Just curious as to how and why everyone chose to follow any particular path.

cv

My first introduction to Buddhism was via Zen tradition…. I did not take it up! Later I got interested in Theravada Buddhism through my contacts with Thailand. Why I like it?… No problem… its basics are simple and clear for all who WISH to see. The rest is internal and up to you.

Have a Happy

DeDanaan

Yeah, I never chose to have these beliefs, I just read about Zen philosophy on day and thought "Wow..that's me!".

Thats why I look suspiciously at "conversion". If you can be convinced to follow someone else's beliefs, you probably aren't studying your own deeply enough.

I have a freind who was a very devout Zen practitioner, but re-converted to Judism because its her family tradition. At that point it just becomes a fashion you wear, not a true belief.

I better qualify that by saying that I'd take the same view of a devout jew converting to zen for the same reasons.

cv

I was raised catholic ,even pretty strongly. i've been intrested in religion, physics, super natural stuff ever since i learned to read. I read big books on the stuff when i was 9 when other friends were reading comics.I became a servant in catholic mass when i was 11 because my mother pushed me into it . I had a look for a while and found it to be not the thing that i already knew inside but couldn't explain. I broke with catholicism from one day to another (causing a lot of fighting with my mother when i was 12 ) i simply said to her "this is not it." Through a lot of searching i progressed more to asian religions. I also had a wanting to go to asia since i was was ayoung boy which i eventually did when i was 21 by working on a cruiseship, travvelled through asia everywhere. came on shore in thailand and immediatly felt home. that was 16 years ago.

Went through some really hard patches and spiritual lessons on the way

I would classify myself (if there's a need for it) more in the direction of zen, with a pinche new age, and a streak of tantra in it . So the poll is kinda limited in my view. As said before my understanding of religion (way of life) is more based on a deeper inner knowing toghether with my experiences and lessons, then relying on studying scriptures.

Funnely i constantly get confirmation through scriptures or even up to through science from certain ideas and visions formed in some of those hard lessons before.

so just put me in all of those boxes

Yeah, it's difficult to classify oneself into any one classification. When people ask me I tell them that I 'orbit' zen, but never totally land there. It's philosophy is closest to my beliefs though.

Speaking of science.... I find buddhism, at least the basic tenents of it without all the mysticism to be very compatible with science. I've made several posts remarking about some of the similarities, such as how kharma is just newtons laws cloaked in philosophy.

cv

Speaking of science.... I find buddhism, at least the basic tenents of it without all the mysticism to be very compatible with science. I've made several posts remarking about some of the similarities, such as how kharma is just newtons laws cloaked in philosophy.

cv

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I like it cv Many times I have recommended Hawking's poular book "The Universe in a Nutshell" to skeptics of [insert any spiritual path, here.] Readers certainly start asking different questions when they see that what they see is not what they see. See?

I selected other Buddhist.