What is your Buddhism and how does it fit?

[zenzero]

Friend YetWar,

One can and should read, study , understand all the religions possible but we find that even after reading humans still do not understand that religions are simply a path a way to merge with the universal.
BUT by meditating one finds that balance and understands what the middle path is.
Meditation is a state when the mind is STILL or free from thoughts and in that state the merging happens when the individual or that *I* or *ego* is no more only *consciousness* IS.
For this understanding reading religious books is not a must. Imagine early humans who had no books but still knew what meditation is and developed all the religions we have today and creating more divisions amongst humans than unity because of the THOUGHTS that brings duality brings the *ego* the *I*.
Dropping the *I* is the only goal if any and one is not born with it so it is to discover our original self which is part of the universal is all that needs to be understood.
Love & rgds

 

[katiafish]

Differences in doctrine are endless but do the three marks of existence unite Buddhists?

There is impermanence (& no independent arising), suffering/pain and emptiness/illusion - Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta. There is also liberation from the cycle of vainly grasping at things as if the three marks of existence were not universal. If there wasn't also liberation there could be no Buddhism.

The realization of the true Self is what unites people. Words and labels and workings of the mind is what creates the separation in the first place.

Use whatever words you need as a beacon, but be aware of them for what they are, just a beacon on your path.

:rainbow1:

 

[Ywet War]

Friend YetWar,

One can and should read, study , understand all the religions possible but we find that even after reading humans still do not understand that religions are simply a path a way to merge with the universal.
BUT by meditating one finds that balance and understands what the middle path is.
Meditation is a state when the mind is STILL or free from thoughts and in that state the merging happens when the individual or that *I* or *ego* is no more only *consciousness* IS.
For this understanding reading religious books is not a must. Imagine early humans who had no books but still knew what meditation is and developed all the religions we have today and creating more divisions amongst humans than unity because of the THOUGHTS that brings duality brings the *ego* the *I*.
Dropping the *I* is the only goal if any and one is not born with it so it is to discover our original self which is part of the universal is all that needs to be understood.
Love & rgds

Friend zenzero,

I agree with you.
I don’t say that reading can give us absolute understanding.
Of course we must do meditation.
But studying is still important for us.
Before we meditate we must study how to meditate.

 

[zenzero]

Friend YW,

Before we meditate we must study how to meditate.

Again you have used the word *study*.
If you mean *study* books, then again would repeat that it is good but not a must.
We must *UNDERSTAND* what is meditation.
Meditation is a state not an activity as generally understood. It is a state where the individual merges with the universal.
Also one can read thousands of books on meditation, still cannot understand a mind *free of thoughts* or the state of meditation, but this is also true that some may not have read books but still know what meditation is.
There are many on this form itself who are still struggling to get beyond the *I*. For them the *I* is as real as the imaginary *god* which is only a concept like anicca and anatta.

Love & rgds

 

[Ywet War]

I understand that in the other religions (especially in Christianity and Islam) believing, worshiping and praying are very important. Without belief in creator no one can get the heaven.

Buddhists also believe in Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, they pay homage to these Three Jewels and sometimes they make praying in front of the Buddha Image. But these there deeds are not main deeds in Buddhism. Believing, worshiping and praying can not give to anyone Nirvana.

To attain Enlightenment there are 3 steps.
The first one is the study of the Dhamma (pariyatti).
The second step is the practice of Vipassana (patipatti).
And the last is the realizations of the Truth (pativeda), what Buddhists want.

Therefore I want to say that, Buddhism is the religion of knowledge.
(studying is the very first deed in this religion)

The others are religions of faith.
(believing is the very first deed in them)

 

[Ywet War]

Friend YW,
Again you have used the word *study*.
If you mean *study* books, then again would repeat that it is good but not a must.
We must *UNDERSTAND* what is meditation.
Meditation is a state not an activity as generally understood. It is a state where the individual merges with the universal.
Also one can read thousands of books on meditation, still cannot understand a mind *free of thoughts* or the state of meditation, but this is also true that some may not have read books but still know what meditation is.
There are many on this form itself who are still struggling to get beyond the *I*. For them the *I* is as real as the imaginary *god* which is only a concept like anicca and anatta.
Love & rgds

Friend zenzero,
I understand Meditation is one kind of practice. Nowadays no one can be a researcher in a chemical laboratory without studying basic chemistry.
Therefore we must study Dhamma before we make meditation.
We must study Dhamma by reading books (or) by asking questions to the teachers (or) by discussing with friends.

Without studying we cannot understand even matter and mind.
To understand Anicca and Anatta is so… so far.

 

[zenzero]

Friend YW,

I understand Meditation is one kind of practice. Nowadays no one can be a researcher in a chemical laboratory without studying basic chemistry.
Therefore we must study Dhamma before we make meditation.

There is a little difference here. We are not born for the first time and may not be the last and so there are many lessons we would have learnt in past lives which need not be repeated again in this life. Otherwise yes, we all have to go through all the steps to even understand.
Please understand that * Beginning of the journey is an end in itself* is just a saying; since you have started the journey to finding the *self* is in itself the last point as after knowing the self nothing remains to be known.
Wish you all the best and remember that every question has a hidden answer in built; one just has to look for the answer, questions are always there.
Love & rgds

 

[Ozzie]

Zenzero and Ywet War, you are arguing about different vehicles for arriving at the same goal which is permissible. In the end, both vehicles must be shed like a young boy searching for a perfect flat stone to cast across a still pond in effort to reach the other side.