Should I become a buddhist? Are you a buddhist?

If he does not answer on this thread, you may want to PM @harp, who is a practicing Buddhist.

I learned to practice Buddhism, while the teacher never used the words “Buddha” or “Buddhism”.

I’ve grown much for the better for it, and I don’t ascribe labels to the thought or the practice, which makes things easier because people are so tied up in labels.

I read a lot about buddhism about 15 years ago or so, and then i thought of becoming a buddhist too (does one “become” a buddhist?).
But when i thought about what i can no longer do (smoking, drinking, sex) i chose not to.
Drinking and smoking i might have been able to quit, but not the sex.
Btw, (since i can not recollect the things i read) is that right what i thought?
About the no drink/smoke/sex?

@rebbel I think that even buddhist ideas change and you can be “more or less” buddhist. I read somewhere that drinking is okay as long you can control yourself. And sex is ok as long as you respect it. I mean there are different levels of it, as in christianity. You can still call youself a christian and sleep with your neighbour’s wife…

you should become whatever you want to.

@jazzjeppe Not sure what kind of Christians you know but they are certainly not Christian-like if they are sleeping with their neighbor’s wives. That’s like a buddhist randomly stabbing someone. Yeah.. he could go ahead and call himself a buddhist afterward but… seriously.. lol

I am Buddhist and been Buddhist for the past 21 years of my life…....I truly agree with everything that Buddhism teaches and try to follow everyone of it ( I failed). I just hate the ignorant Buddhist that believes that there is a Buddha watching over us and will strike us when we sin and if we pray to Buddha everyday our wishes will comes true; Buddhism is a teaching that allows you to live life peacefully.

Im totaly against any religion, just be non religious and believe in yourself, trust me I’ve considered Buddhism too, but with religion comes ignorance, so be non religious and analyze other religions so you can use their beliefs and ignorance against them

If Buddhism works for you, go with it. There’s good advice in the 8-fold path.

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

I am not Buddhist, but I have been influenced by Buddhist teachings. It sounds like you are interested, but are looking for a nudge so…

nudge

Why not try it out for a while?

@phoenyx is right. I was taught the Right ways, but never with insistence or labels. In years, I discovered I was learning the Eastern ways. Be nudged. Learn that it’s “nothing special”, but the best “nothing special” there is.

I consider myself a Buddhist, yes. Zen Buddhist. I didn’t have to join anything, sign anything, or perform anything.

Take a look at one or more of these books:

What the Buddha Taught, by Walpola Rahula
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki
Nothing Special: Living Zen, by Charlotte Joko Beck
The Way of Zen, by Alan Watts

and see if they strike a chord with you. Also recommended: the writings of D.T. Suzuki, John Daido Loori, and John Kabat Zinn, just for starters. There are many excellent authors in this practice.

Without doing anything formally to become a Buddhist, you can try joining a sitting group or practicing at a zendo and see if that’s what you’re looking for. You don’t even have to give up your religion: I’ve known Jewish Buddhists, Protestand Buddhists, atheist Buddhists, and one Buddhist monk who’d been (and still was) a Jesuit brother for 50 years.

You don’t “choose to be a Buddhist”. You either are, or you are not.

The closest thing is a refuge ceremony, which is more of a cultural event (in Theravada and some other traditions), and a religious event in some Mahayana traditions (including the Tibetan), since the latter tend to believe Refuge has all kinds of karmic positive mojo stuff associated with it.

I would read “What Makes You Not a Buddhist”. It is very short and easy to read, as well as modern. It will help you answer these questions for yourself.

I am not Buddhist, not a lot of people I know are Buddhist…
as I understand it, Tibetan Buddhists listen to the Dalai Lama
and I really don’t like some of his ideas
so that’s out for me

@Simone_De_Beauvoir, Tibetan is one flavor of Buddhism. Zen is another, and Zen comes in two main branches. Korean has its own tradition. And the Western practice of Buddhism is very different from the traditions of those who regard Buddhism as a religion and go the the temple as others would go to church. So it is as hard to speak about Buddhists with a single assertion as it is to talk about Christians, and it would certainly be inappropriate to regard all Christians as under the influence of the Pope. Even the core beliefs may not be understood alike.

@Jeruba oh I know I know all of that..that’s why I only mentioned Tibetan Buddhism in my answer…in that Tibetan Buddhism is out for me for that specific reason

@Simone_De_Beauvoir, I’d be interested to know which of his teachings you find unacceptable. Even though I don’t follow the Tibetan tradition or subscribe to its preoccupation with death, I would find it hard to take exception to the words of the Dalai Lama.

@Jeruba Well aside from me not accepting any particular person that is a ‘religious leader’, his views on homosexuality leave something to be desired…this, of course, has a lot to do with the culture of the Lama but still

@Jeruba oh and of course the usual
http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/sexism.htm

@Simone_De_Beauvoir, I see. Well, I have never seen any sign at all that it is practiced that way in the West. Men and women are ordained, men and women are teachers, men and women are abbots. Perhaps others who have gone deeper into practice than I and even lived in resident communities would have another view.

I consider the Dalai Lama a wise teacher, one among many wise teachers, some of whom are associated with Buddhism and some of whom are not. There is much to be learned from any of them, whether or not I agree with them. In fact, agreeing with me is not part of my definition of wisdom. If all they knew is what I know, they wouldn’t have much to teach me.

@Jeruba Sure there is plenty to be learned from religion and people needing it and needing to seek it for wisdom, that’s for sure…and I am glad you have never felt it be a sexist practice, that’s really good news

(I am also a committed atheist. I don’t learn much from religion, having overdosed early, but I do learn a lot from philosophy and from the wisdom teachings of the great traditions.)

Kalama Sutta excerpt: ‘Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, “The monk is our teacher.” When you yourselves know: “These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,” abandon them.’
‘When you yourselves know: ‘These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,’ enter on and abide in them.’

Buddhas(Awakened beings) point to truth (Dhamma). Truth is there even without Buddhas. Many are Buddhist without the label. A Buddhist is not necessarily a Buddhist.
There are many great exercises in the texts and many sincere practitioners.
No single teaching is expected to work for everyone at the same time.