Please Tell Me About You!

[KatLearns]

Welcome to RF. Answer some questions. Sure, I'd be delighted



I was raised in an agnostic secular home. I didn't have a religion.



I think that other people will think what they want to think about my practice. Trying to talk them out of it may not do very much.

Common misconceptions about Buddhism is that it's nihilistic, takes a low view of life, and rejects the supernatural.



I became Buddhist at 29, so my earliest memory is taking refuge in the Buddha with some lay Buddhists bearing witness. A friend brought me to Buddhism.



In Buddhism, no? However, my grandmother was a lifelong secular Catholic. She retained aspects of the faith and she was one of the kindest, most giving people I've ever known.



My ability to look at the bright side of life, and try to find good in bad, or at least some ultimate benefit from the bad. In example: the Holocaust was horrible, but it gave humans a shocking wake up call about how low we can go when hatred and anger take over.



I'll try not to be lengthy. I begin by doing homage to the Triple Gem, bowing before my Buddha shrine three times as I say homage to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

Then I use a traditional liturgy opening to ask the gods from all over the universe to come observe and listen to the Dharma. I ask them to protect the Dharma in the world, and in case any semi-malevolent presence has come- I state that the Dharma keeps the practitioner safe. There are traditional prayers for this invoking the protectiveness of the teaching.

I do homage to Shakyamuni: Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhasa and re-affirm taking refuge in the three jewels: that to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha I go for refuge.

I do the gatha of repentance, acknowledging any evil karma I may ever have done, while acknowledging they are produced by ignorance and the poisons. I ask the Buddha as my teacher to accept my repentance. Then I affirm the ten precepts of Mahayana Buddhism: not to kill, steal, and on so on.

I say the Four Immeasurables, which purifies the practitioner for chanting because it is a pure wish: may all sentient beings be free from suffering and it's causes. May all sentient beings have happiness and it's causes. May all sentient beings be not separated from joy. May they be peaceful, free, and without aversion (prejudice), greed, or anger.

I do sitting meditation for a time, chant the Heart Sutra, and chant several Bodhisattva Mantras. An example is one to Tara: Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Soha. Bodhisattva mantras are considered meritorious in many ways.

I chant a mantra to Amida and Vairocana, who are primal manifestations of the true Buddha body that encompasses and transcends all phenomena.

I ask any deities present to take refuge in the Triple Gem if they choose. I then honor my deities with various prayers and ask them to protect me and create situations for practice.

I make especial reverences to Indra, Brahma, Yama, Vishnu, and others said to either have become Buddhist, or are benevolent gods that produce good for people.

I end with the verse of the Kesa: vast is the robe of liberation, a formless field of benefaction, I wear the teachings of the thus come one, saving all the many beings.



I think some in my religion emphasize Anatta (doctrine of not self) too strongly.



Give it some thought, but you'll be doing a great good for everything that exists and taking part in the Buddha's work to save everything that suffers.



I am Tendai, a Japanese school of Mahayana.

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. You said that a friend brought you to Buddhism, if it is not too personal could you describe this experience? If you are not comfortable that is fine, thank you again!

 

[KatLearns]

For context, I am an atheist who grew up Christian.

1. What was it like for you as a child to be a member of this religion?
I grew up Christian. Looking back on it now, I'm not a fan of all of the indoctrination that happened. It definitely halted a lot of personal growth for me that would have helped earlier.

2. How do you feel about other people’s reactions to you as a member of your religion? What are some common misconceptions about your religion?
I don't belong to any religion. Where do I start with misconceptions there? All sorts of wacky things get attributed to me because of that.

3. What are some of your earliest memories participating in your religion?
I remember being discouraged from asking a lot of questions involving Christianity. I had to accept what other people told me. That included multiple churches, my parents, and bible studies. I guess it makes sense since asking more questions as I grew older is what started to break me away from Christianity.

4. Are there any friends or family members who especially affected you in your religion?
My parents for sure. They shoved Christianity at me all the time. My uncle too, but he was a lot nicer about it. I don't think anyone else really did, other than just having it be present in every-day culture. Almost everyone I knew growing up was Christian.

5. What is a strength of yours that has helped you get through your life?
I've been able to stop myself from suicide plenty of times. That tends to help with continuing life.

6. Describe how a typical day/worship looks for you.
My typical day is pretty average. I don't have anything that stands out much.

7. What are some key values you agree/disagree with in your particular religion?
No religion here, so no answer.

8. What would you say to someone thinking about converting to your religion?
Again, no religion here. I just let people believe what they want.

I definitely understand how asking questions made you start to break you away from Christianity. Growing up, the priests and youth leaders were always very disgruntled if I ever asked something that wasn’t related to how I could be a better sheep, but I suppose it isn’t fair to attribute that to all Christian leaders, regardless, that has been my experience. Thank you for responding!

 

[Daemon Sophic]

Hello, everybody, I am a college student in the northeastern United States and I am currently enrolled in a religious studies course with an assignment where I am to interview someone who is not from my religious background (Catholicism/Christianity). Beyond this assignment I am also really interested in hearing about all sorts of different religions from around the world, so, please feel free to answer these questions or just add in your own beliefs or experiences with your religion! Thank you all for responding!

I am not a member of any religion. I am agnostic.
Some questions to answer:
1. What was it like for you as a child to be a member of this religion? My mom professed that she was an atheist, while my dad was (and still is) a devout Christian (Episcopal). I felt a little sad for my dad, since nobody wanted to go to service with him every week. I tried to join him for a year or two as a 14-15 year old, but eventually had to tell him that Christianity was not for me.
What was it like? Peaceful/idyllic. Really. I grew up in a classic, intellectual, Norman Rockwell life.
2. How do you feel about other people’s reactions to you as a member of your religion? I usually get little more than a raised eyebrow, and “Oh.”. What are some common misconceptions about your religion? That agnosticism is the same as atheism. Also, that without God in our lives we are either just doomed, or evil & doomed.
3. What are some of your earliest memories participating in your religion? Rational thought?
4. Are there any friends or family members who especially affected you in your religion? My mom. I returned the favor many years later, by informing her that she too was agnostic, rather than atheistic.
5. What is a strength of yours that has helped you get through your life? Rational investigation. The scientific process. Deductive reasoning. Logic.
6. Describe how a typical day/worship looks for you. Yer init. I came here to hear different ideologies. I stayed for the “colorful” personalities.
On the rare occasions when I feel especially lucky/blessed, I might close my eyes and think “If you exist.....thanks.”
7. What are some key values you agree/disagree with in your particular religion? Disagree with none. If I did, then I wouldn’t continue in it. Would you?
Agree with?....Watch some Niel DeGrasse Tyson, or Carl Sagan discussions about life and the universe for a more eloquent presentation than I can give here.
8. What would you say to someone thinking about converting to your religion? Just follow the evidence, and have the strength to believe in yourself.

 

[Sunstone]

I So are these experiences caused by anything?

Speaking now only of the most notable or famous kind of mystical experience, the experience in which one has a perception of all things being one.....

Well, traditionally in most cultures, these experiences of oneness have been attributed (by most mystics, but not by all mystics) to one god or another. That is, they are quite often said to be experiences of deity.

I myself am an agnostic about that. I don't see how there is a method or procedure that can tell us for certain whether the experiences are caused by deity. But I think it's pretty important that not everyone who has such experiences thinks they are from the gods.

Beyond that, it's now emerging from the sciences that they have physiological causes in the brain, too. If the ultimate cause of them is deity, the immediate cause of them is nevertheless physiological. For instance, the experiences are associated with suppressed activity in the parietal lobe, and other such changes.

Is it different for everyone or reletively similar?

That's controversial, but my view is the experience of oneness is relatively similar for everyone. There can be differences, but what's truly interesting are the similarities. Those are cross-cultural and cross-temporal. You find strikingly similar accounts in different cultures and at different times in history.

Would you compare these experiences to that of an epiphany (like something of a spiritual revelation)?

Some mystics have certainly called them an epiphany. Newberg himself thinks that they are sort of a scaled up epiphany of some sort. I myself think they are in a class of their own, though.

Again, I'm talking only of the most notable mystical experience here, the experience of the oneness of all things that is sometimes call an experience of god.

You should be careful to grasp that experience is not "hearing god speak" or "seeing Jesus". Such relatively minor events as hearing or seeing a deity are in a wholly different category (in my opinion) from the experience of oneness. Hearing god speak involves only one sense -- hearing. But experiencing oneness involves every sense -- the whole perceptual field.

Sorry for asking so many questions, I just know so little.

No worries, Kat. My pleasure. I'm off to watch a movie now. If you have any more questions, I'll answer them as best I can when I get back.

 

[KatLearns]

Hmm.

Well, long ago, I heard wisetales of seeing spirits in our home scaring the bajesus out of our real estate lady. Someone force held my mother down on her bed. Outerbody experiences. Really creepy stuff. Found out my grandmother practiced what notherners (us) would call witchcraft but my aint made fun calling it wiki wiki. That brought my mother interested in the occult. I practiced for a good while. This is before neopaganism and modern witch came into my brain. We just didng call it anything. Probably grandparents picked up the less modern stuff overseas. Wed call it witchy here. Down south and overseas, its nothing. I mean, four years ago my grandmother saved me from getting hit by a car. But back when such experiences was more pronounced.



Interesting. I wasnt raised christian nor witch for that matter. I had no religion until five years ago when I learned about buddhism. I started with Zen, then Nichiren, and emarked on tibetan buddhism which is interesting.

I met a roman catholic friend. I went with her to church. All we talked about was faith. I made a premature jump and became catholic for I think two years or so. I left the church when i knew what christianity was about ignoring the stuff talked about against the church. Nardles my nerves.



1. Witchy Witchy? No one believes me. Didnt know it was a fad till I discovered the internet. Now its everywhere. Ancestor veneration became the new-craft. I walked into it and never left. Very personal experiences.

2. Catholicism. People hate it with a passion. Its like catholics are put into a bubble because they cant express their faith as a catholic rather than protestant christian. Thats a horrible experience.

3. Buddhism? Long journey. No one hae issues with it. Though they think I worship The Buddha.


Ma took us to a pentecoastal church when she thought having two children-boy and girl-, picket fence, christian family, wonderful husband was the perfect family. She never went. I stayed and read the full bible. Somewhat baptized. Didnt believe just liked to study.



No. But they dont like to talk about the witchy stuff. My friend is phillipine and she has more superstition in her family than I know of mine. Wed swap stories but we never called it witchcraft. The word is evil but she practices "it" daily. Shrugs.



Experience and putting peaces together. Catholic was how I learned and experience spirituality. Ancestor veneration made me more appreciative and see things positive. Buddbism got the whole thing and the suttas have everg problem in the book in it.



Pray morning and evening. Art is my religion. Freedom my goal and life. I read the suttas about freedom. I pretty much put wll the above in one.



I agree with all buddhist values. Christian far in between. The other stuff isnt a religion. Art: freedom, crestivity, security, positiveness, inner peace, me.



Catholic: Its not for everyone. Go to Mass for a good year or so. Its a life long devotion

Buddhist: We dont convert. The Buddha taught. Knowledge comes from the mind (The Dharma), not The Buddha and not god.



Buddhist. Offically stamped and verrified. The rest are practices. Id say Art is my life. Extends beyond religion; its life itself.

Wow, I’m glad you had the opportunity to experience so many different belief systems. I think it’s really valuable to be able to look into different beliefs in order to discover oneself and what works best with their needs. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

That’s really incredible! I’m so glad you could find comfort while seeking treatment not everyone is always so fortunate. I’m happy that you feel that you can share so freely, as someone who has been in and out of treatment for a very long time. Meditation is a wonderfully grounding experience, as well as many of the teaching we can find from religious and spiritual texts. Thank you very much for sharing!

You're most welcome!

Many people with schizophrenia are not as fortunate as me ...

So I make sure to practice gratitude.

If you was curious about schizophrenia, try this thead -

Schizophrenia

All the best!

 

[Geoff-Allen]

That’s really incredible! I’m so glad you could find comfort while seeking treatment not everyone is always so fortunate. I’m happy that you feel that you can share so freely, as someone who has been in and out of treatment for a very long time. Meditation is a wonderfully grounding experience, as well as many of the teaching we can find from religious and spiritual texts. Thank you very much for sharing!

You're most welcome!

Many people with schizophrenia are not as fortunate as me ...

So I make sure to practice gratitude.

If you was curious about schizophrenia, try this thead -

Schizophrenia

All the best!

 

[KatLearns]

I was born into Southern Baptists. As a child, it was terrible, it gave me very vivid and frightening nightmares of going to Hell and feeling my flesh burning, and it left me suicidal. I evicted the Holy Ghost from my heart and Jesus from my life when I was 16.

My current views, which really aren't even religious, most people don't even know what they are so they don't react to it at all. However, when they find out I have no belief in a personal deity or afterlife, the reactions tend to be negative and range from questioning my morality, thinking my life is depressing and meaningless, to incessantly insisting I need god and religion.

I remember what got me to leave Neo-Paganism and drift the direction I am in now, which was some numerology divination thing based on a card, and I realized there was no possible way for the millions of people born on all the days that would have that assigned could to have all the same circumstances similar enough for it to be true. Then I realized the same of astrology. Then I realized you just never hear about a "bad" tarot card reader.

Family when I was Christian. None where I am now.

That life is sacred. Knowing that going through difficult times usually makes you stronger. That life, the good and bad, should be accepted and embraced as the experience of life.

I wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, go home, play some music, eat dinner, go to bed, repeat.

None.

I would encourage them to shatter their idols and trample their false gods.

I tend to draw from Buddhism, Taoism, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Left Handed Path. However, the term I've begun using is "Sagian Agnostic." (an attempt to make it clear that I do not believe in any personal deities, nor am I an atheist)

Would you mind telling me some of the most compelling teachings you follow from what you’ve listed? If not that’s okay, thank you for responding!

 

[KatLearns]

I am not a member of any religion. I am agnostic.
Some questions to answer:
1. What was it like for you as a child to be a member of this religion? My mom professed that she was an atheist, while my dad was (and still is) a devout Christian (Episcopal). I felt a little sad for my dad, since nobody wanted to go to service with him every week. I tried to join him for a year or two as a 14-15 year old, but eventually had to tell him that Christianity was not for me.
What was it like? Peaceful/idyllic. Really. I grew up in a classic, intellectual, Norman Rockwell life.
2. How do you feel about other people’s reactions to you as a member of your religion? I usually get little more than a raised eyebrow, and “Oh.”. What are some common misconceptions about your religion? That agnosticism is the same as atheism. Also, that without God in our lives we are either just doomed, or evil & doomed.
3. What are some of your earliest memories participating in your religion? Rational thought?
4. Are there any friends or family members who especially affected you in your religion? My mom. I returned the favor many years later, by informing her that she too was agnostic, rather than atheistic.
5. What is a strength of yours that has helped you get through your life? Rational investigation. The scientific process. Deductive reasoning. Logic.
6. Describe how a typical day/worship looks for you. Yer init. I came here to hear different ideologies. I stayed for the “colorful” personalities.
On the rare occasions when I feel especially lucky/blessed, I might close my eyes and think “If you exist.....thanks.”
7. What are some key values you agree/disagree with in your particular religion? Disagree with none. If I did, then I wouldn’t continue in it. Would you?
Agree with?....Watch some Niel DeGrasse Tyson, or Carl Sagan discussions about life and the universe for a more eloquent presentation than I can give here.
8. What would you say to someone thinking about converting to your religion? Just follow the evidence, and have the strength to believe in yourself.

It is a compelling argument to say that you follow reason. Unfortunately a lot of what I’ve seen within faith doesn’t really have to do so much with the big dude(s) in the sky so it’s hard for me to say that I would leave a religion that I didn’t completely agree with. I think a lot of religion is about finding comfort and peace within oneself rather than trying to figure out what a higher power wants everybody to do, clearly not everyone feels this way as evidence of the people who feel the need to tell you that you’re evil and/or damned (which is preposterous, how can someone who doesn’t truly know you deduct your morality based on one trait?). Thank you for sharing!

 

[KatLearns]

Speaking now only of the most notable or famous kind of mystical experience, the experience in which one has a perception of all things being one.....

Well, traditionally in most cultures, these experiences of oneness have been attributed (by most mystics, but not by all mystics) to one god or another. That is, they are quite often said to be experiences of deity.

I myself am an agnostic about that. I don't see how there is a method or procedure that can tell us for certain whether the experiences are caused by deity. But I think it's pretty important that not everyone who has such experiences thinks they are from the gods.

Beyond that, it's now emerging from the sciences that they have physiological causes in the brain, too. If the ultimate cause of them is deity, the immediate cause of them is nevertheless physiological. For instance, the experiences are associated with suppressed activity in the parietal lobe, and other such changes.



That's controversial, but my view is the experience of oneness is relatively similar for everyone. There can be differences, but what's truly interesting are the similarities. Those are cross-cultural and cross-temporal. You find strikingly similar accounts in different cultures and at different times in history.



Some mystics have certainly called them an epiphany. Newberg himself thinks that they are sort of a scaled up epiphany of some sort. I myself think they are in a class of their own, though.

Again, I'm talking only of the most notable mystical experience here, the experience of the oneness of all things that is sometimes call an experience of god.

You should be careful to grasp that experience is not "hearing god speak" or "seeing Jesus". Such relatively minor events as hearing or seeing a deity are in a wholly different category (in my opinion) from the experience of oneness. Hearing god speak involves only one sense -- hearing. But experiencing oneness involves every sense -- the whole perceptual field.



No worries, Kat. My pleasure. I'm off to watch a movie now. If you have any more questions, I'll answer them as best I can when I get back.

It’s interesting as I read your responses I’m reminded of Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five in particular. Although the experiences are, it seems, vastly more supernatural than the ones you are describing it seems the outcome is somewhat similar: an awareness of all - time, energy, and matter. Thank you again.

 

[Revoltingest]

Hello, everybody, I am a college student in the northeastern United States and I am currently enrolled in a religious studies course with an assignment where I am to interview someone who is not from my religious background (Catholicism/Christianity). Beyond this assignment I am also really interested in hearing about all sorts of different religions from around the world, so, please feel free to answer these questions or just add in your own beliefs or experiences with your religion! Thank you all for responding!

Some questions to answer:
1. What was it like for you as a child to be a member of this religion?
2. How do you feel about other people’s reactions to you as a member of your religion? What are some common misconceptions about your religion?
3. What are some of your earliest memories participating in your religion?
4. Are there any friends or family members who especially affected you in your religion?
5. What is a strength of yours that has helped you get through your life?
6. Describe how a typical day/worship looks for you.
7. What are some key values you agree/disagree with in your particular religion?
8. What would you say to someone thinking about converting to your religion?
P.S. Please identify what religion/sect/denomination you identify with. Thank you again!

1) Being the only atheist kid in the neighborhood was interesting (in a good way).
My friends & I discussed religion & philosophy often. No one gave me any grief.
2) I experience no adverse reactions to being an atheist.
Misconceptions abound though....the big one is that some think I have no morals.
3) I remember never believing in gods.
I don't remember when I became aware that others did.
4) No family member really affected me, except that none ever pushed a religion upon me.
5) My strength: I am reliable.
This answer is subject to change.
6) I do whatever I please, without a schedule.
7) Atheism gives me no values, so there is no conflict.
8) There is no intention behind conversion...you either are or you aren't.
9) I'm a weak atheist (agnostic). I feel there are no gods, but since this isn't provable, I don't know.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

-

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. You said that a friend brought you to Buddhism, if it is not too personal could you describe this experience? If you are not comfortable that is fine, thank you again!

Sure. I started practicing with this friend sometimes, before I made the decision to become Buddhist. Meditation brought me great mental shifts and insights about my everyday life and emotions. I also greatly admired the example of the Buddha. His lack of hatred and compassionate love for everything there is- even the most hellish of beings.

This brought me admiration and love for the Buddha. That could be called the beginning of practice for some. I realized that in the Buddha was the prime example of kindness and good actions. I cultivated love for the Lord, until my pull to Buddhism was very strong. I found myself wanting the Buddha as my teacher.

It also had a lot to do with Buddhism's ethos and end goal of alleviating suffering. That was pretty well why I'd practiced ethics and found them important my whole life.

I realized when I found Buddhism, that I'd hit upon the community that shares my interests and goals. By practicing Buddhism I feel like I am doing something however small it may seem to help the world. Buddhism holds not only that it's application in the living world helps in this way, but also things like it's mantras. That the transcendent Buddha works through the practices to generate merit fields.

That the suffering of things in the world greatly moves me is why I chose the Dharmic name Anukampaka when I converted, which means to be full of compassion, kindness, and pity. To co-miserate with.

 

[KatLearns]

1) Being the only atheist kid in the neighborhood was interesting (in a good way).
My friends & I discussed religion & philosophy often. No one gave me any grief.
2) I experience no adverse reactions to being an atheist.
Misconceptions abound though....the big one is that some think I have no morals.
3) I remember never believing in gods.
I don't remember when I became aware that others did.
4) No family member really affected me, except that none ever pushed a religion upon me.
5) My strength: I am reliable.
This answer is subject to change.
6) I do whatever I please, without a schedule.
7) Atheism gives me no values, so there is no conflict.
8) There is no intention behind conversion...you either are or you aren't.
9) I'm a weak atheist (agnostic). I feel there are no gods, but since this isn't provable, I don't know.

Thank you, you've given a very respectful answer and I appreciate that.

 

[KatLearns]

-


Sure. I started practicing with this friend sometimes, before I made the decision to become Buddhist. Meditation brought me great mental shifts and insights about my everyday life and emotions. I also greatly admired the example of the Buddha. His lack of hatred and compassionate love for everything there is- even the most hellish of beings.

This brought me admiration and love for the Buddha. That could be called the beginning of practice for some. I realized that in the Buddha was the prime example of kindness and good actions. I cultivated love for the Lord, until my pull to Buddhism was very strong. I found myself wanting the Buddha as my teacher.

It also had a lot to do with Buddhism's ethos and end goal of alleviating suffering. That was pretty well why I'd practiced ethics and found them important my whole life.

I realized when I found Buddhism, that I'd hit upon the community that shares my interests and goals. By practicing Buddhism I feel like I am doing something however small it may seem to help the world. Buddhism holds not only that it's application in the living world helps in this way, but also things like it's mantras. That the transcendent Buddha works through the practices to generate merit fields.

That the suffering of things in the world greatly moves me is why I chose the Dharmic name Anukampaka when I converted, which means to be full of compassion, kindness, and pity. To co-miserate with.

That is great, whenever I read or learn about Buddhism I always find myself surprised by the realistic optimism. My knowledge is very little, but it seems that there is great value in acknowledging suffering and focusing on mindful admiration of life.

 

[KatLearns]

I was raised in the Roman Church in an Irish family. I remember the smell of incense, and I did not feel I belonged.



My present religion is Baha'i with leanings to Buddhist philosophy. My believe evolved from the church to Buddhism with a strong influence of Arts of the Way (Martial Arts). My family was a bit amused by my involvement with Buddhism, but became more than a bit hostile when I became a Baha'i.


Earliest memories? I guess going in the cold rain to dark church with a lot of carved cold wood, gold, and stained glass with the smell of incense. The seats were hard and uncomfortable,



In Costa Rica when I was ten I met my first Baha'i, Unitarians, and Quakers.and I was very impressed.



The search for reason and the universal, which is and was justifiably illusive.



Now? Well, fellowship with the Baha'is, meditating and practicing the moves of the arts with my sword, and walks in the woods.



The Roman Church? It is simple I found it did not reflect the universal spiritually. It was a Roman cultural Christian paradigm. The church remains one of many headed by the Bishop of Rome.



Everyone needs to investigate independently the Baha'i Faith and decide for themselves. The main reason people join up or get churched is that they ar looking for the shoes that fit and which sense of community feels good to them.

Thank you for responding, I agree it's very important for everyone to look around and figure out the best belief system(s) for their own life styles.

 

[KatLearns]

Welcome to RF. Answer some questions. Sure, I'd be delighted



I was raised in an agnostic secular home. I didn't have a religion.



I think that other people will think what they want to think about my practice. Trying to talk them out of it may not do very much.

Common misconceptions about Buddhism is that it's nihilistic, takes a low view of life, and rejects the supernatural.



I became Buddhist at 29, so my earliest memory is taking refuge in the Buddha with some lay Buddhists bearing witness. A friend brought me to Buddhism.



In Buddhism, no? However, my grandmother was a lifelong secular Catholic. She retained aspects of the faith and she was one of the kindest, most giving people I've ever known.



My ability to look at the bright side of life, and try to find good in bad, or at least some ultimate benefit from the bad. In example: the Holocaust was horrible, but it gave humans a shocking wake up call about how low we can go when hatred and anger take over.



I'll try not to be lengthy. I begin by doing homage to the Triple Gem, bowing before my Buddha shrine three times as I say homage to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

Then I use a traditional liturgy opening to ask the gods from all over the universe to come observe and listen to the Dharma. I ask them to protect the Dharma in the world, and in case any semi-malevolent presence has come- I state that the Dharma keeps the practitioner safe. There are traditional prayers for this invoking the protectiveness of the teaching.

I do homage to Shakyamuni: Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhasa and re-affirm taking refuge in the three jewels: that to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha I go for refuge.

I do the gatha of repentance, acknowledging any evil karma I may ever have done, while acknowledging they are produced by ignorance and the poisons. I ask the Buddha as my teacher to accept my repentance. Then I affirm the ten precepts of Mahayana Buddhism: not to kill, steal, and on so on.

I say the Four Immeasurables, which purifies the practitioner for chanting because it is a pure wish: may all sentient beings be free from suffering and it's causes. May all sentient beings have happiness and it's causes. May all sentient beings be not separated from joy. May they be peaceful, free, and without aversion (prejudice), greed, or anger.

I do sitting meditation for a time, chant the Heart Sutra, and chant several Bodhisattva Mantras. An example is one to Tara: Om Tare Tu Tare Ture Soha. Bodhisattva mantras are considered meritorious in many ways.

I chant a mantra to Amida and Vairocana, who are primal manifestations of the true Buddha body that encompasses and transcends all phenomena.

I ask any deities present to take refuge in the Triple Gem if they choose. I then honor my deities with various prayers and ask them to protect me and create situations for practice.

I make especial reverences to Indra, Brahma, Yama, Vishnu, and others said to either have become Buddhist, or are benevolent gods that produce good for people.

I end with the verse of the Kesa: vast is the robe of liberation, a formless field of benefaction, I wear the teachings of the thus come one, saving all the many beings.



I think some in my religion emphasize Anatta (doctrine of not self) too strongly.



Give it some thought, but you'll be doing a great good for everything that exists and taking part in the Buddha's work to save everything that suffers.



I am Tendai, a Japanese school of Mahayana.

I am looking back on some of your responses and I am wondering in what ways people believe Buddhism is nihilistic.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

A bit of background about me:

I was raised generally non-religious, but with my grandmother taking me to her Baptist church occasionally. These days, I identify as an atheist, freethinker, humanist, and skeptic.

Hello, everybody, I am a college student in the northeastern United States and I am currently enrolled in a religious studies course with an assignment where I am to interview someone who is not from my religious background (Catholicism/Christianity). Beyond this assignment I am also really interested in hearing about all sorts of different religions from around the world, so, please feel free to answer these questions or just add in your own beliefs or experiences with your religion! Thank you all for responding!

Some questions to answer:
1. What was it like for you as a child to be a member of this religion?

When I was little (like 8 or so), I had a vague notion that everyone was "supposed" to have a religion based on kids in my class asking me what religion I was. The only church I had ever been to was my grandmother's Baptist church, so I figured that must be my religion and would tell people I was Baptist if they asked.

Overall, though, religion was unimportant to me growing up.

2. How do you feel about other people’s reactions to you as a member of your religion? What are some common misconceptions about your religion?

In real life, I tend to feel a sense of distance between myself and the other person if we find out that they're very religious and I'm an atheist. I have a hard time relating to theists - I have trouble even imagining myself in a theistic mindset.

Some common misconceptions I run into: that atheists have no moral foundation or that they are really just lying and "rebelling against God."

3. What are some of your earliest memories participating in your religion?

I'm not sure if this counts, but I remember the first time I read the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, maybe when I was 9 or 10. I didn't have enough exposure to Christian theology to realize that Aslan was supposed to be an allegory for Christ. When I got to the end of the book and read (spoilers!) the stuff about Aslan dying and coming back to life, I thought that it made no sense at all and undermined the whole plot of the book. Later on, when I recognized the connection between Aslan and Jesus, I think my initial reaction to the ridiculousness of Aslan's resurrection transferred over to my opinion of the Gospel story.

As a kid, I was also really into Greek mythology, but I recognized it all as just stories and not something to be treated as something to be seriously believed.

4. Are there any friends or family members who especially affected you in your religion?

My grandmother and my ex-wife.

When my grandmother was dying from cancer and seeing to her affairs, at one point she called me over to her bedside and told me that her faith had been a source of strength and comfort for her. She asked me to seriously consider raising any children I might have in a church. She didn't ask me to promise to raise them in a church, only to seriously consider it. I said "yes." While I didn't have any kids at the time (and still don't), I figured that I'd have trouble raising kids in a church I didn't believe in myself, so honouring my promise would mean exploring whether there was a church out there that I could accept for myself.

With my ex: when we got married, I considered myself an agnostic: I didn't really believe in any gods, but I didn't feel like I had investigated enough to call myself an atheist (since then, I've realized that calling myself an "agnostic" was probably the wrong term). As time went on, my lack of religiosity - specifically, the fact I wasn't Catholic - became a major strain on our relationship. Fairly frequently, she'd end up sobbing at the idea that her unbaptized husband would end up in Hell. To try to help the situation, I told her that I'd go to church with her and see if I could accept Catholicism.

The end result of the investigation and reflection that I did to honour both promises was that I realized that I really am an atheist. I couldn't see any way to accept any denomination or religion that I investigated.

Edit: I feel like I should add a couple of things:
- my parents (I think deliberately) didn't try to influence me on religion. After he died, I found out he was an atheist, but he never mentioned it to me. All I knew was that he thought both sides in "the Troubles" were idiots for fighting over religion (he was from Belfast).
- my Mom would go through bouts where she'd try to attend a church for a while, but it never lasted that long and I was never forced (or even suggested) to go with her. If I asked to go to see what it was like, she would take me. I think I went only once or twice - that was enough for me to decide that it wasn't for me.

My grandmother was the only person I knew who really took religion seriously, but growing up, I always just kinda dismissed it as a "grandmother" thing: she was also the only person I knew who wore a fur coat, played the autoharp, drank coffee without sugar, etc. I remember around 12 or 13 meeting peers who took their religion super-seriously - I remember being very surprised that anyone my age would do that.

5. What is a strength of yours that has helped you get through your life?

Putting up with prolonged discomfort? Does that count?

6. Describe how a typical day/worship looks for you.

My typical day does not involve any worship.

7. What are some key values you agree/disagree with in your particular religion?

Speaking from the perspective of the philosophies I identify with:

- I agree that all human beings have intrinsic value.
- I agree that the beliefs I have should be justified.
- I agree that rational inquiry is the best way to justify our beliefs.
- I agree that tradition or social convention aren't proper justifications for belief.

8. What would you say to someone thinking about converting to your religion?

I'd say that the process is more important than the conclusion.

Above all else, I'd encourage people to be skeptics. If someone doesn't believe in gods but doesn't follow a skeptical approach, then odds are they still have some wacky - and potentially harmful - things in their belief system. OTOH, if someone accepts skepticism and applies a skeptical approach consistently, atheism will be the natural result, IMO.

Don't worry about which religious beliefs to accept; worry about making sure that the approach you use in accepting or rejecting beliefs is intellectually honest, consistent, and rational, and let this approach take you wherever it leads.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

I am looking back on some of your responses and I am wondering in what ways people believe Buddhism is nihilistic.

Some people interpret the Buddhist master Nagarjuna to have been teaching nihilism because of his views on emptiness, but I don't think the argument for such a position is very good. Besides that, people that think Buddhism is atheism tend to see it as teaching voidness in a literal sense, so they might get nihilism from it.

Voidness is actually an illusory position in the Heart Sutra, just as much as getting caught in forms is.

"Shariputra listen, the nature of form is void. The nature of void is form. Form is exactly void. Void is exactly form..."- Heart Sutra

This in fact establishes void as not being more or less correct than views about forms. They carry equal weight, as illusory. Buddhism holds that the truth transcends human speculation about what's real and what isn't.