Contemplating Buddhism

[Etrain]

Hello everyone, I'm still very young and I don't have a religion. Before now, I have never been a big fan of religion, although lately I have been contemplating buddhism. If anybody here has any thoughts/suggestions or knows a buddhist, I would appreciate it if they would enlighten me with knowledge. I've heard mixed reports on cannabis/drug use regarding the religion, but talked to a buddhist today and said cannabis has long been used as a meditation and enlightenment tool. If I wanted to take this seriously, would I have to quit smoking socially/for fun? Does all this sound stupid? I'm confused...

[Nullific]

There are no strict 'rules' in Buddhism, I believe Siddhartha did discourage use of mind altering substances but times change of course. This is the great thing about Buddhism, you don't need to follow a shitload of regulations, it does not try to control your life to the extreme most other organized religions do.

[az666]

yeah dude i dont know very much at all about Buddhism but from what ive read it seems to be one of the best religions out there....

[GHoSToKeR]

Strictly speaking, drug use etc isn't 'allowed', but like Null said, when it comes to Buddhism, there are no rules. You follow the path to enlightenment at your own speed, so to speak. lol :)

[richieguy69]

I try to do a little zen now and then. I've been reading up on it and it makes a lot of sense. Based a lot off Hinduism which is the ultimate religion. I think the thing that discouraged me from Christianity is the hipocracy that goes on inside churches. With Buddhism, you can basically believe what you want.

[Etrain]

Most Buddhists are lay followers â?? they live in the everyday world, get married and have families. Some, however, become monks and nuns, live in Buddhist monasteries and stay celibate. They do this because they believe they can abide by the Buddhaâ??s teaching much more fully without the distractions of work and family commitments. Lay-followers are expected to abide by the five precepts or rules. Put most simply, these are: not to kill, not to steal, not to misconduct oneself in sexual activity, not to lie and not to take intoxicating drugs or drinks. The upside of this is that Buddhism urges us to be kind to all living things, to practise generosity, to act responsibly as sexual beings, to be honest and truthful, and to keep the mind clear. Significantly, not all Buddhists are vegetarians. The Buddha did not prohibit the eating of meat unless an animal had been specifically killed for the person who was to eat it.

[Etrain]

^^I read that. Hmph.

[mrdevious]

I don't understand that last part. "eating meat is not prohibited unless it is specifically killed for the person who is going to eat it". so what, if you hunt your own food it's wrong, but if somebody else kills it for you and some others it's ok?

and there was one other thing that is kind of confusing for me. I've considered buddhism too except this whole main goal of "extinction of self" and separating yourself from the world. I can understand separating yourself from the negative, but what about the possitive? I mean if I were a buddhist could I no longer listen to metal and get a rush, or am I supposed to be detached and therefore always serene?

[Mojavpa]

Hey Etrain! I was just wondering, why are you thinking about choosing a faith to follow? I like learning about different religions and I have friends of different faiths, and there are things to admire about all religions. However, I happen to be an atheist.

[mrdevious]

Hey Etrain! I was just wondering, why are you thinking about choosing a faith to follow? I like learning about different religions and I have friends of different faiths, and there are things to admire about all religions. However, I happen to be an atheist.


well, buddhists kind of are atheists. they believe in "the ultimate reality", but no god.

[KronicKing]

i thought about Buddhism for a while,but i decided rather than follow a certain religion(no matter how lose the "rules" are)i have decided rather to make my own dharma and decide the best path when i come to the fork rather than huddle over scriptures wondering what their actual meaning is.i've meditated over this alot and it always seems one religion has atleast one thing wrong with it or one thing i do not agree with so i will make my own path duther than follow and specific guideline(once again regardless of how lose it is).most of this i decided after meditateing over a story i read:

late one night a young theif with little experience crept into a wealthy merchants house.he had fallen on hard times and decided that burglary was a more straightforward career than most others,and an occupation immediately at hand.he carefully planned everything.he closely observed the merchants home,when he got home,when he went to bed,the easyest way in.once inside the house he calculated that he would be able to search the home while the merchant snored away.
all went marvelously at first.he found,as he expected, an open window and wriggled easily into the merchants storeroom.from the bed chamber he could hear the merchant snoreing and snuffiling happily in dreamland.but,groping his way though the dark room he stubbed his bare toe against a table leg.
chokeing back a yelp of pain,terrified of wakeing the merchant,he smaked himself on the for head,for all his carefull planing he had forgoten to bring a light.
in the dimness however he was able to make out an oil lamp on a table.the theif reached into his pocket and pulled out flint and steel struk a spark and lit the lamp,as he picked up the lamp,a small spider scuttled out from under its base.
"thank you for saveing my life" said the spider "before he went to bed the merchant set this lamp down on top of me so i couldnt escape.if you hadnt come along i wouldnt have lased the night;indeed id have perished miserably,far from my web and my brood of little ones
"you have saved a life and showed compassion" the spider went on,although the impatiant theif protested he had no intention of doing so."better yet you have done it without the least thought or hope of reward.you have gained more merrit than you could possably imagine"
"but you are only a spider" the theif said
"and you are only a man" replied the spider."my dear theif,when you have understood that life is life be it on eight legs or two,you will have understood much.your deed in any case has cleansed you.go from here with fresh sirit and good luck to you"
and the thief did so with never a thought of stealing again.

if you think about this(atleast this happend when i did) it will lead you down many other paths of though helping you to better understand the path karma has set for you

good luck on your search for religion or purpose or enlightenment wichever you seek do not stop until you have reached your answer

[Stedric]

I think its always better to be spiritual than religious. I am an Agnostic I don't mind thinking deep but I think the idea of a Supreme Being and his son the 2000 year old dead carpenter wagging there fingers at me and telling me I'm not allowed to do something because its unholy is ridiculous.

Then again thats just me.

[Mojavpa]

I agree with Stedric. You're not allowed to do something because its unholy, and its unholy because you're not allowed to do it. But I actually think there is very little difference between agnosticm(not knowing if a God exists) and atheism, because either way you wont follow a certain dogma because you have yet to receive proof there is a supreme being. And most atheists wont say "I'm 100% sure there is NO God." It just doesnt matter to them if there is a god or not, they'll still follow their own valuies regardless of the fact that one day there might be convincing proof of a God(which wont happen)

[mrdevious]

I thought agnostic meant you believe in god but not following a faith. or am I wrong?

[Etrain]

Agnostic- One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God,
One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.

[Lulu]

'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying' by Sogyal Rinpoche

If not, you should - I'm not Buddhist but some of the passages in that book were like light bulbs going off in my head.
Best of luck with whatever you chose. :)

[Reefer Rogue]

Yea, i'm agnostic and i've always thought it was that i don't believe there's enough evidence to prove there's a god. Atheism, i think is when you're 100% certain there is no god. Out of all the religions i also find buddism to be the most fascinating.

[garryageez]

Hello everyone, I'm still very young and I don't have a religion. Before now, I have never been a big fan of religion, although lately I have been contemplating buddhism. If anybody here has any thoughts/suggestions or knows a buddhist, I would appreciate it if they would enlighten me with knowledge. I've heard mixed reports on cannabis/drug use regarding the religion, but talked to a buddhist today and said cannabis has long been used as a meditation and enlightenment tool. If I wanted to take this seriously, would I have to quit smoking socially/for fun? Does all this sound stupid? I'm confused...

Hi To be a true Buddhist you must take vows which we call the five precepts, the 5th precept is to not drink alcohol or to take any form of intoxicant. The reason for this precept is that Buddhism is about learning to control the mind through meditation which needs to be perfectly clear for this to be achieved. But the good news is That Buddhist teachings are not just usefull to practicing Buddhists but to all people whatever their beliefs. You may have heard of Buddhist monks who smoke cannabis but i can assure you they are not thought very highly of in the monastic world. H.H. The Dalai Lama says on this subject, that for medicinal use it has its advantages but we need to clear our minds of illusion and not add to it, by using it as a drug. heres wishing you well Garry D.

[garryageez]

There are no strict 'rules' in Buddhism, I believe Siddhartha did discourage use of mind altering substances but times change of course. This is the great thing about Buddhism, you don't need to follow a shitload of regulations, it does not try to control your life to the extreme most other organized religions do.

Im sorry my friend but I beg to differ. To be a Buddhist there are vows that prohibit the use of any intoxicants, and these vows must be strictly adhered to, but that does`nt mean that people who smoke cannabis cant gain a lot from studdying the teachings of the Buddha it just means you cant take the vows to become a fully fledged Buddhist unless you mean to uphold them. With respect Garry D.

[garryageez]

'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying' by Sogyal Rinpoche

If not, you should - I'm not Buddhist but some of the passages in that book were like light bulbs going off in my head.
Best of luck with whatever you chose. :)

Ive read it too I consider it a must read for everyone, now you want to read the Tibetan book of the dead that will really blow your mind. If you put it into your search bar you can read it on line. Happy reading Garry D.

[Arklenao2]

messages are 1 1/2 years old

[smoke it]

athiesm isnt a belief that there is no god, athiesm is a lack of belief itself

[mrdevious]

WHOA, I read my old posts in this thread and judging by my understanding of the subject at the time, this thread must be 2 years old!

Well, to anybody who is considering buddhism, just remember that the buddha didn't want mindless drones and unquestioning obedience (not that theists are mindless drones, but some churches inevitably want that). Learn from the Buddha's teachings, and question them constantly so as to understand them fully. If they truly are correct (which I have found in my experience), there's nothing to fear from questioning them.

I really hope I can get back into it seriously again. It seems with a life of constant studying in college, constant pain raging through every muscle in my body, and of course all lifes other surprises that inevitably come up, it's much too easy to distract your attention with useless things. But I'm working at that again.

All I can advise on for everybody here, is to consider not devoting yourself strictly to buddhist practice. Buddhism is a staple in my life, the main perspective and philosophy that guides me, but there's incredible wisdom to be found elsewhere as well. No one faith/belief/philosophy has every answer, just the answer's it's offering.

[ericwt]

Just a little thought fort those contemplating Buddhism.

You will need 2 joints (it is a long movie).

Now go rent, buy, or steal a DVD of Little Buddha.

Start smoking a minute before you start the movie.

Great movie. Plenty of stoner moments.

Will give you the goods without the dogma.

In essence Buddha is more than the Buddhist religious traditions. There are many sects of Buddhism. Some very regimented, others are very loose.

I lived in a monastery for about a year. Smoked some fine weed there.

Find the idea of Buddha not the dogma.

[Cheery Cherry]

I lived in a monastery for about a year.

That's interesting, Eric. I would love to hear the experience and your thoughts on that :).


For the past several weeks, I've been looking into Buddhism and Hinduism. I'd like to find a book (or two) to read more about the lifestyle.

[Cheery Cherry]

'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying' by Sogyal Rinpoche

If not, you should - I'm not Buddhist but some of the passages in that book were like light bulbs going off in my head.
Best of luck with whatever you chose. :)

Okay, how did I miss this post???? :o Thank you, Lulu.

[Coelho]

Ive read it too I consider it a must read for everyone, now you want to read the Tibetan book of the dead that will really blow your mind. If you put it into your search bar you can read it on line. Happy reading Garry D.

There is an interesting book which makes a good link between psychedelic experiences and the writings of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Basically, it says some things the book describes are the same things felt when you're in a heavy trip (LSD-like)... here is the link:

Erowid Online Books : "The Psychedelic Experience" by Leary, Metzner, & Alpert (http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/psychedelic_experience/psychedelic_experience.shtml)

By the way, KronicKing, that story of the spider is beautiful! And very enlightening too! :thumbsup:

[ericwt]

That's interesting, Eric. I would love to hear the experience and your thoughts on that :).


For the past several weeks, I've been looking into Buddhism and Hinduism. I'd like to find a book (or two) to read more about the lifestyle.

Wow. That is a lot of writing. Do you want the whole story of my year at the monastery? Or my whole Buddha consciousness philosophy?

If you give me some guidance on what you are interested in knowing about.

Please remember there are multiple sects, of the Buddhas philosophy. Just like there are a lot of types of Christians.

I really encourage you to rent "Little Buddha" on DVD. It gives a great overview and it is an extremely enjoyable movie.

I looked into Hinduism myself. The problem with that one is my lifestyle did not mesh with the Hindu system of living. Nothing against it. Just not for me.

What I ended up with is a combination of Buddhism, Taoism and a few other ways combined with an assertive attitude.

Yes you can be assertive in a loving, compassionate, and detached way.

What can I share with you, Cheery Cherry?

[micko]

I lived in Asia for around 10 years, and I agree with Eric, there are numerous sects of Buddhism in each country, and each is as individual as the different versions of Christianity (think of how different Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Born-again Fundamentalists are, and that's only the US). It's not easy to encompass it all in one category. Obviously Buddhism is a lot more introspective than most forms of Christianity.

Some of my favorite memories are of visiting temples in Thailand and Laos. They are really ornate and quiet. Maybe someone else can speak to this as well, but for me, I felt very much at peace there.

The worst I have seen have to be a few in Korea where rival sects were rioting and assaulting each other because of a dispute over the temple's use.

I'm not religious, mostly because it involves deifying someone (Buddah, Jesus, Allah and so forth) so let me just mention this: If you like the basic precepts of Buddhism, you might also like existentialism. I found this philosophy very good in helping me deal with a series of bad things that happened over the course of one year a while back.

micko

[Cheery Cherry]

Hi Eric. Well, these past few months, I've been really looking at all religions so I can better understand certain things about my life and why I handle or look at things the way I do. I am interested in how you started learning about Buddhism and how you met people who practice Buddhism and I have tons of questions on meditation too.

If you'd like to e-mail me, please do: Cheery.Cherry at hotmail dot com :). Thank you.

[Amun]

Hello everyone, I'm still very young and I don't have a religion. Before now, I have never been a big fan of religion, although lately I have been contemplating buddhism. If anybody here has any thoughts/suggestions or knows a buddhist, I would appreciate it if they would enlighten me with knowledge. I've heard mixed reports on cannabis/drug use regarding the religion, but talked to a buddhist today and said cannabis has long been used as a meditation and enlightenment tool. If I wanted to take this seriously, would I have to quit smoking socially/for fun? Does all this sound stupid? I'm confused...

I got into buddhism not too long ago too. I always liked how they were potrayed and i thought 'hey, they MUST know something! righ?' ...I came across Alan Watts. i love his stuff. he talks about a lot of great stuff. if you know how to use bit torrent (if you dont i can show you) i can show you where you can download them at. its really great material (around 20 cds or so) that talk about buddhism. its entertaining too so dont worry about it being dull.

but anyway, i dont think buddhism is really strict on rules. i guess it depends how liberally you want to go about it. i dont tihnk they would have much of a problem with it, however if you went to a monistary, im sure they wouldnt allow you to smoke it there. maybe a master would have it in a tea and offer it to you one day...lol. I definately feel that it could be used as a tool for enlightenment. no doubt about it.

a famous old zen buddhist monk once said: 'to reach enlightenment quicker, one should take a few drink of saki before meditation.'

saki is ofcourse Japan's grain (i believe?) alcohol.

[klup]

it depends, do you really believe and want to follow or be a 'non practicing' sort of buddhist. i definitely admire siddhartha and think he was very in touch with life, but i choose not to my life strictly according to his suggested path. so i guess im saying just check it out more and dont be one of those kids who says 'im a buddhist' and then doesnt know anything about his teachings.

[ericwt]

One of the techniques I learned in Buddhism was the process of walking meditation. It was the idea that that you were pulling reality through yourself. It is like if you have destination that you are going to, rather than walking to where you are going, it is the destination that is walking to you.

My experience with Buddhism has been very positive. I went into the Monastery as an apprentice.

For the next year it is to live in the world of the Buddhist. I eat vegetarian I get up early. Chant, Sit, Martial Arts, more chanting, temple arranging, siting, meditating, individual and group teachings and other stuff.

What I got out at the end was that the great Buddha is within you, not a temple. Buddha is an energy you express within you. Follow the example of Buddha in your life, express his energy, or rather express your inner Buddha.

[GHoSToKeR]

Yo Etrain, did I ever find the right path? I wanna know :P

[0range]

ericwt,

can you please email me? i'm considering living at a monestary and would love to hear your experience and get some advice. mixolyd at gmail.com

[VaporDaddy]

Hello everyone, I'm still very young and I don't have a religion. Before now, I have never been a big fan of religion, although lately I have been contemplating buddhism. If anybody here has any thoughts/suggestions or knows a buddhist, I would appreciate it if they would enlighten me with knowledge. I've heard mixed reports on cannabis/drug use regarding the religion, but talked to a buddhist today and said cannabis has long been used as a meditation and enlightenment tool. If I wanted to take this seriously, would I have to quit smoking socially/for fun? Does all this sound stupid? I'm confused...

Hey there,

I am not an expert by any means but I feel overcoming the ego is key.:jointsmile:

[jahjahjahjah]

To tell you the truth i'm not religous in any aspect what soever either, but i do have a huge amount of respect for other people who do practice cerimonies of the sort, if i ever wanted to choose a religon it would deffinitly be Buddahism.