Are you worried Buddhism equates to brainwashing?

[Ozzie]

Without meditation experience, I think concepts such as dissolution of self might provoke fear in someone unfamiliar with Buddhist meditation.

Is this the case with you?

 

[Engyo]

It can be somewhat disconcerting, until you start to get that it's much like your car's windshield or your glasses. If you don't clean them every once in a while, the crud gets so thick you can't see clearly. When you can't see clearly, you make poor choices. I like being able to see where I'm going, and what's coming at me.

 

[Kungfuzed]

I've thought this about other religions but not Buddihsm, probably because I know so little about it. What parts of Buddhism do people think are brainwashing?

Maybe you can explain how meditation works too. Is it about emptying the mind completely with endless humming or are you supposed to think about something while you're meditating?

 

[MaddLlama]

The concept was a bit strange to me when I first read about it, but that was because it takes a little bit of time to think about it to really understand what it means. Once I got past that, even before I start with meditation, I can accept and to a small degree internalize the idea. However, I don't think I would liken it to brainwashing at all. Before you really get the concepts, though, I think it can seem nihilistic.

 

[darcyr]

I think brainwashing implies that someone else is forcing you to believe things. Buddhism is all about self, meditation is about self discovery and it is not the same for any two people. Buddhists are not forcing you to have certain thoughts or only see their side of things.