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Thread: A Non-practicing Buddhist !! - dhamma musings blog post

  1. #1

    A Non-practicing Buddhist !! - dhamma musings blog post

    http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/2013/1...-buddhist.html

    Still munching on it.

    You either practice or genuinely try to practice the Dhamma and accept its main philosophical propositions or you do not. If you do you are a Buddhist, and if you do not you are not. You can be a former Buddhist, you can be a bad Buddhist (a far from endangered species) but you cannot be a non-practicing Buddhist.

  2. #2
    Interesting.

    Perhaps a non practicing Buddhist is someone who likes Buddhism, but violates all the precepts?

    What is a Buddhist anyway?
    Hondō Kyōnin
    奔道 協忍

  3. #3
    Well, as a non-practicing billionaire. . .living the Dharma precludes definition.


    Gassho,
    Edward
    "Recognize suffering, remove suffering." - Shakyamuni Buddha when asked, "Uhm . . .what?"

  4. #4
    Hello,

    IMHO I guess the question is, are you practising to open yourself and to serve truth, or are you trying to conform to an idea what it means to be a Buddhist (the two are not mutually exclusive...but some people just love the Buddhist bling)?

    Gassho,

    Hans Chudo Mongen

  5. #5
    Hi there,

    This is just another "game of definitions"...
    AFAIK you are officially a Buddhist after Jukai - but is that so? IMHO just taking Jukai doesn't make you a Buddhist, and on the other hand you can be a Buddhist without taking Jukai!

    However, I think many people see Buddhism as a kind of philosophy.
    So someone who shares Buddhist philosophic views (and/or even took Jukai), but does not meditate, live/breathe Buddhism or perform any Buddhist rituals, might call themselves a "non-practicing Buddhist".

    Most people in a Sangha, however, see Buddhism as a practice (I see it as such). And for these folks the term "non-practicing Buddhist" does not make sense.

    Who decides what definition is right? I know someone who considers herself a Buddhist, but the only thing she does is putting loads of Buddha statues around her flat/appartment, using Buddha wallpapers on her smartphone and read some quotes from the Dalai Lama she comes across on the internet. However, in her daily life she behaves pretty much according to the "eye-for-an-eye principle" or the "fight-fire-with-fire principle".

    What is Buddhism? Let's face it, just another word and category to get rid of. Just another concept people can fight over. I prefer to call it a finger pointing at the moon.

    If you meet the Buddha on the road -
    move on...

    Gassho,

    Timo
    no thing needs to be added

  6. #6
    A friend of mine professes to like Soto Zen but not so much that she actually meditates. Like others, I am not sure it is terribly helpful to worry about definitions, though.

    A teacher once told me not to worry about anyone else's practice and just concentrate on mine. Unless I am specifically asked about something, I find this to be good advice.

    Gassho
    Andy

  7. #7
    Let those without sin cast the first koan.

    As we all have Buddha nature, I would say those who are actively participating in trying to awaken that nature are Buddhists. The key point being active, Buddhism as a verb not a noun. It might not be meditation. But if there is any sincere effort I would say that qualifies, even if one is not aware they are defined as "Buddhist".

    By the way I am way less Buddhist than thou. ( Buddhist bragging)

    Last edited by Ishin; 10-03-2013 at 03:01 PM.

  8. #8
    Joyo
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Clark View Post
    Let those without sin cast the first koan.

    By the way I am way less Buddhist than thou. ( Buddhist bragging)

    Ok, I am laughing so hard right now!!! Only a Buddhist (whatever the heck that means, more in a bit) who was a former Christian can really appreciate what you are saying lol!!!!!

    As for what a Buddhist is, to me, a Buddhist is a verb, not a noun. And that has such a different meaning in Buddhist terms than it does in Christianity, as we are studying in our precepts right now. I identify myself as a Buddhist to those around me who understand what that means. To others, well, I've sheepishly said "I'm Buddhist" not really feeling comfortable in my own skin when I say that. Why is that? Because, to me, only another Buddhist really understands what a Buddhist is--not in a high and mighty exclusive club way---but there is this understanding that it's not a religion, and yet it is a religion, it's non-spiritual (no anthropomorphic god) and yet it is spiritual. It's emptiness, and yet so full of information and knowledge. I could go on and on here, but I think you all will understand what I mean


    Treena

  9. #9

  10. #10
    Yes, labels are not important.

    Some folks in Asia may be "culturally Buddhist" from their family and traditions, but not believe or practice it much.

    Some folks might chant the name of Amida or the Lotus Sutra, but not meditate. Some might meditate.

    I do feel that Zen Practice takes Practice ... that one must Practice sitting on a Zafu (and bringing the Teachings and Precepts to life in life), not merely in an armchair.

    I recently read a book by a Tibetan Teacher called "What Makes You --Not-- a Buddhist", by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse. I am not going to recommend the book to people, cause much of the book did not really ring my bell. However, he makes the point that to be a "Buddhist" one must basically believe in four classic fundamental views (known in Buddhism as the "Four Seals"). I agree with him, as do most Buddhist Teachers I know of all stripes. Here they are (I borrow different wording than he used) ...

    1 - All Compounded Things are Impermanent

    2 - All stained emotions (driven by greed, anger, ignorance) lead to suffering.

    3 - All Phenomena are Empty; They Are Without Inherent Existence

    4 - Nirvana is Peace.

    Basically, most all Buddhists I know, of all flavors, agree on these views (although we differ on how to express these, and how to realize such Truths too). More on the "Four Seals" here:

    http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbu.../fourseals.htm

    An excerpt from the book by Khyentse Rinpoche ...

    http://khyentsefoundation.org/pdf/WMYNAB-shambhala.pdf

    Gassho, J
    Last edited by Jundo; 10-03-2013 at 05:03 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  11. #11
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by John C. View Post
    I am a non-practicing hippie.
    Nice one John ... Me too ... I don't have the hair for it.

    Gassho
    Shingen

  12. #12
    Jundo, forgive me for introducing this information below, as it is not directly related to Zen, but from Advaita teacher, Robert Adams (he was a Zen proponent for the purity in direct practice).

    ChicanoBudista, your questions immediately brought this story Robert shared at one of his satsangs to mind:

    There was once a girl who was born into a house of prostitution. And across the
    street in front of the market place there was a preacher, a holy man. He used to exclaim the
    virtues of God and talk about the house of prostitution. How it was filled with sinners and
    he told people to repent.

    Yet the girl who grew up in the house of prostitution was twenty-three years old.
    She used to look out the window everyday and cry to herself and she would say, "How I
    wish I was like that Holy man, how I wish I was spiritual," and she would imagine in her
    mind that she was a holy person and yet go on with her work.

    Now they both got old and died and went to St. Peter to go into heaven. St. Peter
    told the man, "You can't come in you've got to go to hell," and he told the girl, "you can
    come in." So the Holy man became dumbfounded and said, "Why? For all these years I've
    proclaimed your goodness and your virtues. I told people to repent. How can you let her
    in when she was a prostitute and leave me out?"

    And St Peter said, "You've been a hypocrite. You were very worthy and talked a
    lot and said nothing. In your heart you thought every body was a sinner but you. Whereas
    the girl in her imagination, in her feelings, always was thinking of God. So she can come
    in, you can't."

    The point is this: It's not what you say. It's not what you proclaim. It's what's deep,
    deep, deep in your heart that determines what happens to you. It's not reading books, it's
    not studying, it's not going to classes. It's sitting by yourself, becoming quiet, going deeper
    and deeper within yourself. Transcending your mind and your body until something hap-
    pens.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Shingen View Post
    Nice one John ... Me too ... I don't have the hair for it.

    Gassho
    Shingen

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by sittingzen View Post
    The point is this: It's not what you say. It's not what you proclaim. It's what's deep,
    deep, deep in your heart that determines what happens to you. It's not reading books, it's
    not studying, it's not going to classes. It's sitting by yourself, becoming quiet, going deeper
    and deeper within yourself. Transcending your mind and your body until something hap-
    pens.
    This is True, as True as True can be.

    But there are also some basic Buddhist Teachings, Precepts and Practices (hand in hand with Zazen) without which this Way turns into misguided mush. Sitting Zazen without those is a bit like trying to fly a plane with no experience in flight school or knowledge of basic aerodynamics!

    Even the "Way Beyond Words & Letters" Zen Guys of old who burned their Sutra Books knew what was in them before they burned 'em. (They just knew how not to get hung up in the "chicken and egg, angels on the head of a pin" excesses of the philosophy in the books).

    Zen has never been about "just sitting alone" even as we "Just Sit" ... and there have always been countless Teachings and Practices hand in hand with "Just Sitting". Just ask old Dogen, for example, who ... although "Mr. Shikantaza" ... was a walking encyclopedia of traditional Teachings (including the Four Seals) and Practices, and wrote page after page on the Proper Practices of Cooking, Bathing, using the Toilet, Eating, Kesa wearing and many more. Same for Hakuin, Hui-Neng, about any Zen guy I can name.

    Gassho, J
    Last edited by Jundo; 10-03-2013 at 05:59 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  15. #15

  16. #16
    Thank you.


    Gassho,
    Edward
    "Recognize suffering, remove suffering." - Shakyamuni Buddha when asked, "Uhm . . .what?"

  17. #17
    I like this musing! Buddhism, to me, has always been a more experiential thing, especially Zen. Perhaps a non practicing Buddhist is one who just know of the technical side of Buddhism but doesn't meditate.

    A scholarly Buddhist.

    Gassho,
    Alex

  18. #18
    To me the central point of his argument is:

    To me this makes no more sense than it would be to describe oneself as a non-practicing athlete. “I have never competed in any athletics, I do not have an athlete’s build and I have no interest in or knowledge of athletes, so I’m a non-practicing athlete.” An athlete is legitimately and properly called such by his or her doing of athletics. And equally it makes no sense to describe oneself as a non-practicing Buddhist.
    There are folks that identify to a label, but yet don't "practice".

  19. #19
    Joyo
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by John C. View Post
    I am a non-practicing hippie.
    Like, peace out dude!!


    Treena

  20. #20
    Interesting links in this groovy thread.
    Gassho
    Jakuden
    SatToday


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  21. #21
    Joyo
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    I am a non-practicing hippie.
    I am a non-practicing vegan cuz I ate ice cream last weekend.

    Gassho,
    Joyo
    sat today

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Joyo View Post
    I am a non-practicing vegan cuz I ate ice cream last weekend.

    Gassho,
    Joyo
    sat today
    If practice makes perfect I would say you are a practicing vegan.

    Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

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