Back after long time away, saying hello

[kaat]

Hello All,

Haven't been here in maybe 5 years. Main reason - lack of Internet access. We have among the world's highest charges for the Net here in Canada, and free public access is rare, or painfully slow (McDonald's, anyone?).

I'm happy to say that what was previously just aimless seeking is now, well, devotion. The first eastern religion I looked into years ago was Buddhism. Looked at Zen, Taoism, others a bit - highly enjoyable, but just not as accessible as the Buddha. So I surprise myself in being able to report that Im very happily on the Buddhist path.

FWIW, what had delayed me before was the sheer terror of realizing what is truly required of the practicing Buddhist. I'm not kidding. When I first clearly understood the necessity of ongoing meditation, selflessness, and the goal of doing nothing but serving others, I balked. Not so now

I love this community very much, and I wish you all well.
Martin

 

[kaat]

Oops, the business card is out of date; please ignore. What was a cheap domain name will now cost me about 10 times as much, since I established the interest, then let it lapse.

 

[columbus]

Greetings kaat!
I haven't even been a member of RF for 5 years, so you're new to me. Nice to meet you.
Welcome back.
Tom

 

[Aldrnari]

Welcome back, and nice to meet you.

Can i ask why Buddhism interested you initially, and what about it made you commit? Thanks!

 

[Terese]

Welcome back!

 

[Frater Sisyphus]

Greetings and welcome back!

 

[YmirGF]

Hiya @kaat

Long time no type. I'm in extreme western Canada (on an island, to boot) and though I had to give up my neighbors first born the rates aren't too horrific for Internet access. Sound like you're using Rogers

Glad to hear you are doing well and congrats on taking the first tiny steps into Buddhaland.

 

[kaat]

Welcome back, and nice to meet you.

Can i ask why Buddhism interested you initially, and what about it made you commit? Thanks!

>> Firstly, it's just so nice to get these welcome messages- thanks.

Yeah, Buddhism. It goes roughly like this ... I had for years been a "seeker", but mostly not in a spiritual way. I had a science education background, and it was science that was going to have all the answers. And of course, science is very good at answering certain questions. But as my thinking broadened, it was clear that what science really didn't do was even ask the big questions. I think part of the reason Douglas Adams was able to riff on the idea of "Life, the universe, and everything", is that while science has gone to amazing places, it can seem further away from tackling such a big question. Really, the answer truly may as well be 42.

While Buddhists don't proselytize, what does reach public ears reached mine, and to me was really curious. Somebody told me the Buddha was an ordinary guy who figured out how to get relief from suffering. I'm ever skeptical, but it was enough to start reading. I think I was lucky that I decided to first read only the Buddha 's own words - those which he himself wrote. You might be aware of the thousands of books on Buddhism out there; indeed there's so many, the original point, honestly, easily gets obscured.

The Buddha's advice is essentially: Do the right thing, and calm your mind. Of course, he elaborates on this with many ideals of "right" doings. In doing so, he illuminates the path toward ultimate enlightenment - which is certainly not necessarily expected of "everyday followers".

So it was the pure good logic, and non-religious advice that appealed. I can be wordy, but I'd like to finish by dispelling a strong myth about it all ...

In those original teachings, the Buddha basically did not mention a higher power of any kind. God is, to him, irrelevant. Which is to say, if you have such a faith, that's fine - no need to give it up. God's word, as it appears in any religious text, can be happily embraced as being so very good. Or not. It doesn't matter.

So when you look to Buddhism's birthplace - Asia, you of course find all these variations on Buddhism, most of which include rituals and worship (but never worship of the Buddha; that would be silly - he was just a guy). Over the last so many decades, Buddhism made a leap into the West (carried mostly by just a handful of monks). On arrival here in the West, its more likely to be received as a philosophy. Or, overlaid on existing faith, like the East. Its worth noting though, that using Buddhism strictly as a philosophy is definitely not that singular path to true enlightenment. That takes some dedicated effort and training.

So I hope this makes sense and is helpful.
Cheers,
Martin

 

[kaat]

Hiya @kaat

Long time no type. I'm in extreme western Canada (on an island, to boot) and though I had to give up my neighbors first born the rates aren't too horrific for Internet access. Sound like you're using Rogers

Glad to hear you are doing well and congrats on taking the first tiny steps into Buddhaland.

Well thanks ... that's kind of wild - I'm a musician, and when as a teen I first heard Vangelis' Heaven and Hell record, it opened my mind quite a bit. But I guess you knew that

 

[Revoltingest]

Re-greetings!

I don't remember you, but I know what you like.
So join us for a breakfast (free) of....

And today the cheese curds are extra squeeky!

 

[kaat]

Re-greetings!

I don't remember you, but I know what you like.
So join us for a breakfast (free) of....
And today the cheese curds are extra squeeky!

lol - I have indulged in poutine a few times, and each time I remember thinking "What am I doing to myself?".

 

[Twilight Hue]

Finally! Somebody could tell me where the hinges are.

 

[England my lionheart]

Welcome back

 

[DawudTalut]

Peace be on you. Welcome.

 

[Quiddity]

Welcome to RF.

 

[kaat]

Welcome to RF.