How to be a Buddhist

It seems that a 2500 year old religion or philosophy makes for quite the discussion about how to understand what exactly was taught.
Take the scriptures literraly, metaphorically or jumble them together.
Incorporate new additions or i sights, stick to the oldest known writings or what have you.
Even thoigh i like a lively debate. When it comes to bhuddism I realize that bickering about it may actually be detrimental.

So take what you can from teachers, scriptures what you can to guide you, but above all..

Practice.
Practice consentration.
Practice wisdom.
Practice virtue.

From that all else will fall into place for you.

With Love

[Shaunc]

Originally Posted by catsquotl

It seems that a 2500 year old religion or philosophy makes for quite the discussion about how to understand what exactly was taught.
Take the scriptures literraly, metaphorically or jumble them together.
Incorporate new additions or i sights, stick to the oldest known writings or what have you.
Even thoigh i like a lively debate. When it comes to bhuddism I realize that bickering about it may actually be detrimental.

So take what you can from teachers, scriptures what you can to guide you, but above all..

Practice.
Practice consentration.
Practice wisdom.
Practice virtue.

From that all else will fall into place for you.

With Love

Very well said. In my experience, generally speaking Buddhists that participate in internet forums love an argument. Where I'd rather be happy than right.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Shaunc

Very well said. In my experience, generally speaking Buddhists that participate in internet forums love an argument. Where I'd rather be happy than right.

NO they don't

[Gem]

Originally Posted by catsquotl

It seems that a 2500 year old religion or philosophy makes for quite the discussion about how to understand what exactly was taught.
Take the scriptures literraly, metaphorically or jumble them together.
Incorporate new additions or i sights, stick to the oldest known writings or what have you.
Even thoigh i like a lively debate. When it comes to bhuddism I realize that bickering about it may actually be detrimental.

So take what you can from teachers, scriptures what you can to guide you, but above all..

Practice.
Practice consentration.
Practice wisdom.
Practice virtue.

From that all else will fall into place for you.

With Love

Thanks for saying so (bolded). I have said the same many times.

I think the three parts to Buddhism in practice are morality or virtue (sila), which is the foundation of meditation, that cultivates wisdom.

I found this article which I thought breaks it down well https://tricycle.org/magazine/noble-eightfold-path/

Yes,

Virtue has been called the first and last training. It is all you do in daily life.
I do think that even though training your Sila, Contemplating your Sila, Living in a virtuous way is the foundation of meditation. Other than Meditation SIla can be cultivated throughout every moment of the day.

That said meditation, Both Samadhi and Vipassana yield their own merrits. Part of a virtous life, but needed to walk the path to liberation to it's end. Without them I doubt someone who is virtuous will come to the level of concentration and insight needed to peek into their true nature enough to realize the deathless.

[Shaunc]

Sila is the main training of buddhism and most other religions for that matter. Buddhism has no monopoly on meditation, the European neo nazi that killed all of the children on a school camp actually meditated before committing that atrocity. It would have been far better of course if he'd only practiced some sila from anyone of numerous religions.
Also some Buddhist sects don't practice meditation. Japanese pureland and nichiren buddhism are two that come to mind.
I personally practice Japanese pureland (Jodo Shinshu or shin buddhism) which doesn't require a meditation practice although I do practice it, not so much for gaining karmic merits or spiritual advancement which admittedly it does help with but I practice it with the same attitude I have towards physical exercise, I just do it because it's good for you.
Good luck and best wishes.
Shaun.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Shaunc

Sila is the main training of buddhism and most other religions for that matter. Buddhism has no monopoly on meditation, the European neo nazi that killed all of the children on a school camp actually meditated before committing that atrocity. It would have been far better of course if he'd only practiced some sila from anyone of numerous religions.

Good example.

Also some Buddhist sects don't practice meditation. Japanese pureland and nichiren buddhism are two that come to mind.
I personally practice Japanese pureland (Jodo Shinshu or shin buddhism) which doesn't require a meditation practice although I do practice it, not so much for gaining karmic merits or spiritual advancement which admittedly it does help with but I practice it with the same attitude I have towards physical exercise, I just do it because it's good for you.
Good luck and best wishes.
Shaun.

I thought Pure Land practices chanting someones name.

[Shaunc]

Originally Posted by Gem

Good example.


I thought Pure Land practices chanting someones name.

Yes Gem, that's correct, the point I was trying to make is that it doesn't really involve sitting meditation. By practising the nembutsu which is the chanting of amitabha's name it's supposed to bring the teachings of the buddha to mind.
It's a buddhism for the masses. Honen and his disciple Shinran were quite revolutionary for their times. They taught the nembutsu to prostitutes and fishermen, farmers and the illiterate, people who were shunned by other Buddhist sects. The precepts are also not adhered to by lay followers unless they choose to uphold them and the object isn't to obtain nibbana and become a buddha in this life, it's to be reborn in amitabha's pureland and progress to nibbana from there.

[blossomingtree]

Originally Posted by Shaunc

Sila is the main training of buddhism and most other religions for that matter. Buddhism has no monopoly on meditation, the European neo nazi that killed all of the children on a school camp actually meditated before committing that atrocity. It would have been far better of course if he'd only practiced some sila from anyone of numerous religions.
Shaun.

Hi Shaun

Perhaps you would like to reflect on the term meditation. People use this term very freely - it can include visualization e.g. of a blue ball glowing in your presence, it can refer to imagining rays of life penetrating the body, it can refer to imagining an island of peace, or it can just refer to 'modern day mindfulness' where people try to focus on one thing at a time more diligently.

However, Buddhist meditation is strictly specific in its application and teaching. It's as far as I am aware, the combination of samadhi (samatha) and vipassana in Theravadan Buddhism. It is the light of Awareness in Dzogchen and it is satori/sitting in Zen. All these share the commonality of Buddhist practice, from my understanding, which aims to penetrate into the human mind and equalize/penetrate one's individual karma, such that a genuine inner momentum is started, and ultimately, so that the old karmic patterns and ultimately the false self is transcended.

Buddhist meditation (and I will put aside Pure Land/Nicheren for now which is very specific in its cultural context) does not dabble in or teach imagery or visualization, it does not encourage volitional thinking, and it would never involve pre-meditation to murder.

In other words, when people use the word meditation, perhaps people can recognize that it is used very generally and Buddhist meditation as taught by Buddhist teachers/Masters is also quite specific (in order to realize the ultimate goals of Buddhist practices)

The Eightfold Path comes in a package, as you said and virtue is its basic underpinning. This is for two reasons:

a) A moral character has a steadier mind - a boat which is not rocking back and forth ultimately achieves a steadier state of samadhi. An immoral mind run rampant is not a reliable leg of the tripod.
b) Buddhism is effectively not existant without the wings of compassion and wisdom - whether it is the Bodhisattva vows of "all sentient beings" or the Theravada principles of compassion and Buddha - if one is involved in evil thoughts then obviously it is against the founding principles and underlying Light that is embedded in Gautama's teaching

Thanks for your attention

BT

I didn't know that.
Makes me wonder..
Because meditation seems to me to abundantly written about in the teachings of the buddha.