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Pursuing Buddhism?

Hey, guys! Long story short, I was one of those deeply brainwashed and horrible Christians for my entire life up until a couple years ago. I have spent the last two years as an atheist. I have finally become happy with it. I'm a "proud" atheist, I guess. At least I'm not ashamed. But things were getting rough in my life recently. So, I actually looked into researching the world's main religions, mainly out of the curiosity of whether or not a Godless religion existed. I spent the last month in Buddhism mode. Now that things are getting relatively easier in my life now, I'm not sure if Buddhism is something I should pursue. Buddhism could be helpful for the next time things get hard to deal with or in daily life. I just want some opinions on how reasonable it is. I can't ask anyone about it in real life. I know Buddhism has health benefits, can make you a better person, will not brainwash you, doesn't have a God, believes in reincarnation or rebirth (I actually do too), and is relatively lax (as far as religions go). But then, I've kind of enjoyed sinful nature with no regrets or attempts at changing myself. It's nice to have no structure. But I might be a little too reckless. I dunno. Any opinions on Buddhism?

Tags: Buddhism, Religion

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Permalink Reply by Scot68 on November 25, 2010 at 5:54pm

Okay, you just answered a question I had, which was, if we don't usually have memories of our past lives, why is that thought any more comforting than simply ceasing to exist? And for you the thought that somehow "you" will go on.

But then, if there is reincarnaton, what is "you"? In what sense does s soul have an indidual identity? I admit I have not thought much about questions like this attached to the concept of reincarnation.

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Permalink Reply by Vangelis Stamatopoulos on November 25, 2010 at 7:27pm

There has been a lot said about different concepts here and assumptions made about Buddhist concepts that are not quite correct. So, just for the record I would like to state that:

1. In Buddhism there is no concept of a soul. This implies a "permanent" part of "you" that can live on forever. There is no permanent substance in samsara - the round of rebirths that we live in. In fact, Buddhist texts clearly state one of the 3 marks of all of existence is impermanence. In fact, impermanence is a central concept in Buddhism.

2. There is nothing that lives on from lifetime to lifetime. In fact, in one of the suttas, one of the monks that went around saying that the mind "lives" on into the next life was rebuked by the Buddha and was told that he was misrepresenting the Buddha's teachings.

Of course these are the Buddhist concepts that I am explaining here and I am not by any means advocating that anyone should believe them but if we are going to discuss them, it's important that we are discussing Buddhism and not some notion of what Buddhism may be.

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Permalink Reply by Keri on November 25, 2010 at 11:04pm

Hey, to address Vangelis Stamatopouos first, I'm sorry about the confusion. I am aware of what you are saying, this conversation strayed from the topic of Buddhism fairly early and is now mostly about people's opinions of reincarnation and souls in general. Sorry about that. Thanks though!

Scot68, the "you" that goes on is literally the "you" that is working your mind and body. "You" are the one perceiving everything around you. If you were reborn as a new baby and grew into a new life with a different family in a different place with perhaps a new language with no memory of this life you are living now, you would still be the one living that life. Your name would be different, you would look different, and you would probably have very different values based on how you were raised, but it would be from your point of view. You would still be the one making the main decisions based on the information you were presented with. It is "you" looking through your eyes to read this right now. It's not your next door neighbor or a stranger. It is you.

I would also like to add that I have a personal feeling that reincarnation exists, or that we don't cease to exist when we die. It is just a feeling. Nothing more. But it means so much to me.

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Permalink Reply by Steve on November 25, 2010 at 11:24pm

I am not entirely sure why you were exploring Buddhism. It appears to have been more than curiosity. When you mention that life had been rough lately it implies you were looking for a substitute emotional support system. You should learn about other religions, but you might want to immerse yourself in skeptical thought in general first. For support, try to find like minded people wherever you can but mostly you will need to find it within yourself. I think that is true no matter what you believe, it's just a little harder and more urgent when you are a non-believer in our society. You will probably never find anything close to a perfect situation, but if you keep yourself together you can manage the imperfections.

I studied Buddhism for awhile myself years ago. It has more to offer than the Abrahamic religions certainly. But, to be honest, I don't think anything "spiritual" exists. There's just no evidence for it. If it does, I doubt anyone, even the Buddha really had an inside line on the truth about it.