What does it mean to be Buddhist?

[Kyonin]

Hi Sean,

For me to be a Buddhist means to take refuge in the Triple Jewel and take the dharma as a framework to lead my life in order to be of service to others.

The more I learn and practice, the more sense it all makes.

And then I forget about it all and just sit and marvel in the fine complexity of the universe I form part of.

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Amelia]

Thank you, everyone. I don't know what I could add...

Gassho, sat today

[Sekishi]

Thank you all for your wise words, I think there is much wisdom here.

One point I would add, which I know sounds like corny semantics, but rings true for me: I am not a Buddhist, I practice the Buddha-way.

At the level of the absolute, I hear tell that there is no "I" apart from everything else (so there is nobody to stick the label "Buddhist" on anyway). But I find that even at the level of the relative (where we spend our work-a-day lives) Buddhist practice is a "doing", not a "being".

Of course I sometimes wonder about reincarnation, hungry ghosts, Buddha-nature, etc. Are they literal truth? Do I need to adopt some or all of these views to be a "real Buddhist"? If so, how many? If I throw them all out, is it Sekishiism?

I don't know. I sit. I try my best to live by the precepts (IMPOSSIBLE!), transform all delusion and save all beings (IMPOSSIBLE?).

I try to put down "being", and take up "doing" (which sometimes includes "doing nothing" in Shikantaza!).

But I do not know anything, so take that with some big crunchy grains of Kosher rock salt.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sattoday

[Ishin]

This has been a lovely thread and I enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Halfway through I thought I had really nothing to add other than thank you, but there there is an urge to add something here.

Part of my lack of participation here lately has been a bit of an internal struggle with seeing myself as a "Buddhist" versus something entirely different. I personally have experienced things that many would consider "supernatural" and you could say of course that I didn't, or I have misinterpreted "reality" for my own delusion. Of course when my experiences reflect that which others in different cultures write about, or when I experience them together with other people, then the argument that I am self deluded begins to dissolve. However, this thread has really helped me see that it doesn't really matter, none of those things matter to the practice of being "buddhist". Whether one believes in re-incarnation, spirits, clairvoyance, and other kinds of phenomena really has no bearing on the actual practice and point of buddhist practice. Unless of course, inviting other worldly beings to sit also, suits your fancy. There really is so much more to live up to in the day to day practice of trying to be a GOOD buddhist.

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today

[Kaishin]

I don't want to get stuck on -isms. Just sit, do the best I can, be kind. I don't care about being a "proper Buddhist." Siddharta Gotama was no Buddhist.

-satToday

[Kakunen]

Live as a bodhisattva.

I can not be Buddha.Buddhism is not only religion but olso　physics.

Buddha realized such a truth in Zazen under tree.

I have a experience that I sit Christianity people together.
They can not sit only one minute.I feel that they are too much thinking about something.
I feel that we can not enough to thinking of something like love.

So I live as a bodhisattva,sit,pray,live,learn,make mistake,regret ,and just sit.

This is my opinion at right now,because we are at emptiness.

Gassho.合掌

Please forgive me if I am at miss-understanding.
I am English beginner

[Kyonin]

This is my opinion at right now,because we are at emptiness.

Yes! This is what I think too. But there is chaos we try to end with external things.

The dharma is felt in the deep silence of zazen.

Gassho,

Kyonin
#SatToday

[Kakunen]

We are the knowledge.And Our being is still perfect.

Do not learn! about Buddhism.
This is the one important truth on our Sanga.

My foolish brain is almost broken in my desire.
This is the one of truth,I think

合掌

[PlatosGhost]

Another tremendous thread. I am very grateful for everyone’s thoughts.

It would be unreasonable to try to write out everything I am thinking, so just a few comments.

The question I had arose directly from conversation I had with a prominent Tibetan Buddhist nun. She was quiet critical of picking and choosing aspects of Buddhism. Because of her position within Buddhism, I took her concerns very seriously. (And so I should have) However, some of the notes in this thread remind me that nuns and priests are people too. They may have received transmission of the dharma, and be experts and leaders in their field, and yet still have very different opinions about what particular teachings mean, or what it means to be a Buddhist.

The answer I am getting through your notes seems to rest in living the teachings. I had a sense of this all along (funny how that happens) I can err on the side of kindness and compassion, recognize that purity at the core of others, etc., But I can’t live the esoteric stuff anyway - so it does not matter whether I believe those things, accept them as metaphor, or treat them as remnants of another time and place. The way one lives, in accordance with the core tenants, is the most important part.

The same, I think, goes for any faith tradition. What does it mean to be a Christian? A Muslim? A Jew? So many people show up on church every Sunday, check a particular denomination on census surveys, and don’t come close to living in accordance with the core teachings of their faith. But to quote another bodhisattva, forgive them fore they know not what they do.

Thank you, deeply, to everyone. I don’t think I’ll be done asking this question for a long time.

Sean
SatToday

[Byrne]

I hear you Sean. I had a pretty unusual religious upbringing that had me asking those very questions a long time ago. My mom is a devout Catholic and my Dad is a devout atheist. This has never been an issue in my family. I had three great aunts who all lived together unmarried and went by their non-Christian names (Pixie, Mimi, and Boo) and claimed to be a witch coven. More of a bibbity bobbity boo kinda witches, and for all I know they just made that up rather than a formal practice. Real neat to grow up with as a kid, though I've wondered as an adult if this was their way of dealing with "alternative" lifestyles that weren't so acceptable from their time and place. When I was 6 and in Sunday school the subject of Hell came up and I was a little concerned for my Dad. I asked my Mom if Pop would be okay when he died and she said, "Why wouldn't he be? He's a good person." My sense of spirituality has always been rooted in actions rather than belief. I suppose it's easier to be a Christian or a Jew than a Buddhist because Buddhism requires one to do something rather than just identify as one and maintain faith. I've long held faith in Buddhist teaching, but until I started regular practice I wouldn't say I was a Buddhist at all.

Gassho

Sat Today

[Rich]

What you do is most important.

SAT today

[Tb]

What you do is most important.

SAT today

Hi.

Hi.

Yes, in my humble opinion, ACTION is what its about.
And not just what you do.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Joyo]

And not just what you do.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

[Jika]

Called upon his name.

Thank you for your vigilance in all actions.
Deep bows,
Danny
#sattoday