Buddhism???

I want to convert to Buddhism, But i don't really know what to do or what its about. Can someone explain it to me. All i know is that there is the path to enlightenment, and that is what draws me to Buddhism, also all Buddhist's, like the Dalai Lama, seem so peace loving and nice. And i want to be that way.|||I can't say more than the following:





"The Buddha's Kalama Sutra





Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.


Do not believe in traditions simply because they have been handed down for many generations.


Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.


Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.


Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.


But when, after observation and analysis, you find anything that agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."


~|||As others have said, I would definately research it first. I've completed a whole 12 week course in Buddhism and even then it was only a very small part of the whole thing. The Dalai Lama is head of a particular sect of Buddhism within Tibet, there are many other sects, all with slight nuances, not unlike the different denominations of Christianity, by having different text focuses, or idols, or mediation practises. There is also a long complicated history, and it isn't all peaceful. You are right that there is a path to enlightenment - the middle way or the 8-fold path as it's known as. Don't expect to be enlightened in this lifetime, it's very rare. Most Buddhists are simply trying to gain Karma for a better life chance at enlightenment next time.





There is a big academic argument as to whether Buddhism actually counts as a religion. I wouldn't worry about this too much at this stage. Simply decide if Buddhism is something which you could use in your life. Bear in mind that you don't actually have to "convert" to Buddhism, or any religion in order to use it's practises. The Dalai Lama has said so.





But after all this, "converting" to Buddhism is actually quite simple in a way. You have to take refuge in the 3 jewels: The Buddha, The Dharma (teachings) and The Sangha (community). Find out what these mean, meet some real life Buddhists and see where you go from there. Good luck!|||Buddhism is a philosophy. You don't convert to philosophies like one would convert to a religion. You learn about it and practice like the philosopher practiced.





Labeling yourself isn't an enlightening practice to begin with. Siddhartha Gautama wasn't a 'Buddhist,' he was the son of a noble who set off to find inner peace, enlightenment, the Middle Way etc.





Good luck in your path!|||Start by reading the "Dhammapada" - they are the sayings of the Buddha.





Also a great help would be to read "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki. That will help clear a lot of the mental junk and be a great help.





Buddhism is about practice...and meditation is one of the key practices. As enlightenment is what draws you, I would try reading the article (at Other Work) - "Effortless Meditation" and listen to the 15 minute podcast (ep. 6) - "The Art of Meditation" at http://www.awaken2life.org


Also perhaps - ep. 12 "Being in the Present Moment" (a necessity for enlightenment and Buddhism).|||This one is amazed when one makes a statement such as the one posted here.





"I want to convert to Buddhism..."





Buddhism is not a religion, despite what other non-practicing Buddhist may tell you as it has not god or supreme deity nor does it profess belief in such.


Buddhism is a lived life philosophy.





You profess to wish to become a part of something that you admit to having no knowledge of. Such is very dangerous thing to do and demonstrates a lack of wisdom and/or sound judgment. Fire can be very beautiful and entrancing. Do you wish to jump into it? One must choose wisely as one will recieve the consequences of ones choices.





You have heard that Buddhism offers a path to "enlightenmenet" and that attracts you to Buddhism. All religions and philosohpies represent themselves a path to enlightment and, if followed correctly, they are such as there are many paths that lead to the top of the mountain.





You profess to wishing to seek to be like other persons rather than seeking to be like yourself, yet, in a true sense, one must aks if you know who you really are?





This one would refer you to "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching", by Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Three Pillars of Zen", and "Zen, Dawn in the West", by Roshi Philip Kapleau and "The Tibet Book Of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche as possible places to begin your journey.





Shambala Sun, a magazine publihsed every other month and which deals primarily with Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, offers a directory which is available on line and whih might direct you to the Buddhist center nearest to your present location of various schools of Buddhist thought and practice.





Buddhism is very simple and your wish to have peace can be simply filled.


To have or to live peace, one must become peace.


The answers to everything you seek are with yourself. Look there first before accepting the answers of others.


Question and test everything based upon your own personal experience, as the Buddha directed all to do, retaining that which is proven true for you and discarding the rest.


Be aware of being in the present moment.


Follow your breath.





Be well and be wise.|||I see a lot of people with a lot of ideals about what Buddhism is





Buddhism IS a religion - there is prayer involved, there is scripture you need to follow, and there IS a ritual to becoming...it is called taking refuge, and to become truly Buddhist, refuge has to be taken. The only difference is that you don't need anyone to be there, it can be only you.|||Every sentient being has the enlightened nature within, the only difference is that for most sentient being, this natural light/spark within has been obscured by endless desires that cannot be satisfied.





Hence, when these unsatisfiable desires that are blocking the natural light/spark have been removed, the light/spark will shine.





There is no need to convert, you are already within it.





When one understand, all sentient beings are the awakened enlightened one.





When one does not understand, then the awakened enlightened one is just the ordinary sentient beings.|||Well first, you've got to realize that buddhism isn't a religion. And second buddha isn't a real person, he can't hear you, see you, touch you. And third why would you want to join this "religious" group of people after reading 1 and 2? I don't want to pray to a god that can't help me. That's why I'm Christian, because I know my God is real because He saved my life and kept me from death. Christianity is peace loving and nice, why don't you consider that???!!!!|||Buddhism is fine. I recomend you study it, as well as other beliefs, but here is the key to finding enlightenment and peace. They are found within you.





What is within you can be found through Buddhism, or jianism, or judism, or christianity, or atheism or agnostism. Or even through none of these. What is within you is already there. To find it, look into your own heart and mind and dsicover what is.





Good luck. :)|||About Buddhism





The greatest achievement is selflessness.





The greatest worth is self-mastery.





The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.





The greatest precept is continual awareness.





The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.





The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.





The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.





The greatest generosity is non-attachment.





The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.





The greatest patience is humility.





The greatest effort is not concerned with results.





The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.





The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.





http://www.thebigview.com/contents.html





Love %26amp; Blessings


Milly|||I suggest you visit a Buddhist temple. At each temple, have a lengthy discussion with the monks or nuns that are there. Call them in advance and set an appointment; they're always happy to talk to new people. This is the very best way to learn and if you're speaking with a knowledgable person you'll learn a lot more in a single visit than you will in days of reading books and surfing the net.





I'd visit a Theravada temple, a Mahayana temple, a Vajrayana temple, and a Zen temple. That way you've covered the main sects. You'll then have an idea of which school's teachings you can see yourself following. Here's a directory to find a temple in your hometown:





http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/





EDIT: Buddhism is a philosophy and a religion. Buddhists believe in gods (devas), rebirth after death, the importance of faith, and other clearly religious matters that transcend mere philosophy, science and lifestyle. Where the philosophy comes in is that it's not required to believe any of these religious aspects, as they're secondary to Buddha's prime purpose: teaching the nature of suffering and how to liberate yourself by overcoming suffering. Interesting that the muslim Abdulrahman calls Buddhists idolators when muslims fly all the way to Mecca to venerate and kiss a black rock at hajj.|||Strange that you want to convert to a religion you know nothing about except that its leader is peace loving. You should first read all you can find about this religion, and then visit some Buddhist temples and see how worship is carried out there. You must also talk to some of the monks. There are two main divisions of Buddhism, and you might end up in a branch you do not like very much if you fail to do your research. Best of luck.|||If you want to convert to something I would first suggest researching it and making sure that is the path you really want to take. Real Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion. My in-laws are Buddhist. However, they do the more religious aspects of Buddhism....idle worship and ancestral worship. They have an alter in their home that they burn incense to. There are a lot of books on Buddhism out there. If you like their philosophies I would suggest just living a buddhist life...no need to "convert" to anything. Do your research.|||Oh! There's are a lot controversies in your Q %26amp; A.I can explain about these If you want to know.My nickname is my mail address.About your question you should learn Buddhism first.Meditation is the only way to achieve enlightenment.Do you want to clear from defilements like anger,sorrow,repentance,ego,pride,etc...鈥?you want to free from physical troubles like fatigue,hunger,death,oldness,rebirth,bei鈥?a fetus,etc.....


You should learn Buddhism from nearest Buddhist temples or monasteries.I suggest you that you should learn from the lands of real Buddhism like Sri Lanka,Thailand,Myanmar.My mother is a deep religious and practiser.She always meditate about 3 hours a day and she really found her inner peace.She is a typical Buddhist.She is so peaceful and defilement in her mind are quite less than any others.Think that being in a eternal life can't bring you the real and pure liberation.If you have a physical and mental bodies,you sure suffer defilement and troubles.Note that God has defilement like anger,sorrow,ego,repentance,etc.... and fatigue,bore.Heaven or any other realms can't make you absolutely liberated.Contact me if you want to learn more!|||Well Buddhism believes in the Middle Path where you don't go too extreme on anything. The four noble truths are, the world is full of suffering, suffering is caused by desire, there is an end to suffering, and suffering can be ended by detaching yourself from the world or something. I might have gotten the fourth one wrong but the first 3 are right.|||Read pretty much anything by Thich Nhat Hanh. He has written over 100 books, and they are all extremely easy to understand. Visit BuddhaNet. Find a local Bhuddist Temple and go. They often have free meditation sessions and open weekend practices, along with lots of other fun and "enlightening" things.





Buddhism is not really a "religion" in the fact that there is no God (even though some Theravada Buddhists do worship Buddha like a God). You can practice Buddhism and still hold to another religion or no religion at all. Buddhism and Taoism also go well together, and many people practice both (in Asian countries).





Please do as much reading and research as you can.





As far as "converting," there is actually a little ceremony you can do. It is called Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels. You must state that you take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. However, if you do not know about these things or about the 8-Fold Path, you should not do this. And even if you did, your words would be meaningless and hollow.





If you still want to do some sort of initiation to begin your studies, you can vow to learn more about the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. That would definitely be a nice way to start things off.





Learn all you can about meditation and about staying in the moment.|||http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism





http://www.buddhanet.net/





http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/fo鈥?/a>





http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/23鈥?/a>





http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate





http://www.learningmeditation.com/room.h鈥?/a>





I'm amazed at how loving and peaceful the Christians are in this question. Jesus would be so proud.|||Man, I can't believe the things that some people say. Talk about brainwashing.





I would have to say that I really agree with you about the peaceful air of Buddhists. I've felt that too. And I really love that as well.





While I was in Korea, I did a study of Buddhism. Here's a few of the things I've picked out or connected with their philosophy. Correct me if I am wrong.





1. We are all Buddha and Buddhas. We all have that great and beautiful potential at every second of our lives. And therefore, everyone second is more beautiful than we can image, if we are to completely open up our minds to that potential and truth.





2. Learning this philosophy does require a lot of "unlearning" of previous assumptions, false beliefs and conditioned thought. So, it's important to peel those beliefs away. The was I see it: there are thoughts and beliefs that will serve you well, lift to higher level of existence, mentality and then also other thats that can drag you down till your essence doesn't exist at all....and you are not living.





So.....an important Buddhist idea is that is "in your mind." And you must control what is in your mind, block out delusions in order to see Truth.





3. I think it also been said that we possess two kinds of minds: a smaller mind and a much greater mind, a zen mind, a mind that is one with the universe and nature and God. The latter state of mind is so healthy for ourselves and we can through various meditation and activities bring ourselves into that state being for some truly marvelous energies may flow out of us. Other people will be able to pick up on that energy too, espeically kids.





Meditations can be a great many of things and you can create them yourself. A meditation is like a thought or an idea that is full of great energy and potential.





A great dream could be a meditation


A special could be one


Your connection with someone special


A great idea which welled out of you.


The thought that you are a Buddha, right now!


I find that sharing spiritual discussion with others is like a meditation that I share with another person. And I as I focus on it, a great energy builds in my solar plexus and that is obviously GOOD. I think that is a great "sign" of following the path towards englightment.


For me that very energy is a phenomenon worthy of meditation. After all, where could it have come from, it's physical and what other purpose could it have?








Good luck.......|||Buddhism is not a religion. But an education to the world about the universe. The teaching of Buddha (Dhamma) is likely water, any human, animal or plant also need it to be live, means that any thing can accept it. To understand the Dhamma, there are many many way and no ending. To get more details, you are suggested to surf the website.|||I might search for this DVD: "God and Buddha." It features two scholars in discussion. It is not like a class. They make everything seem quite understandable. There are DVDs more comprehensive but not as easy to understand. It is just two guys with mutual respect in a casual chat. One is Robert Thuman who seems to get on all DVDs about Buddhism. The other, Deepak Chopra, is not exactly a Buddhist. He is from India and he calls his religion Vedanta. But the two agree that there is no real difference.





The DVD was made by Mystic Fire Video.


There are two websites on the back:


www.mysticfire.com


www.tibethouse.org|||Make a proper investigation first.





Start with reading a few books.





There are many out there .. I would recommend to start:





The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching and Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha, both by Thich Nhat Hanh.





Also check Amazon or your local bookstore for easy introduction books to Buddhism. There is a lot of history and a lot of material to cover. Understanding is the first step.





See if there are any Buddhist Centers in your areas. Give them a call, stop by for a visit. Sign up for a class or two.





Enjoy.|||Feel free to look at these sites if you'd like to do some research on it.





http://www.thubtenchodron.org/ForThoseNe鈥?/a>


http://www.thubtenchodron.org/DailyLifeD鈥?/a>


http://www.thubtenchodron.org/DealingWit鈥?/a>


http://www.thubtenchodron.org/DeathAndDy鈥?/a>





Hope they help. Good luck! =)|||may I share a lil bit?


when i want to b a buddhist, a senior in buddhism asked me "r u sure?" i really felt curious why he asked like that, not like other religion that will be 'hug' u. then he said,"Buddhism's way is EHIPASSIKO".ehipassiko means 'come and proof it".so it's not 'read it n believe it to ur veins'. it's all about u dun hv to believe wat u see, but u hv to proof it 1st. we believe in karma,that watever u did,u will receive the karma. so just do good things more n more in ur life. u want to take higher step, u can read The Fourth Nobel Truths by Adjahn Sumedho,it explains bout Buddhism too. too many thing bout Buddhism that's impossible to be explain here. but that's above is my 1st way to get deeper.u can try wat these ppls that answer u bout the Buddhism. n if u want to ask or share, u can email me, i will be happily help u find wat u want to know.^^|||First, it is a religion, but there are many different sects of Buddhism. One organization which calls itself Sokka Gakkai claim to be a Buddhist sect, but in reality it is not. It is merely a large club that has used Buddhism as its base for recruiting members. Some years ago that org was involved in several shady deals in Japan where it is headquartered, and the Buddhist sect that was allowing Sokka Gakkai to use its material and chants withdrew from association with SG. Today it is the second largest political party in Japan. Do not get your self involved in this, and most American who are into Buddhism have been tricked into joining Sokka Gakkai, and think that they are really in a Buddhist sect. They, Sokka Gakkai actively recruits members while claiming to be a Buddhist sect. BTW, in that very long epistle that you received, naturally Buddha did not mention Jesus, Buddha could not have known about the NT because he died a little over 500 years prior to the story having been written.|||Not to sound rude...but how can you convert to a religion that you don't know anything about?


I think that you should study Buddhism before you commit to it, personally...and go from there.


See if there is a Buddhist temple or group in your area, or study up on their writings.|||Hey. Read about it first as others suggest.





Personally I just purchased the book "The Teaching of Buddha" which is excellent in explaining everything you need to know to get started.





I also suggest listening to Alan Watts and his teachings. Some of his things have been put onto youtube. Here are a couple that you might find interesting:





http://youtube.com/watch?v=-MbNN9jXTQA


http://youtube.com/watch?v=aGWdzFyOOFw


http://youtube.com/watch?v=huokqvakQxY





Good luck on your journey to enlightenment.|||I have been studying Buddhism for over two years now. To get a good overview of it from a student's point of view, go to www. buddhanet.net for lots of free and excellent information. Try the "giftoflovingkindness" group on Yahoo! Groups if you want to talk to lots of beginning Buddhists and others of a like mind. A lot of the other Buddhist groups on Y are for advanced Buddhists and I wasn't able to keep up although I was welcome. See if there are some Buddhist groups in your town and try them out. There are several Buddhist Schools or Traditions....Mahayana (this is what the Dalai Lama is), Theravada which follows the very ancient doctrines, and Zen, which is very much about the mind. There are many more sects, too, but these are three major ones. I have found it worth the effort. Seek refuge in the Buddha, Dharma (teachings), Sangha ( Buddhist fellowship). get ready for a lot of Sanskrit and Pali words....but there are alot of glossaries online........try to find some people in your town who are Buddhists, that would make it all a lot easier...I live in a little town and there isn't much Buddhism here. Good Luck, friend.|||WTF????!!!!??? why on earth would you want to convert to a religion that you know nothing about





well if you want my oppinion i say its full of **** , karma and reincarnation simply just have NO evidence backing them


if you want to take the path of enlightenment , study the world that's around you , read philosophy , marvel at the awesome universe we live in





don't go subscribing to e religion just because you want magic and mystery|||Buddhism's a lovely religion, although I'm not so sure about the suffering element.


I am very spiritual - I am passionate, connected, energised and enlightened by the world around me, mostly natural elements. I do not follow one organised religion, as none of the many I have researched are fully a good fit for me. So, I've taken parts of many religions, philosophies and spiritual practices, and what I innately believe is right and just, come up with a lovely balance of my own moral, spiritual, social, emotional, physical, and psychologically balanced belief.


I also feel that many people only see through the eyes of their structured belief and cannot see that others are very satisfied with "getting and giving" (for want of better phrase) via their chosen religions.|||Technically to be a Buddhist you have to take refuge in the Triple gems and follow the precepts.


I won't get too into it because you should really investigate on your own and you will learn as much as your motivation wants. Don't take anything that anyone else says as fact- you must do your own investigations and come to your own conclusions. A good deal of what you learn is very personalized but based on the guidance of a good teacher.





I suggest going to: http://www.e-sangha.com/|||If you don't know what it is about What makes you believe you want to convert


Thankfully not all Buddhists are like the Dalai Lama My wristwatch only cost me 拢17.00


and I don't own a Mac Those books that are attributed to him are not wrote by him


Look You don't need labels or fancy titles Just follow your own heart and if certain Teachings are meant for you When the causal conditions are right you will find them Sometimes They find you Good Luck





edit





A Buddhist is no Slave to any Book or Individual and we are at liberty to make progress using our own efforts


What is pertaining to be this Dalai Lama is just another member of "The Long Frock Brigade"


A "Simple Monk" In his dreams


1.200.000 Tibetan People have died over the past 60 years at the hands of these murdering thugs known as the CCP


6.000 Monastery's have been destroyed


Many Nuns have been raped imprisoned and tortured


He is jetsetting it for more than nine months of the year all over the World and is not even one single step closer to resolving the Tibetan Problem while the Tibetan People suffer


I'm supposed to support this


NOT in this life Cycle If you don't mind





May this help