Happy Vesak (Buddha Day)

I like to think of Buddha as a short, fat, green guy that smiles when I rub his naked belly

 

My wife fasts sometimes to refocus herself, usually a day or a little more. She feels like it helps clear her mind

 

That is NYY on St. Patrick's Day.

 

I didn't bump this thread on Vesak this year, but will place this wonderful teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh that was sent to me yesterday:

 

Do you identify more with Thervada, Mahayana, or Tibetan Buddhism?

 

Stranger Buddhism. You make the left hand fall asleep.

 

I'm already left-handed, so clearly I am pretty close to full enlightenment.

 

Probably a mix of all three, but more aligned with the ideals of Mahayana and the Bodhisattva path, particularly the Interbeing ideas of Thich Nhat Hanh.

 

Closer to my team, too.

 

Oh geez, you sound like my wife.

 

So you’re like the Buddhist Jehovah’s Witnesses?

 

I'll be honest I know nothing of the Jehovah's witnesses other than the magazine they hand out.

 

Bump so Smiff can ask questions if he so chooses

 

I'd love an ELI5 of Buddhism and what it is that drew you to it.

 

Sure, would be happy to do so.

I first learned of Buddhism in my Religious Studies class at UT (the single greatest class I ever took, and would recommend it to all students), and it just hit me because of the following:

1) It has the simple premise (the Four Noble Truths) that suffering exists in the world (poor translation, as in english we see "suffering" and think pain and starvation, when in reality it encompasses that, but more. It is more like dissatisfaction). And the Buddha claims to have found a way to end this suffering via the the Noble Eightfold Path (you will see a LOT of lists and numbers in Buddhism). This appealed to me because I could see the suffering in my life as well as the lives of my friends and loved ones. And ending it piqued my interest.

2) It promised that it could make these changes happen today, in this life, and not some un-seeable life after this one.

3) The Buddha said do not take anything he says as True simply because he says it, or some other guru says it. Test it, examine it, and find out for yourself. Do not fall prey to dogma.

4) It is a non-theistic religion. It doesn't say that God or gods do not exist, simply that they are not truly important, as the gods suffer from dukkha (suffering) just the same as we humans do.

5) The Buddha never claimed to be a god, but was a human, just like you and me, and if he could do it, so could we.

6) It is up to YOU. No outside agency can cause your Awakening, only yourself with the help of the Buddha, the Dharma (the teachings) and the Sangha (those that practice with you, like the congregation in a church). But it ultimately up to YOU.

But what *really* got me into it, was that I was suffering madly 13 years ago, and I was at my wits end. I was angry at my children, angry at my life, angry at everything. And something had to change. And I remembered how fascinated i was with Buddhism in college. As serendipity would have it my wife was in a therapy group that used DBM which is based on a secular version of Buddhist meditations and mindfulness. She then started going to the local Tibetan Buddhism center and I started going with her. Then we went to see Thich Nhat Hanh in Washington DC, and that changed my life. He was such a gentle and wise man that just being one of hundreds in a room with him was, frankly, beautiful.

And after years of being in a group, I finally found a Teacher in John Blackburn here in Knoxville, and a Sangha to call my own, about five years ago.

That is it in a quick and dirty nutshell. If you have further questions, please feel free to ask, or even debate me on them. It is strongly encouraged and required in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to have "dharma battles" where two people duke it out about the Dharma.

 

So [ddiapos] drove you to Buddhism

 

Yes, and Lyle cemented it.

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Thank you for asking.

 

How’s that no suffering in life going