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Where
to Begin?
STUDY, REFLECTION AND MEDITATION
Buddhism can be confusing to begin with, especially if you
come from a Christian, Islamitic or Jewish background. You may be unfamiliar
with concepts such as karma, rebirth, 'emptiness' and the practice of meditation.
On top of that, the presentation of Buddhism in the various traditions can
vary quite a bit, so if you read materials from different traditions, it is
quite easy to lose track.
The idea behind this website is to introduce the most important
basics, as well as provide links for further study. It is important to realise
that it takes some time and effort to get a grip on all these subjects, and
to understand how they fit together. Buddhism is like a combination of philosophy,
religion, psychology and mental training - a vast area to cover.
As proven over the centuries, the best way to digest the
teachings would be to listen to teachings or read on a subject, and to spend
some time pondering over it before continuing to the next subject, because
unlike an academic study, all the subjects have direct implications for our
own lives. Study, reflection/contemplation and meditation are essential, as we need to check
if these teachings are relevant to us. Buddhism should not be accepted
on the basis of blind faith, but rather because we find it sensible.
The Buddha put it this way: "Only when it agrees with your experience
and reason, and when it is conducive to the good and gain of oneself and all
others, then one should accept the teachings, and live up to them". (Free
from the Kalama Sutra.)
This will take time, so be a bit patient with yourself if you go through a
period where everything you read just seems to provoke more questions; that
is a really good sign! Most people take many months or years before gradually
the whole 'puzzle of Buddhism' begins to fit together.
"If you want good health, you must insure that your diet is well-balanced and complete. You wouldn’t just gobble up anything edible that comes your way. Spiritual food should be approached with equal care. The practices you choose should be genuine and complete. Sakyapandita said that when we’re buying a jewel or a horse—and the same would apply these days to buying a car or a house—we shop around and ask others for advice, but a wise or unwise purchase can only affect our fortunes in this life. The spiritual practices we undertake can assure or jeopardize our well-being throughout many future lifetimes, and so it is essential to make a wise choice. Milarepa said that unless the teachings we practice are free from errors and have come down to us through a living and uninterrupted tradition, time spent meditating in a mountain retreat will just be self-inflicted misery."
From: The Three Principal Aspects of the Path by Geshe Sonam Rinchen
STUDY
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Without some study, we don't know what we get involved
in. Chosing a spiritual path should not just be based on some vague feeling,
but on a critical evaluation of the teachings, its goals, and the example
of other practitioners and teachers.
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Reflection and meditation on the various subjects is
essential. It is important to ask yourself regularly; 'does this make
sense, what does this mean for me and my life?'
-
Besides being critical, do not be afraid to open yourself
up, and give new ideas the chance to settle in before shoving them aside. In other words, avoid
accepting things before you have taken time to 'sit on it' (meditate/reflect),
but also avoid rejecting things before you 'sat on them'.
Our prejudices often go deeper than we think!
-
Take enough time to digest one subject before going
over to the next. If you try to read this entire website in a day, you
will likely harvest confusion instead of understanding... It probably works
best to take for example only one subject per day or per week.
- Several people wrote me that it works good for them to print one page
on a subject every day to read and reflect on it.
-
The most logical order for study would be to start
with The Three Jewels and Philosophy
(maybe initially without following all the suggested links to avoid confusion),
followed by Problematic Emotions. You could simultaneously
read some parts of Practice and Meditation.
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Of course, it is advisable to read introductory books
from any tradition to get a closer idea of what Buddhism can mean for
you (see for example the recommended booklist), but be aware that different traditions may approach subjects from a completely different angle - which can be confusing.
- Although books, websites and video teachings can be very helpful in the beginning, they can barely substitute for visiting a Buddhist center or monastery and have direct interaction with a teacher and other students/practitioners: see below in Finding Spiritual Friends.
MEDITATION
We know how to study, but what about meditation? Meditation
is the essential technique in Buddhism to figure out what is really going
on in our mind. Once we begin to understand how our mind functions, we can
move into the direction we want.
- There exist many different meditation techniques (even within Buddhism). In particular in modern Western culture all kind of exercises have been developed that are called meditation, but some of which would not even qualify as meditation in the Buddhist sense. For example, a meditation merely aimed at relaxation would not be considered meditation in a Buddhist context.
- Very few people manmage to learn to meditate satisfactorily on the basis
of just reading instructions. It may feel like trying to learn playing the
piano by reading a manual.... The best and most efficient way would be to
find some spiritual friends (see below) and receive meditation instructions
from a teacher or experienced older student. If this is not possible, you
can try to follow the advice on the page How
to Meditate, and the suggestions of 58
Meditations.
- Do not expect instant miracles from meditation - just as we cannot
learn to play the piano or tennis in a few hours time. Instead, it may
work best to habituate yourself to some kind of daily meditation session (if
only 5 minutes) for maybe a month or so, and then decide if you want to continue.
The continuity of even a short daily meditation session is much more effective
than once a week trying to sit for two hours. Habituation is a core aspect of meditation.
FINDING SPIRITUAL FRIENDS
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Arguably, the best introduction to Buddhism would be something
like a week-long introductory course; ideally in a center
where you would live in for the duration of the course. Such
a focussed environment, often combining meditation, teachings and
discussions can really get you 'into it'.
(Having been director
of Tushita meditation
center in Dharamsala, India, where we concentrated on presenting
10-day intensive meditation courses, I dare say that most
people got much more out of such a course than they expected.)
- It is likely that some kind of Buddhist center, monastery or group is not
very far away from your home - see the very good Buddhist
directory of BuddhaNet or of Snowlion.
Do 'shop around' to find a place that really suits you; the various Buddhist traditions can have a very different 'feel' to them. Often, people stick to a group or tradition that feels a bit like 'coming home'.
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While 'shopping' for a Buddhist group, make sure you are not dealing with a controversial/dubious teacher or
school. Someone may wear Buddhist robes or calls him/herself
a lama, guru or Acharya, but that does not make him or her a saint....
Unfortunately, there are questionable teachers, traditions and centers
in the Buddhist world. Before you get
seriously involved, do use your critical
intellect to analyse and test teachers as the Buddha advised. Putting your trust in a spiritual teacher is not a
small matter, see also the pages on a Spiritual
Teacher. If you think you found a center, monastery or group you think will suit you, do check the Controversy page of this website
to avoid a lot of problems in the future.
- If you cannot visit a center occasionally, but still like to seriously
study Buddhism, there are some good correspondence courses these days. Probably
the best ones work by sending you recordings of teachings and a course-book,
and you are guided by tutors. In Tibetan Buddhism, for exampe the FPMT
has some very good correspondence courses.
 Just for fun:
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.
Carl Gustav Jung
Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.
W.C. Fields
If you believe everything you read, better not read.
Japanese proverb
The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that
it has never tried to contact us.
Bill Watterson
Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat.
Jim Davis
Last updated:
July 6, 2021 |
