BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Buddhism Create Your Own Path to Enlightenment?

Hi All!

I'm looking for some clarification. Was recently talking to a friend about embarking on the Buddhist path. I said to her one of the things I appreciate the most is that it comes down to ME. I enjoy very much that it's encouraged and desirable to question what we are taught about the Path and discover its truth through application in our own lives. My friend said "yes, that's a nice thing about Buddhism, that you can make your own path to enlightenment." I said to her that I don't really think it's that because that sounds to me like a la carte religion or "spiritual materialism." I said to her that it is my understanding (as a newbie) that the point is not to pick and choose what you want from Buddhism once you are following the Path but to test drive it first - so to speak - and once you see that it works for you, choose to follow the teachings, albeit imperfectly. But IMO that is not the same as "anything goes" on the Buddhist Path to enlightenment. Was I correct? Am I making any sense? :P

I found myself frustrated with the conversation because being a newbie I was not sure how to explain what I meant. And perhaps I was speaking in ignorance without knowing it. She is not a Buddhist, BTW.

Thanks for any insight and clarification.

SB

First of all, Starbuck, welcome, and hello to you! Nice to meet you.

The "purpose" of Buddhism if you like, is to see that Life contains Suffering, and to Eliminate that suffering.
'Suffering' is a bit of a contentious word, of course, because the original Pali word is 'Dukkha' which can be used - and translated - to indicate many states.....
it has variously also been translated as:
'unsatisfactory', 'stressful', 'difficult', 'fluctuating', �variable�, 'frustrating', or even just 'changeable'

But we tend to use the word 'suffering' because in essence, we do tnd to do this to ourselves!!

As to whether Buddhism is 'your own Path to Enlightenment' also depends a bit on which tradition you follow, but don't worry about that for now....It took me around 12 years to commit to Buddhism, and Take Refuge, and quite a few more besides, until I decided which Tradition I felt most drawn to....!

'Test-driving' is a little bit of a misnomer.
What the Buddha requests we do, is to take any teachings we find (not only Buddhist.....) and learn them, study them, examine them, investigate them, and really see whether the truth of them makes sense to us.
If they are logical, and we understand them, so we should commit to accepting them, but only on the basis that we completely agree with them and see the logic.

If something simply does not sit well with us, and we disagree completely, then we have a right to reject this - bearing in mind, and respecting, that others - contrary to what we have discovered for ourselves - do accept them, and live by them. We should never condemn or criticise anyone for this.
When we find something that is an enigma and we simply can't get our heads round it, then it's OK to leave it to one side, and simply deide to come back to it later. maybe then, we will have 'moved on' enough in other areas, to be able to tackle it. but it doesn't matter.
Things like Re-birth fall into this category. The Buddha speaks of Re-birth, and other matters in a quite definite manner, but even some very experienced Buddhists find some of the concepts difficult to study.... So it's ok to say "I don't know, and I maybe never will", because we can't 'Know' everything for sure - !
Once we have learnt, understood and accepted the Teachings of the Buddha, we have to commit to living by them, and practice them in our lives, on a daily, hourly, constant basis, and see for ourselves whether they are indeed the fulfilment of what we investigate.
It's called Folloowing the Path (or walking the Talk!)

Your first port of call, (if you haven't already touched on this) is to study the Four Noble Truths , and the Noble Eightfold Path , which are underpinned and supported, and partnered by the Five Precepts.
This Link will also help you and be very informative.
I would suggest you save this website and dip into it ocasionally with any questions you might have....
And always, but always come back to us for any support we can give you!

Hi,

I'm Buddhist.
I'm enlightened.

I found enlightenment thru Buddhism, but also by contemplating the teachigns of the Christ (not the religious belifs, but his own words, so to speak). I also have a good idea of what is Hinduism and thier system of beliefs. But i chose no system at all, yet only to follow the teachings, the philosophy. Buddhism tells you to accept and transcend your suffering, this is why i say i attained enlightenment thru Buddhism.

Today, i travel the world teachings to hundreds of disciples how to attain enlightenment for themselves, each thru their own house-made experience. However, they all go thru the suffering and the release of suffering.

You can make a cake any way you like, but there will allways be flower, and eggs help a lot. For the rest, do what you like. Enlightenment is about not suffering anymore, yet accepting suffering when it comes. You'd have to experience it for yourself to understand it completely.

Sorry, don't believe you.


If you were enlightened, none of the above would make any difference to you.
They would all have been stepping stones, but you would not need to refer to them again, because they would now be redundant and irrelevant.
Strange that the Buddha had no need of Christianity (after his time, obviously!) or Hinduism to teach him enlightenment, but you have dabbled with many different scriptures....


Buddhism does not teach transcendence of suffering.
It teaches the end of suffering.



We all experience suffering.
The elimination of suffering is to still be with it, but not of it. You can be in the midst of suffering and not have it touch you. Because you recognise it for what it is. Things are as they are because they are as they are. Full stop and end of story.
Understanding is insufficient.
You have to realise it.

Oh and, incidentally (although I'm sure you know this already) it's not accepted policy for Buddhists to proselytise or advertise.
we establish specific centres, but we let the curious come to us.
Renowned teachers, such as HHDL and TNH are always in demand, and spread the Dhamma by request.

Thank you for getting to this before I did Alexandra. You said it better then I could have.

telecino also posted in the 21 days without whingeing thread. I'm kinda hoping telecino is done, here.....

Greetings,

You seem to have preconceptions of what it is to be enlightened. Maybe you can't accept that someone would be.

Can you imagine an enlightenend being arguing about being enlightened or not? Ha ha!

Hopefully, the possibilities of your own enlightenement will come into your mind. Have faith in yourselves.