i respect what you're doing and i don't want to take away from that, but it's a bit weird for me as a buddhist to read your posts about buddhist concepts (in this case, the dukkha one) when you've self-identified as a non-buddhist. to my knowledge, the post was accurate, but it still rubs me strangely, for some reason. is there a post where you lay out your beliefs etc. so i can appreciate where you're coming from? what's your "thing"/what tradition do you identify with most?
First take a moment and notice the urge you’re feeling to define and categorize me. Part of it is cognitive dissonance—the discomfort that arises from an apparent contradiction, in this case my use of Buddha’s teachings and my non-identification as a buddhist. Another part of it may be a slight territoriality, as my name is Lazy Yogi and not Lazy Buddha. :P Who am I to talk of buddhist teachings?
Firstly, it’s important to remember that I am not a teacher. At best, I’d say I’m a spiritual tutor.
Secondly, in the past, I have said that I am not a buddhist. That is out of respect to people such as yourself who have dedicated their lives to following the buddhist precepts and practicing the buddhist way.
At the same time, I have also said that I have learned a tremendous amount from various buddhist traditions and teachers. From Zen to Vajrayana, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi to the Dalai Lama.
If you want to know how brilliant and awakened people have made use of Christianity, you can learn from their great saints and mystics. If you want to know the source itself, you can learn from Jesus’ teachings.
I have found the same to be true of Buddhism. We can learn a lot from the enlightened masters and bodhisattvas of the past couple thousand years. But by going to the source of the Buddha, we can connect with the raw and direct teachings before they were adapted to different cultures. That adaptation wasn’t a dilution; it was a skillful and effective application of Buddha’s teachings.
Culturally, I’m not a buddhist. But I definitely feel as though I am a disciple of the Buddha. Recently I have been exploring that more.
My own path has never been a commitment to a tradition but a commitment to the truth, whatever and wherever it may be found. Truth is truth, whether we call ourselves a buddhist, a yogi, a muslim, a christian, or whatever.
I do not list my beliefs and identifications, as it is not necessary to catalogue the trash before taking it out. I meditate, I listen, and I smile.
Namaste my friend. :) Hope that’s cool with you.
andulkaphoto
tangentwithtanner
