A reader writes:

What would it take to convert over to Buddhism?

My Response:

We’ve talked about this a number of times before, but it keeps coming up, so at the very least, that means there a lot of wanna-be new Buddhists out there. That’s a good thing!

Although there are some traditions or denominations of Buddhism that have a very specific conversion process, such as the Tibetan approach, most don’t have a bunch of rules on the subject. It’s not like you can send away for a diploma or certificate that says “Now I am a Buddhist.”

Generally speaking, at least the way I look at it, Buddhism is not so much about what you believe, as it is about what you do. To use an old Christian expression, it’s about “Works,” not “Faith.” Or more technically, Buddhism is a religion of practice, not beliefs. If you agree with the Four Noble Truths, and try to live your life in agreement with the Eightfold Path, and the Precepts, then you are a Buddhist. Even then, you are allowed occasional failures.

That being said, you do need to understand what you mean by calling yourself a Buddhist. It’s an ongoing process of education and meditation for most. There are a number of good introductory books on the topic, including the one at the top of this page. There are many good websites as well. Learn about it. Keep on learning about it. But the only real rule is that you need to start acting and behaving as a Buddhist.

It really is as simple as that; You’re a Buddhist if you act like one. Also keep in mind that most Buddhists are lay practitioners, not priests or monks. You don’t have to be like those guys, at least not unless you really want to. Just do the best you can; relieve suffering, help others, be mindful. This is Buddhism.

Here are some links to older discussions on the topic:

Becoming a Buddhist

So You Want to be a Buddhist?

Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels

A reader writes:

A reader writes:

I am not sure if this is the right place to send a question, but it is the only reference to questions I found on the website.

I am reading about Buddhism because I started to meditate after exercising in the morning and found that it brought the most amazing sense of peace to me throughout the day. I would like to maintain that peace and mindfulness throughout the day. I hesitate to call myself a Buddhist because I feel that I have a lot more self-reflection, studying, and meditating to do before I have the right to take on such an honorable label.

 My Response:

You chose your words well. Buddhism, as I mentioned Tuesday, is not some lofty goal to be aspired to. It’s just a label that we put on ourselves. There are millions of “Buddhists” out there that give Buddhism nearly no thought in their daily lives. Others take it all very seriously. Either path is fine, but they are all considered Buddhists… It’s just a label.

Don’t get hung up on labels, especially not if it’s going to hold you back from something. I told a story way, way back on the site about my time in Japan, and how most of the people I spoke to, when Buddhism came up, asked “What’s that?” When I explained the ideas, they invariably replied, “Oh that. I think that too.” There are many labels out there to classify, organize, and coordinate things, places, and people.

Labels are restricting. Labels are limiting. Labels are confining.

Labels are one of the main contributors to discrimination, prejudice, bullying, and intolerance in the world. Labels have their reasons, but don’t EVER tie yourself down to a label.

From your email, you sound like a Buddhist. Whether you are or are not, the only difference is in your mind.

Does it matter?

A reader asks:

What is the Buddhist perspective on this

10 die as Buddhists, Muslims clash in Myanmar

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/21/world/asia/myanmar-clashes/index.html

My Response:

The world is a big place, and there are all sorts of situations. Sometimes these situations lead to violence. Nevertheless, you are right, these people aren’t acting in a particularly Buddhist fashion. Buddhists eschew violence in all forms.

So what’s going on here?

Just because someone identifies as a Buddhist (Or in the case of this article, we can say the say about Muslims) doesn’t mean that’s what they focus on to the exclusion of all else. Here in America, most people identify as some flavor of Christian. How many people who identify as Christians do things like steal, lie, cheat, judge, and other things that their own belief system condemns? Not all of them, but there definitely some. Believe me, Christians don’t have the monopoly on hypocrisy. Buddhism has its share as well, as do all the others.

Along the same lines, just because a person identifies as a Buddhist, that doesn’t instantly make them a devout monk. The vast majority of people in Eastern countries are born Buddhists, were raised to believe in the Buddhist traditions, and generally follow an appropriately Buddhist lifestyle there. But I repeat, they are not monks. They fight, go to war, cheat, steal, and do all the bad things people elsewhere do. It all depends on where their priorities lie.

Being Buddhist doesn’t preclude you from being human as well.

A Reader Writes:

I was wondering what your thoughts are on the increasing ‘appropriation’ of Buddhism in the west.

I’ve been noticing that there are a number of people writing blogs who are accusing people of appropriation if they have, for example, ohm or Buddha tattoos or Buddhist jewelry. As someone who identifies as being Buddhist I am not offended by this and I do not understand why some people would feel the need to verbally attack others for exploring a different culture through art or fashion.

In fact I would go as far as to say that this is a very un-Buddhist thing to do.
Any thoughts, and have you noticed this at all?

My Response:

I did a post on tattoos way back, and that still holds up pretty well. You can check that out, but as far as the Buddhist approach goes, I don’t see much wrong with having a tattoo.

I think what you are asking is whether or not as a Buddhist, do non-Buddhists wearing the symbols of Buddhism offend me? No, and I suspect most Buddhists will agree with me on that. Symbols and pictures are just things; nothing to get worked up about.

One thing I find personally annoying are people with Chinese Kanji symbols tattooed on them, when they don’t understand Chinese. The tattoo artist always tells them it means “Peace” or “Love,” or something nice like that. I always look at people and tell them with  a straight face that it means “Jackass.” Then I explain that I don’t speak Chinese either, and it could say anything. Sometimes I get a laugh, sometimes I don’t.  Still though, getting something you don’t understand tattooed on you seems like a risky proposition. Getting a Buddha or a eight-spoked wheel or a Lotus tattooed on you if you don’t really know what they mean could be risky too.

Now, from a not-especially-Buddhist-but-still-common-sense point of view:

Let’s go into hypotheticals for a moment. You get a tattoo of a Buddha on your arm. It’s pretty cool huh? Then ten years down the road, you want to marry a girl/guy who is a Christian or Muslim.  That’s going to be an issue. Maybe you’ll even want to (gasp!) convert to one of those faiths yourself.  Now you’ve got a problem. Maybe you say that would never happen; OK, but could you have a Christian or Muslim supervisor at work? Friends? Seems like a definite possibility.

This kind of situation may be exactly the cause of the “attacks” you mention in your question. People fear what is different, and, at least in the USA< Buddhism is one of those “others” for many people.

(And for the record, I have no idea what that Kanji means. Hopefully it’s not something too nasty.)

Here’s a news article I just stumbled upon:

105-year-old Zen Buddhist master is accused of groping female students

You can read the article if you want, but I’ll summarize: This old master, Joshu Sasaki, has been groping and touching his female students for over 50 years, and allegedly used his position to excommunicate or ban anyone who complained away from his retreat in Mt. Baldy, California.

At this stage, let’s remember that this is all just allegations; there has not been any kind of trial. I’m not entirely even sure what the crime would be if there was one. But whether or not this was a “crime,” it was clearly inappropriate if he actually did it.

Every day, I post something on this site telling what kinds of things Buddhists do or don’t do. Keep in mind that this is all “in theory.” In reality, Buddhists are normal human being who do stupid things. None of them are perfect, and even Buddhist leaders deal with daily temptations just like the rest of us.

It seems like all too often in the news we hear about Catholic priests going after little boys or Baptist Pastors having affairs with members of their congregation, or something else of the sort. We rarely hear about Buddhists misbehaving, but I suspect that’s just because there aren’t as many Buddhist leaders in America.  A long time ago, I posted a review of Sheng Yen’s Footprints in the Snow, which detailed life in a monastery back in the early 1900’s. He discussed all kinds of scandals, affairs, and the like. It goes on today as well.

What’s my point today? Don’t look to Buddhism as the perfect solution to the world’s problems. Buddhists are people, and they do stupid things sometimes too. Grasping too hard for perfection is just one more form of grasping that we should try to do away with.

A reader writes:  

I’m having trouble finding a time to meditate every day. Meditation has been in my life for a long time, but structured meditation has been a difficult task to adhere to. Although I wish to, and feel the urge to, I am having a hard time sticking to it. Do you have any advice for this?

My Response:

I’m an English teacher, and I also want to publish more books, so I read lots of books about writing. One of the chief complaints that “wannabe” writers have is that they don’t have the time to write. I see this over and over in books about writing and from aspiring writers on Twitter as well. The old-timers and experienced writers always have the same answer for them. “A writer writes.”

A similar argument comes from those who don’t have time to exercise.

The same thing goes for meditation.

If it’s important to you, then you will find a way to fit it in. The problem is that right now, other things are more important to you. Maybe it’s work. Maybe it’s school. Maybe it’s sitting in a chair watching “Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo” on TV, I don’t know. But if you aren’t meditating, then it’s simply because something else is taking priority.

There’s nothing wrong with having some things in your life be more important than meditation. I’ll admit it; I don’t get around to it nearly as often as I should myself. The thing here is to take responsibility for your own lack of meditating. Don’t blame your calendar or the clock. If it’s important enough to you, you will make time for it, the way you make time for other things right now.

Maybe subconsciously you’re avoiding meditation for some reason. Maybe you simply don’t manage your time well. Get organized. See what other time-consuming thing you could cut back on or drop entirely. Maybe you really are that busy, and meditation won’t fit. That happens sometimes, but most of the time, this situation is easily fixed.

Just do it.

(And no, I just couldn’t resist that title. If you’ve watched Youtube recently, you know why.)