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Icelander said:
The Buddha was a genius psychologist who discovered a method for reducing or eliminating suffering. The rest, piled on like a compost pile is religion and mostly bullshit and personally I think he'd be appalled at what goes on in his name. At least I would hope so.

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I agree with this. Research Vipassana meditation, this is the technique that is believed to be the original technique that the Buddha discovered and taught to his disciples over 2500 years ago, and believed to be preserved exactly as it was taught then. Check out Dhamma.org and you will find centers all over the world still teaching the method today in 3 day, 10 day, 20 day, and even 50 day courses... and for free too! though it is fully supported by donations.

Yeah no bullshit. No religious overtones. No fear-mongering. Just pure meditation and guidance through the technique. As well as daily courses touching on the nature of the mind and reality (from the Buddha's perspective of course).

When I was first researching it I came to the conclusion that since it is a free course and has become so widespread, then it is most likely practical and useful. And if not, at least benevolent in nature.

And in my experience, after doing the course myself in Nepal, I can tell you it is all those things and more Much love for the Buddha

Though yes, be careful with what you read about the different schools of Buddhism and what they teach. I took a course on the Lam Rim once, one of the Buddhist texts supposedly presenting the "complete path to enlightenment", as taught by the Buddha. Though over the years there have been several different teachers who have come out with their own versions of it, with contradictory claims and statements and whatnot. For example, one of the differences is that in some schools, they put much more emphasis on the teaching of Karma in order to deter people from acting immorally. Also, keep in mind that at that time Buddhism had grown to be accepted by quite a large number of people, and so certain neighboring countries had selected it as their "national religion." Whereas in essence it is more like a philosophy, or a spiritual guide for living one's life and attaining self-realization.

Yeah I know some Japanese people here that talk about how their parents would make them go to Sunday morning meditation and Puja (prayer) haha. Same as with any other religion.

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HungryHipp07 said:
What is your opinion on Buddhism? It is very spiritual because the goal is to be your true self and maybe even reach enlightenment.

Do you think Buddhism is a typical religion with a bunch of bullshit or does it make actual sense?
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I'd really like to know what you all think.

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there's many different schools and flavours of buddhism - some are more typically "religious" than others

with all schools though, the idea is that buddhism is just a raft to get you to the other shore [nirvana/peace] and once there the raft is to be discarded. so unlike other religions, buddhism (in theory) has this self-destructing mechanism built into it.

this quick talk describes this idea pretty succinctly:

also, like with all things - different people follow/understand buddhism differently. some people make it into more of a typical religion than others, some are very sparse with what aspects they accept of it, etc...

personally i really like buddhism - i feel it's a great path(s) to peace. if you're intersted in learning more, here's a great buddhist forum that covers all the schools of mahayana buddhism: www.dharmawheel.net - and here is a forum dedicated to theravada buddhism: www.dhammawheel.com

as for if it makes sense or is just bullshit, that's up to you to decide for yourself

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usulpsychonaut said:
I'm Buddhist. I don't read any Buddhist books, don't meditate, no fasting or discipline of any kind. I blaspheme the buddha often and my technique for getting happy or mystical is eating cannabis. This pretty much sums up my buddhism. Doing or saying stuff for spirituality is really just feeding shallow vanity.

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HungryHipp07 said:
What is your opinion on Buddhism? It is very spiritual because the goal is to be your true self and maybe even reach enlightenment.

Do you think Buddhism is a typical religion with a bunch of bullshit or does it make actual sense?
;
I'd really like to know what you all think.

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HungryHipp07 said:
i will try Vipassana, im sure there's a center around my place.. what's your thoughts on Enlightnment?

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nicechrisman said:

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HungryHipp07 said:
i will try Vipassana, im sure there's a center around my place.. what's your thoughts on Enlightnment?

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The way that I've come to understand enlightenment is that it isn't something to be chased or found or sought after. The idea is that it is already in you, it's just that your ego gets in the way of realizing it. Like the sun behind the clouds. I think those who chase enlightenment are only creating more desire. Just quiet your mind.

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Aye, it's getting your own mind out of the way to let your own inherent Buddha nature shine through. It can only happen Now, in the moment. Eckart Tolle's stuff is pretty power at getting at this idea.

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HungryHipp07 said:
i will try Vipassana, im sure there's a center around my place.. what's your thoughts on Enlightnment?

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Good for you check the map on dhamma.org and you will probably find a center nearby. You might want to try the 3 day course first unless you feel like you really have what it takes to get through 10 days of meditation. And when I say 10 days of meditation, I mean 10 days of meditation! Literally, you will meditate 10 hours per day, will not be allowed to talk to anybody or make gestures/eye contact, will eat only 2 light vegetarian meals per day, and will only have tea in the evenings, and only water with lemon for old students. It's pretty hardcore.

As for enlightenment? I don't know I wouldn't capitalize it, I'll tell you that much. You don't want to put it on a pedestal. Just do the work and be persistent and you will notice huge changes in your attitude, energy level, and general level of awareness. You will find that through practice it is possible to ride a higher wave, so to speak, a higher frequency of being. As for the highest level? I'm not sure exactly. I imagine it would be something like a continuous state of ecstasy, coupled with supreme peace and self-control, as well as having a deep inner knowledge of the truth in regards to the nature of reality and the spirit. But yeah, for the yogis that have attained enlightenment, I don't think they stay in that state continuously. Unless they choose to become hermits and just absorb into the bliss. No, I think that once you attain that state, you inevitably come down, come back to Earth, and continue on living your life and attempting to fulfill your worldly purpose. As the Zen proverb goes, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."

There are some things I don't understand about Buddhism though. Like the whole "I must attain enlightenment in order to escape from the eternal suffering that is Samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound), and attain everlasting Nirvana (a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and samsara.)" Yeah, I don't know about that. I still don't understand why I would want that exactly. No one can explain that to me. All I know is, I love my life, and I love this planet. And though this world is not perfect, I believe that together we have the power to create a "heaven" out of it. But that's just me I guess...

On the other hand, if you look deeper into Hinduism you will find that they have 2 highest possible goals. One being the same as Buddhism, liberation from rebirth, enlightenment. And the other being Self-realization, or union with God. So yeah, again I'm still trying to figure out for myself why anyone would want enlightenment over union with the divine, if those are the two options for highest attainment. Anyone?

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Memories said:

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usulpsychonaut said:
I'm Buddhist. I don't read any Buddhist books, don't meditate, no fasting or discipline of any kind. I blaspheme the buddha often and my technique for getting happy or mystical is eating cannabis. This pretty much sums up my buddhism. Doing or saying stuff for spirituality is really just feeding shallow vanity.

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So basically, you just call yourself a Buddhist because you think it sounds cool.

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Icelander said:
I have several friends who do the 10 day at least once a year and all seem to have benefited.  They are not in the least enlightened but very relaxed about life in general.

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