I was engaged in the process of filling out a government census form and was moving along nicely until I reached the blank box marked religion.I hesitated at this point and the intention to insert the term Buddhist into the box was put aside as something seemed amiss.Was I a Buddhist because I thought I was, or said I was ,or wrote in a box that I was?
In a back room is a small shrine complete with a figure of Buddha and a bowl for incense and a few rows of books on Zen.On the floor is a zabuton and zafu.These items tend to lend support to the view that I am indeed a Buddhist of the Zen persuasion.But I had to admit that I sat alone with no contact with any Buddhist center in Australia and after twenty years of up and down Zen,still had not taken the precepts.So perhaps I was only part Buddhist or merely practiced as a hobby.I pondered on this for a week or so and some stuff seems clearer but it looks like a work in progress.I think the answers to the Buddhist or not question may hinge on how I have invited Buddhism,particularly the paramitas,to inform my life and in turn how I engage with the world.I would invite your thought if this topic interests you
Two Palms Together
Malcolm