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 Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:29 pm
I had an intersting experience a few days ago, and it brought up some interesting questions around the word Buddhism.
Anyway, I was wearning a necklace with a Buddha jade charm on it, a gift from a family I stayed with, waiting in line for food. A kid next to me asked if the charm was of a Buddha, I replied yes, and he asked if I was Buddhist. I replied yes, and the conversation stopped. But almost immediatly I got this feeling around the word Buddhist - that it was just this concept. Could you really describe Buddhsim with one word? Does one word explain the Buddha's philosophy? It was just this feeling that even the concept of the word Buddhist doesn't do it justice, that there are already judgments that come when we hear the words, even if we don't realize it. That words can do nothing to really describe something, to truly explain it, that in the end concepts and words just hold back the full meaning of anything, whether it be the word Buddhist or another word.
Sorry if it makes no sense, but I'm interested in what you all think - Do you think of yourselfs as a Buddhist? Or something else? Have any of you had an experience like this?
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Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:07 pm
I am Buddhist.
I follow Dharma.
And Dharma defines Buddhism.
Labels on a relative level are a good thing.
The absolute should not be confused with the relatyive early on the spiritual path.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:07 am
You’re right, Buddhism can't be explained with just one word but I think it makes it easier to converse with those that don't follow the Dharma to round it off to a singular label.
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:54 am
 ★★★ The word "buddhism" is, of course, a Western invention. It's meant to
to describe one who follows "buddhism" which is also an invented
Western term. In the West, there are very different ideas surrounding
~ists and ~isms. If you're an ~ist, you're into an ~ism and you're probably
exclusive to it. It was not uncommon in the East for people to not confine
themselves to singular ~isms. People in old China, for example, practiced
Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and even Ancestor Worship without
seeing any problem between them.
Indeed, there wasn't really a separation between these things because
they were all just considered to be "religion." Can you imagine that sort of
thing existing in the West? People being Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mithraic,
et cetera all at the same time? It doesn't seem possible (probably because
those religions have built-in components that forbid the practicing of any-
thing in addition to what you're already devoted to).
A Buddhist is one who follows the Buddha Dharma, or as it is called in the
West, Buddhism. It describes one who has taken the Five Lay precepts, at
the very least. Some choose to take more (the Eight Mahayana precepts).
It is a curious word. I don't really like to use the term "Buddhist" because
then that creates this idea in my head of the way that I'm supposed to act
and think and speak - rather than acting and thinking and speaking in an
honest way (which is what the Buddha taught). I find that, for me, the word
"Buddhist" and even the word "Buddhism" create problems for my mind.★★★ 
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Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 6:37 pm
[ Jizo Bosatsu ] ★★★ The word "buddhism" is, of course, a Western invention. It's meant to
to describe one who follows "buddhism" which is also an invented
Western term. In the West, there are very different ideas surrounding
~ists and ~isms. If you're an ~ist, you're into an ~ism and you're probably
exclusive to it. It was not uncommon in the East for people to not confine
themselves to singular ~isms. People in old China, for example, practiced
Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and even Ancestor Worship without
seeing any problem between them.
Indeed, there wasn't really a separation between these things because
they were all just considered to be "religion." Can you imagine that sort of
thing existing in the West? People being Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Mithraic,
et cetera all at the same time? It doesn't seem possible (probably because
those religions have built-in components that forbid the practicing of any-
thing in addition to what you're already devoted to).
A Buddhist is one who follows the Buddha Dharma, or as it is called in the
West, Buddhism. It describes one who has taken the Five Lay precepts, at
the very least. Some choose to take more (the Eight Mahayana precepts).
It is a curious word. I don't really like to use the term "Buddhist" because
then that creates this idea in my head of the way that I'm supposed to act
and think and speak - rather than acting and thinking and speaking in an
honest way (which is what the Buddha taught). I find that, for me, the word
"Buddhist" and even the word "Buddhism" create problems for my mind.★★★
i agree
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