Buddhism: A journey I want to take

[SinCityVoluntaryist]

Hey guys,

As most of you know, last Dec., I went through a moment of trauma that drove me so far off the edge that I nearly ended it all. Since then, I've been on a journey to try to fix my life and put myself in a better place. My time with therapy has helped me discover a few things about myself. First, I have low self esteem and a feeling that I really don't have that many friends as I should. Second, that low self esteem makes me constantly hate myself and degrade my sense of well being via my inner critic.

 To try to fix all that, I'm currently in the process of discovering my spiritual side. I see no reason in doing this everyone goes through this journey in their lives. At the moment, I'm trying Christainity. I've discovered a great church near my house that very inviting and is geared toward young people. The primary issue is that I feel that the belief isn't for me. I respect the Chrisitan belief and the teachings, but I don't feel that I can connect with the idea of going to church, constantly reading the Bible and what not is something that I need to help me rebuild my life. Instead, I'm looking at a much different path: Buddhism. I've been interested in Buddhism for quite some time, and the videos that I've seen this far on its philosophy and message have attracted me for quite some time. The idea of looking inside for that true, unfettered change is an idea that I find to be very powerful. With this in mind, I'm curious as to what you guys think of the Buddhist way. Do any of you practice Buddhism or no someone that does? Have you studied in your own time? Please give me some info.

[MAM]

I'm pretty sure Bruce Lee was a Buddhist or at least he had obvious Buddhist influences in his writings. I looked at it briefly, but as was pointed out to me once Buddhism convinces a lack of suffering with happiness.

Personally I'm not a fan of mysticism. And I'm not a fan of Buddhism. I've also heard Buddhism described as "another word for Nihilism".

EDIT: I mentioned Bruce Lee because like I said he had obvious Buddhist influence in fact he describes the Seven Fold Path in the beginning of Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and I've read everything he ever wrote.

[assasin7]

by gym teacher was trained by a guy who was trained by Bruce Lee, he also claims he was a D-list celebrity

[braindead0]

I can heartily recommend the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche (hope I spelt all that correctly).

I look at buddhism more from a philosophy standpoint than mystical.  There are certainly things that can be learned, good life lessons I believe.

[MAM]

I can heartily recommend the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche (hope I spelt all that correctly).

I look at buddhism more from a philosophy standpoint than mystical.  There are certainly things that can be learned, good life lessons I believe.

There are secular Buddhist cults (used in the archaic sense).

[braindead0]

I can heartily recommend the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche (hope I spelt all that correctly).

I look at buddhism more from a philosophy standpoint than mystical.  There are certainly things that can be learned, good life lessons I believe.

There are secular Buddhist cults (used in the archaic sense).

And hollywood whackjobs.  I remember in the early 90's (I think) hollywood celebs got the idea that Buddhism was about chanting for money/wealth/success..etc..  and it was all over the news, various ass-hats claiming to be buddhists... 

[MAM]

I can heartily recommend the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche (hope I spelt all that correctly).

I look at buddhism more from a philosophy standpoint than mystical.  There are certainly things that can be learned, good life lessons I believe.

There are secular Buddhist cults (used in the archaic sense).

And hollywood whackjobs.  I remember in the early 90's (I think) hollywood celebs got the idea that Buddhism was about chanting for money/wealth/success..etc..  and it was all over the news, various ass-hats claiming to be buddhists... 

Didn't know that, but with my limited knowledge of Buddhism, I find it highly amusing.

[Seth King]

I like the Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell. And only Stephen Mitchell. There are thousands of translations of the Tao Te Ching and most of them suck. This one is not overly poetic, but logical and comprehensible.

My version isn't illustrated, but this one should do.

http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Illustrated-Journey/dp/0711229643/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342119986&sr=8-1&keywords=tao+te+ching+stephen+mitchell

[MAM]

I like the Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell. And only Stephen Mitchell. There are thousands of translations of the Tao Te Ching and most of them suck. This one is not overly poetic, but logical and comprehensible.

My version isn't illustrated, but this one should do.

http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Illustrated-Journey/dp/0711229643/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342119986&sr=8-1&keywords=tao+te+ching+stephen+mitchell

Have you read Thomas Cleary's translation? I like Thomas Cleary's translations for the most part. I have alot of stuff translated by him.

[braindead0]

Getting a bit off topic... Taoism <> Buddhism ;-)

[SinCityVoluntaryist]

Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism all share similar messages and ideas. Eastern philosophy is kick ass.

 Has anyone here read anything by the great Alan Watts? I've listened to some of his speeches via YouTube.

[JustSayNoToStatism]

First, I have low self esteem and a feeling that I really don't have that many friends as I should. Second, that low self esteem makes me constantly hate myself and degrade my sense of well being via my inner critic.

I think these are problems that you need to work out in your own mind. Try to assess yourself, set your goals, and act upon them. I don't believe that faith in anyone else to help you feel at ease can work. You need to learn about yourself, learn your strengths, know your limitations, and take back your internal locus of control in your life. What do you want? What are your goals? Are you confident and proud of who you are? Think long and hard about these things, and plan a course of action to improve your life. The problems you mentioned exist in your mind. Looking to yourself will not only work, but it will be self-reinforcing, because you can prove your own worth to yourself one success at a time.

But that's probably not what you wanted to hear.

[SinCityVoluntaryist]

^That's the point, though, JSNTS. One of the primary purposes of Buddhism is to help you find the power (God like strength) within yourself. Everyone, regardless of who they are, can obtain enlightenment. This is one of the primary concerns with Nichiren Buddhism, a form of Buddhism that implements chants in order to strengthen one sense of inner strength and power. It's very interesting stuff. I came across this video via YouTube:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwqyvxh9dRU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwqyvxh9dRU</a>

[Josh D]

I would consider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_emotive_behavior_therapy before Buddhism.  What type of therapy were you in?

[SinCityVoluntaryist]

 I'm still in therapy, John. I have been for a few months now.