Anyone know someone who is Buddhist?

[Locut0s]

Just curious. My mother is a practising Buddhist. She has a Guan Yin alter at home and goes to a Buddhist temple several times a year for more specialized purposes. Both me and my father are atheists and while I do not believe in any form of religion Judeo-Christian or Asian I have come to have more of a tolerance for Buddhism / Hinduism and a few others. Not for any logical reason really, they are all equally preposterous from my point of view in terms of likelihood. I guess I've come to respect some of the underlying philosophy more than that of other religions? Anyone else know someone who practices Buddhism or another religion apart from the "Big 3 (Judeo-Christian, Muslim)"?

 

[Perknose]

Why "Bhustist" in your title? Obscure reference? Simple spelling mistake?

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: Perknose
Why "Bhustist" in your title? Obscure reference? Simple spelling mistake?

It wouldn't really be a simple spelling mistake...

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: Perknose
Why "Bhustist" in your title? Obscure reference? Simple spelling mistake?

That would be because I suck at spelling. But feel free to read tons of obscure references into it if you like. Whatever gets you hard

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: Perknose
Why "Bhustist" in your title? Obscure reference? Simple spelling mistake?

That would be because I suck at spelling. But feel free to read tons of obscure references into it if you like. Whatever gets you hard

Well, I was trying to be polite and give you the benefit of the doubt, but now I know:

You're stupid and lazy. :thumbsup:

 

[Psynaut]

I was raised Christian but discarded it. I felt I would rather not exist than to live in a universe controlled by the hateful, vengeful, judgemental, and cruel God of the Christian religion.

After many years of study I have found that I practice Buddhist practices, although I don't consider myself a Buddhist. Mainly, because I don't believe that it is possible for anyone to know about the afterlife, and the moment someone starts claiming that they do, I tune them out. But I used to be an angry, conflicted, unhappy person, and the Buddhist/Hindu/Taoist meditations and wisdom that directly deal with how to live a more peaceful and compassionate life have changed me completely for the better. The God of these faiths is a god I can believe in.

My friend refers to himself as a non-practicing Christian. I guess I would be a practicing non-Buddhist.

 

[nageov3t]

my friend / ex-roommate of 5 years is a cafeteria wiccan.

I roll my eyes at his "beliefs" (or lack thereof, he prescribes do the "let me embrace whatever justifies my current behavior and call it religion" school of thought) behind his back, but uh... whatever works for him

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: Perknose
Why "Bhustist" in your title? Obscure reference? Simple spelling mistake?

That would be because I suck at spelling. But feel free to read tons of obscure references into it if you like. Whatever gets you hard

Well, I was trying to be polite and give you the benefit of the doubt, but now I know:

You're stupid and lazy. :thumbsup:

Umm yeah the --> <-- at the end was supposed to be a hint that I understood you were being polite and I was just joking but whatever.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

While not a certified Buddhist, it's the "religion" I most identify with. So if someone asked if I was one I'd probably say so. Or Western Buddhist if you will.

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: loki8481
my friend / ex-roommate of 5 years is a cafeteria wiccan.

I roll my eyes at his "beliefs" (or lack thereof, he prescribes do the "let me embrace whatever justifies my current behavior and call it religion" school of thought) behind his back, but uh... whatever works for him

Are there people who actually take wiccanism seriously? I mean I you hear about people who do but it just seems so unlikely? But then one look at Scientology and I suppose anything starts to look possible as a belief.

 

[ctark]

I thought Buddhist didnt believe in any dieties? I thought it was just trying to follow the path to enlightenment. I could've swore i read they neither reject nor accept the idea of God. They simply dont know.

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: loki8481
my friend / ex-roommate of 5 years is a cafeteria wiccan.

I roll my eyes at his "beliefs" (or lack thereof, he prescribes do the "let me embrace whatever justifies my current behavior and call it religion" school of thought) behind his back, but uh... whatever works for him

Are there people who actually take wiccanism seriously? I mean I you hear about people who do but it just seems so unlikely? But then one look at Scientology and I suppose anything starts to look possible as a belief.

there are I think I've met all the ones in the mid-atlantic at different conventions and meetings and stuff with my then-roommate. hah.

I've got nothing but respect for religion, but I do take serious difference with the cafeteria-esque attitude that a lot of them (all religious people, really) take towards spirituality.

I've always felt like religion should be something that drives you to become a better person, not something you call yourself so that you can check a certain box when filling out forms.

 

[Svnla]

My mom is into Buddhism for years. Since I moved to the US years ago when I was little, I am not really into any religions even though friends and co workers were/are trying to persuade me to join the "big" Christian religions <Cath, Bapt, Metho, etc.>.

I am more into the Golden Rule type. Do to others as others do to you.

 

[Svnla]

DP

 

[acheron]

I know some Hindus, since that is apparently not counted in your "big 3". (Hinduism is the third largest religion worldwide though, after Christianity and Islam.)

 

[Eos]

I know quite a few people who follow this.

 

[KaOTiK]

The few Buddhist's I've met all described it more as a philospihy then an actual religion. It is the closes thing to a religion I actually show some interest in.

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: ctark
I thought Buddhist didnt believe in any dieties? I thought it was just trying to follow the path to enlightenment. I could've swore i read they neither reject nor accept the idea of God. They simply dont know.

For Buddhism as an ideology you'd be correct and that's really the only form I respect. Ideologically Buddhism has some very attractive concepts that other religions lack to me. However as practiced by the majority of people around the world as a day to day religion it really does have deities. Ever go to a Buddhist temple? People pray and offer incense and other offering to numerous Bodhisattva statues each usually a Bodhisattva of a particular aspect, eg compassion, wisdom, awareness etc etc... A Bodhisattva is supposedly an individual who has obtained the holy grail of nirvana but renounced it to help others on the path to achieving it. As such then these aren't really Gods and Buddhism unlike many other religions doesn't say anything about other religions. It's usually not a religion of conversion or condemnation and for the most part has no say about your other religious beliefs or practices in life (eg sinful or non sinful etc etc).. Though to truly reach "nirvana" one would really have to renounce these and much else besides. That's as much detail as I know not believing or practising the religion myself.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I have a good friend from highschool who "converted" to Buddism. A coworker of mine is wiccan.

Dif strokes for folks...

 

[maddogchen]

i know sikhs

 

[Leros]

I knew a guy back in high school who believed he was a reincarnated dragon. For whatever its worth, he was also a vorarephile and he liked furries. He was homeschooled by his crazy cultish parents until high school.

 

[Dumac]

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: Perknose

Originally posted by: Locut0s

Originally posted by: Perknose
Why "Bhustist" in your title? Obscure reference? Simple spelling mistake?

That would be because I suck at spelling. But feel free to read tons of obscure references into it if you like. Whatever gets you hard

Well, I was trying to be polite and give you the benefit of the doubt, but now I know:

You're stupid and lazy. :thumbsup:

Umm yeah the --> <-- at the end was supposed to be a hint that I understood you were being polite and I was just joking but whatever.

Don't worry, he just likes to be a dick.

Back on topic, I've known some people who claim to be wiccan. However, all of them are full of crap and only use their religion as a way to get attention.

Part of me believes that most Wiccans do this, but maybe it's just because of my bad experiences.

 

[coldmeat]

I knew a guy who was Baha'i. He's now in Japan or somewhere studying it. They apparently believe in the importance of all religions or something. That's what he told me anyways.

 

[db]

All religion and philosophy is based on belief or trust rather than something that can be "proven", but that does not stop some people from pointing a finger of judgment (or "helpful direction") about what you *should believe*, in their opinion. When that happens, I can't get far enough away from them and their religion/philosophy.
Fanatics/aggressives in every religion/philosophy damage the image of their group.