How did you discover Buddhism?

[WALMART]

I would like to know how everyone arrived at buddhism.




Were you on a bus with a friend? Searching through wikipedia? Stoned on your back porch?


What made you conduct further research? Did you appeal to its love of consciousness? Its universal truths? Its sheer indifference to the universe?


How do you feel about the religion? Is it incompatible with your current belief model? How so?




Most people here seem to have a fair grip on the belief, even if you do not/cannot accept it. Anything you would like to say regarding the subject, feel free.

 

[Lark]

One day I dropped something down the gap between the counter and the cooker when I was making a sandwich and when I went to get it out, there is was!!! All this time that's where buddhism was!!!

Cracks me up, I used to know some brilliant finding Jesus ones too.

No, I would say that became interested in buddhism as an idea after reading about the influence of zen buddhist and zen ideas upon a lot of the neo-freudians, like horney, fromm, sullivan, I read a lot of books on zen and the light of the world or light of asia or whatever it is called. I still have a few book on buddha in my to be read pile.

Its not a faith community I would like to join and I dont believe it is more attractive than my present faith, I can see its appeal to many in the post-christian but ethically either PC or well meaning but I'm not sure many of its original communities have a lot in common with that population.

 

[WALMART]

One day I dropped something down the gap between the counter and the cooker when I was making a sandwich and when I went to get it out, there is was!!! All this time that's where buddhism was!!!

Cracks me up, I used to know some brilliant finding Jesus ones too.

No, I would say that became interested in buddhism as an idea after reading about the influence of zen buddhist and zen ideas upon a lot of the neo-freudians, like horney, fromm, sullivan, I read a lot of books on zen and the light of the world or light of asia or whatever it is called. I still have a few book on buddha in my to be read pile.

Its not a faith community I would like to join and I dont believe it is more attractive than my present faith, I can see its appeal to many in the post-christian but ethically either PC or well meaning but I'm not sure many of its original communities have a lot in common with that population.

Post-Christian. Lol.


Sandwich. LOL.




HORNEY..... wait, that wasn't funny.

 

[Eugene Watson VIII]

I read through some pamphlets at a monastery. I guess I learnt that you only suffer if you care, which is pretty true. Not sure if that's what the whole culture is about.

 

[lowtech redneck]

I would like to know how everyone arrived at buddhism.

What made you conduct further research? Did you appeal to its love of consciousness? Its universal truths? Its sheer indifference to the universe?

How do you feel about the religion? Is it incompatible with your current belief model? How so?

You mean discovered it as a religion that people believed in? From childhood friends. I discovered the details of the belief system (most of which I've now forgotten) through textbooks.

Insatiable curiosity about belief systems in general.

I like the people, but not the ultimate goals of the belief system. Reincarnation is useless as either a reward, punishment, or state of existence after life*, and seeking oblivion is less than attractive to me.....it seems like wanting to kill yourself, but being afraid of continued suffering through reincarnation afterwards if you do. I also think its the 'self' (both mine and others) which make human existence worthwhile. I also think George Lucas is derivative as fuck.

I'm more positive about certain strains of mahayanna Buddhism, but I'm just too individualistic to be attracted to Buddhism in general.

*i.e. its effectively a different person, so its not substantively different from oblivion, anyway.

 

[ilikeitlikethat]

An older brother of mine in America when I was 14/15, I wasn't there too long but... I did turn 15 out there, which was good timing, nothing but good timing, for me lol. 'I think it was a fluke' but, it was then when I discovered Buddhism; I learned more about Buddhism here, in London via MSN to him back then and going around town and stuff. - I was interested in it; but then, my older brother, was also the one who got me into GN'R (Guns N' Roses).

 

[Qlip]

The first time I saw something that interested me in Buddhism was reading this book called Godel, Escher, Bach: The Eternal Golden Braid. This book has nothing to do with religion, it's a book that attempts to describe Godel's incompleteness theorem, AI, and strange loops and other subjects to the layperson. It used zen koans in one chapter, equating the transcendence they attempt to evoke with the idea that a formal system cannot handle all results within itself.

I'm highly interested in Buddhism, especially its stripped down versions. But, alas I do not consider myself a Buddhist. Maybe in my next life.