Ask a Buddhist anything!

I was raised Christian. I converted to Buddhism about half a year ago, and was atheist for a few years in between.

Yeah, that's Burma. It's not a good scenario over there.

Mahayana.

Do you have a job? Would you like to become a monk one day?

I hope you realize that Buddhism only appears to be deep and profound, and your Buddhism phase only stems from your inability to believe in God while also still desiring a religion to adhere to.

Those who think least are attracted to bullshit like Buddhism and atheism. Those who think most stick with Catholicism, or at least return to it after their edgy adolescence is over.

He probably wasn't predicting the future. You probably just got a kick in the ass by what he said. So good for you, man.

According to the Heart Sutra
>all phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness;
>their true nature is the nature of
>no Birth no Death,
>no Being no Non-being,
>no Defilement no Purity,
>no Increasing no Decreasing.

If there's no purity or impurity, etc., then why vegetarianism?

Could be man

Zen/Chan?

I work at a fast food restaurant. I don't think I would. I think that trying to relive the ways of the Buddha down to the letter, won't help you achieve Nirvana. Times have changed, and so must Buddhism.

Are we talking Buddhism as in "I believe in things like spirits, demons, and the like." or the more New Age "I'm a Buddhist because I meditate a lot."?

>some user gave me generic advice about being "stronger than I can possibly imagine"
>It was a prophecy! No one has ever uttered such wisdom before!

It's actually pretty funny that you were able to guess I was a vegetarian. I do it out of respect, mostly. Since there was a lifetime where the animal may or may not have been close to me, so I do it for that reason.

I believe in Mara, Samsara, Karma, and other supernatural aspects. I think there's a distinction between Buddhism the Philosophy, and Buddhism the Religion.

Are you a vegetarian? Do you fast?

I don't really have a specific sect, but I did convert after reading a Zen book, and I often meditate on Zen koans. So if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it must be Zen.

I am a vegetarian, and I don't fast. I only ever fast out of circumstance, fasting out of conviction is a Jainist thing, mostly.

That's okay. It makes me happy, and it helped me cope with severe OCD, so I don't see an issue.

in the Assu Sutta of the Pali Canon, the Buddha states
>From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration
And
>Long have YOU (repeatedly) experienced the death of a mother
My emphasis.

Whoever Bhuddist often say that there's no true self or doctrine of reincarnation in Buddhism. So how should one interpret these passages?

It's important to note that while there is no 'self', per se, there is something that is common between lifetimes. I like to think about it like a flame. If you light a candle with another candle, and then blow the first candle out, the flame still lives through the second candle. So while there is SOMETHING being moved through bodies, it's probably not sentient, or a self. It has no definable properties.

You can't be fully happy, virtuous, and human outside the Catholic church.

Hate to break it to you, but you're fucked.

Ok, now it's gonna get memey! Have you ever read Stirner? How much do you think he's comparable to Buddhism?

That's alright.

I haven't read Stirner. Though if I remember correctly, he was a nihilist. Right?

What is buddhism view on communism?

Finally, Buddhist claim that the doctrines of non-Self (anatta) and impermanence main tenants of Buddhism. That, according to the Buddha, there is no Self and nohting is permanent.

However, the Mahaparnirvana Sutra says
>Non-Self is Samsara, the Self is the Tathagata
> impermanence is the sravakas
and pratyekabuddhas, the Eternal is the Tathagata’s Dharmakaya

So which one is correct?

Something like that. No one really knows for certain. He said some interesting stuff about the ego tho.

I can't speak for all Buddhists, but I think communism is deeply flawed. If I remember correctly, Buddhists were generally on the capitalist side of the Cold War.

See

It's pretty important to note that there are seperate sects, which all take certain scriptures more heavily than others. But. You can certainly feel a self, at the moment. But when you die and get reborn, you feel a new self. This is also from Mahayana scriptures, so it's talking about Buddha-Nature when it says "The self is the Tathagata". Buddha-Nature is the idea that everyone has the ability to become a Buddha.

I'll check him out. Buddhism sounds a lot like nihilism on paper, so.

Thanks for the answers.

No problem, amigo! If you seriously want to learn more, I'd consider finding people more educated on the scriptures than I am. I'm just a lay person.

How can you still be Buddhist after reading this?

Fabulous attempt at making a coyly stupid statement to get replies, frienderino. I evaluate it highly.

Are you Theravada, Mahayana or Vajrayāna?

Mahayana

Why?

Mahayana feels the best for me. I think Therevada and Vajrayana's goals for a single person to become a Buddha and escape is a bit selfish.

Do you engage a local sangha? Have you taken the vows? Or is this another case of keyboard Buddhism?

I live in rural New England, and the closest Buddhist center is an hour away by car. But, I have taken the vows.

>taking meme vows

Why would anyone ever do this?

Would you lead a genocide of muslims in myanmar?