What Is Essential To Being A "Buddhist"?

[AYJAYDEE]

an understanding that all existance is governed by the four noble truths

[lungmi]

I want to stop to be Buddhist.

Why?

Understanding the Dhamma is the aim. (Tan Buddhadasa, "No religion")

[Capealava]

To put it bluntly you neither accept or reject anything. The path to understanding "self" is Zazen (meditation). Fundamentally it is not following rules or precepts. Simply put, proper meditation under a proper guide leads one to a place where rules and precept are not needed and you are naturally comfortable within yourself and you 'do the right thing"

Is this a easy path? Far from it . It is possibly the hardest thing one can do in their life.

The support of a sangha, following precepts or to take refuge can help, but one can fall into a trap there also.

"To study the Universe is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the 10000 things." Zen Master Dogen

Read some books sure and familiarize yourself with Buddhism, but ultimately it come down to meditation, yourself, and your teacher.

[Capealava]

I want to stop to be Buddhist.

Why?

Understanding the Dhamma is the aim. (Tan Buddhadasa, "No religion")

Good!!! your next Koan is -HAHAH

[christiaan]

To put it bluntly you neither accept or reject anything. The path to understanding "self" is Zazen (meditation). Fundamentally it is not following rules or precepts. Simply put, proper meditation under a proper guide leads one to a place where rules and precept are not needed and you are naturally comfortable within yourself and you 'do the right thing"

Is this a easy path? Far from it . It is possibly the hardest thing one can do in their life.

The support of a sangha, following precepts or to take refuge can help, but one can fall into a trap there also.

"To study the Universe is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the 10000 things." Zen Master Dogen

Read some books sure and familiarize yourself with Buddhism, but ultimately it come down to meditation, yourself, and your teacher.

To realy study oneself is to study the 'Universe'.

In becoming aware of the essence of the Universe and oneself, one does lift up duality by thinking and meditation - where in the mind becomes empty of the self(involvement) - and enter the spiritual world of nibbana, to reach a state of enlightenment.

[lungmi]

I want to stop to be Buddhist.

Why?

Understanding the Dhamma is the aim. (Tan Buddhadasa, "No religion")

Good!!! your next Koan is -HAHAH

No.It's 555

[lungmi]

The support of a sangha, following precepts or to take refuge can help, but one can fall into a trap there also.

The zazen can be a trap for kamikaze pilots in the suicide bombers attacks of World Wor II.

[Brucenkhamen]

To put it bluntly you neither accept or reject anything. The path to understanding "self" is Zazen (meditation). Fundamentally it is not following rules or precepts. Simply put, proper meditation under a proper guide leads one to a place where rules and precept are not needed and you are naturally comfortable within yourself and you 'do the right thing"

Is this a easy path? Far from it . It is possibly the hardest thing one can do in their life.

The support of a sangha, following precepts or to take refuge can help, but one can fall into a trap there also.

"To study the Universe is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by the 10000 things." Zen Master Dogen

Read some books sure and familiarize yourself with Buddhism, but ultimately it come down to meditation, yourself, and your teacher.

That's a good summary of how practise works in both Zen and Theravada.

I note there are a couple of other variations of the Dogen quote, instead of Universe they use "the way" or "the Buddha way", I'm not sure what to make of that.