how much of Buddhist teachings do you follow?
 

Just out of curiosity, how much of Buddhist teachings do you understand and practise? I find Buddhism very complex (if we get into the details) and I can't get my head around it. I understand the basics such as Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Noble Path and Five Precepts and I use them as a guide on how to live an ethical life. That is pretty much it. After reading the posts on this forum, I realise that many members are very knowledgeable and understand the religion profoundly (honestly, I don't understand half of what is discussed here).

Just want to know to what extent do you consider yourself followers of Buddhism :)

Me too Peen, I've found it difficult to try and understand the Buddha's suttas and other teachings of great masters like Dogen, I would get a mental block when I tried to get my head round them. So now I read them for pleasure rather than for the purpose of education.
Gassho
Gary

The active parts of my practice are following the Noble Eightfold Path, adhering to the Five Precepts, and some (Samatha-Vipassana) Meditation either sitting or during daily activities.

The Four Noble Truths and Three Marks of Existence (Impermanence, Dukkha, Not-Self) are for contemplation & insight.

As far as my practice, the Buddha's teachings are meant for the alleviation of suffering, the destroying of all ignorance in our view of reality, leading to stillness and imperturbability of mind. I don't worry about what I can't know, instead staying detached from either belief or disbelief (such as literal rebirth, devas and other realms). I understand karma as "choice", as in choices of thought, speech and action that either lead the mind toward or away from a state of awakening/liberation.

I don't call myself a Buddhist or a non-Buddhist. To me it's about figuring out who/what you are already, not trying to define yourself or make yourself into something. To each his/her own. =)

Hi peen,

Yes, you are right, some of the suttas are difficult for me too. My main practice is Zazen, the meditation of the Soto Zen school. Zen covers the main aspect of my understanding and practice also. Here I discovered the importance of studding the suttas and some Theravada teachers that comment them and make them more understandable. The main teaching for me has been the Four Noble Truths. In some Buddhist circles they are thought as just a beginners teaching but in my personal experience it has been the main and central aspect of my practice and realization. I think this business is about understanding the origin and cessation of dukkha states of mind with the aid of a clear view about mind and things. Zen has developed many wonderful and very practical tools so to develop this skill like the silent learning that is a kind of understanding through insight more than through intellectual discourse.

The practice is more important than the theory. In fact too much studying, discussing and conceptualising can be a hindrance to the practice and calming the mind. It's difficult for insight to arise when there's too much happening in the mind. I know in the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhism, especially in the "early days", some teachers would give their students a single instruction, such as mentally recite the word Buddho over and over until the mind calms and becomes one-pointed; no long drawn out instructions or teachings, nothing complex or difficult to understand.

My advice would be to meditate more than study; and when you do study don't try and cram it all in, there's no rush. It doesn't matter how knowledgeable of Buddhism you are, you won't find any peace and freedom from suffering unless you do the practice.

Very wise. Meditation is not a separate event. Meditation when sitting, is meditation; when waling (Kin Hin) there should be meditation; when eating there should be meditation; studding a sutta, letting the sutta settle down its insight, giving room to that insight, in silence, reflective, still, is meditation too; watching a mental formation in a mundane moment of our day, is meditation... taking our time and not rushing... Yes... it is meditation.

http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

Yes I would agree with the last two members - it's the practice, which counts. The Zen master Suzuki Roshi once said that we must not mistake medicine for food - he meant the teachings are to be taken as medicine to encourage us with our practice, which is the real food. Start slowly with ten minutes or so quiet sitting meditation once in the early morning and once last thing in the evening. In between get used to being mindful about what you are doing - just paying attention to your actions as you perform them - Suzuki Roshi again: eat when you eat, sleep when you sleep.

Hi peen,
That's more than enough and much more than I will ever need for my practice. Filling your head with 'knowledge' about Buddhism can be a wonderful hobby or diversion but it's not the same as practice.

If you are still breathing, then you can do anapanasati. It's all you need.http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/hands.gif

Dear Peen

Don't worry, I too am very much a beginner. I meditate and I read steadily about it. I think you sound very knowledgeable compared to me! I am just looking for a better way to live and to understand life.

I just got into learning about Buddhism so at the moment, I do not practice anything. When I was younger, I started karate at the age of 6 and continued until I was 15. I used to meditate back then and it was very calming for me and helped me with tough times and decisions I needed to make.

I am excited to get back into meditating and learn more about Buddhism.

Sounds good Akuma ! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/grin.gif

peen:
If you meditate as Buddha suggested, you are following his teachings. I avoided sutta study for years, and still feel tons of aversion to it. Books can help but they can also hinder. I started with the anapanasati sutta (mindfulness of breathing/keeping the breath in mind) because it bore directly on what I was attempting in my formal sits. Keep in mind, The Four Noble Truths have traditionally been considered an "advanced" teaching. I don't know if I agree with that, but it helps me to not be to hard on myself or worry about it too much when I'm in my WTF? state regarding the teachings.

The Pali Dhamma has given me a completly new apporach to what the Buddha taught and a acurate sense and direct instructions of what has to be done in order to understand and ceasse dukkha. Personally I think that the Four Noble Truths are the compass to go through the rest of the Pali teachings.

I understand the basics such as Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Noble Path and Five Precepts and I use them as a guide on how to live an ethical life. That is pretty much it. These are not the basics, they are the core :)

Please clarify your distinction between "the basics" & "the core?"
Warmly,
BG

I have spent time reading and learning about the Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts but I don't really know much beyond that other than my own personal meditation (which I am really still learning at, I find it hard to clear my head of thoughts!). It's been interesting to read about things like Dhamma which I hadn't even heard of before. I hope that over the summer when I have more time (I am currently finishing off my studying for this year) I will be able to look into things like that in more detail. For now though I am quite happy just continuing with my own "practice" if you could really call it that!

One thing I have found is that it is easy to want to be told how is best to do things, but really with Buddhism having a teacher isn't the important thing because the learning has to be done internally by yourself.

Life is short.

Its good to investigate carefully first. Some offline teachers can be very helpful for the development and understanding of ones practice, but getting too dependent on them isn't a good idea because eventually one has to walk the path by oneself without clinging.

http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/hands.gif

And we can not know how short - my interaction ( s ) with my teacher ( s) has helped my progress ( often in unexpected ways ) , regardless

Hi Peen, In my practice I have found that the dhamma is like an onion, each time you penetrate a layer with understanding, there is another layer of deeper understanding under it, after a while, I came to appreciate the amazingly elegant structure of the Dhamma.

The best advice I had in my practice is to try to understand the teaching on a simple basis.

As an example of the first three of the four noble truths in an every day situation, I was behind a car at a faulty set of lights, the driver in front kept hesitating, my irritation rose, the first noble truth of suffering, when I noticed the irritation I could see clearly it was due to my wanting the other driver to take action, second noble truth of craving - wanting things to be other than they are, when I recognizedly the irritation and mindfully stayed with it, it disappeared, the third noble truth of the cessation of suffering

I have found that putting the key points of the dhamma into every day experience helps me understand the seemingly complex details, and deepens the understanding (insights)