Re: The Hesitant Buddhist
Quote:
Originally Posted by malcolm
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
Dear Malcolm,
Some years ago I heard the story of Thich Nhat Hanh being accosted by a stranger at a street corner. "Are you a Buddhist?" asked the stranger. "No," replied Thich Nhat Hanh.
That story may be apocryphal, but if true, it would be consistent with Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings and, I think, with Buddhist teachings generally. To call oneself a Buddhist is to construct an image of oneself. And to the extent that you become attached to that image, it may lead you to ignore or deny certain aspects of your experience, such as envy or anger. It may also put a kind of icon in your line of sight, blocking your perceptions of things as they are. I think that's why Linji advised us to "kill the Buddha," should we meet him on the road.
A while back, one of my colleagues, a sassy young dance instructor, introduced me to her students as a "Zen dude." To clarify matters, I explained that I was a "Buddhist practitioner." That seemed to help, insofar as it put attention where it belongs, which is on the practice itself and not on an alien faith or an arcane system of beliefs. When the question has come up on other occasions, I have found it useful to address it in that way.
Gassho,
Ben
Re: The Hesitant Buddhist
Hi Again Malcolm (if I may put that label on you temporarily ... it is just another mask and label too) ..
Boy, so many lovely, wise responses on this thread! What a bunch of complimentary characters we are, who stumbled upon each other here in this Sangha (I am a bit biased, but it is true).
Quote:
Originally Posted by malcolm
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
I would say that, if you are living, as you can, so as not to do harm, and sitting Zazen ... learning from Buddhist perspectives and teachings to guide you in that ... then it does not matter what you call yourself. On the other hand, if you call yourself "Buddhist" but are not living your life in such way ... well, that may be a problem.
Someone once asked me the best way to teach friends and family about one's Buddhist beliefs. I said not to try.
Instead, if you live your life as a good friend/son/husband, honest and caring ... and when the folks around you see the balance and stillness that manifests within you spontaneously while the rest of the world is going all to extremes ... that will be more than enough. My own mother (who at first was not so crazy about my interest in Buddhism) took to practicing herself late in life, in her sick bed, as she said she had seen the changes it had made for me.
So, don't worry about the name. Just be a truly "human" human being. I think.
Gassho, J
Re: The Hesitant Buddhist
Hey Jundo,
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jundo
I would say that, if you are living, as you can, so as not to do harm, and sitting Zazen ... learning from Buddhist perspectives and teachings to guide you in that ... then it does not matter what you call yourself. On the other hand, if you call yourself "Buddhist" but are not living your life in such way ... well, that may be a problem.
Someone once asked me the best way to teach friends and family about one's Buddhist beliefs. I said not to try.
Instead, if you live your life as a good friend/son/husband, honest and caring ... and when the folks around you see the balance and stillness that manifests within you spontaneously while the rest of the world is going all to extremes ... that will be more than enough. My own mother (who at first was not so crazy about my interest in Buddhism) took to practicing herself late in life, in her sick bed, as she said she had seen the changes it had made for me.
So, don't worry about the name. Just be a truly "human" human being. I think.
Gassho, J
Thank you. This is beautiful. I actually teared-up a bit while reading this. I'm such an emotional slob. But what should I expect with a background in drama and the fact that I work with 5 and 6-year-olds? :roll:
Gassho,
Keith