What is the process for converting to Buddhism?

I really want to convert to Buddhism. I never found my place in the Catholic or Christian church, but after taking a Buddhism class, it was everything I believed in. I was just wondering what the process is. I'm also very nervous about attending services, even though there are Buddhist services in my town.|||if you intend on becoming a nun then you must find a temple and talk to the abbot about ordaining. the process will involve shaving your head, taking vows and living at the temple.



to become a lay practitioner there is no process. just decide for yourself that you will follow the eight fold path and within that the precepts. meditate and keep the rules and you are a buddhist. since it's not a religion you don't have to do anything specific.



and there is NO IDOL WORSHIP IN BUDDHISM as taught originally by the buddha. he specifically said over and over that he is not a god or deity or supernatural being in any way and should not be prayed to or worshiped and furthermore that after he died he could never be contacted or affect anything again. anyone who worships the buddha is going against his teachings.



some buddhists bow to the buddha statue but this is the same as saluting the flag or lowering your head when in the presence of a departed person. bowing is just a sign of respect in traditional buddhism.



tibetan buddhists pray to many different deities but they are far from traditional buddhism and don't go by his original teachings. zen buddhists have statues of some deities as well like kuan yin but again, this is nothing to do with what the buddha taught. theravada is non religious.



and don't worry about the chick from kill bill, what she is saying is true but that stuff isn't widely practiced today. all temples i have been too have the women treated equally as the men. yes the buddha made rules that were not entirely fair to women, however he did this to keep the whole thing from crashing down! in his time there were zero spiritual followings allowing women to join. women were second class citizens. if he had said women could join AND were equal to men he would have been run out of town! the fact that he opened up his sangha to women at all was amazingly groundbreaking and unheard of in his time. he was mega progressive for 500 bc. it's easy to call people more than two thousand years ago sexist and claim a spiritual practice is no good when you hold it up to todays standards but when you put it in perspective it's a different story.|||buddhism is idol worship ,y don u convert to islam ,it is really cool.|||ALLAH we coming for u n i g g a!|||There is not "process".


Conversion is the process of accepting a belief, and formally stating that.





In Buddhism, you are discouraged from automatically adopting a belief. Buddhism is a practice, not a belief-system.


Best way is to find a dharma center and enquire about classes. They aren't going to try to convert you. But it's very difficult to learn how to practice Buddhism on your own.|||There you go: http://www.thebuddhagarden.com/convert-t鈥?/a>



I suggest you head to a temple if you want something more formal and ceremonial.



Amy M suggests you're a woman - are you aware of the many deeply sexist proclamations of the Buddha in the Pali Canon?



For example, let's say you want to become a Buddhist nun at some point - the Buddha initially didn't wish to allow female nuns, but was eventually persuaded to allow them, with the requirement of Eight Heavy Duties.



Some of the 8 Heavy Duties include: being forbidden to reprimand a male monk, while male monks can reprimand one another; bowing in reverence to the feet of a newly initiated male monk, even if the nun has been ordained for 100 years - male monks only show that level of respect according to the years they have been ordained. You can find a description of these in the Tripitaka.



I'd suggest you learn more about the faith before converting. A lot of Western Buddhists I've met don't really know their faith at all.|||A newcomer may study Buddhism by surfing the Internet or reading books. You can discuss with your friends who have the real knowledge. You may also visit a Buddhist temple nearby and talk with any monk or layperson. You are always welcome. The nearest temple can be found by searching the Internet. There are five important subjects that you need to know real well.





1. Three Marks of Existence (Three Characteristics of Nature, Ti-lakkhana)


2. Five Aggregates (5 Khandhas)


3. Four Noble Truths (Ariya-Sacca)


4. Satipatthana


5. Threefold Training





There are no rituals, rites or conversion to become a Buddhist. Once you study and practice the Buddha's teachings, you will be the person who decides that you are now a Buddhist.





Below are recommended websites to learn more about Buddhism.|||you dont have to convert, you can take certain elements of Buddhism and apply it to your life...





Im Christian and there are areas of Buddhism that i like, such as the practise of mindfulness, meditation etc|||Just show up, read, study, listen, learn to practice kindness.


That's about it.