Recently, I’ve become rather intersted in Buddhism. More recently, I’ve been considering converting. There is nobody I know of who can help/guide me with this decision/transition. Is there any set of things which I must know/do before converting. I know a little, and anything I’ve learnd as of yet has appealed to me greatly. I would appreciate any input anyone would like to give, as I am inexperienced in the whole field of converting. Does Buddhism conflict with the beliefs which I have been observing untill this point (I’m jewish)?
Oh…by the way…moderators…I wasn’t sure what to put this thread under…so if you see fit…please move it.
Some ground work needs to be established before you can do anything. First, what type of Buddhism are you looking into? Some followers see it as a religion; others, a philosophy.
What type of Jew are you? A practicing orthodox Jew? If yes, you’ve got problems. If you see yourself as more Jewish by birth than by religion, then probably no problems.
If you live in a city, there should be Buddhists there you can ask your questions of. If you live in a college town, there probably practicing Buddhists on campus and the student government probably will be able to tell you where to find them.
Also, talk to your rabbi. He loves questions like this.
My suggestion is to read the books The Accidental Buddhist and Wherever You Go, There You Are. You can find them at most libraries, and they are very good. Those two books are what made me convert.
In response to TV Time’s questions: I am NOT an orthodox Jew. I am moderately observant, but lately I have been somewhat agnostic. I do not live in a city or a college town. I live in a boring suburb.
Red Dragon…Thanks…I will take out these books.
Thank you both. I was still looking for something more along the lines of what I should expect should I decide to become a Buddhist.
As has been stated Buddhism can be considered a philosophy or a religion depending on how you decide to approach it, and it does not have to interfere with your religious beliefs.
For a western take on the philosophical side I recommend Jack Kornfield.
I converted to buddhism (wow it’s been over ten years now) and I was attracted by the doctrines. I looked at a lot of different religious doctrines and this was the one that attracted me on an intellectual level, as well as the first one the grabbed me on a spiritual level.
Be aware that there are several main groups in buddhism (as well as thousands of minor ones). Zen seems to grab all the attention, but I consider it the least buddhist of all the doctrines, it is more of an ascetic practice than a buddhist practice. The main movements are hinayana and mahayana buddhism, look for some information on the difference between these sects. I’ll stop short of giving a whole lesson here since half of the fun is exploring the subject on your own. Buddhist texts sometimes refer to the “80,000 doctrines” so there is much to study.
As a Jew who is also interested in Buddhism (though not becoming Buddhist anytime soon) I have some good answers for you.
There are two main paths of Buddhism: Theravata and Mahayana. Theravata is a much older form of Buddhism and much closer to a philosophy than a religion. Mahayana is a newer form (though still very old) and is the type taught in Tibet and is much closer to a religion.
The core of Buddhism (as you probably know) are the four nobel truths, none of which really have anything to do with religion:
- All beings suffer.
- The cause of suffering is desire.
- If you eliminate desire/suffering you reach Nirvana.
- The way to do this is through the eight-fold path.
One book that you must read is The Jew in the Lotus (non-fiction) which discusses a group of rabbi’s going to meet the Dalai Lama and the result of this on one man’s faith and connection to Jewdaism. It’s a fascinating book.
Oh, if you are anywhere in New York State, e-mail me and I can put you in touch with one of the major national Buddhist centers (Mahayana Tibetan, Kagyu lineage).
I’ve just visited my REligion bookshelf and pulled out my stack of books on Buddhism. I’m sure there’s plenty of tuff on-line, but I’m old-fashioned, and still attached to my hard copy books.
Part o the problem with Buddhism is that the name covers a vas range of belieefs – broader, I think, than Christianity. Just as Roman Catholicism is different from Greek Orthodoxy, Armenian Catholic, and Coptic, all of which differ markedly fom Anabaptists and Shakers and Amish, which dffer from American Fundamentalist churches and from Mormon denominations, so Buddhism has Mahayana and Teheravada branches, and all of their different facets. Tibetan Bon buddhist is light-years from Chan/Zen Buddhism. And to add spice to all of this, the Blavatsky Theosophists ave colored a lot of hundred year-old Budhis translations and explanations with their own belief, whch don’t really occur in real Buddhism at all.
Some of my books:
** Introducing Buddhism** by Kodo Matsunami (Charles E. Tuttle, revised edition 1973)
Buddjist Scriptures , Edward Conze, tran. Penguin books. Interesting but not really illuminating, to my mind.
** Buddhism** by Christmas Humphreys, Pelican Books. Generally good, but watch out for Theosophical material that snuck in.
** The Historcal Buddha** by H. W. Schumann. Pretty good, but be skeptical.
Buddhism: A Way of Life and Thought by Nancy Wilson Ross – a ood intro.
** Zen for Eginners** by Judith Blackstone and Zoran Josipovic – I like the X for beginners series. This won’t help you with the other branches of Buddlism, though.
** Zen Koans** by Gyomay M. Kubose. You’re supposed to contemplate Koans, not to understand their meaning, but to reach a disconnect ith rational thinking and to obtain enlightenment and an intuitive insight into what’s behind reality. Reading this book is, therefore, cheating, since it purports to give you the “answers”. But I like to cheat.
** The Buddhist Catechism** by Henry S. Olcott (Theosophical Publ., 1903 originally, republished a lot of times). Even though this is by a Theosophist, it tries to set down a series of tenets that most Buddhists of various stripes can agree on. A noble undertaking, and one notably free f Thesophical taint.
** Twelve Principles of Buddhism: What is This Religion?" Undated pamphlet issued by Grace Gratitude Buddhist Temple, 48 East Broadway, NYC – interesting and brief.
** Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis** by David J. Kalupahana. Univ. ress f Hawaii. Deep.
** Buddhism: Its Essence and Development** by Edward Conze. Harper, 1959. Much more readable.
** The Gods of Northern Buddhism: Their History and Iconography** by Alice Getty. Dover Books. The essential Field uide to the Buddhas. The only book that really explain all those weird statues of scary-looking “gods” that seem so out of place in the same nominal religion as the a-theistic Zen. Long-winded and detailed, but essential.
This desn’t exhaust my list, but it’s a good start.
Well, Cal’s got a wonderful reading list. I’d like to echo the recommendation of * The Jew In The Lotus*, by Rodger Kamenetz. I don’t have that particular row to hoe, but Jewish Buddhist friends all recommend it.
As an American Buddhist, I’d recommend Robert Thurman as a fine interpreter of Buddhist tradition. He was the first Westerner ordained in the Tibetan tradition. He’s well educated, but can also translate odd concepts with a good graciousness. A fine introduction is his * Inner Revolution*. A main publisher of Buddhist books is Snow Lion Publications.
It’s an evolving winding path for Buddhism in the West right now, David, and whatever glimpse you have is all to the good!
If you can find a copy, I also highly recommend The Way of the White Clouds by Lama Anagarika Govinda. It is part pilgrimage, part personal journey, and a very good introduction to Tibetan buddhism. I think he was Italian, who went to Ceylon and became a monk, travelled to Burma, became a Tibetan buddhist in Sikkim. Later he travelled to Tibet before the Chinese took over the country. It is a fascinating read, and introduces a lot of buddhism.
My copy is published by Rider Books, ISBN 0 7126 5543 3
Ya wanna be a Jew-Bu?
I’d go for the Tantric variety. Cool red robes and great prayer meetings!
My own attempts to self educate about world religions has gotten seriously stymied with the faiths originating in India. Dang complex things with multiple varieties that are hard to summarize onto index cards. Gawd, Buddhism has varieties that differ so much from each other that it is hard for this ignorant Westerner to understand how they share a name. (Like CalMeacham said) A lot more to it than simple koans.
What aspects of which form appeals to you and why? What are you finding lacking in your current faith? If you are converting, why do you care about conflicts?
The conflicts with Judiaism depend on which form of Buddhism you are considering.
Chech out www.beliefnet.com for a full explanation of any religion and a cool quiz called Beliefomatic which matches your beliefs with those of all major religions.
This is way off GQ ground but anyway…
I “converted” to Buddhism almost 6 years ago.
The question that you might have to ask yourself is what does converting entail?
I know a few North-Americans claiming to be Buddhists. What they mean is they’ve read a few books, liked what they read and generally agree with the principles.
Others I know practice meditation at least one hour a day and do intensive retreats every year.
Here, in Japan, when some people say they’re Buddhists it means that if they start telling people they’re Christians, their parents are going to get mad at them.
To others here, it means having a butsudan (altar) in your house, stopping by a temple once in a while to recite a sutra, and paying monks to sing prayers for your ancestors.
Etc.
So when you say, “I’m a Buddhist”, really what does it mean? When I’m in Japan, I always need to tell people that although my culture is Roman Catholic, my practice is Buddhist, otherwise they’ll make all sorts of mistaken asumptions.
I believe that “converting” requires some sort of change in lifestyle. What sort of change you choose to make will greatly depend on the form of Buddhism you will have chosen, and how you will marry what is still mostly an eastern tradition with your Jewish culture.
The “three treasures of Buddishm” are:
The Buddha, that is, the teacher.
The Dharma, or the teaching.
The Sangha, which means community.
Practicing alone can be very hard, if not impossible. I strongly recomend you try to find a teacher and a community. Books are good but religion is like music, no one ever mastered piano by reading a book; you need people who’ve been there before to help you.
Finding a teacher and a community you feel at ease with is not easy in North America (or anywhere else). Distance might be a problem, but even going to seminars, or practice days once or twice a year is better than nothing at all.
As for books recommendations, all my intro-level texts are either in French or Japanese, which won’t help you much I guess. “Zen Koans” by Gyomay M. Kubose might just be the single worst book on Zen ever written (if it’s the one I’m thinking of), and is much better approached as an example of how Japanese Zen went really wrong at times. “The Three Pillars of Zen” by Philip Kapleau, on the other hand, changed more than one person I know. It’s probably the book that gives you the best look at what it’s like to practice Zen, rather than just talk about it.
I would like to retract what I said about “Zen Koans” as it seems it isn’t the one I was thinking of after all.
My apologies.
Jovan: Thank you for the quick retraction of your comment about Rev. Kubose.
For a good overview of his life and legacy please see the website at http://www.brightdawn.org
I would also like to recommend 2 of his other books:
Everyday Suchness and The Center Within.
Both are a series of his sermons that can help you apply Buddhism to your everyday life.
You can also sign up for a free newsletter at the website.
Why convert or join anything? Why not keep an open mind. Also, does any Buddhist temple actually even have a conversion process? When George converted to Latvian Orthodoxy he had to learn various religious concepts and go through a ceremony, but I don’t know if Buddhism has that.
Why not visit some Buddhist temples if you like going to religious services. I believe it is said in several books on Buddhism that Buddha rejected rituals and said people should seek release through their own understanding of the Noble Truths. The release is from one’s opinions, preferences, and points of view, which is what is meant by “desire.” Once you don’t have so many (or any) preferences, you supposedly don’t suffer anymore. That is in philosophical Buddhism, oft identified with Zen. In Pure Land Buddhism, you call upon the name of Amida, a heavenly deity, and when you die you will be reborn into his Sukhavati heaven, there to work on not having opinions and preferences but in a more possible environment. Then there is Tibetan Buddhism, which is completely different and what about Nichiren soka gakkai, which believes especially in the Lotus Sutra I think it is as the best sutra of all, and has many centers in the West. Recently there has been a schism in this movement, so there are evidently at least two kinds of Soka Gakkai now. There are at least two kinds of Pure Land and three kinds of Zen.
This site is the single easiest way to assess whether you want to convert. It is funny and articulate and very informational.
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/buddhism/buddhism.html
Read it over. If you find yourself agreeing with it and thinking it is right for you, by all means read up on it more. If not, the article is still a great read. It’s kinda like a test drive.
To be a Buddhist, you don’t have to go to temples, live as a monk, etc. Think of it as something you are free to get into and out of at any time. Nothing like a cult. You don’t need to know the history, although it does help in ways. Buddha himself said he didn’t want people following his path, but instead using it as a guide for their own path.
I guess the main things about Buddhism are Mindfullness and Acceptance. My beliefs are based mostly around those. We’re cool with just abou everything, as long as you aren’t being a jerk and you (following the code of Ahisma) are not harming yourself or others. If you can do no good, try to do as little bad as possible.
Good luck!
I’m going to move this over to IMHO.
Or maybe the thread is staying, and the forums are moving.
Thanks red_dragon60. Actually, that was one of the first places I had gone (before SDMB). and I * did * find my self agreeing with what it said, and wondering if this was right for me (with the strong suspicion that it was).
So far, I have been unable to acquire any of the books mentioned in this thread…though I will try to over the weekend. Interstingly enough, while looking for a buddhist place of worship (I don’t know what they’re called), I found one that is near me. It turns out that the contact they listed is an administrator at my school, so I will be meeting with him sometime this week (hopefully). I just hope that there aren’t any legal problems with this as it is a public school.
Well, it seems as though this thread’s re-location to IMHO didn’t do it too much good in the way of responses.
Just a suggestion, and if you want to say, “Shut up, Captain, and stay out of my life, because you don’t know what you’re talking about.”, that’s fine, no hard feelings, but it seems like, from reading your OP that:
-
You haven’t yet studied Buddhism very thoroughly
-
You don’t seem to be very familiar with the practices or beliefs of Buddhism
and yet:
- You’re thinking about converting.
I might suggest that maybe you’re not ready yet to really think about converting. It might be better, for right now, at least, just to learn about Buddhism for its own sake…put the desire to convert out of your mind for a while. That way, after you’ve studied it, you’ll know what Buddhism actually is, and you’ll know whether or not it’s something you want to join.