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foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 01:52 PM
I was wondering if there were any Buddhists on this board? I converted from Catholicism about a year ago. I'm now a Nichiren Buddhist, a member of SGI.

Wondering who else in the ronfez.net community is?

yojimbo7248
12-05-2008, 02:00 PM
I sit regularly at the Fire Lotus Zen Temple in Brooklyn and try to follow Buddhist teachings.

smiler grogan
12-05-2008, 02:05 PM
In the past few years i have read a lot about it and even talked with some of the monks here on S.I. but I don't follow it enough to say I am one.

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 02:08 PM
In the past few years i have read a lot about it and even talked with some of the monks here on S.I. but I don't follow it enough to say I am one.

Have you heard about SGI? We have a few groups here on Staten Island. They are amazing people, we meet once a month or so.

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 02:09 PM
I sit regularly at the Fire Lotus Zen Temple in Brooklyn and try to follow Buddhist teachings.

That's cool, I don't know much about Zen Buddhism. What teachings do you follow specifically?

boosterp
12-05-2008, 02:13 PM
I have read many books and gathered a lot of information, but I am not necessarily practicing enough to say I am Buddhist. I do however find it amazing and enlightening when I read about it.

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 02:17 PM
I have read many books and gathered a lot of information, but I am not necessarily practicing enough to say I am Buddhist. I do however find it amazing and enlightening when I read about it.

Same here. My wife really opened my eyes to how incredible it is. What do you find amazing about it? I find it amazing how much responsibility it gives each individual. There's no higher power that gives you things, the responsibility lies within yourself to find happiness and good fortune. Also, our biggest goal and hope is for world peace. It's inspiring.

yojimbo7248
12-05-2008, 02:31 PM
That's cool, I don't know much about Zen Buddhism. What teachings do you follow specifically?

I definitely meant "follow Buddhist teachings" lightly and wouldn't call myself a Buddhist. The thing I like about Zen is that it emphasizes meditation as a means to start to clear the mental static that keeps our inherent good nature from coming through. I have found sitting helps me see through some of my own bullshit and has started to help me see that life is more simple than I had previously thought. Zen, as I understand it, believes that meditation leads to clarity that makes you realize the connection to other people and the world. I have friends who study Tibetan Buddhism and they put much more emphasis outward morality and compassion. I like this too but I feel more at home going to the temple and silently sitting. I know there are teachings behind Zen that I don't understand. Since I am at the very beginning stage, I am working on meditating. After coming from a Christian background, I love that no one is telling me that I need to believe anything at the moment.

Could you write more about nichiren? I'm very interested in all types of Buddhism.

Gvac
12-05-2008, 02:41 PM
Having studied various martial arts since I was a kid, I've been involved with Eastern philosophy for over 25 years. I wouldn't call myself a Buddhist or Taoist, but I do take a lot from all the schools of thought.

boosterp
12-05-2008, 02:42 PM
Here is a great source with links: http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism3.htm

cougarjake13
12-05-2008, 02:49 PM
ive always wanted to learn more about buddhism but never seem to actually acomplish it

smiler grogan
12-05-2008, 03:05 PM
Have you heard about SGI? We have a few groups here on Staten Island. They are amazing people, we meet once a month or so.
I have not. Could you pm me the info please buddy?

boosterp
12-05-2008, 03:06 PM
Same here. My wife really opened my eyes to how incredible it is. What do you find amazing about it? I find it amazing how much responsibility it gives each individual. There's no higher power that gives you things, the responsibility lies within yourself to find happiness and good fortune. Also, our biggest goal and hope is for world peace. It's inspiring.

I missed your question last time. What I find amazing is the same reasons that you typed. It has certainly opened my mind and I feel one can not use Buddha's teachings as a crutch like some do with many other religions.

Gvac
12-05-2008, 03:08 PM
TheBigView.com is a great site that covers many philosophies, including Buddhism and the Tao Te Ching. (http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/)

EddieMoscone
12-05-2008, 03:37 PM
TheBigView.com is a great site that covers many philosophies, including Buddhism and the Tao Te Ching. (http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/)

Tao Te Ching changed my life.

EddieMoscone
12-05-2008, 03:39 PM
I was wondering if there were any Buddhists on this board? I converted from Catholicism about a year ago. I'm now a Nichiren Buddhist, a member of SGI.

Your group do "Nom-yo-ho-ren-gyeh-kyoh" chanting?

hedges
12-05-2008, 04:01 PM
I am not a practicing Buddhist. I have studied Buddhism in college and outside of school.
A book that changed my life was "A Guide To the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" by Shantideva. It is Mahayana Buddhism I believe.

biozombie
12-05-2008, 04:11 PM
I've read a lot on Buddhism & Taoism, I find very little that I dislike or disagree with, but I'm too lazy to actually commit to any specific group or school of thought.

Om mani padme hum, y'all.

happytypinggirl
12-05-2008, 04:40 PM
ive always wanted to learn more about buddhism but never seem to actually acomplish it

ditto. everything i've heard really appeals to me. i'd love to learn more.

keithy_19
12-05-2008, 05:10 PM
I'm Christian(not as devout as I was), though I practice Taoism in my every day life.

It's interesting how much the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of Buddha are really similar.

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 06:56 PM
Your group do "Nom-yo-ho-ren-gyeh-kyoh" chanting?

Yes. We chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo in front of the Gohonzon. The Gohonzon is a type of alter with a scroll in the center of it. The scroll has some important text on it.

My wife explained chanting best to me.

Think of the world like a bell. The vibrations of the bell are the vibrations of all good feelings. When you are having negative feelings you are out of sync with the bell. Chanting helps get you back in sync with the vibrations of the bell. We call the feelings we have (negative and good) the ten worlds.

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 07:08 PM
Anyone who wants to learn more, PLEASE PM me. I'd love to share what I've learned over the years and how Buddhism has helped me. I guess it's the same with any religion, if it has really helped you the least you can do is return the favor and share it with others.

One of my favorite parts of SGI is that we hold discussion meetings at peoples houses, where everyone gets involved. Visitors are always welcome and I'd be very happy to help anyone get in touch with their local chapter.

So, please PM me for more info!

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 07:18 PM
I definitely meant "follow Buddhist teachings" lightly and wouldn't call myself a Buddhist. The thing I like about Zen is that it emphasizes meditation as a means to start to clear the mental static that keeps our inherent good nature from coming through. I have found sitting helps me see through some of my own bullshit and has started to help me see that life is more simple than I had previously thought. Zen, as I understand it, believes that meditation leads to clarity that makes you realize the connection to other people and the world. I have friends who study Tibetan Buddhism and they put much more emphasis outward morality and compassion. I like this too but I feel more at home going to the temple and silently sitting. I know there are teachings behind Zen that I don't understand. Since I am at the very beginning stage, I am working on meditating. After coming from a Christian background, I love that no one is telling me that I need to believe anything at the moment.

Could you write more about nichiren? I'm very interested in all types of Buddhism.

Well, Nichiren Daishonin was a Buddhist Monk from the 13th Century. His take on Buddhism is basically that ALL people possess the qualities of a Buddha. We are all capable of an equal amount of enlightenment and therefore deserve an equal amount of respect from each other. As I mentioned above, we use chanting as a tool to help attain Buddhahood, but the real path to Buddha is through yourself.

foodcourtdruide
12-05-2008, 07:26 PM
Yes. We chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo in front of the Gohonzon. The Gohonzon is a type of alter with a scroll in the center of it. The scroll has some important text on it.

My wife explained chanting best to me.

Think of the world like a bell. The vibrations of the bell are the vibrations of all good feelings. When you are having negative feelings you are out of sync with the bell. Chanting helps get you back in sync with the vibrations of the bell. We call the feelings we have (negative and good) the ten worlds.

Sorry for quoting myself, but I wanted to make myself clear on what I wrote above. It is only a metaphor. We do not literally believe there is a giant bell in the middle of the Earth, lol.

Furtherman
06-02-2009, 06:25 AM
Any Buddhists?

Not this guy:

Boy chosen by Dalai Lama turns back on Buddhist order (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/31/dalai-lama-osel-hita-torres)

As a toddler, he was put on a throne and worshipped by monks who treated him like a god. But the boy chosen by the Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of a spiritual leader has caused consternation – and some embarrassment – for Tibetan Buddhists by turning his back on the order that had such high hopes for him.

Instead of leading a monastic life, Osel Hita Torres now sports baggy trousers and long hair, and is more likely to quote Jimi Hendrix than Buddha.

Good for you Osel.

The kid lived a life without any form of entertainment or sports. Oh wait, he saw one movie - The Goldren Child??!!! And he lived next to Richard Gere's cabin. Wow, that's some charmed life. I'm glad he's seen through the bullshit.

foodcourtdruide
06-02-2009, 06:56 AM
This is why I'm happy my buddhist sect doesn't believe in monks or high priests.

BinaryTaoist
06-10-2009, 12:39 PM
There are lots of buddhist perspectives I find beautifully poetic, for instance the idea that dying is like a drop of water returning to a pool; and the device of koans for preparing the mind.

On a very superficial level, there are some perspectives that I find depressing, like the idea that existence is suffering... I'm not really comfortable with this and refer to the painting of The Vinegar Tasters as an explanation.

I'm not too sure I'm impressed by Siddhartha leaving his wife and kid... Sure they were royalty and cared for but the psychological abandonement left on his son makes reaching nirvana seem more like a darwinian struggle for survival of the fittest.

I'm not a big fan of any kind of organized religion... even daoism...

I DO like the idea of chanting and I think it def has a therapeutic effect on our nervous systems.

Something else I am also copasetic about is ancestor worship... I think 'worship' is a poor translation, and that 'reverence' is a better word to use... When you think about where you come from... the only real concrete evidence you have on a gross level is your ancestors... So to revere them and keep them in your thoughts as the entire reason you exist is a beautiful practice...

Again... I do believe that my criticisms are based on looking at buddhism very superficially, and I think that everyone can benefit from learning more about it and reflecting on its ideas.

jab
06-10-2009, 02:30 PM
i dabble, its been a while since i really practiced. great way to ground myself tho. word. i was thinking about looking for a temple on li or something.

Gvac
06-10-2009, 02:34 PM
There are lots of buddhist perspectives I find beautifully poetic, for instance the idea that dying is like a drop of water returning to a pool; and the device of koans for preparing the mind.

On a very superficial level, there are some perspectives that I find depressing, like the idea that existence is suffering... I'm not really comfortable with this and refer to the painting of The Vinegar Tasters as an explanation.

I'm not too sure I'm impressed by Siddhartha leaving his wife and kid... Sure they were royalty and cared for but the psychological abandonement left on his son makes reaching nirvana seem more like a darwinian struggle for survival of the fittest.

I'm not a big fan of any kind of organized religion... even daoism...

I DO like the idea of chanting and I think it def has a therapeutic effect on our nervous systems.

Something else I am also copasetic about is ancestor worship... I think 'worship' is a poor translation, and that 'reverence' is a better word to use... When you think about where you come from... the only real concrete evidence you have on a gross level is your ancestors... So to revere them and keep them in your thoughts as the entire reason you exist is a beautiful practice...

Again... I do believe that my criticisms are based on looking at buddhism very superficially, and I think that everyone can benefit from learning more about it and reflecting on its ideas.


I agree wholeheartedly with this post.

Nice job.

yojimbo7248
06-10-2009, 03:35 PM
There are lots of buddhist perspectives I find beautifully poetic, for instance the idea that dying is like a drop of water returning to a pool; and the device of koans for preparing the mind.

On a very superficial level, there are some perspectives that I find depressing, like the idea that existence is suffering... I'm not really comfortable with this and refer to the painting of The Vinegar Tasters as an explanation.

I'm not too sure I'm impressed by Siddhartha leaving his wife and kid... Sure they were royalty and cared for but the psychological abandonement left on his son makes reaching nirvana seem more like a darwinian struggle for survival of the fittest.

I'm not a big fan of any kind of organized religion... even daoism...

I DO like the idea of chanting and I think it def has a therapeutic effect on our nervous systems.

Something else I am also copasetic about is ancestor worship... I think 'worship' is a poor translation, and that 'reverence' is a better word to use... When you think about where you come from... the only real concrete evidence you have on a gross level is your ancestors... So to revere them and keep them in your thoughts as the entire reason you exist is a beautiful practice...

Again... I do believe that my criticisms are based on looking at buddhism very superficially, and I think that everyone can benefit from learning more about it and reflecting on its ideas.

great having you posting here. I like how you think.

yojimbo7248
06-10-2009, 03:54 PM
...I find depressing, like the idea that existence is suffering.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about "existence is suffering". The word is dukkha and suffering is a bad or at least incomplete translation. Dukkha is more of a feeling of dissatisfaction, discomfort, and patience rather than suffering.

The basic idea is we aren't satisfied with the here and now (feeling dukkha) and try to escape this discomfort in ways that don't lead us to satisfaction.

There are tons of books that can express it far better than I can. PM and I would be happy to give you a list of my favorite books.

boosterp
06-10-2009, 04:29 PM
Of my favorite readings 8 of the books involve Buddhism. Although I loosely follow Buddhism (I follow some Wicca too), there is so much that is taught that has enriched my life. I can let things "roll off my back," I can turn the other cheek, etc. This has come from Buddha's teachings.