How Close Are My Believes To Buddhism?

[ff978472]

And because I have not been looking for nirvana, how can I fall into the trap?

Ok then. Just be careful. Don't undetrestimate the consequence of it. Many people who reached this state think they are superhuman and they just got crazy. Hope you are not one of them.

Edited August 25, 2008 by ff978472

[Radius]

I don't think so.

But I can see how this could happen.

My own personallity has a lot to do with that I suppose. I am very down to earth.

I do not do drugs or alcohol because I feel they cloud my judgement (How Buddhist is that, lol).

When faced with reality as I have been I can see some people going crazy, feeling like superhuman or even commit suicide. I luckely don't seem to have that problem. Please tell me if I do.

But you still have me interested on what is beyond I have experienced. Can you tell a little more about this?

[ff978472]

I don't think so.

But I can see how this could happen.

My own personallity has a lot to do with that I suppose. I am very down to earth.

I do not do drugs or alcohol because I feel they cloud my judgement (How Buddhist is that, lol).

When faced with reality as I have been I can see some people going crazy, feeling like superhuman or even commit suicide. I luckely don't seem to have that problem. Please tell me if I do.

But you still have me interested on what is beyond I have experienced. Can you tell a little more about this?

It's good to know that you know yourself.

But I don't understand why you chose to stop seeking the path while you can do it in this life.

Probably It's the misinformation you received from many people that you cann't do it in your life.

There are quite a lot of people who can cross this border and why not you?

Vipassana is not for superhuman. It's for ordinary people like you and me.

When you practice vippasana (Vipassanà-bhàvanà) you make yourself part of the nature (Dhamma). You flow with the nature and morality become part of you automatically. Crossing the border is the by-product of it.

Not many people understand where to look for the path. You are lucky to find Buddha teaching interesting to your citta. Also it's hard for a citta to be a part of human being. It's said that only Citta in human being can understand and cross the border. You never know what your citta will be after your current physical part is dead. If your Citta get stuck to the Brahma state, it will take a long long time for your citta to be able to leave that state again. Why loose your chance in this life and leave your citta in the never ending cycle of suffering?

[Radius]

ok, here my 'down to earth' mentallity comes lurking around the corner.

First of all, I have only just started to study Buddhism. So the concept of nirvana as explained within Buddhism is new to me.

But for the sake of argument I can say that eventhough I didn't call it this way I have been looking for a way to reduce/end my 'suffering'.

My biggest concern was that I would never understand how/why everything is. The answer I have found; the why? question is the wrong question and the answer to how? is: amazingly simple, is enough for me.

So this has taken away a big suffering for me.

The next biggest suffering is the knowledge that eventhough I understand reality (to the extend that is enough for me) I am still human. With human needs. I do not belief I can actually change that (but you seem to think otherwise).

I will still need food. I will still need money to buy that food. I will still need work to get that money and thus I will have to worry about keeping that job even if it is not a job I particulary like doing. I still have the stess of trying to find a different job but no idea when or even if it comes.

No meditation can change this, I am bound by physical restraints.

This is why meditation has served it's purpose (for me)and without harming anyone I seek more physical ways to end my suffering.

A solution may be: finding true love. But because of the same uncertainty in that it is not my only path.

Another solution might be: getting a few million dollars (money doesn't make one happy, but it does increase ones chances).

All very down to earth solutions. The third possibility is that I am totally wrong in searching for these 2 in a direct way. And that finding spiritual 'nirvana' either brings the other 2 or makes them obsolete.

I am aware of this but I am not ready to except this last possibility at this time.

[ff978472]

I understand you now. And from your post, yes, you are misinformed.

It's, however, beyond my capability to explain it to you.

Let wait for someone else who can explain it better than me, OK?

For Vipassana pratice, see it this way. Think about your being as a part of animation generated by what is input to your citta and how it react to other thing. Your citta make each frame of the animation continuously run so fast that you feel your existence. Use your Samadhi (English: concentration) and Sati (English: consciousness) to stay with the current frame. Don’t think about the past frame and the future frame. Just stay with your present. Try to know everything your citta feel and accept the way it reacts. You may forgot about it after a short while because you don't have Maha-Sati (great Consciousness). Don't worry about it. Do it every time you are aware and pull yourself back to Sati state whenver you can. It's like learning to ride the bicycle. You will fall to the left and to the right until you can ride it without falling. You need to do it all the time whether standing, sitting, walking, drinking, eating etc. and that's all about it. The rest will depends on the nature of your citta.

If you feel like to continue your path, find more information about vipassana. The above paragraph is my interpretation only. Use your judgement to follow my advice.

[Radius]

I thank you very much for your views on this matter. It has given me a lot to think about and a lot more to research.

Just to let you know something interesting: The prospect of true love has led me to Buddhism.

So in a way, my Earthly search might have put me on the (right) path to the end of suffering.

[ff978472]

I thank you very much for your views on this matter. It has given me a lot to think about and a lot more to research.

You're welcome. Please feel free to post question you want to know. If my little knowledge can answer it, I will be happy to do it. There are many knowledgeable people in this forum. They should be able to help also.

One thing I want to point out about Citta. It's translated as "mind" in English but not quite the same thing.

Citta is some kind of element (its property is more like water in my opinion). Citta can be in different state (52 states if I remember correctly), some of which I have mentioned (Sati and Samadhi). Another property of citta element is that it's faster than light.

Citta is not the same thing with spirit. Concept of spirit exists before buddha era. Before buddha era, people belive in reincarnation by which spirit leave one dead body to reborn in another. Concept of reincarnation is something buddha called Ajintai (Unthinkable thing). It doesn't work the way people belive but I do not know for sure how it works. Think about the rainbow. The rainbow is caused by raindrop and sunlight. If you can fly close to the rainbow, you will find nothing there (the concept of Anatta). Our being is caused the same way from citta and some other elements. So the concept of reincarnation is neither right or wrong. A citta can create the feeling of selfness if there are sufficient factors and that 's when we called it rebirth. But if there is no cause, citta cannot create feeling of selfness. So it really depends on the factor. That's pretty much what I know and what I want to share just for fun. So, if you are stuck with the concept of reincarnation, don't think about it. It's not useful for you.

Also the way karma work is unthinkable. Just skip it.

[OldenAtwoody]

I have always called myself an atheïst.

But recently I have been studying Buddhism and the amount of things I tend to agree with are amazing.

I need to study much more about it, but I wonder how close you think I am to Buddism in my 'beliefs'.

I do not belief in God.

With God I mean something that has consiousness, one can communicate with(prayer) and possibly get a reaction from (miracle). God is what made everything and can still decide to influence us in the way he/she/it chooses.

This is what I DO NOT belief in.

I think there is no purpose to life, the universe or existance for that matter. We just are.

I think we must do good. Not because someone tells us, but simply because we want to and in the end it is better for ourselfs and the world around us.

In the past, when I was still deciding about how I thought about 'everything', I would lay down on my bed and be able to achieve a completely relaxed state by just 'letting go' of everything (both physicly and mentally).

One could call this meditation.

I feel very little need to do this currently but from time to time I still like to achieve this 'relaxed state of mind'.

I think that everything that exist has always existed and always will exist. But the form in which everything exists constantly changes (sometimes in small ways and sometimes in very big ways).

This is the biggest part of how I stand in life that seems to be pretty much Buddhism.

I also have found 1 thing that sort of contradicts in my line of thought with Buddhism but I have to research that some more to be sure.

I do not believe in reïncarnation. I do not believe that my current life will continue in any way after I die, besides maybe some materialistic things I leave behind. And offcourse the thoughts of me by the people loving me and the people not loving me.

This is it for now.

So, how close to Buddhism am I?

Feel free to ask me any questions you like to obtain an answer to my question.

A buddhist would not ask this question, instead preferring to walk to the market and buy vegetables for lunch.

[Radius]

A buddhist would not ask this question, instead preferring to walk to the market and buy vegetables for lunch.

Thats probebly the best answer to my question.

But it is also an unsatisfactory one. It seems you suggest I am not close to Buhddhism. Why?

Please try to explain your answer to me.