Welcome everybody! It's been a while since I've been able to enter this thread, what with work and school, and my abounding and endless laziness. I'll try to welcome who I can, with the little window below here that lets me scroll through old posts.
Here goes...
Gokunama, secular Buddhism and "religious" Buddhism really aren't any different, there's no inherent worship or requirments to be "Buddhist", and people leading a Christian life (properly, according to Christ, not the Church) are following the 8-fold path just as well as a Buddhist would. Meditation just strengthens your focus, and screws with your head.
Demon_Of_Buddha, or my aptly, Chucky [I'd much rather use Charles], I can relate to your falling out with Christianity. My question was, if God were the Creator, and we were to follow him and the teachings of Christ, then why must he be so aloof to us? What does he have to lose, should he make an appearance and proclaim to be God of the Universe? Those were my questions, and I don't mean to sway anyone's beliefs (far from it, actually). That's just my experience. I'd like to hear some stories about your Zen meditation, as well.
Doma-chan, don't consider being a Buddhist. You already are, by questioning what you've been taught and even what you know. Following Buddhism isn't like following other religions, though, because again, there is no inherent worship of anything or anyone. It's just a method of meditation and concentration, mixed with some morality that is completely void of obligation. You can abide by the four noble truths, or you can throw them out. It's up to you, really. Buddhism is the religion of no-religion.
Pam Maz, I envy you. You live in one of the largest cities on the face of the planet, and you've begun your journey at a younger age than myself. Don't worry, though! Even the Buddha himself thought he would never make it, and at that breaking point, he had his enlightenment. Following the path gets you happiness. Following the teachings gets you nirvana. Also, since you live in NYC, you may do well to visit
Shobo-ji Zendo at 223 E 67th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Ave. You will most likely meet the premier Rinzai Zen master, Edo Roshi.
Crow, be careful with a family lineage of Buddhism. Don't fall into the trap of tradition, be sure to question everything that you do, and never forget that Buddhism is right here, right now. It's not tomorrow, it's not 20 years ago, it's today, right here, right now. You'll get it, time and practice are on your side.
Melanie, remember, Karma is only good or bad because we see it as such. It's not a reward/punishment system, it's completely empty of discretion. Karma just happens, we make it good or bad. Finding a school of Buddhism isn't as important as following what the Buddha told us to do, what he said works. Those things are the 4 noble truths, the 8-fold path, and sitting meditation. Everything else has been added with the enligthenment of others. I'm not framiliar with Tian Tai, is that something like Tien, or another school all together? I wrote up a little tutorial about Zen meditation, it's here somewhere in the Guild. You may find it useful. Good luck with your practice.
Rae, people still read this thread. The guild does work on a timescale all its own, but it is still moving. I find it refreshing to hear that students are learning about other cultures in their classes. My middle school experience was all about American politics, history and culture. As was my high school history class. I've never seen the movie Ghandi, but I know of his life, and more power to you, if you wish to live a life of non-violence. The path is hard, rocky and treacherous, but you'll be much more pleased with the outcome. Hopefully, you'll understand this cyclical life we life, and how we're always slipping back into old ways.
Midori, age is irrelevant. You're as young as you're willing to allow yourself to be. Interesting how you've read that book, as it's sitting right next to me as I type this. I've found it to be quite the eye opener when people consider Buddhism to be the Devil's work. Welcome to Gaia first of all, and welcome to the guild second. Hopefully your experience here will open you eyes wider than before, and you can help spread the message that there are no "Christians", "Buddhists", "Muslims", "Hindus" or anything of that sort. We're all
Human beings.
Celina - Buddhism can be molded to what you want it to be like supple clay, but you'll never be able to fire it to make it harden. Buddhism is very fluid and is always changing. The only reason the teachings haven't changed is because people always fall into the same traps, time and time again. You can discuss the message of both the Buddha and Christ, and talk about being just and fair to your fellow man, even beyond the point of yourself. Even Christ had a time of meditation in the desert. I don't much doubt that he, too, was an enlightened individual after that (divinity aside, now).
Tina, you're in luck, because today only, we have a religion that is no religion. Continue the meditation, and perhaps find a copy of the Buddhist Bible. All you need to read are the basic teachings. Take your time, the more you work, the closer you get to final cessation.
Akira-sun, welcome to the Guild. Hopefully you'll have some stories of your own experience as a Buddhist to share with the guild? You're welcome to post here as much as you like, as long as it stays relevant.
Timothy, feel free to discuss Christ's message with us anytime, I'm sure you'll find it interesting to say the least. I hope we can be teachers for you with Buddhist principles, it gets difficult to discuss and explain the deeper into the rabbit hole you go. What's the topic and concept for your paper?
Henry, you're Theravadan? Good! I think you may very well be the first. I'd muc like to hear about Theravada and its temples, monks and practitioners. Your english is fine, and except for a few odd punctuation marks and plural errors, I understood perfectly. You type and speak better english than 30% of Gaia, most of whom are native english speakers.
Charity, good to see you again. I hope you like this guild here, and can help bring some discussion to the Morality and Religions subforum with the knowledge you gain here. Did you graduate college with a degree, or are you taking some time off?
If I've missed you, or forgotten you, or skipped over you, I'm truly sorry. I'd like to thank all of you for joining, for posting and welcome you to this guild. I only want to help, those that wish to learn are finding this guild, and with all of your help, we can spread understanding about Buddhism, about the Buddha, and about our practice.
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