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Clarifications of my beliefs

U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I was thinking of not coming back for awhile or just chat in the open forums and stay from the DIRs. I am very appreciative that I can express my faiths in the DIRs that are appropriate to me. However, Im getting the impression again there are a few according to RF I dont belong to.

These are the only two DIRs that I personally belong to (according to my faith but RF is different)

:mapleleaf:I am a Buddha, point blank. I practice with Mehayana Buddhist from the Nichiren Diashonin school. I do not separate this as my "religion" because I believe we All have Buddha natures. We all possess the Buddha wisdom. I believe this as a philosophy inherit in ourselves. (Thats like asking me to practicing being myself)

I am not a native nor initiated Buddhist; Buddhism is not my "religion"; I dont grow in it. Its just common sense. I have no native practices. I just share a lot with other Buddhist and Hindu. If my presence in Buddbist DIR is wront, let me know.

:mapleleaf:I hate the word; and, I am a neopagan point blank. I have always been, am, and always will be. I have never converted. I never "started practicing" as in Buddhism. It is not a fad. It is how I live. How we are should live-with the earth. That is our natural cycle. There is nothing special in this.

I am not polytheistic. I am not theistic. I believe in no god/s.
I am not a modern pagan practitioner. I do not believe in astrology, etc

I am strictly a pagan/witch practitioner with all holistic means of revering the earth, livingn with the cycles, and so be. It is not a religion. It is a way of life.

I am a folk practitioner. I am purely holistic. I practice magic. The closest means of worship in additiom to the earth is my literal (not abstract) ancestora. My literal deceased family (with whom Im greiving this month. So Im not in my right state of mind) They have helped me. They have talked to me. They help me build bonds with my living family. The pentacle on my finger and on my mothers finger are bridges to our connectionz to the spirits. Long story. But if you dont believe me, then thats okay.

I am not a pagan who believes in mythological gods and goddesses. Close is I ca the Earth she given earth takes care of us. Just convinence.

I am not a pagan as polytheisitic. All the spirits I believe are that live around me, that know me, or that live with me. If these spirits are gods, then I contradict myself. If not, so be it.

I am not reconztructing faiths before abrahamic period. I know no faith or belief system to even adapt my life to. I know no Greek and no Roman. I am inspired as to how individuals find ways to make mythology into their religion. It iz not wrong. I just find it amazing.

The only reason I am pagan is because I believe and practice native traditionz that existed before abrahamic day. For what I do I would be hung.

The word paganism for my point of view is not a good word for me. I live near a Catholic Church were they literally put down pagans (non believers), ruin their buisnesses, crucify people with words.

I dont like the word.

If that makes me not suited for neopagan DIR let me know.

:mapleleaf: I am not eclectic. In many countries (down south us my fam included) we have a main religion (most my fam christian) and we have some folk practices not specically in our main religion. Its not praying to Jesus on Sunday and Buddha on Wednesday. Itz not practicing full moon ritual on new moon but then puting down pagans in church for demonic rituals on another day. No. Its I said in one post. Eating Cheerioz ans thanking the Sun are not separate. Being. Medium with my family is no different than my seei g other fam on thanksgiving.

I find it disrespectful to pick and choose religions we want to practice. Thats like my putin a hand made Eucharist side by side with a self consecrates candle. The beliefs are not together. No one consecreates anything in the christian faith but God. I have high opinions of eclecticism NOT of the people who do so.

I have other interest but fellowship with like minded people. No one lnows amything about Nichiren Buddhism here. I get questioned about my paganism here. Ill stay from DIRs
 
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Laika

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I feel the same way about the DIRs. Whilst being an Atheist, I share very little in common with other Atheists and Agnostics on the forum. On my more radical moments I belong with the Atheistic Left-Hand Paths because of Materialism (and some social darwinist influence). its tough because you feel part of RF but don't "fit in" anywhere.

Anyways, Best of luck with your journey Carlita. Its not the label that's important- its what you do with it. :)
 
Rick O'Shez

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
Carlita said:
I have other interest but fellowship with like minded people. No one lnows amything about Nichiren Buddhism here. I get questioned about my paganism here. Ill stay from DIRs
Click to expand...

I don't think you're unusual if you don't fit neatly into particular boxes. But there is no need to fit into boxes, or use labels, or have particular beliefs. By the way I do know a little about Nichiren Buddhism as I went to a couple of ISG meetings years ago - not my cup of tea but they seemed sincere.
 
Sees

Sees

Dragonslayer
Thanks for expressing this :)

:hugehug:


One of the things on the RF plate is how we might deal with people who fit just as much in one DIR as another...such a complicated thing altogether.

Primarily because we are all unique - our definitions/interpretations and approach to religion, religiosity, orthodoxy, orthopraxy, etc. are all unique. It's very hard to order and orchestrate a place like this and to utilize the DIR concept as best as possible without alienating or frustrating members.
 
Rick O'Shez

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
Sees said:
One of the things on the RF plate is how we might deal with people who fit just as much in one DIR as another...such a complicated thing altogether.
Click to expand...

I don't think it needs to be. I see DIRs primarily as learning environments which anyone is free to visit if they are interested.
 
Laika

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Aupmanyav said:
I think it is not necessary to fit in a label to be part of RF (like Spiny said).
Click to expand...

As this is Carlita's Journal, I'll keep it brief, ;) but basically it is "hard" for some more than others. Often those who doesn't subscribe to a label do share similar values such as individualism which are sort of invisible to most people precisely because they are shared. General loneliness offline doesn't help, but coming from less common belief systems (often which face a fair amount of ridicule based on misconceptions/sterotypes) means that when you value a label that others may use as a term of abuse, it can be tricky not to take it personally. working a system of beliefs out for yourself is even harder because people can't associate it with anything. In both cases, conversations get a little more difficult as when you aren't using the same set of values, certian things can get "lost in translation" and mis-understood due to the difference in cultural/religious background. Often its little things that show the gap but its almost always unintentional. its sort of "there" and lingers so there is a price to "going it alone" and experiment but RF is easily one of the best places to do it on the internet because of how tolerant people are.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Spiny Norman said:
I don't think you're unusual if you don't fit neatly into particular boxes. But there is no need to fit into boxes, or use labels, or have particular beliefs. By the way I do know a little about Nichiren Buddhism as I went to a couple of ISG meetings years ago - not my cup of tea but they seemed sincere.
Click to expand...
Tha m you. Yeahs. I chant with them as friends but its a solitary practice. I dont mesh with thr Ikeda focus and purpose of the organzation. I do with the sutras, and what Nichire. Tauhtbabout the Buddba. Im kinda alone on that.

As for DIRs this is the seconed time. I mean, I love Buddbism but SGI dogma, I dont care for. I love paganism but its hard to find like minded people. People who have fam tradirions usually dont call themselves pagan. If my fam down south new what pagan was theyd take it as an insult. My intermiediate family its just life. If it sounds like im puting other pagans down, im not. Just hard to find one to gell with. Folk pagans are very close nit
 
Sees

Sees

Dragonslayer
Riders said:
What does DIR stand for and is it only for those who belong in each religion?
Click to expand...

They are basically a fellowship area to discuss the labeled religious tradition/ideology - people who don't subscribe to that specific one being limited to respectful questions.
 
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