So I've been studying Buddhism recently.
I used to study Eastern religions in college, but as an academic thing and not something where I was trying genuinely learn the religion. I've attempted this with Christianity before and didn't care for what I found and I guess in my atheistic ignorance I assumed all religions had the same underlying problems. But after really looking at it, Buddhism is very different from what I expected and I'm interested in learning more about it.
The thing that most appeals to me about Buddhism is that it is a very skeptical religion focussed more on critical thinking than faith. The Buddha encouraged people to reject delusion and think critically about his teachings and not blindly follow them. I can respect that. I think building critical thinking into the foundation of the religion gives it a much stronger moral foundation. I think true morality can only be achieved through honest and objective thought. Without that you're just doing whatever feels good and justifying it later.
Is anyone here a Buddhist? Do you want to share your story of how you got involved in it or which sect you're a part of? If you were previously a Buddhist and aren't anymore, what made you leave?
I used to study Eastern religions in college, but as an academic thing and not something where I was trying genuinely learn the religion. I've attempted this with Christianity before and didn't care for what I found and I guess in my atheistic ignorance I assumed all religions had the same underlying problems. But after really looking at it, Buddhism is very different from what I expected and I'm interested in learning more about it.
The thing that most appeals to me about Buddhism is that it is a very skeptical religion focussed more on critical thinking than faith. The Buddha encouraged people to reject delusion and think critically about his teachings and not blindly follow them. I can respect that. I think building critical thinking into the foundation of the religion gives it a much stronger moral foundation. I think true morality can only be achieved through honest and objective thought. Without that you're just doing whatever feels good and justifying it later.
Is anyone here a Buddhist? Do you want to share your story of how you got involved in it or which sect you're a part of? If you were previously a Buddhist and aren't anymore, what made you leave?