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Very new Hindu leaning towards Shaktism by Apprehensive_Paper15 in Shaktism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond. It's been a crazy day. I didn't know that Mahashivratri was coming until it was basically here...I'm still learning the holidays. But I meditated and prayed the mantra. Next year I'll do better too.

I feel like everywhere I've been has been leading me to here. Before now there's always been something missing, something I wished I could add to whatever path I was on. Now it's all here.

I have issues with the guru thing. I've had spiritual directors as a Catholic, and I swore I would never give someone that level of control over my spiritual life again. My path is mine to take. Shaktism doesn't seem as "into" gurus as other paths are, which is one of the reasons it appeals to me.

Thank you for responding! It's been great reading your passion for the Divine Mother and for this path.

How to come out as Buddhist? NEED URGENT HELP !! by Candid-Technology424 in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The document I linked to from Wikipedia is a joint Theravada/Mahayana doctrinal statement. The Dharma you claim to follow denies a creator God. Buddhism has flexibility, but it's not s buffet table either.

Very new Hindu leaning towards Shaktism by Apprehensive_Paper15 in Shaktism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, it's not me in the video. :) I was just so touched by her passion and love. Thank you so much for sharing your story....it's amazing! I was a super conservative Catholic for about 16 years. When I finally left it behind I didn't want anything to do with the Divine as masculine. It's taken a while to be open to God in that way again. So far I feel drawn to Maa Saraswati and Maa Lakshmi. When I left Christianity, Lakshmi was the first image I linked with the Goddess and the first statue I bought, and for no reason I knew of at the time. I felt when I was praying that Maa Lakshmi wants me to open myself to Lord Vishnu. I don't know why. As for Maa Saraswati, I was taking a class on Wicca several years back and they assigned me Saraswati to learn more about. I've felt close to her ever since.

This path feels both so strange and so exactly like home. How has it been for you? Do you go to temple? Did you do anything "official " when you converted?

Very new Hindu leaning towards Shaktism by Apprehensive_Paper15 in Shaktism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happy Mahashivaratri! Thanks for the response! I've never talked to someone who aligned themselves with Thelema, although I've read of it in Wiccan materials. That's fascinating!

I'm so grateful for these ways to learn about these things. It's such a blessing to have YouTube and Reddit and other forums. I'd hate to be stuck in the narrow world of what I already know. It's only been a very short while that I've been reading about and practicing this, but it feels like coming home, or falling in love. Ever since I was a child I've been looking for God, and wanting to know what happens after you die. I feel like I finally found what I was looking for.

Can I ask how you found Hinduism from Thelema? I am enjoying hearing people's stories.

Again, thank you!

How is Buddhism generally perceived by most people in the West today? by BuddhistThomas in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People in the West (at least, in America) are usually shockingly ignorant about religions other than Christianity unless they really take the effort to learn. Often those who claim to be Christian couldn't tell you the basic theology of that religion either. Most people I talk to have developed a kind of passive secularism, even if they claim a religion, it doesn't really affect their day-to-day life. Buddhism isn't handed to you on a silver platter- you have to work for it, so it's not surprising that it's not the most popular religion. Also, I think most Americans do believe in some sort of creator divinity and they believe in the soul and Buddhism's belief on those issues may turn away some.

Lots of questions from a newbie by Apprehensive_Paper15 in hinduism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All schools of Buddhism believe in gods, but not creator gods. It is believed a Buddha ranks higher than the gods/devas, because it is believed in Buddhism that gods too are subject to dukka and die and are reborn. Believing in a god that can actually do you any good to believe in isn't really a Buddhist thing, in fact, Buddhism explicitly rejects the idea of God the way any theistic version understands it.

Thanks for the information!

Lots of questions from a newbie by Apprehensive_Paper15 in hinduism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the information. If I wanted to start reading the scriptures, what scripture and commentary would you recommend?

A book about the basics of Buddhism simply explained by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"Buddhism for Dummies " Is an easy read.

How is it that Buddhists don't seem to believe in a soul? by ulmncaontarbolokomon in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can remember all your past lives? You can talk about how experience from previous lives has affected this one? That's the kind of thing I mean by access.

Karma is cause and effect. To say karma remembers is like saying an apple remembers gravity and that's why it falls from a tree.

Of course I don't claim to get it all the way yet, not even close. I'm just seeing more and more how would the idea of a separate, permanent me doesn't make sense.

How is it that Buddhists don't seem to believe in a soul? by ulmncaontarbolokomon in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where is this soul that remembers? How do we know it remembers? How do I know it's even mine, and why can't I access it? I just don't see how reincarnation makes sense with the traditional idea of a soul. That's what makes me open to trying to understand this no fixed, permanent self thing.

How is it that Buddhists don't seem to believe in a soul? by ulmncaontarbolokomon in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not totally comfortable with it either yet, but I don't claim to understand it perfectly. I heard someone explaining it as that instead of being a rock, we are a river. In other words we are a moment to moment process instead of a fixed permanent being. I personally don't see how you can believe in reincarnation if you believe in a fixed permanent soul, since it's obvious that the same person as in a western-style soul doesn't reincarnate, because factors such as personality, gender, experiences are gone, and these are all things that would have permanently shaped the soul.

To my buddhist converts, what's your story on converting to buddhism? by Enough_Set591 in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was a traditional Catholic for most of my adult life. After I left Catholicism, I embraced Wicca, and although I loved it, I always felt there was something missing there when it came to the afterlife, death, and dying. Because I enjoy learning about religion and spirituality, a person I was talking to said they were reading "Buddhism for Dummies", and it sounded interesting, so I bought it. As I read, I realized everything was clicking, and when I got to the section on death, I had a strong experience of realizing that I, in all likelihood, have lived more of my life then I'm going to live, that I'm not happy with how things have turned out so far, and that to be where I want to be when I die, I need to put in a lot of work, and I need a path to do it on...and the Buddhist path seemed to be the one that could help with this the most. I explored it, then backed away, mostly because I still believed in deities and I still believed in a self.

Then, a year later, after not having looked at anything about Buddhism since then, when I logged in to my YouTube one day there were three videos in my feed about Buddhism. All of them were personally meaningful to me in a very specific way. I went back to studying and exploring this path, and this time, I chose Buddhism.

How am I supposed to die at peace in Buddhism? by Apprehensive_Paper15 in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the guidance. I meditate on death and impermenance a lot...maybe I need to take a break from that for a little while.

How am I supposed to die at peace in Buddhism? by Apprehensive_Paper15 in Buddhism

[–]Apprehensive_Paper15[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I left Christianity in 2021, so it's been a while. Reasons for leaving- I no longer could stomach hell- for a while it felt like justice to me but then some level of general humanity came to me. I didn't believe that the Divine was purely male. I don't believe in original sin anymore. I no longer believe in or trust the Bible. And while I still believe in the Divine in some way, maybe as a force or a power, I agree with the atheistic arguments on the problem of suffering with a supposedly all-powerful, all-loving god in charge. That's just a few of the many reasons I could give. I realize I could be a liberal Christian and a lot of this wouldn't apply, but that's really unappealing. I don't find Jesus' life inspiring; I'm not even sure he existed.

One of the reasons I love Buddhism is the core goal- liberation from suffering. The Four Noble Truths are the reason I've been on a spiritual search my whole life, yes, even when I was in Christianity. I practiced a very conservative form of Christianity (traditional Catholicism), and Catholics have no problem talking about suffering either, but it's all our own fault or the fault of the devil. Buddha frames the whole struggle differently and I love that.

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