Becoming a Buddhist

Over the course of my life. I've tried out many different religions. Well, there aren't really that many different religions, but there are a lot of different brands of the same religion. While I have always been very spiritual, I never really could believe all the myths associated with Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or any other religion that believed in a god or gods as described by the Big Three. The idea of God always confused me, especially since he always seemed to contradict everything that was said about him. So, having tried various forms of Christianity, and honestly having absolutely no interest in Judaism or Islam, I tried becoming a Buddhist.

Becoming a Buddhist, I learned, is no light task. One who is unfamiliar with Eastern culture may have difficulty grasping the ideas and actions behind Buddhism. Buddhist cosmology, while not much different than Judeo-Christian cosmology, is nevertheless foreign to most Westerners. Buddhists, for the most part, following the traditions of their Indian fore-fathers, believe in Devas (Gods), Asuras (demi-gods or Angels), Manusyas (Humans), Tiryaks (Animals), Pretas (Hungry Ghosts) and Narakas (Demons). These closely resemble their Judeo-Christian counterparts, though Buddhists are under no obligation to believe in any of those things. That's part of what makes Buddhism unique- it's all about how you perceive the world around you.

When I decided to become a Buddhist, I was unaware of what Buddhists actually believe. The main tenets of Buddhism are simply expressed in the Four Noble Truths:

1. Life is suffering

2. Suffering is due to attachment

3. Attachment can be overcome

4. There is a path for accomplishing this

In other words, life is suffering which is caused by our attachments to those things which make us feel good; mostly material things like food and shelter, money, or possessions. Our suffering comes when we cannot have these things, so the Buddhist philosophy is to stop desiring them. A good idea, to be sure, but it has its drawbacks. For instance, Buddhism teaches that to be enlightened, one must overcome desire. This can easily lead to an unhealthy asceticism, in which the budding Buddhist considers every appetite to be something that must be suppressed. For instance, a person becoming a Buddhist may think that he must avoid food everytime he feels hungry. When in reality, Buddhism teaches no such thing- only moderation in all things. Being hungry is healthy, it is your body's way of saying it needs nutrients. Attachment to food arises when we crave it even when NOT hungry.

A great thing about Buddhism, though, is that it's really not that strict. One mustn't even believe in gods or demons. Moderation, however, remains important in Buddhism. Becoming a Buddhist means that you will have to practice self-denial, meditation, etc, to achieve enlightenment, which is basically what all religions are seeking, whether they know it or not.

But back to my own experiences with becoming a Buddhist. I first became aware of some of the basics of Buddhism when I was in a rehab facility in Texas. I was a teen who was very attached to alcohol. I met this guy in rehab named Tommy. Tommy was a Buddhist. Every night I could hear him chanting, "nam-yoho-renge-kyo-namyoho-renge-kyonam-yoho-renge-kyo" over and over. It honestly annoyed me. So I asked him one morning at breakfast, what's up with all that chanting? Tommy explained Buddhism, and I was interested. So, later, I contacted the Austin Zen Center about learning more. Someone at the center emailed me back and invited me to come sit in on a lesson or meditation. I did so, sitting in on a zazen, or seated meditation, session with hippies from all over Austin. I found that

1. Sitting up straight for a long time while remaining perfectly still is very difficult, and

2. Meditation was a practice I was already familiar with, so it was nothing new. It was just weird doing it in a different way.

I gave becoming a Buddhist an honest effort. I attended a few more sessions and lessons, practiced moderation and the giving of charity, meditated, etc, but I found that becoming a Buddhist was, in reality, nothing different than becoming any other religion. Religion is just a way for humans to express their spirituality. Everyone looks up at the stars and hopes there is something greater than just this horrible existence. People express their spirituality through religion, and I found that I was already familiar with Buddhism, just of another form. My religion also taught moderation, self-denial, and charity. My religion also practiced meditation. My religion also sought to achieve enlightenment. And, more importantly, I was comfortable in my religion. So I gave up becoming a Buddhist, and just went back to Catholicism. I like the Mass, the prayers, the meditations. I like the smells and colors and statues and stained glass. And, ultimately, that is what it's all about. People seek religions they are comfortable in, not that they necessarily believe in, because most people have enough brainpower to realize that 95% of any religion is bullshit. The other 5%, the good, moral, common-sense things taught by people like Moses, the Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, John Smith, or whoever, are the things that matter. So, if the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Buddhism attract you, by all means, become a Buddhist. Because you are going to express your spirituality no matter what, and if you can do so comfortably as a Buddhist, then just do so. One could do a lot worse. I have found that Buddhists are a pretty solid, together bunch with heads screwed firmly in place.