Questions on Buddhism

Bud_info

Hi

I am interested in delving into Buddhism in order to help find some inner peace. I tend to think a great deal and as a result I tend to worry allot and get stressed with work. Very often I worry about things that have no bearing on my life and things that I have no control over. Anyway for my healths sake I want to be able to think more positively and handle better the challenges that come my way.

I am not sure what area of Buddhism would be most appropriate for me (perhaps Zen ?) and I guess that is something I need to figure out for myself but I was hoping that some of you might help guide me in the right direction. The suggested reading thread above is broad and may not be relevant depending on the form of Buddhism I were to look at.

I had started reading Eckert Tolle (The Power of Now) based on some recommendations in this forum. Then having read more posts, I found that many posters felt this was not the right place to start. Are some of the ideas he describes though what I might expect from Buddhism in general? Where would be a better place to start ?

From reading Tolle (of what little I have read), while a lot of it made sense, it came across on a higher level that one needed to step back and distance themselves from their feelings and thoughts. In doing so, do you not become more detached from life and from people, as you are avoiding emotions and thoughts as we know them ? Do you not miss out on happy experiences in some way? I.e Sometimes through experiencing pain and suffering, it makes us really appreciate when we experience positive events. I know some of you have described that you feel a different sort of happiness and it is a very clear and better happiness. I don't want to change too much though from who I am but just be able to handle pressures better and to be more positive. Like if you see bad things going on in current affairs, do you learn to ignore these things in order to be happier or do you still keep yourself informed on whats happening but just learn to handle things better ?

I am also wary of meditation, Can going deeper and deeper into mediation affect the control you have over your mind. Can meditation be overpowering? I tied out Reikki recently and half way through I thought I was going to explode. It was a real eyeopener and something I had not expected. Something clearly was going on and not having control was unnerving.

Anyway sorry for the questions. I realize that I need to read and then read some more but any advice and info would be great.

18AD

Bud_info wrote: »

I am also wary of meditation, Can going deeper and deeper into mediation affect the control you have over your mind. Can meditation be overpowering? I tied out Reikki recently and half way through I thought I was going to explode. It was a real eyeopener and something I had not expected. Something clearly was going on and not having control was unnerving.

Anyway sorry for the questions. I realize that I need to read and then read some more but any advice and info would be great.

Reiki is not meditation. And also, I think that the loss of control is something you'd actually have to come to terms with in the long run, regardless of it being meditation based. Loss of control is moving towards ego loss and is bound up with kinds of fear. Something you should confront if you can and when you're ready.

There are two ways to go imo. Either meditation or movement based work like tai chi, chi kung or yoga. If you have the time do both.

I'd advise going somewhere to get advice on how to meditate, especially your posture, as this will be crucial to not getting long term strain injuries. But don't let this stop you from starting. Sitting upright (back straight) in a chair can do. You can even do it lying down. The most common method for meditating is concentrating on the breath.

The second suggestion would be the movement based approach. This is crucial for reconnecting to your body, something which, in my opinion, is seriously neglected in our culture. Also, most of your "thinking" is actually probably rooted in body tension, in which tense muscles make your body "think" that previous distressful situations are still present. Getting rid of this kind of tension actually changes how you think.

The two go hand in hand as far as I'm concerned.

Just a quick word as well. If you are worried about being thinking too much, reading more books is not really going to help a whole lot and will probably open up a whole labrynth of contradictions and incommensurable ideas. That's why I think starting with the body is key. Do first, then theory. I'm not saying the theory is bad, but if you want to get out of your thought patterns the best way is through the body.

[-0-]

Take a look in the recommended reading section.

Bud_info

Hey Thanks for the replies.

18AD wrote: »

Reiki is not meditation.

Yeah I know its not meditation. I should have put that in a separate paragraph The woman who did Reikki on me felt that Meditation and reading books on Positive thinking would be a better place to start than Taiji. I did look into Taiji but it didn't look like there was much in the way of meditation in it so wasn't sure if I would get enough benefit from it. I guess its possible it depends on how good the teacher is.

[-0-] wrote: »

Take a look in the recommended reading section. .

I had a look at the reading section and have started reading the Zen Mind - Beginners Mind (One of your suggestions). So is that a good place to start ?

Thanks

horsemaster

Hi Bud! Seems like you have the same issues most humans have, including myself. I am a Hindu and a Buddhist. Just so that you know, both these 'religions' don't consider themselves as such. They consider themselves as a "way of life". Like all people, even Buddha, there are things you have control of, and things you don't.

I understand the confusion of which branch of Buddhism to practice. I grew up on the original which is Theraveda. I have studied Mahaya, Zen, Pure Land and Tibetan and practice certain aspects of them all. I can't tell you which one is good. They all have their positive points and negative points. It is time like this we have to listen to certain messages that Buddha said. He said to always analyse everything in religion and not follow it blindly. He said it for practicing Buddhists as he wanted to folks to understand why and how we should do certain things based on logic, common sense, analysis, etc. Never follow because someone is doing it. Do it because you have thought about it well.

Great thing about Hinduism and Buddhism is that you don't have to join their religion or leave your existing religion. These religions are a way of life so if you feel a certain aspect of it fulfills you in some way, go for it. Yoga is a Hindu practice. But practicing it doen't mean you become a Hindu. The same for mediaition. You do not have to convert to Buddhism to find what you are looking for. You can take and practice cerain aspects of it. If you don't like it, you can choose another method. To achieve the final state of Nibbana (Some say Nirvana or Moskha), you don't have to practice everthing in Buddhism. You can choose what you are comfortable with and start from there.

Zen is a Japanese branch and it can be a diffcult path in Buddhism. I have not read the book you mentioned, but please read other books as well. Please don't make a decision based on reading one book. Remember, its not wrong to 'feel' emotions. This a what we all feel. But as we progress spiritually, we slowly find feelings are not important and can be hurdles to what we seek for. Even I can't do what is required and most monks can't as well. We are all sensual beings and we feel. When you feel lees, you can actually become more kind. Loving Compassion is a great principle used in Buddhism. I have asked the same question to monks and they are lost too. They can give answers but it is not for the question I asked. They are humans after all and they know what we lay people know. They don't have any special magic powers.

Reiki is not mediation nor is it connected with Buddhism. Meditation is best taught to by a guru (I was fortunated to have one when I was a just a toddler). But its hard to find a good teacher now . Why don't you try it? You don't have to worry too much. It is only at the higher stages of meditation that a teacher's guidance will be great. But as a starter, just meditate with no worries. Just relax and do it.

I am no expert by any means but if you need to discuss more, please feel free to PM me or continue posting this forum and I will follow it. Good luck with your search and I wish you a peace and and happiness.

Bud_info

Thanks for the advise horsemaster and of course the other posters replies too. Really appreciate it. As I have an infant child, I have so little time to read let alone meditate so I just want to try and get on the right path

One question on what you said.

horsemaster wrote: »

Zen is a Japanese branch and it can be a difficult path in Buddhism. I have not read the book you mentioned, but please read other books as well.

Is it possible for you to explain why it is a difficult path compared to other branches ?

For now I will continue to read the Zen book I am reading and then look at some other books and hopefully things will be clearer then.

maguffin

Don't forget...meditation does not have to be associated with Buddhism or Yoga.... meditation can be as simple as just sitting quietly somewhere and being totally aware of yourself and your surroundings and allowing yourself to simply 'live in the moment'. No books, classes or fancy technique.

or

you can delve into the various meditative techniques found in the many branches of Buddhism or Yoga.

With regard to Taijiquan, this is a martial art, which does have meditative aspects to it, though they are not at first obvious. The same can be said for Qi Gong (Chi Kung) which means 'Breath/Energy Work', especially Zhan Zhuang Qi Gong (standing Qi Gong).

Try to keep your quest for meditation as simple as possible...don't over-complicate it by taking on all of the associated philosophy of Buddhism. It really can be simple!!

horsemaster

Bud_info wrote: »

One question on what you said.


Is it possible for you to explain why it is a difficult path compared to other branches ?

For now I will continue to read the Zen book I am reading and then look at some other books and hopefully things will be clearer then.

I am glad to see our answers to help answer your questions didn't make you run away! Please continue reading your book. I am sure it will help you in many ways.

As Buddhists, we are constantly questioning about everything. Questions relating to Life and Death are usually in the forefront. We can usually get a quick answer to them from the Suttas or scriptures, and many times from the Buddhist stories. In Zen, the answers are usually got from within. The answers can be be polar and sometimes can almost feel like its hiding from the truth. For example, the concept of Nothingness can be easily understood from other schools compared to Zen. Your questions on it will often lead to a another question into a never ending cycle. The concept of Emptiness or Nothingness is hard to grasp. Many folks think they understand it and some may do. But I lived with monks for a long time. I volunteer in a temple and was a novice monk at one time. Just when I think I have the answer, I realize I don't. Although I might be closer now to it, I still have a long way to go.

I like Zen because of its simplicity and non ritualistic aspect of it. But it is this simplicity that makes it hard for me understand concepts within it. I am sure I have completely convinced you that I am a crazy person! I think you are right.

I have friends who have been lifelong practitioners of Zen and it works for them. They seem happy. Please read the Zen book. If you think its for you, go for it. It doesn't matter what school of Buddhism or Hunduism you choose. Choose something that you have a feeling for and understand well. Once you do that, you are halfway up the mountain. May you and your child be blessed!

Asiaprod

horsemaster wrote: »

It doesn't matter what school of Buddhism or Hunduism you choose. Choose something that you have a feeling for and understand well. Once you do that, you are halfway up the mountain. May you and your child be blessed!

Note of caution horsemaster. The OP did not mention Hunduism, I assume you meant Hinduism.

horsemaster

Asiaprod wrote: »

Note of caution horsemaster. The OP did not mention Hunduism, I assume you meant Hinduism.

My mistake there! I am sorry. I meant Hinduism and not Hunduism (I am not sure if there is such a word). I did a quick check on Yahoo browser to see if such a word existed but thankfully, only Hinduism came up. I was worried that I might have said something bad. By the way, I brought the reference of Hinduism into this topic because the there was talk of Yoga earlier. Thanks for pointing out my spelling mistake.

RossFixxxed

Hi, if you have a particularly busy life then you could add a little mini-meditation when doing certain common tasks. Say everytime you wash your hands try to focus on the feel of the water, the sound of it etc and be in that moment as much as you can. Add it to little things here and there.

It's worth noting that meditation is a form of awareness, I'm not suggesting you zone out for half an hour with the tap running and and infant on the loose!

It's a very simple thing really, but it is also incredibly complicated. The brain is untamed and wild and out of control (especially mine!). Any time you focus on it and try to be mindful, to be non judgemental to all the mental activity there is an aversion you will feel. The mind isn't used to focusing and inward reflection. It's more like a ticker tape of random thoughts buzzing past your awareness unnoticed. Be kind to yourself, take it slowly and lightly, there's no finish line and it certainly isn't a competition. It's about doing it each day not becoming some esoteric master sitting on a pole in the desert. The DOING is the be all and end all really.

I would recommend, and I hope I'm not stepping on any toes, not committing to any 'school' such as Zen for now. Simply practice some mindfulness, and read when you can. You'll gravitate towards a path that suits you. Everyone is different.

I hope that helps, they are random ramblings from the top of my head. I wouldn't be a skilled practitioner by any means, and this post is a reminder to me as much as anything else. How have you been getting on OP?