Nagasenathera.info

Thailand’s reputation as a safe and peaceful destination is attracting thousands of foreigners from all over the world to learn more about the 2,547-year-old Buddhist faith and one of its most famous practices, the art of meditation. At Wat Mahathat, the primary centre of meditation studies in Bangkok, nearly 4,000 foreigners have taken courses between 1998 and 2003, and monks are predicting steady growth in the years ahead.

Although Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, throughout the Mekong region, China and Northeast Asia, Thailand has gained an influential position as a centre of learning and knowledge. Major institutions like the World Fellowship of Buddhists and the Mahachulalongkorn-rajavidyalaya Buddhist University are located in Bangkok. Visits to prominent temples accompanied by laymen’s explanations of the faith are standard features of tours taken by the 10 million visitors who travel to Thailand each year.

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One of the questions I’m asked most often is… How did I become a Buddhist?

I was born and baptized a Lutheran in Iowa. My family moved to Arizona in 1954, I was five and have many fond memories of the Southwest. I spent my high school years in Wisconsin and in 1969 moved to Los Angeles, California. Because my teenage years were spent in the 60′s — “Don’t trust anyone over 30 and question all authority” — I became an agnostic. Read the rest of this entry »

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from ‘budhi’, ‘to awaken’. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.

• Is Buddhism a Religion?

To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or ‘way of life’. It is a philosophy because philosophy ‘means love of wisdom’ and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding. Read the rest of this entry »

For spiritual practice to bear fruit it must come from the heart.  There is no place for assertive proselytisation, coercion or manipulation.

Many people regularly attend and benefit from Buddhist gatherings and meditations  without necessarily calling themselves ‘Buddhist’. In many ways the Buddhist religion and Buddhism were really a Victorian invention, a way of labeling the spiritual practices prevalent in many far-eastern countries.

However, many do formally take refuge in the ‘ triple gem’; the Buddha (the historical Buddha and clear awareness), the Dhamma (the truth and the teachings), and the Sangha (that which is wholesome, and virtuous friends and company on the path). Taking the refuges simply means saying ‘I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha.

Taking refuge is something we do when we are in danger of some sort, or we have to escape from a threatening situation. Buddhists choose to take refuge in intuitive awareness, virtue and ‘good’ friends – in intelligence and non-delusion. The ‘threat’ that we are taking refuge from is greed, hatred and delusion and their consequence – suffering.

We all take solace (or refuge) in something – even if we do not regard ourselves as ‘religious’. Depending upon our conditioning, environment, and habitual tendencies we may seek salvation in work; in political ideologies; in relationships; in sport; in drink or drugs. Although obviously these things are not all harmful, they are not the answer to our spiritual aspirations. For that we need to look within.

http://www.buddhacommunity.org

Becoming a Buddhist by Madawela Punnaji, M.D.

Practising Buddhism and being a Buddhist are two different things. You may not be a Buddhist but you can still practice Buddhism. On the other hand, you may be a Buddhist but not practice Buddhism. Quite different from both practising and being is becoming a Buddhist. Read the rest of this entry »