i love emma Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Im really interested in the teachings of The Buddha im looking for any buddhists to tell me what it means to follow the teachings Link to post Share on other sites
Kim. Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) I love that you started this thread! I've gotten more interested in learning about religions. Although I identify as being Christian, I do value some Buddhist values, which are somewhat similar to Christian values...just without all the religious figures. I believe there are a few Buddhists who frequent the Forum, so I can't wait to hear. Buddhism, to me, is really deep and philosophical and places an emphasis on the immaterial values of life. I personally feel that it examines the introspective thoughts and feelings in reference to the world. But ya know, I wouldn't truly know. lol. However, I started reading (too busy to finish) When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödron, who is a female monk. It is definitely a worthwhile reading and isn't actually too long. I love her style of narrative. I'm gonna ask a question to anyone who knows about or practices Buddhism: Which texts exist that profess Buddhist values? (The ancient texts/texts that have majorly influenced Buddhism) Edited January 3, 2012 by Kim. Link to post Share on other sites
130671 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think basically buddhism is about leaving this material world behind because it is an illusion ensnaring the human soul and keeping it from achieving it's true potential. The body and its needs are a prison of a sort. Kind of unusual for very young ppl to show genuine interest in this. Link to post Share on other sites
i love emma Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 its unusual ? isnt there several types of Buddhism - including Zen it would be great if someone could explain them please Link to post Share on other sites
130671 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I'm not an expert, but ofc u might start by reading the Mahayana and Theravada entries on wikipedia.....always a good place to start. Link to post Share on other sites
i love emma Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Im on it Link to post Share on other sites
Karen Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Buddism basically is about reaching nirvana, the higher place. There are pillars of buddhism, a lot like the pillars of Islam, though of course they are based in different things. They are called the Four Noble Truths are they are as follows: There is suffering (dukkha).There is a cause of suffering (craving).There is the cessation of suffering (nirvana).There is the eightfold path leading to the cessation of suffering. The eightfold path is explained so eloquently on wiki (didn't feel like summarizing lol...forgive me): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eightfold_path I think Buddhism is cool! I think meditation is really important, especially because there are so many benefits to it. Praying, for me, is like meditation and I read that our brain works the same way during meditation and prayer. http://intro2psych.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/and-this-is-your-brain-on-prayers/ Kinda cool, to me Link to post Share on other sites
Revan Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Buddhism is actually quite simple. Buddha was an enlightened man who showed and taught how to reach enlightnment. Enlightenment is the realization of reality, simply put. If you want to be enlightened, realize that you've never been anything but enlightened. Enlightenment is in the here, and the Now. Who has ever held you back? Realize this, and you become as the Buddha. ~Revan Link to post Share on other sites
i love emma Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 I belive enlightment to be breaking out of the cycle of life, death, rebirth, (nirvana) Link to post Share on other sites
halleluJah Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) ^^ yeah but to transcend the life/death cycle you would have to brake the karma cycle. And that sounds pretty impossible to me, because we are always creating new karma. Transcending life/death is one aspect of enlightenment, I think a very big part of it is transcending your 6 senses, the 6th one being your mind. Once you are no longer a slave to what you see, hear, smell, speak, taste, think..you start becoming enlightened because you see the world from a different perspective. You become more in touch with your higher self and God. You no longer judge everything, you are one with everything that happens, you flow with whatever happens around you because you are no longer a slave to your mind. You are no longer greedy, angry or anything that is negative. There is no good or bad, yin and yang, you're in the middle, in the perfect equilibrium of existence because you understand that everything just 'is', and you flow with it even when it doesn't go the way you planned it to. You learn and grow from the "bad" experiences. You see everyone as a brother and sister, as part of you, and as different personalities of you, and vice versa. You are in harmony with the universe and you truly experience what it is to love. You act through wisdom, and you start seeing the patterns of everything in life and the interconnectdness of humans and nature. You are very aware of energy and things are no longer only about you, but about everything and everyone else around you. Material things become mundane compared to the inner peace you experience. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Edited January 16, 2012 by halleluJah Link to post Share on other sites
Revan Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 ^^ yeah but to transcend the life/death cycle you would have to brake the karma cycle. And that sounds pretty impossible to me, because we are always creating new karma. Transcending life/death is one aspect of enlightenment, I think a very big part of it is transcending your 6 senses, the 6th one being your mind. Once you are no longer a slave to what you see, hear, smell, speak, taste, think..you start becoming enlightened because you see the world from a different perspective. You become more in touch with your higher self and God. You no longer judge everything, you are one with everything that happens, you flow with whatever happens around you because you are no longer a slave to your mind. You are no longer greedy, angry or anything that is negative. There is no good or bad, yin and yang, you're in the middle, in the perfect equilibrium of existence because you understand that everything just 'is', and you flow with it even when it doesn't go the way you planned it to. You learn and grow from the "bad" experiences. You see everyone as a brother and sister, as part of you, and as different personalities of you, and vice versa. You are in harmony with the universe and you truly experience what it is to love. You act through wisdom, and you start seeing the patterns of everything in life and the interconnectdness of humans and nature. You are very aware of energy and things are no longer only about you, but about everything and everyone else around you. Material things become mundane compared to the inner peace you experience. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. Why do You speak of enlightenment as so far off? All these things You have described and more, I have done. ~Revan Link to post Share on other sites
130671 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Why do You speak of enlightenment as so far off? All these things You have described and more, I have done. ~Revan So you have become enlightened ? Link to post Share on other sites
Revan Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 So you have become enlightened ? There's no such thing as "becoming" enlightened. Link to post Share on other sites
Tong Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Beautiful Chinese Buddhist songs, enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtZ_PxniERw&list=PLKksHPt4gUaMzxU5pcNZ9X2ttaIeQdcXX&index=2 Link to post Share on other sites
jim Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 "I Love Emma" - Isn't breaking out of the cycle of life and death more of Hinduism? I understand that Buddhism kind of came out of Hinduism, but I thought it was Hinduism that had the goal of breaking out of the cycle of reincarnation and becoming one with Brahman. I know that there are different branches of Buddhism, but I thought the main goal of Buddhism was to reach nirvanna, which would be defined as eliminating ALL desires or cravings. Anyway, as a Christian, I can see how some desires, which I believe come from our sinful nature, are bad, and eliminating these would be a good thing. Furthermore, one could even say that the EXCESS of even a good desire for something could also be bad. As a Christian, I would call this sin. So dealing with these desires can be a good thing. Bit at the end of the day, I don't think that all desires/cravings are necessarily bad. For example, I eat to much...so my desire to eat a chocolate bar right now is probabaly bad. On the other hand, simply desiring food when you are hungry, I don't think that's really a bad thing. Link to post Share on other sites
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