#hhdl

By me, a Buddhist!! (Long post ahead)

PLEASE REBLOG

 Disclaimer: I do not, cannot, and do not wish to speak for the Sangha. I am only one person, and also may not be able to relate to things many other have gone through as I am white, and most Buddhists are not, as Buddhism is an Indian and Asian majority religion. Everyone, of course, holds their own beliefs. These are simply misconceptions many of us have come across and I am answering in both the ways that reflect my beliefs and morality, and what the Dharma and Sangha have taught everyone. As well as this, many people I know are only Buddhists because their families are and have either raised them or forced them to participate, but that does not mean they are any less worthy of our love and respect, it simply means that they have different views. Buddhism should only be followed if it is true to you. 

Sangha= Buddhist community of laypeople, novices, ordained, and monastics

Dharma= “truth”, what the Buddha taught, and the truth that followers pledge themselves to. 

So, this is a complicated, kinda packed topic, but I have been wanting to make something like this for a while bc I thought it would be fun and educating so enjoy and ask any questions:

1. All Buddhists Meditate 

While this has some truth and is definitely a sound assumption, it has grown into a much larger myth. Yes, meditation is very important to many Buddhists, and can be a central part to practice, especially with those that follow the Vajrayana branch, but not all Buddhists meditate, or ever have. Meditation is a complex skill, and there are many different versions. Some things monastic Buddhists do might not even be seen as a form of meditation in and of itself, but it still brings mindfulness. Meditation as a spiritual and religious practice did not even start within Buddhism, instead Hinduism, a polytheistic religion widely practiced in India. This being said as well, not all that meditate are Buddhist! 

2. Buddhism teaches Nihilism

First of all, no. Nihilism: “the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless” (Thanks Google.com). Now you can see how these two concepts do not fit or correlate. Many I have met believe that Buddhists think life has no meaning, which I can understand, especially since we talk so much of suffering, but I assure you, that is not what we have been taught. We follow religious and moral principles, and also believe that all sentient life means something and has worth. I once saw a popular question on Yahoo that went along the lines of “Is Buddhism life denying?”, and the answer I can come up with is no. Buddhism is not life denying if it is your choice to pursue it. I have found more freedom in Buddhism than almost anything else. When I am honest and kind to myself (mind, body, thoughts, attitude) and others, I find truth in life, which genuinely makes it more enjoyable. Sometimes I feel like I bear the weight of the suffering I know to exist, but when I acknowledge the truths of those sufferings, and what I can/can’t do to change those and help others, I am at peace. Realizing that desiring things only brings suffering and temporary satisfaction has had me change my thoughts on many things. I am no longer upset because I didn’t get what I wanted or was promised, etc.

3. All Buddhists are pacifists 

The first precept of The Five Precepts(not including the other 3 followed on holy days) in Buddhism is prohibiting the taking of a sentient lifeforms, so we can assume that anti-violence is very important to us, and it is. Buddhism itself is a peaceful, non-violent religion. However, that is not to say that there aren’t Buddhists that condone violence or even participate. Some Buddhist countries still have the death penalty in place, and of course, abortion and euthanasia can be complicated within the confines of the first precept. But these precepts are not rules, and you are not “kicked-out” for slipping up, or doing the opposite of these. They are training wheels, concepts, principles, and if they were to be breeched, they simply require a reflection as to why and how to avoid future breeching. This is an accurate paragraph I got from an article on Christopher Titmuss’ website :

“Numerous Buddhists find war utterly distasteful regarding it as the most uncivilised form of human behaviour. They no intention whatsoever to justify war, defend or label one country or organisation on the side of the good and the other as evil. Yet, there are influential Buddhists who support certain wars or hold to an ambivalent view. Other Buddhists never give consideration to the relationship to war. Others say they see both sides of the arguement in terms of the validity of war or otherwise but do not concern themselves one way or the other. There is nothing uniform among Buddhists on the views on war.”

Compassion involves a feeling of closeness to others, a 

respect and affection that is not based on others’ attitude 

toward us.

 We tend to feel affection for people who are important to us. 

That kind of close feeling does not extend to our enemies—those who think ill of us.

 Genuine compassion, on the other hand, sees that others, just like us, want a happy and successful life and do not want to suffer.

 That kind of feeling and concern can be extended to friend and enemy alike, regardless of their feelings toward us.