How to become a Buddhist

source

Here is my response to "how do I start?" posts on Reddit r/Buddhism

My journey started with a meditation class. Then I read a lot and meditated. I found a community and hung out with them. Then I went on a 9 day retreat. From there it was all downhill. I feel I have learned enough to buffet fads and praise and blame. I have a kind of confidence in the path and a confidence in myself in finding the path, and enjoying the mistakes in the detours.

There are many kinds of Buddhists in the world. You could meditate. You could chant. You could work on being a good person. You could work for others. You could read and become a scholar. You could not read and just be.

The first step to me seems to be trying out the various sanghas or spiritual communities that teach. There are many different varieties, and if you only have a Tibetan or a Theravadan or a Zen center, then you will learn through those eyes.

Which is the best one? It will be hard to say without discussing one's own journey. I like and dislike things about each tradition, but on one level I love all traditions and I think there is one dharma. It all connects up somehow.

The guidelines for behaviors are contained in the 5 or 10 precepts. There are also positive precepts. Being a person who doesn't hurt others will help one advance, and not wanting to hurt others is an important realization on the path.

I'm the kind of person who likes to understand the whole story so I can figure out how everything fits in. Not everyone is like that. Maybe you like arranging flowers. Or tuning into your body. Or chanting. Or maybe you love classical music. Maybe you like the mosh pit. Maybe you are really young. Maybe you just retired. Maybe you have substance abuse history. Maybe you are in jail.

For me, I look at the Buddha's life story. He became disillusioned, went on a spiritual journey. He tried a lot of things. There were some false starts and dead ends. He kept plugging away.

Then he remembered an experience, where he sat watching the ceremonial ploughing of a field. Was it meditation? He tried it out, and sat and sat and sat. Sometimes I visualize the Buddha under a tree, and he beckons me to join him on the tree next to him, to sit and meditate.

What he did when he felt he'd found some answers is to share them with the world. From 35-80 he taught the Dharma, and took care of himself enough to do that.

There are many stories from the monks who memorized the teachings, that were written down hundreds of years later. They are not easy to read because they have a kind of repetition that helps people to memorize. We read translations. You can glean the spirit from them, and it helps if you read them with others in a group.

There is a vast literature, from these ancient teachings to present day advice for updating them into modern existence. There are all sorts of explorations of various ways of developing spiritually.

I don't think you can not know enough about modern society and what it has done to you, and you can't bypass doing psychological work to reduce some of your craziness, maladaptations and negative habit patterns.

At one point, people thought the world had degenerated so much that nobody could get enlightened. That was a theory, but it lead to some development of non-meditation practices. All the developments in the history of Buddhism are interesting to me, I can see how they fit in.

For me, the faith is that the Buddha really did find something special, even if it's hard to talk about and not easy to get there. There are many teachers who are not as advanced as the Buddha who give suggestions. What can we do? We do our best. For me closing the distance between me and the Buddha is a worthy goal.

So connect with others in a tradition. That is the first and most important step. Understand they may have a perspective of their sect, but that is not a bad thing. Maybe the florid mythology of Tibetan Buddhism isn't for you, so you want Zen. Maybe the harshness of Zen isn't for you, but you like to chant. Maybe you want to go on long retreats and really go for it. Maybe you just want a simple kind mindful life with positive people. Maybe you are in crisis and part of your health is to reach out for a spiritual solution.

You live in nowhere America, or any country, and the nearest sangha is a 10 hour drive. Plan your next vacation there, and learn as much as you can online. There are so many talks on YouTube. You live in NYC and can't figure out which one to try out? Try as many as you can. But connect with someone else because we can go off the rails when we are alone. And you might be able to support someone else's spiritual life, a great gift.

Finally, I had my deepest "peak" experiences on retreat, those are the ones that helped confirm to me that I was on the right path. I must say I perhaps always yearn for retreat, but mostly I try to make every day a retreat by being mindful and ethical.

Best wishes to those seeking to join a community.