[Bletlemof]

Gyaltsen, thank you for thinking it is a great platform. I am happy for you that you have taken refuge. I am glad that you understand my sentiments concerning racism.

I find your post to be very insightful. I will make an effort to identify my intolerance and the fears I have connected to them. I have absolutely no problem with your personal view. Thank you for being kind to me.

ratikala, you do not need to be sorry for time of responding. My initial post on this thread was about how I just felt really angry and hateful towards racists and Christians. I don't feel that way now. I guess feelings come and go.
I am really sorry that I have posted so much about taking refuge. I just worry about how to become an "official" Buddhist.

I was very thankful for you giving me advice about that one website that I had posted on another thread. I still am thankful or your advice. Yeah. I can totally relate to how you feel about not being able to change your parents views. I understand how that would most likely lead to anger. You talking about being a new changing person really helps me out.

It makes me not feel guilty like I was feeling. I will try to just focus on the good. I still plan on taking taking refuge while using information from that site that I shared with on you on that other thread. I don't feel like I have learned enough about Buddhism yet to take refuge.

I want to learn more of the basics first. I feel like I can do this without taking a really long time if I can just focus. I may be wrong but I think I can learn the very basics of Buddhism if I put my mind to it in a not long amount of time. Thank you letting me know that you and other Buddhists take refuge for all living beings including me.

I suffer a lot and it is good to know that there are Buddhists who take a refuge for the suffering including all living beings. I am not sure at all what school of Buddhism that I will choose but I do feel slightly leaning towards Mahayana Buddhism. Thank you so much for encouraging me about my sangha. I really appreciate your kind words. I will remember to surrender problems in my mind to buddha. Thank you very much again for your continued support.

To everyone who has posted, thank you. I may be redundant asking this and I am very sorry if I am, but is someone who takes refuge alone less of a Buddhist than someone who takes a formal refuge with a monk or master? I am deeply sorry if i'm annoying anybody by asking similar things over and over again.

I just really want to know if it makes someone "more" Buddhist. Thank you again to anyone who has read and or responded to my posts. I really do appreciate all of you.

Moderators NOTE:

*--David, please, try to write in short paragraphs. Some members here suffer from visual migraine--*