your questions there.

Originally posted by raun
i suppose i just wanna be enlightened.

It's a LOT of HARD work. Achieving any degree of Buddhist enlightenment is extremely hard even if you're really dedicated. So don't expect wonders.

Originally posted by delete461
imo you should never try and mould yourself to fit somebody else's belief system - this usually leads to dissatisfaction and disappointment later in life. If you find yourself saying "this is what I want to become" then you are on the wrong path.

With this I agree...

Originally posted by delete461
When you find the right path you will be saying "hey, this is basically what I believed anyway".

... but not with this. Truth can be hard to discover and really hard to accept. (Say, I can believe I'm good at poker already, but the truth is I still suck at it. This particular truth is easy to discover but not always easy to accept ). I think it's better to follow practical criteria: when you play good poker, your bankroll increases over time; when you follow a good spiritual path, the quality of your life and your spiritual well-being improve over time.

Originally posted by jxsergio....I think it's better to follow practical criteria: when you play good poker, your bankroll increases over time; when you follow a good spiritual path, the quality of your life and your spiritual well-being improve over time.

Whilst both πr²=a and a+b=c are mathematical, you can hardly say they are the same. Furthermore the former requires only one variable to yield a numerical result, whilst the latter needs two.(n.b. let's not forget finding the values of unknown set numbers by using several equations). Also there are formulas and equations.

Naturally, one can apply poker knowledge to situations outside the poker world and just like the overall performance of a PC, which relies on CPU, RAM and HHD space and de-fragmentation, can be applied to a person's mind, it is only a part of it.

The application of simple analogies to life may be very deep or profound and people can share these, however I feel that it is best for each to discover her/his own, as using those of others' carries the danger of putting on blinkers(the horse ones, not the ones to indicate where you are going).

It can of course be of help finding people who are in tune with one's self and listen to what they have to say. Whatever you do, don't forget to question everything.

By the way I heard an interesting short story once:

"Five people of non-Buddhist faiths are standing around a glass of water and arguing about how to divide it. Along comes a Buddhist, picks up the glass, takes a sip, puts it down and carries on walking"

Originally posted by JackStack
The application of simple analogies to life may be very deep or profound and people can share these, however I feel that it is best for each to discover her/his own, as using those of others' carries the danger of putting on blinkers(the horse ones, not the ones to indicate where you are going).

All analogies can be dangerous if used blindly; and I don't think one's own are an exception. If one is going to question everything, he must be questioning his own thoughts and ideas as well.

I promise I will be very careful when applying that poker analogy to my own life.

Originally posted by JackStack
"Five people of non-Buddhist faiths are standing around a glass of water and arguing about how to divide it. Along comes a Buddhist, picks up the glass, takes a sip, puts it down and carries on walking"

He took what wasn't offered to him? He's not a Buddhist, ldo

I guess all religions have similar stories. Islam certainly has some about Sufi teachers. We have to question such stories. After all, they are based on simple analogies.