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Hello Pure Dhamma community,
I am an ex-Christian from USA and started studying Buddhism for about a month now. I have noticed that there are many schools of this religion so it seemed like it will take a while to figure out the most authentic teachings. But it looks like this website/community will make it easier for me, so please consider sharing your experience in the answer to the following questions:
- Out of all the religions in the world, why did you choose Buddhism?
- This community seems to follow Theravada school of Buddhism. Why did you guys choose this school specifically out of other schools like Mahayana, Vajrayana, etc.?
- How does one build confidence in the teachings?
- What is the best way of sharing these teachings with others who don’t have much background?
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Welcome to the forum, Lagrade!
- I was born into a Theravada Buddhist family (and was brought up that way), so I will leave it to those who were either born non-Buddhist or had a minimal Buddhist background to answer Lagrade’s questions.
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Hello and welcome Lagarde. I was a former Protestant Christian and my father is a Protestant pastor. I became interested in Buddhism when I was 17. I was a Mahayanist for 1 year before starting to study Theravada. I chose Buddhism because it is the only religion that provides a permanent solution to suffering.
You know that as Christians we seek the eternal life promised by Jesus. Just accept Jesus as our savior and all our sins will be forgiven. If we refuse we will not have the right to eternal life, but to hell. When I saw that Lord Buddha said that even the pleasures of heaven and the sufferings of hell are not eternal it was a shock. I had also learned that we are our own saviours.
Lord Buddha is only a guide and not the one who will bear the burden of our bad deeds. It shows that the final solution to all this suffering is to stop desiring the things of this world and to understand the true nature of this world. Theravada is the Dhamma and it is the school which best represents the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha). Other schools have complicated things and added elements foreign to the Dhamma.
To develop confidence in the Dhamma, you need to hear explanations from a person who is at least sotapannā i.e. a person who has fully understood the basis. You can read the suttas on your own, but you need someone who has fully understood it to explain it to you and help you understand what you have read. We call that noble friend, in Buddhism. After this, you will become a sotāpanna yourself and your confidence in the teaching will be unshakeable.
You will know how to share it when your confidence is unshakeable. However, I suggest listening to sermons from monks who know how to talk to non-Buddhists. Jethavaranama Monastery is very skilled in this field.
See these sermons to get an Idea :
This website uses advanced Dhamma terms. I share these sermons because they are excellent for beginners. Of course, you can jump straight to this website and learn.
You have the option to have a Zoom call with the monks at the monastery. Let me know if you’re interested! :)
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Hi
1. I was born into a Maitreya Buddhist family. Then I found many things that did not fit, then I became agnostic.. After some time I reflected on injustice, differences, why we were created, why we were created if only to be used as toys, after a long search I found the concept of tilakkhana, paticcasamuppada, 4 noble truths, and all of that according to me is in line with logic, the turning point I found this puredhamma, the concept of tilakkhana is very clear (thank you Mr. LAL, and all my friends in the community here). Long story short, in deep contemplation I firmly believe in Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha.
2. I actually do not follow any school of thought, but coincidentally the one that is closest to it is the Theravada school. Because looking at it historically.
3. For me, the way to build our belief is first we have to think objectively (why we were born in different religions, families, statuses, social) and think neutrally, see the truth universally and then match it with the teachings. A simple and extreme example in Buddhism does not recognize the existence of a creator and that is in line with the logic that those who kill and are killed are purely due to cause and effect, there is no destiny or destiny that is previously scripted.
4. In my opinion, it is rather difficult to convince people unless the person has a ready mind and is compatible with the dhamma, we can only show the reality of life with the dhamma slowly and when he is ready he will automatically become convinced.
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1) After realizing Buddhism is not a religion but more like Mathematics but about our existential dilemma and personal meditative experiences that Buddhism explained.
2) I tried probably every school there is – I even got initiated into esoteric streams of “Buddhism” but realized they are far from what Buddha taught. Dhamma is something you realize – imagine you are an adult who still believes Santa exists, once you realize it doesn’t you will see what is true and what is not, it’s pretty much the same with real Dhamma, non-Dhamma “Buddhism” lives in different preassumptions about “Santa” but because Santa does not exist they can not be true. (It’s just a metaphor that some people may relate who believed in Santa and then they had a “realization” that is just a story)
3) Confidence comes from realization as I mentioned above, once you learn 2+2 is 4 you can not be cheated or confused when somebody gives you 3 apples and tells is it’s 4 you obviously will see through it. Seeing Dhamma is seeing life in this way – there is no more confusion about what is what.
4) Reading, and watching discourses that lead to realization and meditation in layman terms but in Dhamma terms – 8 fold Path that you may read about it on this site
(ex-Christian here too)
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Also, the most important fact I would be looking for what is true, logical, and can be tested/understood – only Buddhism offers that on that level
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Thanks a lot for your responses, Lal, Jittananto, Waisaka and Christian.
@Jittananto:
“You know that as Christians we seek the eternal life promised by Jesus. Just accept Jesus as our savior and all our sins will be forgiven. If we refuse we will not have the right to eternal life, but to hell. When I saw that Lord Buddha said that even the pleasures of heaven and the sufferings of hell are not eternal it was a shock. I had also learned that we are our own saviours.”
I think that is a great perspective. We all know that this world is very unstable and uncountable beings in the Biosphere have gone through insane suffering (and still do) in the process of Evolution. Furthermore, the outer space is really violent too as nothing lasts forever in the entire universe. The idea of “eternal life” is really incompatible with these observations. I’m really impressed that Buddha spoke about this unstable nature of the world and encouraged people to put in the work to save themselves!
“This website uses advanced Dhamma terms. I share these sermons because they are excellent for beginners. Of course, you can jump straight to this website and learn.”
Thank you for your sharing those sermons! One of the reasons I asked that question was because the Dhamma presented in this website indeed seems very advanced. So I was worried if it might be a little too technical for many people.
“For me, the way to build our belief is first we have to think objectively (why we were born in different religions, families, statuses, social) and think neutrally, see the truth universally and then match it with the teachings.”
I think that is an excellent approach. One needs to have an open mind with a healthy amount of skepticism. There’s a lot we don’t know and a lot there is to learn.
“After realizing Buddhism is not a religion but more like Mathematics but about our existential dilemma and personal meditative experiences that Buddhism explained.”
I really like that analogy. To be fully honest, I really was not expected this religion (Tipitaka) to be so technical and full of logic. A religion is not supposed to make you think as hard as this seems to do.
“Dhamma is something you realize – imagine you are an adult who still believes Santa exists, once you realize it doesn’t you will see what is true and what is not, it’s pretty much the same with real Dhamma, non-Dhamma “Buddhism” lives in different preassumptions about “Santa” but because Santa does not exist they can not be true.”
Thank you! I have believed in Santa before and realized that initially, it is quite comforting to believe that there is some imaginary sugar daddy who guarantees salvation for you. But with deeper thought and examination of the world like Waisaka mentioned, I found myself really inconvenienced with that premise. I noticed that there are schools of Buddhism that rely on such ideas like “Pure Land Buddhism”, for example, which states that chanting some Buddha’s name will cause rebirth in the Pure Land and guarantee enlightenment. This sounded a lot like “Worshipping Jesus will guarantee eternal life in the Heaven” type of idea which I chose to discard.
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I was also born in a Buddhist family but my parents were only aware of Panca Sila. They realised that every other religion discriminates humans and divides them except Buddhism. They knew that the Buddha taught something very unique but they didn’t come across it for many years.
When I was 3 years old I had a very strong attraction towards science and nature. I was in primary school and used to ask my parents to buy me science books, I have some even today.
Then my father in 2013 came across Goenka’s Vipassana. I was very excited to learn that but I became bored after doing it for a few days. It was like a torture to the body and the mind as you have to be in a specific pose and bare the bodily pain if it arises!
Then in 2022 I came across this website and realised the truth. That childhood curiosity was a KEY factor for coming across this truth. Since then I have been progressing significantly. Jethvanarama Buddhist Monastery youtube channel was also a game changer for me. I was missing some key points that were addressed by their videos. Thanks to Gad(Jittananto) for sharing me such videos!
And thanks to everyone for supporting me in every way possible 🙏🏻
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@lagrade – Yes, generally everybody gets tired sometimes of life and self-manipulation can ease out your psyche that “there is someone” etc. but this is something that makes you more “sleepy” of life. I would say the coping mechanism of religion is not bad in the sense if someone gives up on life or copes with religious mechanism via Dhamma understanding human life is very rare so it’s better to believe false things and keep going as you have a bigger chance to either get into Dhamma or just be a good person and get a better rebirth. There are some nuances in life where it’s not black and white but Dhamma explains everything to the extent we can understand as humans
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I was born into a Hindu family and became agnostic at the age of 8 (after I saw someone die in front of me, which is a depressing story). I eventually became an Atheist as I started to study Science in detail. The more I learnt about the Universe, the less convinced I became that there is a “God” like so many people think.
The reason I discarded other religions is quite straightforward: the people who claim to know the creator know nothing about the creator. For example, you know that many Christians insist that the Bible is the “Word of God”. If that is true, then it should contain the most authentic description of reality possible. All the scientific discoveries made to this day should be trivial to an all knowing deity. But when you analyze the Biblical claims, you don’t see any Science but simply a collection of stories that any ignorant humans could come up with. Hinduism also has the same issues as the scriptures contain so many inconsistencies and garbage rituals that you’re expected to blindly believe in.
I am still a big enthusiast of Science and had been a Materialist for many years before studying Buddha Dhamma. Even though Science has made some solid discoveries about the material world, there hasn’t been a lot of progress in understanding the mental phenomena. About 8 months ago, I was on quest to research more about the conscious experience and what I was not expecting was that many scientists that study this topic like Donald Hoffman, Bruce Greyson, etc. suggested a non-materialistic approach. The irony is that Buddha Dhamma is literally all about the mind. I have not seen any other religion, philosophy or even modern science that discusses the conscious experience to the depth that Dhamma does. This was one of the most compelling aspects for me as it requires you to think critically and the concepts are full of logic, as discussed above.
I have learnt a lot but I still got a long way to go. They say until one reaches the Anagami stage of awakening, they can’t truly be content. I hope you get value from learning Dhamma as well!
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Hello, Lagrade!
Thanks to the questions you asked, I was able to reflect on my journey up until now. Thank you.
– Out of all the religions in the world, why did you choose Buddhism?
After encountering Pure Dhamma, for the first time in my life, I experienced a sense of well-being that came from cleansing the mind. This cool and calm feeling of the mind is a bliss that cannot be compared to any happiness in the world. I am convinced that only Buddha Dhamma can give us this type of happiness. This is why I chose Buddha Dhamma.
– This community seems to follow the Theravada school of Buddhism. Why did you guys choose this school specifically out of other schools like Mahayana, Vajrayana, etc.?
I am Korean, so I first encountered Buddhism through Mahayana. At that time, I found it interesting to learn, but it was merely a distraction from my existential crisis. Next, I studied Theravada based on post-canonical commentaries, but I realized that this too was fundamentally another form of distraction. Encountering Pure Dhamma by chance was a turning point for me. I can confidently say that the teachings of Waharaka Thero are authentic. I believe that truth doesn’t need a lawyer to defend it. So, try experiencing it for yourself!
– How does one build confidence in the teachings?
I think this can be achieved by reflecting on how your inner life has transformed. Through Buddha Dhamma, a person becomes more humble, more honest, gives selflessly, and acts with genuine care for others. It’s difficult to put into words, but you can clearly see the changes within yourself.
– What is the best way of sharing these teachings with others who don’t have much background?
I think the best way is to approach others with a smile and an open heart. Unless the person asks to learn directly, I believe it’s better to show the results of the teachings (i.e., the kindness and happiness that come from the heart) rather than explaining the teachings directly.
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It brings me joy to read the above discussion! I learnt about theravada concepts from young, but I did not start to seriously read into them until coming across this site. However, I have been asking myself “Why Buddhism” constantly until today. That is because I have seen how other people believe that they find rational explanations for their own religion, and I realise that I could well be in the same group as them. Others will also say that they became a better person following this religion. Until today I am still scrutinising Buddhism, trying to see if my beliefs or the teachings are correct. There still somethings that I cannot 100% convince myself in, such as
- The idea that we have been in countless rebirths
- The idea that we have been born in other realms
Even though the mechanism of the above processes are described (Paticca Samuppada), they are still theories for me which I take as working hypothesis. However, I find that the evidence for rebirth is quite convincing, at least from human to human rebirths. Evidence for Rebirth. This is one of my earliest post that I read which made me read more because the materialist understanding of the world clearly does not account for this.
That being said, I find that Buddhism has by far been the most convincing philosophy to explain the world, and I continue to take it as a working hypothesis. There are some aspects of the dhamma that I do not find it in other religions:
- The Buddha constantly invites people to experience and understand for themselevs rather than believe him purely by faith
- The Buddha is extremely precise in the teachings. Eg in Brahmajālasutta, he gives the exact number of ways how people come to conclusions about certain views, he gives the exact number of wrong views. This is not common in other philosophies or religion which are more extract and do not give such precise explanations.
- The dhamma is extremely consistent. This is also not common across other religions.
- The Buddha has no incentive to lie or bluff that he knows everything
- A relatively clear process of how the teachings are passed down – through the arahant council, and the arahants are those who would have understood the teachings well. Other religions may not be as clear.
One can simply read on other philophies and religions and decide for themselves the quality of explanations. I have talked to people from different backgrounds to compare, and Buddhism is still the best for me.
Upon reflections of anicca dukkha and anatta, I also saw that this applies to everything in our world. Of course, I cannot 100% confirm myself that there is no lasting heaven, but even in this life I start to see that we have been mindlessly pursuing pleasures that have no ultimate essence. Hope this helps!
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I loved reading all the warm responses. I am really glad that this thread gave an opportunity for practitioners to present their reflections.
@Yash RS:
“Then in 2022 I came across this website and realised the truth. That childhood curiosity was a KEY factor for coming across this truth. Since then I have been progressing significantly.”
The human mind is naturally curious. But few are curious towards finding the “truth”, especially since a young age. I applaud you for that!
“I have not seen any other religion, philosophy or even modern science that discusses the conscious experience to the depth that Dhamma does. This was one of the most compelling aspects for me as it requires you to think critically and the concepts are full of logic, as discussed above.”
The mind is without a doubt the most complex entity in the universe. All beings experience the world through their consciousness, which I believe is the least understood thing in Modern Science and Philosophy. So it is indeed utterly remarkable that Buddha’s teachings primarily focus on (and explain in detail) the sensory experiences!
“I believe that truth doesn’t need a lawyer to defend it. So, try experiencing it for yourself!”
Thank you! I am excited to proceed further!
@pathfinder:
“Even though the mechanism of the above processes are described (Paticca Samuppada), they are still theories for me which I take as working hypothesis.”
One can’t be fully sure about anything unless they have understood and experienced it themselves. It looks like you are doing exactly what the Buddha asked you to do. So I would suggest keeping your inquiring mindset the way it is!
I started this thread asking “Why Buddhism?” because I wanted to understand the perspectives of practitioners in this community and from the responses, it looks like you guys know what you are doing. Thanks again to everyone who participated in this thread! Please feel free to write more if you wish!
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