Re: hi



On Dec 29, 3:06 am, "." <lilpook...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
hi,
im new to this group and considered a gohonzon baby. my mother who is
japanese is dedicated in chanting everyday before work and bed.
unfortunately, im not a consistent practicing member. since i am not a
practicing member i don't know enough about my own religion. i know
that's not good. i feel, i was just born into it and feel like my mom
is closer to it and understands more than i do. i've never gone to many

meetings b/c i don't understand japanese and was always too busy w/
school growing up. i haven't been chanting lately b/c i've been very
confused about things that happened in my life and can't seem to find
any answers to it. i guess i haven't practiced enough b/c my view is im

afraid to "go all in" on something(my religion i was born into) that i
don't know enough about. You wouldn't make that bet either. bad analogy

heh.

but my questions have been bothering me lately and dont really know who

to ask. but since we're buddhists and come from different schools of
thought, maybe u might know. i was thinking i'll never get an asnwer to

this. and to me its far more pressing than "whats meaning of life?"
which i know the answer to: "be born, grow up, gain experiences, find a

mate, have children, pass down life experiences and die and have fun,
or be bad somewhere in between." its more like, ok im at the point
where im pretty satisfied w/ life and have no wants or needs, just
going through the daily grind like everyone else.

I've been told life is continuous. what does that mean? but i wonder
if there is an afterlife?are we taught to believe that? will my
situation be worse or better than this life and will i be the same in
personality or go through the same experiences all over again?
basically what are the rules? and about karma? what determines if i
have a better/worse next life if life is continous.

stuff like that been wandering around in my head lately. since our
school of thought in buddhism says life in continuous. which sucks to
me. i mean i guess im a little jealous that from afar, for the most
part christianity is easier to grasp, do good things in this life- go
to heaven, do bad things- go to hell. but in buddhism its not so clear
cut. we have this karma *** and extra baggage from past, and because
ive gone through what i've gone through, does that mean i've cut off
that karma or no? im not too clear on that. if someone wants to
suicide, are there penalties against that? will they be born into a
crappy next life or
better? what determines someone being born into a "good" situation vs.
being born w/ a birth defect or violent/ dysfunctional/ dark situation?

see...my questions go on forever. i cant seem to find anything
interesting on the internet to answer my questions. maybe you can help?

id like to hear your thoughts. thankyou.


Hi,

There is a tremendous wealth of information about buddhism on the
internet, but to begin with, I think you have so very many questions,
that the best thing for you to do would be to get a good book that
might help. The best book I know of about buddhism is called "What
the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula. It is available from Amazon,
and even used copies can be had very cheaply.

Then there is http://www.accesstoinsight.org where you can read the
entire Pali Canon online. These are considered the closest scriptures
to what the Buddha himself actually passed on, and you would be able to
gain a truer insight reading there, than anyplace else.

There are many traditions of buddhism, much like there are differing
traditions in Christianity. Some are more "out there" than others.
I have pointed you in the best directions I know, to find the real
thing, but ultimately buddhism is not something you specifically just
memorize, but more of an experiential thing, having to do with actual
meditation practice. So what I have given you is a great starting
place, but from there you have to do the work yourself.

Best wishes, and good luck on your own spiritual journey.

Regards,
Evelyn

.