Ask a Buddhist

[Tee Kay]

Here I go. Alea iacta est . . .

Welcome to another one of those famous CFC "Ask A . . ." thread. AFAIK there's no ask a Buddhist thread here, so I take the liberty of creating one. I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability but I'm no means an expert on my religion so if other Buddhists like to join in they're welcome to do so.

Ask away!

 

[agreatguy6]

What exactly are your core beliefs?
I've been thinking of becoming Buddhist for some time now, I just wanted to know what the main idea of your paragraph of life is.

 

[civverguy]

Do you have to wear special clothing?

 

[Mr. Dictator]

What exactly are your core beliefs?
I've been thinking of becoming Buddhist for some time now, I just wanted to know what the main idea of your paragraph of life is.

haha, i've heard that buddhism is the religion that attracts converts, but rarely converts them. not saying you won't become one, but alot of people don't do it. they consider it.

anyways, where do you live? is there a buddhist temple nearby? have you always been one? if not, how hard was the conversion? what is the hardest sacrifice you had to make? are you a vegan/vegetarian buddhist? what school of buddhism are you? what are the differences?

 

[Tee Kay]

What exactly are your core beliefs?
I've been thinking of becoming Buddhist for some time now, I just wanted to know what the main idea of your paragraph of life is.

This is a very broad question. Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha, who attained enlightenment more than 2500 years ago. The basic core of his teachings consist of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Paths:

Four Noble Truths:
1. All life is suffering
2. Suffering stems from desire, ill will to others and our attachment to the world
3. Suffering can be eliminated by eliminating our desires.
4. The way to do this is to follow the Eightfold Path.

Eightfold Path:
1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thought (thought free of ill will, evil and cruelty)
3. Right Speech (to abstain from harsh language, lying, vainity)
4. Right Action (to abstain from killing, stealing, taking intoxicating substances, sexual misconduct)
5. Right Livelihood (to live in a way that will not cause harm to others)
6. Right Effort (self discipline)
7. Right Mindfulness (to rid oneself of "unhealthy" state of mind)
8. Right Concentration (training of the mind to focus, for example through meditation)

There's a lot more to Buddha's teachings. I suggest you do some more independent research before seriously considering converting.

 

[Tee Kay]

Do you have to wear special clothing?

Monks are expected to live simply and this also applies to clothing. Normally they only wear simple robes (usually orange in the Therevada branch). But other people who aren't monks don't have to conform to this rule.

 

[amadeus]

Are you white? If so, why have you chosen Buddhism?

 

[Tee Kay]

anyways, where do you live? is there a buddhist temple nearby? have you always been one? if not, how hard was the conversion? what is the hardest sacrifice you had to make? are you a vegan/vegetarian buddhist? what school of buddhism are you? what are the differences?

Assuming that volley of questions is for me...

I live in Melbourne, Australia. There's a few Buddhist temples here. I was born into the religion but never take an interest in it until recently. I'm not a vegetarian (the Buddha didn't said anything specific against eating meat) and I follow the Therevada school. Therevada is the sect that is mostly followed in South East Asia and Sri Lanka. The other two are Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea) and Tibetan (Tibet, Mongolia). They have different rituals and ceremonies but the dharma (teachings) are more or less the same.

 

[Tee Kay]

Are you white? If so, why have you chosen Buddhism?

No, I'm not.

 

[amadeus]

Ah, because I was wondering if you had converted or were just grandfathered in. It looks like it's the latter.

 

[CaptainF]

1.Are all buddhists pacifists? I remember reading about how some Samurai groups were buddhists...

2.Is it required that you attend a temple (or the buddhist equivalent of a church)?

3.What are buddhist attitudes towards alcohol/drugs?

4.Buddhist attitudes towards sex?

5.Buddhist attitudes towards modern society in general?

 

[Tee Kay]

1.Are all buddhists pacifists? I remember reading about how some Samurai groups were buddhists...

Buddhism is a peaceful religion, that is to say it renounces violence, including violence in war. Killing is clearly prohibited by the first precept. Of course, this does not mean that all Buddhists are pacifist.

2.Is it required that you attend a temple (or the buddhist equivalent of a church)?

It's not a required part of the religion to go to temples. In fact, their main purpose to be a place where monks can reside and study in peace. Buddhists visit temples to "make merit" (the term referring to various ceremonies and rituals), make an offering, listen to sermons, etc. Many temples also serve as the heart of the community where meetings and gatherings take place, and in Buddhist countries they also serve as schools.

3.What are buddhist attitudes towards alcohol/drugs?

Alcohol and drugs are prohibited because it creates unhealthy mind states.

4.Buddhist attitudes towards sex?

This actually varies from sect to sect. In the Therevada tradition for instance discussion about sex is considered taboo, as opposed to some parts of Bhutan where penises are painted on houses. The Buddha preached against sexual misconducts eg cheating on your spouse, rape or engaging in sexual activities that will cause harm to others. Monks are to refrain from sex altogether (at least in the Therevada tradition. In Japan it's a different story).

5.Buddhist attitudes towards modern society in general?

In general, very positive. Buddhism is a very flexible religion. Its teachings can be easily applied to modern society.

 

[amaterasu]

Are there any rituals that go with it?

 

[Mirc]

Did you get mod approval for this thread?

 

[Tee Kay]

Are there any rituals that go with it?

There's a few rituals and ceremonies involved with Buddhism. They're mostly concerned with merit making (which are good deeds which supposed to earn you good karma, such things as offering food to the monks) and "transferring" our merits to the departed and to those who we may have wronged in this or past lives. Rituals varies from sect to sect (eg Therevada rituals aren't the same as Mahayana rituals). For more on rituals, read here.

 

[Tee Kay]

Did you get mod approval for this thread?

Yes, I did. Matter of fact, I asked ainwood...

 

[onejayhawk]

I know a Buddhist, born in the USA, but raised in Thailand. She was stationed in Iraq, and basically took over the task of seeing that the imported workers had representation with the Military. She would run down missing paperwork, get up in the middle of the night to assist them if they had to deal with Military Police, process visa documents and so on. While she found the work personally rewarding, she also talked about a karmic burden. Could you explain?

J

 

[Elrohir]

What exactly is "Enlightenment", or "Nirvana"? If I understand it correctly, it means "to be extinguished" or something along those lines? Why is such a thing desirable? Simply to escape from the cycle of reincarnation? What if I prefer the idea of reincarnation to Nirvana?

 

[Mr. Dictator]

What exactly is "Enlightenment", or "Nirvana"? If I understand it correctly, it means "to be extinguished" or something along those lines? Why is such a thing desirable? Simply to escape from the cycle of reincarnation? What if I prefer the idea of reincarnation to Nirvana?

would you rather move every few days or have a permanent house?

 

[Rossiya]

Are you Buddhist by birth?