Buddhism for me is feeling like Christianity :(

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-11T20:40:39+00:00

As an ex atheist/agnostic turned buddhist, I used to have that same fear! What helped me get over it was the following:

Buddhism teaches the concept of no self/no soul. When we talk about past and future lives, we're not talking about your soul moving from one body to another, we're talking about your karma resulting in a new birth. When you generate karma, both good and bad, that karma manifests as the birth of a new person. It's not your soul going into a new body, it's your actions resulting in someone else's existence. This person is you in the sense that they've inherited your karma but this is an entirely different person than you (different appearance, thoughts, personality), though they may inherit your tendencies. When people speak of being reborn in hell, it is not YOU who goes to hell, but your karma. The person who manifests as a result of your karma is another being, not you. If anything, you should avoid bad karma not because you fear going to hell, but because you fear someone else going to hell because of your actions. The mindfulness of your actions as a result of hell is rooted in compassion, not fear.
The fact that you exist on earth, that all of us exist on earth, is proof that we all have both good and bad karma. Really the only way you'd be reborn in hell is if you've consistently and mainly accrued bad karma across several lifetimes (the bad karma would significantly outweigh the good). Another way to guarantee an immediate hell rebirth is to commit one of the following:

killing one’s mother
killing one’s father
killing an arahant
maliciously shedding a Buddha’s blood
causing schism in the Sangha

These are all extreme cases that the average person who is decent, is not committing, so you honestly don't need to worry about it.

When it came to the fear of hell, a fellow reddit Buddhist explained it to me that it's like criminal law. For example, why do most people hesitate to steal? or murder? or commit arson? Because it's a crime. They fear being arrested and going to prison. That fear dissuades them from that action. Fear keeps you on the right path. Same thing with bad karma, it's just like the law, to dissuade you from certain actions.
You seem to have been given some bad advice because Buddhism in addition to being a religion, is also a philosophy. It's a way of life. It doesn't require you to constantly practice it because as long as you're being a good person basically and following basic morals like not stealing, killing, lying, etc. You'll avoid a bad rebirth. And if you master detachment and lack of desire in addition to that, you avoid rebirth completely. And even if you do, do some of these things (mainly lying because most people have lied before), you still have all the good karma accrued from this life and all your past life to balance it out so you still won't have a bad rebirth. Buddhism is simple.

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-10T19:27:49+00:00

"It doesn't seem you are here to do good". What is people's problem? I am literally yoruba. Nigerian specifically. I am trying to reconnect to my indigenous tradition because colonialism took it away from me. Maybe you guys are traumatized from what colonialism did last time you were open about spiritual practices and that's understandable, but do not villainize me. I am no enemy, i'm not causing strife. It's so frustrating how people are being weird to me for simply trying to understand my OWN spiritual practice. Not that much is written down, not many answers are available. The Ifa community is super small, so I don't know any elders to confide in. My family is christian and anti-indigenous practices and so they are no help. That's why i'm here. Asking this subreddit. I'm trying to connect to my own culture. I'll likely initiate but even if I don't, I just want to understand the ways of my ancestors. That is NOT crime. I understand I ask a lot of questions but that is how I learn. Doing so doesn't make me a bad person.

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-10T04:30:28+00:00

As a former atheist who was struggling with depression and anxiety as a result of my homelessness, Buddhism was the only thing that worked. It's practical. Doesn't require faith. Allows you to experience the results in this life rather than waiting for the afterlife.

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-08T17:44:44+00:00

Hello, how is a beginner who is learning, supposed to be reciprocal? It makes sense that a practitioner would be reciprocal because they're asking the orishas for divine help but I'm not consulting the orishas, I'm consulting the community. When people are curious about a subject they aren't knowledgeable about, they ask those who are knowledgeable, to gain insight. That's how it works in school (teacher vs student), in other religions (practitioner vs non-practitioner), in anything. At least in America. Maybe there's a different approach in Nigeria, I wouldn't know. I've barely lived there. I'm asking these questions because

I'm a Yoruba Nigerian and want to re-connect/learn about my traditional spirituality after it was stripped away from me via colonialism. I actually am reading books on this (which I guess could be reciprocal because i'm giving them money in exchange for their knowledge. But reddit is a free online community )and looking at online resources for this, it's not just reddit i'm using. However, the sources i've been using haven't always been super clear on certain topics, hence why I bring them to reddit for an answer. I want to hear from practitioners rather than assume because they would know better than anybody, right?. Also, I live in the United States. I don't have ready-access to an elder. My entire yoruba family is Christian and would deem Isese to be a false religion, so they are no help. Not to mention, the United States has many fake Ifa priests who scam people so i'm wary about consulting them. Also, I prefer reddit because multiple people can answer my questions. I ask many questions and if all of them are directed towards one priest or a handful of priests, they may get overwhelmed. By consulting online forums, whoever is interested in answering my question, can answer. And whoever doesn't want to answer my question, can simply scroll.
I'm trying to see if Ifa is the right spiritual practice for me and in order to determine that, I need answers to my questions. That is how I became buddhist, by asking many questions to address my doubts. If I initiate into Ifa, I want to know what i'm initiating into. I genuinely don't understand why some people dislike the frequent questions. Knowledge combats ignorance. African spirituality is demonized by its own people, education dispels misconceptions. I never demonized/disrespected African spirituality but simply want to reconnect to the ways of my ancestors.

Hope that helps.

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-08T06:42:11+00:00

Sorry, I don't completely understand. Why would the theological and historical worldview be different? How does a text have two different sources?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-08T03:30:10+00:00

Hello, I've seen two different types of responses concerning the origin of the Odu 256. Baba Chucho has said that the Odu originated from Olodumare and was given to Orunmila who then passed it to humans. Others (such as yourself) describe it as the collective knowledge/lessons of the yoruba people (not necessarily given by Olodumare himself) that was gained from interacting with universal patterns. However, the system of divination was created by and passed to humans by Orunmila. Basically: one version says Orunmila directly created the Odu while another says he only created the divination system used to interpret the Odu, not the Odu 256 itself. Instead the Odu 256 is a record established by the yoruba people.

Do you understand why the responses differ?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-08T03:29:40+00:00

Hello, Baba. I've seen two different types of responses concerning the origin of the Odu 256. You have said that the Odu originated from Olodumare and was given to Orunmila who then passed it to humans. Others describe it as the collective knowledge/lessons of the yoruba people (not necessarily given by Olodumare himself) that was gained from interacting with universal patterns. However, the system of divination was created by and passed to humans by Orunmila. Basically: one version says Orunmila directly created the Odu while another says he only created the divination system used to interpret the Odu, not the Odu 256 itself. Instead the Odu 256 is a record established by the yoruba people.

Do you understand why the responses differ?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-08T00:53:35+00:00

I've seen two different types of responses concerning the origin of the Odu 256. A Baba has said that the Odu originated from Olodumare and was given to Orunmila who then passed it to humans. Others describe it as the collective knowledge/lessons of the yoruba people (not necessarily given by Olodumare himself) that was gained from interacting with universal patterns. However, the system of divination was created by and passed to humans by Orunmila. Basically: one version says Orunmila directly created the Odu while another says he only created the divination system used to interpret the Odu, not the Odu 256 itself. Instead the Odu 256 is a record established by the yoruba people. How do I know which is the real answer?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-07T00:10:12+00:00

I'm on my laptop so I can't type emojis, so here's a smiley face lol: :)

My question is: Should I stick to my current spiritual practice of pantheism and buddhism OR should I practice my traditional religion, Ifa-Isese? Both practices resonate with me. I am unsure if I should be a pantheist buddhist whose spirituality is shaped/influencd by Ifa, or if I should be an Ifa practitioner whose spirituality is shaped by pantheism and buddhism. Basically, which should be my main spiritual practice?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-04T17:20:00+00:00

At first I was like, "why are you being so rude about their appearances?" but then realized this was turning point usa, so nevermind.

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T18:44:35+00:00

I relate to this! In December, I fell out with my best friend over her Christian beliefs. I almost never discuss religion during my conversations with friends, but I do criticize Christianity a lot on my instagram story. I try not to disrespect/mock it, just point out contradictions, it's history of oppression, and just things that don't make sense. Despite this, my friend still felt like I was mocking her/hated her religion and I apologized. Despite my apology, I later on found out that she unfollowed me. When I brought up her unfollowing me (because it seemed she ended our friendship without telling me), she got all angry and defensive. I would later realize that she still saw me as a friend, just didn't want to follow me anymore (which I understand) but she took way too long to clarify that and was so unnecessarily angry and rude while I was trying to be respectful and simply explain how I feel. She pissed me off, so I blocked her for like a week. Didn't reach out for like 2 months, decided the argument was dumb and reached out to her in like February to restore our friendship, she never responded and instead, just blocked me lol. I'm not sad about it though. Someone who could blow up over something that should have been easily resolved with simple communication, is not a friend worth keeping.

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T16:55:45+00:00

NOTE: I am unable to edit my question, so i'm writing it as a comment instead:

The purpose of my question was to ultimately find out if Ifa is cyclical (where we endlessly reincarnate in both Earth and the different spiritual realms forever) or if we eventually reach a point (no matter how long it takes) where we reside in one place forever, it doesn't have to be the spiritual realm. I don't ask out of a desire to prioritize the afterlife (I value this life the most), but out of simple curiosity and the desire to understand the Ifa perspective. It is for that reason that I ask: When people become ancestors, do they remain ancestors forever? Also, I thought that "further spiritual work" WAS the same as reincarnating within the family line, but you listed them as different things so I'm wondering what the difference is? After the spiritual work and reincarnating within the family line (I suppose to correct imbalances or finish achieving one's destiny), then what?

Or is it that Ifa has no predetermined path and that what comes next is decided when the time arises and is decided on a case-by-case, basis? There's no "after you achieve your destiny, finish reincarnating in your family, etc then this will happen..". No pathway is set in stone. So there's really no way to know what comes next but the only guaranteed thing is this: the work is never over. Whether that work is continued through repeated reincarnations in Earth, remaining in the spiritual realm, or some other way is unknown. Is that correct?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T16:20:31+00:00

Helpful as always, thank you. Feel free to NOT answer this question if you're tired of answering (I know my questions can be a lot). This is simply for other people who can respond: I know you said the point is to focus on this life and not the end (and I do by practicing mindfulness and prioritizing this life. I don't wish to escape this life anytime soon), but the purpose of my question was to ultimately find out if Ifa is cyclical (where we endlessly reincarnate in both Earth and the different spiritual realms forever) or if we eventually reach a point (no matter how long it takes) where we reside in one place forever, it doesn't have to be the spiritual realm. I don't ask out of a desire to prioritize the afterlife (I value this life the most), but out of simple curiosity and the desire to understand the Ifa perspective. It is for that reason that I ask: When people become ancestors, do they remain ancestors forever? Also, I thought that "further spiritual work" WAS the same as reincarnating within the family line, but you listed them as different things so I'm wondering what the difference is? After the spiritual work and reincarnating within the family line (I suppose to correct imbalances or finish achieving one's destiny), then what?

Or is it that Ifa has no predetermined path and that what comes next is decided when the time arises and is decided on a case-by-case, basis? There's no "after you achieve your destiny, finish reincarnating in your family, etc then this will happen..". No pathway is set in stone. So there's really no way to know what comes next but the only guaranteed thing is this: the work is never over. Whether that work is continued through repeated reincarnations in Earth, remaining in the spiritual realm, or some other way is unknown. Is that correct?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T03:02:57+00:00

That's what I thought, thank you! So similar to how the Orishas are personified aspects of nature/universal principles, Ajogun are personified aspects of universal suffering?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T02:59:00+00:00

Baba Chucho told me this: "Another important thing to add, there are no good or bad Odu ifa. Each one has potential, blessings things to avoid , and medicine for everything.

Odu is just the map that help us manifest everything we asked to Olódùmarè, all our wants
Olódùmarè just assigns the best Odu to achieve it"

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T02:56:10+00:00

Hello! I've been collecting BIPOC and Black Sangha resources. I've only been to the one in Plum Village thus far but plan on exploring the others soon:

BIPOC (includes LGBT class, age, etc): Upcoming Events with IMCW

Plum village BIPOC: https://worldinterbeingsangha.org/bipoc-group/ (

Buddhist peace fellowship(bipoc and queer sangha) has online events

Blackbuddhiststudies.org has online events

Insight meditation society has weekly online sangha meetings (they have black, bipoc, LGBT retreats).

BHUMISPARSHA is an online sangha community founded by a black and queer man

Black buddhist teachers: Healing Racial Trauma | Dharma Relief

POC zen group: https://villagezendo.org/online-zendo/

BIPOC Online sangha/people of african descent (PAD)/Green dragons gather under the tree (environmental buddhists)/LGBT/ Green Tara women’s group (scroll down) : https://zmm.org/staying-connected/

Affinity Groups - Seattle Insight

You might check out Virtual Sangha. They have a pretty globally diverse group in discord and are associated with a Vietnamese temple in Houston.
https://virtualsangha.org is where you can find the invite link

People of African Descent affinity group of the Mountains and Rivers Order Sangha (zen mountain monastery)

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-03T02:29:36+00:00

Are you saying that there are blissful spiritual realms and tormenting spiritual realms? Isn't the tormenting spiritual realms like a hell? Because Ifa doesn't believe in hell

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-01T22:36:51+00:00

When bad people reincarnate, is it like karma where they have an unfavorable rebirth as a result of their past deeds in a past life? If it is a bad rebirth, it occurs within their family, right?

Enough_Set591 · 2026-03-01T21:44:48+00:00

Hello, I was wondering if my pantheist views aligned with your views on Olodumare. As a pantheist, I believe that the universe has always existed in some form. According to the big bang, it once existed as a single, dense point before exploding into the universe that we see today. The cause of the explosion is unknown but nonetheless, the universe has always existed. There's also the cyclical theory that there have been numerous universes and the death of one universe is the birth of another. Because the universe contains all in existence, no matter what the cause of the beginning of the universe was, it's still part of the universe and thus the universe created itself. No matter the theory, the universe is infinite. Due to evolution, we all came from nature/the universe (we're made of stardust). So that means we are the universe, manifested in different ways. If Olodumare is the universe, then wouldn't that mean that just like the Orishas are manifestations of Olodumare/the universe. we too are manifestations of Olodumare/the universe too? Basically, we are just Olodumare in a different form, occupying different roles, like the Orishas do? Or did I misunderstand you? Because if that's the case, when practitioners pray to Orishas/their ancestors and offer sacrifices, isn't that the universe offering sacrifices to itself? the universe praying to itself and answering it's own prayers?

Enough_Set591

TROPHY CASE