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hi everyone!

My name is tse-ring and im a Tibetan buddhist (vajarayana) and i have been a buddhist my whole life since i was born into a buddhist family and culture. because of that i don't really have stories on "realizations" of when i thought i was in the right religion. But i do have many friends who are of different religion and cultural background and through them i have learned alot about different religions. I have learned about Catholics, Christians, LDS, Sikhism, Hinduism, Bhai. It is my personal opinion that being open minded person will open many doors of knowledge that you won't find being an ignorant fool.

I believe that religion shouldn't be a reason for someone to behave the way they do. what i mean by that is, ive met many people who say that they have chosen buddhism because of the values that it holds and because it teaches compassion, kindness, loving nature. I say, if you really want to be a person like that, then you are free to do so without the bounds of religion. This also goes for being a bad person.

that isn't very Buddhist. We are taught to be tolerant and accepting of other beliefs. That is very closed-minded and cliche....HAVE to go to church no matter what read out of a stipid bible.....not all Christians are so strict...and I also believe that god is a stupid thing to believe in, but it makes people feel better...they don't like the Unknown. Generally.

Hi..

hmm lets see.. im not saying that its a good/bad thing, just that a religion shouldn't be the reason you would want to practice those things. I think its really not necessary to put label on something that you believe in, i mean after all, these are your values and that you have chosen to live by them, do you really need a label to help you keep these values in your mind. Ill explain why it might have negative effects to some people:

Lets say, that someone truly believes in and holds up the values of compassion, kindness and loving nature and that he labels them as part of buddhism. Now lets say, that something else he truly believes in from the bottom of his heart doesn't fit in with being a buddhist. And because he believes in it so much that he is even willing to give up buddhism for it. my question is, Wouldn't he abandon the values of compassion, kindness and loving nature since he has made them a part of buddhism?

I think that in my opinion, putting a label on something will bound you to a certain limit, where as if you don't put a label on it, your thinking will be limitless... forever adapting and changing to the moment of the present

im sorry if this didn't make sense, in my head i see this clearly..

I also understand what you are saying, when you talked about the people who need the label to be able to follow their belief. Im just saying that there could be negative effect in doing that but on the other hand, it is human nature to want to be part of something. So i guess we have understood each other.. im glad i had this conversation.

And you are lucky you were able to experience other religions and to know that buddhism is what you wanted to practice in the end. Even though you can learn a lot about a culture or a religion through books and documentaries and even friends, you can't get the experience of actually belonging to that group, which has a stronger effect on your mind.

I think when everything is said and done, all a person can call his own are his values and without that you are nothing.

hehe big person? um..im 5'8" and i weigh 135lbs lol

When I am feeling stressed and want to revert from my zen-ness I always look at the sky and feel better. The sky is always so calm round and pure and smooth.

*teehee* I am so glad that someone
understood what I meant... *lol* "big"
as in "big-minded" not "big-bodied" *lol*
-[Haruko]

yes exactly, I'm glad someone understands.