become a Buddhist

I’m going to listen to the Dalai Lama teach in Germany at the end of July!

I’ve got a lot out of going to the meditation sessions with local Buddhist groups but there isn’t as much teaching as I’d like. So this will be amazing! I just love his outlook on life!

I’m not quite sure I can afford it but I’d rather go without lots of other stuff so I can do this and I will save as much as I can before the trip.

I often have these moments… they’re hard to explain. One occurred while I was driving in my car, observing my surroundings, the sky, the cars around me, the people driving those cars, the streetlights, the buildings, the trees, the smell of the air, etc.

And then I got this feeling. That this was experience not “real” in the sense that it was only scratching the surface of true nature… whatever that meant. That perhaps existence as we know it is just complacency. Mere existence. I am. Therefore, I just am. Period. There’s nothing more to this moment except this. The awareness of that freaked me out. But there HAS to be more to consciousness than just what we experience spatially and tactilely, right?

What are these moments, and why do they still sit in my mind?

Okay, so that was paraphrased…

It just makes sense.
After 12 years of off-and-on study, I keep coming back to that.

There must be a reason… It seems to be, for me, a path to peace and clarity.

Life has been tough lately and the Buddhist philosophy has really calmed me and made me feel better about my situation.

I have a few books out of the library about to learn about it and am looking into meditation classes in my area.

I feel almost certain that this is the path for me. My only doubts are that I’m just at the beginning and I may change my mind when I learn more. But everything so far just sits “right” with me. It feeds into my other goals like wanting to live a positive, healthy, green, ethical life and is definitely a positive influence in my life.

It’s about an hour drive. There are dharma services at 4 p.m. on Sundays.

If my car can handle it, I think I’m going to start going.

I’ve always been against following religious rules, since I think that every religion is based on some moral rules that everyone should live as something that’s inside us.
Then I discovered that Buddhism is more that this. Is RESPECT.
Respect is one of the most important thing in my life.
You could say: “You don’t need a religion to be respectful.” I’ll answer:”Nobody should need a law not to kill people.”

OMG!!This is so hard..becoming a buddhist has alot of rules and i can’t remember alot of the stuff i need to kno..but i think it’s because i’m not applying it to my life and just trying to memorize everything. I’m going to retry and hopefully actually get somewhere again. The first time i really got into it and i was so “HAPPY” the happiest i have ever felt..i was more forgiving, patient, and HAPPY!! I want to become that person again and i miss that person..

I have been interested in this for a few months.. But, as usual, I find myself wasting time on pointless things intead of following what I should be doing. I want to be able to meditate daily and also read through a lot of writings. Wish me luck!

I’ve been casually studying the faith (belief system? common sense?) for about 11 years, but I was raised Catholic. It just makes sense to me, but is it really as simple as accepting the four noble truths? Do you really just wake up one day and say, “Okay, I’m Buddhist?” That sounds kind of insulting and sacrilegious in a way.

My family kind of sees me as Buddhist anyway (even my once-hardcore Catholic mom said, “If it works for you, then I’m fine with it.” Not that I’d need her approval or anything, but I’m just sayin.’ It’s nice to have the support.)

However, there are no temples in my area, aside from the Zen center in Chicago… I’ve always wanted to check it out, but I’m a bit intimidated. Is that normal? In the Catholic tradition, you go through the RCIA program, and it’s all ceremonial and daunting. Is there a Buddhist equivalent?

Im a practicioner of Nichiren Daishonen Buddhism, and i love it, ever since i was four or five(i wasnt a fortune baby or a baby born into the practice i started practicing after i came down from new york to south carolina). At first i hated it, mainly because i was forced to practice by my stepfather, but then as i became older i started to want to practice, without anyone telling me, and i would actually be dissapointed when i couldnt go to meetings because i would always feel better after i went, and im at the point now fifteen years later where i can truly feel it as a presence in my life, a positive one, i dont chant as much as i should or could but when i do, i feel great, it helps me to set my life on track, give my day focus, and ill always be greatful to my stepfather for that, (but not much else, im overjoyed he is no longer in my life) i fully encourage any and everyone to take on the challenge of becoming a practioner of the lotus sutra, and no, its not a cult bitches lolz