Grapefruit
Member
I don't know which Buddhist sect to choose. Help?
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Not sure which sect to choose...
- Thread starter Grapefruit
- Start date
Actually, I think you may want to at least form an opinion on Seicho No Ie at some point.
SNI is not Buddhism, but it is a fairly nice religion which IMO resembles Shinto in many ways.
In any case, inside Buddhism the most obvious choices for early exploration would be Zen, True Pure Land (also known as Jodo Shinshu), Tibetan and Theravada.
Jodo Shinshu / Pure Land is remarkably accessible by Buddhist terms, and probably a fine first choice if you value the social integration aspects of practice and/or if you find out that there is in you a lot of sympathy for Primal Vow of Amitabha Buddha. It would be prudent to decide on how you feel about Jiriki and Tariki as well. In my experience it is in practice a prerequisite of Jodo Shinshu practice to be aligned with the idea of reliance on Tariki.
Primal Vow - Wikipedia
Jiriki - Wikipedia
It is probably fair to say that Zen would be more appealling than Jodo Shinshu for those who would not mind nurturing reliance on Jiriki ("one's own power"). So would Tibetan and Theravada.
Tibetan is perhaps most interesting to those who have an affinity for artistic inspiration in their religious practice.
As for Theravada, I guess it is a natural choice if you are very interested in the study of mental states and/or in the logical exploration of the Eightfold Path.
A lot of the decision after that really comes down to how confortable a connection you develop with the practice groups and Dharma teachers that you have convenient access to. Buddhism often benefits from or even requires a measure of boldness to reach your own understandings, yet at the same time there is very much a point to a practice group and teachers.
SNI is not Buddhism, but it is a fairly nice religion which IMO resembles Shinto in many ways.
In any case, inside Buddhism the most obvious choices for early exploration would be Zen, True Pure Land (also known as Jodo Shinshu), Tibetan and Theravada.
Jodo Shinshu / Pure Land is remarkably accessible by Buddhist terms, and probably a fine first choice if you value the social integration aspects of practice and/or if you find out that there is in you a lot of sympathy for Primal Vow of Amitabha Buddha. It would be prudent to decide on how you feel about Jiriki and Tariki as well. In my experience it is in practice a prerequisite of Jodo Shinshu practice to be aligned with the idea of reliance on Tariki.
Primal Vow - Wikipedia
Jiriki - Wikipedia
It is probably fair to say that Zen would be more appealling than Jodo Shinshu for those who would not mind nurturing reliance on Jiriki ("one's own power"). So would Tibetan and Theravada.
Tibetan is perhaps most interesting to those who have an affinity for artistic inspiration in their religious practice.
As for Theravada, I guess it is a natural choice if you are very interested in the study of mental states and/or in the logical exploration of the Eightfold Path.
A lot of the decision after that really comes down to how confortable a connection you develop with the practice groups and Dharma teachers that you have convenient access to. Buddhism often benefits from or even requires a measure of boldness to reach your own understandings, yet at the same time there is very much a point to a practice group and teachers.
Grapefruit
Member
Thank you.
Do you mind giving me a small paragraph or two between the differences between Tibetan and other types? Also, what is the type of Buddhism most common in Nepal? My mother had traveled there and she hopes to bring me there some time.
Thank you.
Hmm, it tends to be rather colorful and, naturally enough, to use Tibetan vocabulary. It emphasizes the idea of transmission of Dharma, in that choosing your teachers and their lineage has significant consequences. In a sense, you have the responsibility to choose your teachers wisely, among other reasons because having earned mutual trust is important in Tibetan practice.
At its best, it is also very "customizable", with one's direct teachers taking by their turn the responsibility of shaping the form on which the Dharma is presented to best suit your ability to actualize it, as well as that of correcting your path or even warning you when the need presents itself.
Some schools seem to also emphasize Bardo practices, which seem to relate with some form of afterlife beliefs. I fear I am just not the right person to talk about those - it is just not my way.
I will be shocked if it isn't Tibetan!Also, what is the type of Buddhism most common in Nepal? My mother had traveled there and she hopes to bring me there some time.
Grapefruit
Member
Grapefruit
Member
OH MY YOU ARE AMAZING. That immediately got me interested in Early Buddhism, and how it is more practice based. I like the study aspect, but I like to actually practice a philosophy rather than just learn about it, as I do that too much anyways.
buddhist
Well-Known Member
Yes, that's what also drew me to early Buddhism years ago ... after leaving 30+ years of Christianity. I was no longer satisfied with blind faith, or simply learning dogma. I needed to personally know.OH MY YOU ARE AMAZING. That immediately got me interested in Early Buddhism, and how it is more practice based. I like the study aspect, but I like to actually practice a philosophy rather than just learn about it, as I do that too much anyways.
Grapefruit
Member
Yep. I grew up in a Christian home, and the practice part is what draws me to it. I like to actually do something not just read about it.
buddhist
Well-Known Member
It reminds me of an incident recorded in the early Buddhist scriptures where the Buddha was teaching a point of doctrine, and asked his chief monk (Sariputta) if he believed in it. Sariputta replied "no" because he had not directly experienced and known that doctrine for himself - yet. The Buddha praised him for his answer.
You might be interested in accesstoinsight.org as a good web-based source for early & Theravada Buddhism, and learning and practicing the core Eightfold Path. You might also be interested in reading the anthology "In the Buddha's Words" by Bhikkhu Bodhi. After that, I'd recommend The Wings to Awakening, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, and then the Pali canon itself.
A warning upfront though: there's alot of material to learn, and after 5 years, I find that I'm still exploring its depths. The teachings of early Buddhism is quite "holographic" in a sense, as all the teachings are interrelated in so many different ways, so studying - and practicing it - is like observing a diamond from every possible angle. It has been highly rewarding for me though, as all the teachings continue to "fall into place" and fit neatly together, and accords with my own observations during practice, mundane and jhanic.
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Grapefruit
Member
Thank you.
Are you on reddit.com by any chance? If not, I recommend you looking at the Buddhism subreddit.
buddhist
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it, I'm not on it now.Thank you.
Grapefruit
Member
I imagine you would be helpful there.
Seems to me that someone who does not know which religion, sect, denomination or cult to "choose" has a much more basic problem -- they don't know what they believe. Try sorting that out first. The rest is easy.
(It's why I'm an atheist actually, because I found that I didn't believe any of it.)
buddhist
Well-Known Member
I'd respectfully disagree - at least, in terms of early Buddhism. It isn't about believing anything (dogma first), but about firstly observing the Laws of Reality all around us - such as the Law of Kamma (Cause & Effect) - and then conforming ourselves to those laws.
That might be true were the choice mainly about beliefs.
That would be odd, IMO.
That is good.
That is also quite unrelated to choosing a religion, except that it sort of rules out belief-based religions out of the blue.
Grapefruit
Member
Exactly. I realize, I don't want to actually believe anything. I want to observe reality. And relieve myself and others from suffering.
buddhist
Well-Known Member
Early Buddhism is a systematic path designed to bring us face to face with the various layers of reality, and to provide us with the tools to release ourselves from the sufferings associated with each layer.