Buddhism

Sorry if the title is blunt I really don't know how I could have elaborated on it.

Anyways so I've pretty much avoided any and all things related to the bible (used to be catholic), although before I never went to church or followed it completely in the first place. I also have a very low view of religion entirely, considering all the bad that is revolved around it.

Despite that, I am extremely interested in Buddhism. I have only heard brief amounts of information on it, but what I have heard has intrigued me. If you can elaborate on not only what the basics are and details if possible , but your own personal opinion on the religion would be appreciated.

The religions I was involved in required;
-Unquestionable faith
-Absolute devotion to a deity
-Indoctrination
-Going to church every Sunday or burning in hell

Hopefully none of the above are related to Buddhism.

Also, I believe a friend of mine is Buddhist (or it least, his parents are), so how would I go about asking him? He is a very good friend of mine, like a brother, however I don't know how I would go about asking him. It's not like I just go up to him and say "Hey man, what religion do you follow?". He's not at all the religious type (at that, I'm not even sure what religion he follows) but he would it least know something about it. Or maybe I should just completely avoid bringing religion into our friendship? Or is Buddhism different and social interaction regarding it is very important?

Thanks and please post!

Isn't religion in general is all about Unquestionable faith, Absolute devotion to a deity, and going to a temple (church, mosque) on regular times? I mean if religions aren't about those, what is it about then? Freedom?

And If you can't handle the responsibilities of your christian religion before, I doubt that you could last couple of days as a Buddhist, Buddhism is a very strict and discipline religion (or faith, or ideology if you think otherwise).

quote RiceGrain

Or maybe I should just completely avoid bringing religion into our friendship? Or is Buddhism different and social interaction regarding it is very important?

Thanks and please post!

I would encourage talking about religion with that friend. Personally, I enjoy discussions between many different people from different faiths and backgrounds.

It also depends which branch of Buddhism they come from.

Mayahana Buddhism has very different social interactions to Hinayana/Theravada Buddhism. The latter is far more mystical and ritual based.

The fact that many people don't consider Buddhism a religion is quite simply the fact that they don't understand how we view Buddha. We worship Buddha the same way you worship Jesus/God/Allah/whatever. It's just that Buddha himself told us that he wasn't perfect, and that it's up to us to surpass him (a very loose translation. Sanskrit -> Chinese -> English means a lot of the original meaning is lost. Most Buddhist documents are in Chinese unfortunately, and many Sanskrit scripture is lost). That it is up to each of us to reach enlightenment our own way than to rely solely on Buddha. That when we make mistakes, we must pay for it ourselves rather than have it "forgiven".

Because of this, Buddhists are taught to think critically about the teachings of Buddha, which resulted in many many different schools of Buddhism, each with a different interpretation of the teachings of Buddha, and none of them an absolute truth.

I am a very busy man and I wouldn't have too much time for any rituals, unless done so at home. Is it like, if I don't do "xyz" rituals on "cyz" time I will burn in some sort of hell? It seems like a very strict religion according to someone.

Also, apparently it also involves a lot of discipline. Does this mean if I go to a temple and do something wrong they will beat the shit out of me? Or will my discipline be from a "divine god"?

Thanks for the response cursader. So how exactly do I convert to it? What would be my first step? This is all so new to me!

Ah I was being heavily sarcastic, because Emaster's reply sounded irrelevant.

Yes I completely understand that form of discipline. Thank you for elaborating on it.

That's just it, where do I find Buddhists? I will talk to my friend another time about it but are there any buddhists here on neoseeker? Crusad3r seems like he is one.

As for symbolism, is there any vital symbolical things involved in it that I should have in my house? If so how would I obtain them (my guess is online?) Or is it a little too early for that? My place used to have a few crosses and bible related things laying around but now that they're gone I feel the need to obtain some buddhist related objects.

Is there by any chance a book I can read on Buddhism? Something I can buy from online? Not something like the bible, just like a "Buddhism for dummies" or something...

RiceGrain: There is no "conversion" in religion. Rituals don't mean much to me, especially since I was brought up in Mahayana Buddhism. Conversion is but a ritual for the gullible. A ritual doesn't signify which religion you belong to. Your heart does.

Most Buddhists have a small statue of Buddha that's been consecrated in their home. Only it's hard to find a statue that's been genuinely consecrated these days.

Again though, it's all to do with your heart. Buddha/God won't care if you don't follow rituals (made up by humans by the way). They care if you follow their teachings. This is where Christianity has lost its way. They put too much emphasis on ritual, and not enough on personal faith. Will God forgive your sins if you go to church every Sunday, only to go to a bar afterwards, get drunk and commit sin? Ritual means nothing.

As for books... these 2 I find a pretty good, but you need a VERY open mind when reading them:

The Middle Way - Faith Grounded in Reason by the 14th Dalai Lama is pretty decent.

Zhuan Falun by Li Hong Zhi is a far more in depth view on his own teachings of Buddhism, but cites heavily from Lord Buddha.

Styot: All Buddhists believe in reincarnation. It is one of the fundamental principles of Buddhism, and goes hand in hand with Karma. If one cannot repay one's Karma in one lifetime, one must try again in the next.

The thing I respect most about Buddhists is that they don't believe in gods. No magic men in the sky or anything silly like that. Their dieties aren't actually physical beings, but idols which represent different aspects of life and the human soul.
For the sake of the argument, let's assume that everyone accepts the fact that religion is what we make it out to be--i.e. "God" is no more real than we make him out to be. In that respect, Buddhism is the most believeable religion because its teachings and ideas all exist within the mind and body. Rather than portray life through an external being, "God" in a Buddhist sense resides in all life on the planet.
I can't call myself a Buddhist, because I'm not a religious person, but I do follow many Buddhist teachings, and it's probably the only religion that I don't immediately debunk.

quote The5thAvacado

The thing I respect most about Buddhists is that they don't believe in gods. No magic men in the sky or anything silly like that. Their dieties aren't actually physical beings, but idols which represent different aspects of life and the human soul.
For the sake of the argument, let's assume that everyone accepts the fact that religion is what we make it out to be--i.e. "God" is no more real than we make him out to be. In that respect, Buddhism is the most believeable religion because its teachings and ideas all exist within the mind and body. Rather than portray life through an external being, "God" in a Buddhist sense resides in all life on the planet.
I can't call myself a Buddhist, because I'm not a religious person, but I do follow many Buddhist teachings, and it's probably the only religion that I don't immediately debunk.

It dose have supernatural elements to it such as reincarnation which I personally could never belive or accept .