The question was, what religion do you follow?

[Tayesin]

Hi All,

For the 1,000,000th time so far I was asked this question... What religion do you follow? And because it is asked so often I thought now I would put my reply here.

Quote from Me,
"To be honest, I do not follow.

I do not attach to any belief-system because each one is based on control of us, and because of this each one limits what we can experience.

I forge my own path, have my own experiences and grow directly from the understandings I have about the experiences.

No religion is the one. All are wanting to be the one. None can be because they all only have one small grain of truth under all their human-created structures.

Without religion, beliefs, etc, we are free to experience what really is, not what we are told there is.

Hope this answers your question."

Okay people, now it's your turn..................

[Stookie]

Good answer Tayesin. I always enjoy reading your posts.

I try to stay in that same mindset. Here's what I find tricky: I set aside my beliefs to learn to accept new concepts of reality. While the new concepts kill my old beliefs, if I'm not careful, the new concepts unexpectedly become a new belief system, thinking I've learned how it "really" is. While I may have escaped my old belief system, there are constant new ones to break. Have to stay vigilant and open minded.

[interception]

...constant new ones to break. Have to stay vigilant and open minded.

Ain't that the truth...
I doubt if it is possible NOT to be affected in some way by some human created belief system or systems while a person is in this reality.

[Adun]

None. I guess I'm ignostic and atheist.

[RenaissanceMan]

I would say my beliefs are quite eclectic.  I take a bit from Christianity, a bit from Jainism (I think it's called), and Buddhism and a few others.  Ultimately I think I'm simply a pragmatist - I just believe what seems to work.  So I have to agree with what Tayesin had to say basically I suppose.   

[Tayesin]

I try to stay in that same mindset. Here's what I find tricky: I set aside my beliefs to learn to accept new concepts of reality. While the new concepts kill my old beliefs, if I'm not careful, the new concepts unexpectedly become a new belief system, thinking I've learned how it "really" is. While I may have escaped my old belief system, there are constant new ones to break. Have to stay vigilant and open minded.

Ah, now that is hitting the nail on the head Stookie.    Thank you for your precise words of wisdom.

It's a bit like being inside a Russian Doll and slowly working your way out, one layer at a time until you finally run out of layers and don't need them anymore.

As a teenager I was told by a teacher, "Always come to practice as if naked." I thought at first she meant we had to meditate in the buff, lol, but I was a little more stupid then than I am now.. only a little bit more though.

Of course she meant to not bring any concepts or beliefs to your practice, so that you can observe clearly and be more aware.

I found the same thing when reading the Nag Hammadi Library, particularly the section called Thomas which was dropped from the bible during the Necine counsel and which is claimed to be the recorded words of Jesus. So, I had to wipe all ideas and notions from my mind before reading this section in order to perceive clearly what was being said, and by doing so I saw something interesting that had not come to light for me before. He meant we really are all equal souls, we are kept in the dark about reality, we can easily climb out of this pit of denial and realize our highest visions if we choose to as all it takes is to come to know your Self because the rest of it opens up for you then (you become known and know it is you who are the sons.... etc). Quite a different meaning to it than "no one comes to the father except through me!"

Thanks 

[Stookie]

Ah, yes, and a famous quote comes to mind:

"Know Thyself"

I know these things, but I need constant reminders

[Tayesin]

Ah, yes, and a famous quote comes to mind:

"Know Thyself"

I know these things, but I need constant reminders

roflmao Stookie. I used to think about all the things we 'needed' to remember and tried to write them down to stick on my fridge door, but the list was too long. So I tried to do a reminder list of the reminder list, lol. Crazy huh. In the end I gave up and just tried to remember to be present, here, now and let everything else take care of itself.

[Kazbadan]

I WOULD like to have more strenght to follow buddhism.

I dont think that following buddhism means to be (quoting Tayesin):
"I do not attach to any belief-system because each one is based on control of us, and because of this each one limits what we can experience."

Why i do not agree?

Its like science: if i want a teacher wants to teach, lets say, Relativity to his students, he will not force the students to do from scratch what Einstein did. I mean: in a school, students don tneed to recreate from zero and from themselves the things they learned. They dont have to to alone and by themselves, the theories they are studying (so, if i am going to study quantics, i dont have to discover bymyself everything!) . Thats loosing time and thats impossible! So, in school we have our work more easy, because we just need to "review"  /learn with help (from books, teacher, classes, etc) these things.

With buddhism its the same: why should i loose time, years and years, to discover the path that was found, at 2500 years ago, by Sidhart Gautama (Buddha)? He found the path, now its more easy for me and others: we just need to follow the path. Of course thats its advisable to look at what buddha said, before we follow his doctrine. Buddha himself said that! If, after a reflection, i like what he says (i mean: if i like buddhism) then i will follow it.

And doing that is not loosing me freedom.

Do you get my point?

[no_leaf_clover]

Its like science: if i want a teacher wants to teach, lets say, Relativity to his students, he will not force the students to do from scratch what Einstein did.

But that's pretty much what you have to do, though.  There is nothing mundane about the experience,  it is very equivalent to becoming Einstein himself.  Have you never heard, when you become enlightened, you kill Buddha?  He is no longer important to you, no longer "the Buddha."  He is not the light, the light is really within you and you look to it instead.  Properly cultivated it will burn and grow and you will never look back, just like the metaphorical broken mirror in Zen koans that will never again reflect the false material light that surrounds it.  Because you can see where the Buddhas and Einsteins are looking, and you don't need it reflected through them for you into this physical world anymore.

With buddhism its the same: why should i loose time, years and years, to discover the path that was found, at 2500 years ago, by Sidhart Gautama (Buddha)?

The two paths you imagine to be separate (learning from teachings versus seeking yourself for wisdom) are really one and the same indicated path, imo.

He found the path, now its more easy for me and others: we just need to follow the path.

You can "follow the path" for as long as the planets follow the Sun through our galaxy, but I have to wonder at what point comes enlightenment.  Do you know when it will be?

If, after a reflection, i like what he says (i mean: if i like buddhism) then i will follow it.

And doing that is not loosing me freedom.

Brings to mind this chapter (41) from the Tao te Ching:

When a superior man hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud.
If he didn't laugh,
it wouldn't be the Tao.

Thus it is said:
The path into the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness seems changeable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the greatest are seems unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.

The Tao is nowhere to be found.
Yet it nourishes and completes all things.

[Kazbadan]

Yes, i know that one "kills buddha". I was just answering to the thread starter about the idea that one is free if follows is own path. In fact, when i learn buddhism i must follow my own path. In fact, Buddha himslef says that only yourself can work to reach elightnment.

What i was trying to explain was precisely that: i gave an example of a religion where, if you follow it, you get free and still being "following your own path" (altought the way to follow it was discovered by Buddha).

Do you understand? lol. I think that there is a problem of understanding to the language/syntax (my problem of coarse, since i cant explain very well in english

[no_leaf_clover]

I get what you're saying, I guess I just don't put much stock into words, or categorization in general.  If someone wishes to call Buddhism a religion I suppose the word can stick for them.