What brought you to Buddhism?

[CSEe]

Realization . Buddhism is all about realization and as one awaken to Buddhism , there is nothing or no one is not Buddhist .......and all existent is in Buddhism process . No one and nothing is outside of this natural process . I hope to debate with any master for my own learning process

Originally Posted by 002 Cents

Faith being a deeply personal subject for most; each of us arriving at our own belief system in a different manner, I am interested to know what brought you to Buddhism. Weather you are devout or just passing through, how did you know this was for you? What in the teachings resonated with you most?

Methodology without theology !

I think, it's been a long time, but just like everyone else...I had heard about meditation and such things; this was back around 2004. That is how I could say, I first had an inkling of faded interest.

I would say my problems and difficulties brought me to explore buddhism. I was raised catholic, but Catholicism , in my humble opinion, is woefully inadequate when addressing matters of reality, the spirit, spiritual growth and consciousness. I started reading some about buddhism, I was afraid at first....but what I read I really liked, and it made sense to me. And so I kept reading. Like some medicine I felt it's power to heal and make me whole somehow. I actually took a Zen course in college and really liked it, learned a lot. In my early twenties I had a rather unusual experience of visiting a Hindu temple with my friend Ryan, who had just gotten out of the army. We stayed there for a night actually , and I got to really be exposed to the culture, the message and the whole feel of it, and talk with monks in a field with grazing cows. I gained the courage to make it to a buddhist temple, church...which was really a step for me and I really felt uncomfortable with it....but since then. 2006 maybe ....I've been to numerous ones, and I go regularly to a dharma center now and really like it.

It's a huge part of my life now. And so is reading the Buddhas teachings and different literature from buddhist scholars and ancient texts.



Christianity just didn't cut it, and buddhism goes so much deeper. That's it.

[Samana]

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What brought me to Buddhism ? Discovering the Four Noble Truths taught by the historical Buddha.

More about them at the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHMT6_DrgMw


Wishing you all good health and happiness.


Sam.

I never enjoyed following the Christian faith with my family, and I was never happy during the early years of my childhood of going to church. I became an agnostic/atheist after high school for a few years, and then I had something incredible happen to me (meeting my twin flame) that now I'm starting to question the world around me. I researched different religions and found out about Buddhism. I love how it teaches you to forgive, to detach from the material world, to love and to not suffer, etc.

Originally Posted by 002 Cents

Faith being a deeply personal subject for most; each of us arriving at our own belief system in a different manner, I am interested to know what brought you to Buddhism. Weather you are devout or just passing through, how did you know this was for you? What in the teachings resonated with you most?

For me, all religions are just different poets expressing similar ideas. I don't believe this about the Buddha. The Buddha is the 'spiritual guidance for dummies', and being a dummy, spirituality was explained to me in terms of direct practices and experiences.

It helped me dramatically with chronic panic attacks and depression, and later helped me to understand life in itself. I've managed to help others with the understandings it gave me about living beings.

Besides that I've let Buddhism go, as I feel I understand the limitations of what a person can really take from it. (me, specifically). I don't follow any belief system at all anymore, but like to think that I live my own.

It wouldn't be unjust to say I simply don't have any beliefs or spirituality, but I recently come to believe that on some level - spirituality becomes non-spirituality, in a sense.

hi I am glad you found some relief merrie, I came to the teachings after seeing an advert " do you want happiness without material things " I thought I will have some of that thenx

" but I recently come to believe that on some level - spirituality becomes non-spirituality, in a sense." yes I think that's when we can start to let go of labels ie " spirituality " which if we arent careful can put us straight back in another box with limitations, the worst part of following any practice is spiritual guilt ie I should be doing this, I shouldn't be feeling this etc, I aren't good enough

[itsjustaname]

I had a Holden Caufield (Salinger's Catcher in the Rye) break down in high school. At that point I considered a lot of different coping mechanism ideas, Buddhist thought was one. I read this book which I really liked:

[amazon.com/Buddha-Your-Backpack-Everyday-Buddhism/dp/1569753210[/url]

Plus there were a few meditation centers in my neighborhood.

[TheImmortal]

Originally Posted by 002 Cents

Faith being a deeply personal subject for most; each of us arriving at our own belief system in a different manner, I am interested to know what brought you to Buddhism. Weather you are devout or just passing through, how did you know this was for you? What in the teachings resonated with you most?

Although I'm eclectic and see an element of the core Truth in all religions, I would most likely choose Buddhism if I had to pick one of the world's major organized religions. It seems to have strayed the least from its pure origins, and that alone is a testament to the wisdom of the Buddha.