Byaggha's Buddhism: A Primer

[Taliah]

I see ^^ Now that you mention it, I do remember that there is a temple somewhere in the state capitol.... good luck with me finding it though lol, I'm terrified of driving in that city. sweatdrop  

[Cranium Squirrel]

I'm not entirely sure that answered the question about it being Asian specific well, so I'll toss this out too - I have heard (and no, I don't have a source I can link to) that of those 2% Buddhists over here in North America, about 75% to 85% are Asian. The rest tend to be a mix of caucasian, hispanic and african american people, though I'm not really sure what exact numbers for each are.

So while it's not Asian specific, it still hasn't really gotten the kind of spread other faiths have here. 25% to 15% of a 2% demographic is kind of small. 3nodding

And I can't blame you for not wanting to drive in a capitol city! I usually go for public transport in those; driving is often nightmare-inducing there. Say nothing of parking! sweatdrop  

[Opalescent_violet_14]

Well, this was exactly what I was looking for. I started looking into paganism around April this year. I first got into it when a friend suggested wicca. But now I definitely know that it's NOT right for me and that it's impossible for her to be wiccan. But then I was interested in witchcraft and I just couldn't find anything that really jumped out at me. I adopted Hellenic paganism, but my parents weren't really open to me just putting food in an alter and "wasting" it. (By the way, I'm 14.) I had seen a few things about Buddhism, but I wasn't sure if they were correct. Even though I know that it isn't a good source, I took a lot of religion quizzes, and a lot of my results were for Buddhism. I've been leaning towards being agnostic, but with Buddhism, it's okay. I've read all your thread, and I understand a lot of it and it really sounds extremely right for me. I know that these are mainly you beliefs and such, but I really like them and I have a few questions. Besides meditating, do you do anything else for Buddhism daily?
The Buddha statue that I've seen, is that supposed to represent the first Buddha?
I'm going to assume yes, but it's not wrong for me to still "celebrate" Christmas with my Christian family, right?
And this has nothing to do with Buddhism, but you said you live in upstate New York; do you know where Watertown is? I live about 25 minutes south from there.  

[Gho the Girl]

Byaggha

I'm female, 28, married, and I live in upstate New York.

What is this nonsense? I live in upstate NY!

Whereabouts do you wander?  

[Aino Ailill]

I don't really have much to contribute other than a 'thank-you.' I've been rather lost in formatting a philosophy and, while DB's thread was helpful (thanks for your thread as well!), I believe this has helped to bring me to a potential break-through.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

Oh good! You're welcome! I'm glad it's done something, at the least. 3nodding  

[Cranium Squirrel]

a n n i v i

Well, this was exactly what I was looking for. I started looking into paganism around April this year. I first got into it when a friend suggested wicca. But now I definitely know that it's NOT right for me and that it's impossible for her to be wiccan. But then I was interested in witchcraft and I just couldn't find anything that really jumped out at me. I adopted Hellenic paganism, but my parents weren't really open to me just putting food in an alter and "wasting" it. (By the way, I'm 14.)

Let it never be said that faith isn't a journey. There's a reason this forum is called Pathways! biggrin

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I had seen a few things about Buddhism, but I wasn't sure if they were correct. Even though I know that it isn't a good source, I took a lot of religion quizzes, and a lot of my results were for Buddhism.

Correct or not, it's just a suggestion - doesn't mean you should go out and get a dharma name and some robes, but rather that maybe you should have a look at it. 3nodding

Quote:

I've been leaning towards being agnostic, but with Buddhism, it's okay. I've read all your thread, and I understand a lot of it and it really sounds extremely right for me. I know that these are mainly you beliefs and such, but I really like them and I have a few questions. Besides meditating, do you do anything else for Buddhism daily?

For Buddhism? Well, I'm not really sure it's for it, but I try to maintain loving kindness for people, stop myself from having nasty thoughts and dispositions towards others (and myself), and I don't tend to eat meat much. I read sutras pretty frequently, and I like to engage other Buddhists in discussions to see if what I think I know stacks up to what they do.

It really is more a learning process than anything for me.

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The Buddha statue that I've seen, is that supposed to represent the first Buddha?

That would depend on the statue you're talking about. There's several statues that could be called Buddhas, and many of them are of completely different people. You'd have to tell me which one you're thinking of for me to confirm or deny. 3nodding

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I'm going to assume yes, but it's not wrong for me to still "celebrate" Christmas with my Christian family, right?

Why would it be wrong? So long as you're not doing anything that falls outside the five precepts, I fail to see why it would be. I spend Christmas with my family still, and engage in the face-stuffing and present giving. I use it as a time to reflect on my love for my family and their love for me rather than the whole God deal. No one minds. I don't think any of them have even noticed a difference, to be honest, aside from the fact I don't go to church anymore for Christmas mass.

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And this has nothing to do with Buddhism, but you said you live in upstate New York; do you know where Watertown is? I live about 25 minutes south from there.

Since people are asking, yep! I am in upstate NY, about 40 or so miles north of Watertown. 3nodding  

[Opalescent_violet_14]

I am back. And I still don't have an official religion. I can say that I would loveto just take bits and pieces of a lot of different pagan religions and stick them together and be happy. 3nodding Sadly, I haven't found this to be an option yet. I just don't know enough. For goodness sakes, I'm 14, my library's sources are biased against paganism, and I am just looking for something to solve my problem. crying I feel that all this information about Buddhism is just too much for me to absorb. I'm interested, but somehow it feels very involved, though I know it isn't too bad. What do you propose?  

[Cranium Squirrel]

a n n i v i

I am back.

Hi there! Welcome back. 3nodding

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And I still don't have an official religion. I can say that I would loveto just take bits and pieces of a lot of different pagan religions and stick them together and be happy. 3nodding Sadly, I haven't found this to be an option yet. I just don't know enough.

I like that attitude, really. Many people I've met just mash things without caring for true scholarship. It's a credit to you!

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For goodness sakes, I'm 14, my library's sources are biased against paganism, and I am just looking for something to solve my problem. crying

You're in a good place, in all honesty. The guid's great for this kind of thing. biggrin

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I feel that all this information about Buddhism is just too much for me to absorb. I'm interested, but somehow it feels very involved, though I know it isn't too bad. What do you propose?

Hm. Well, I suggest a start with the basics! Ignore all the metaphysics and take it down to bare bones - Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, basic practice. The rest of the stuff can come later, if you want it to, but to really get any of it, start there.

I found that with that, there were points I wanted expounded upon and things I felt could wait until later. Always start at the basics and work up - it makes it easier to digest.

Did you want specific reading stuff that might help?  

[Opalescent_violet_14]

Byaggha

Did you want specific reading stuff that might help?

oh my goodness yes! 3nodding what should I work on in any free time I might get?  

[Cranium Squirrel]

a n n i v i

oh my goodness yes! 3nodding what should I work on in any free time I might get?

Hm. As I suggested, I'd start with the basics. I particularly like Bikkhu Bodhi's scholarship for this kind of thing - he lectures fairly well, though he can be a bit technical at times. The Buddha and his Dhamma is a great start for his stuff, possibly followed by The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering, which I've got in book form and really like.

If you prefer someone with a more poetic bent, I'd recommend picking up some Thich Nhat Hanh - maybe this one, this one or this one.

If you would like a really great and not full of supernatural happenings story of the Buddha's life, this is probably the best one I've read so far. If you want that stuff for all it's worth, I love the Thich Nhat Hanh version of it - this is the one to look for there.

Is there anything specific you'd want, or will these be enough to satisfy a start?  

[Opalescent_violet_14]

what would you suggest just as some basic daily practices?  

[Cranium Squirrel]

a n n i v i

what would you suggest just as some basic daily practices?

Meditation is the backbone of it for me. I recommend working up to a half hour at a stretch, at least once a day. 3nodding It was that which allowed me to really seriously focus on the rest of my practice. biggrin