Comments on: Am I Buddhist Anymore? A Brief Socratic Dialogue http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/ My life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:53:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Doug http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4655 Doug Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:51:59 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4655 Thanks. It was just spur of the moment, and written late night while pretty sleepy and delirious. ;-p Thanks. It was just spur of the moment, and written late night while pretty sleepy and delirious. ;-p

]]> By: Lost in Translation http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4653 Lost in Translation Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:35:49 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4653 Another insightful posting - I like the Socratic dialogue format too. Another insightful posting – I like the Socratic dialogue format too.

]]> By: Doug http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4649 Doug Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:14:56 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4649 Hi guys, great to hear from you: <strong>Scott</strong>: Sounds like Rev. Harry gave a great talk. It would have been fun to hear it. :) Part of me still feels value in practices apart from my normal life, but it's just not really feasible anymore, plus I have lingering doubts as to their efficacy for all but people in a dedicated, monastic setting. Naturally, not everyone can be a monastic, nor is suited for it. So, I really want to focus on working with what I have now and somehow making it better (incl. "driving a car" which I am terrible at). I guess for too long I've been trying to add something above and beyond what's already there, and that's my critical mistake. <strong>Naoko</strong>: I think religion means different things to different people. I agree religion can make one more happy and peaceful, but I also feel it's important to also use religion to improve one's self and also benefit others. Otherwise, it would be a selfish pursuit. People who help others, and have self-discipline I think are much happier than other people. :) You're right: you have to live life each day, whether you want to or not, and that's a huge challenge. I want to be a better person, I want to have more self-discipline, and so on, but I just can't make it work through Buddhist teachings, so I want to explore other ways of dealing with the same problem. Maybe Buddhism is the right choice after all, maybe not. Or maybe a combination. Who knows? :) Hi guys, great to hear from you:

Scott: Sounds like Rev. Harry gave a great talk. It would have been fun to hear it. :) Part of me still feels value in practices apart from my normal life, but it’s just not really feasible anymore, plus I have lingering doubts as to their efficacy for all but people in a dedicated, monastic setting. Naturally, not everyone can be a monastic, nor is suited for it. So, I really want to focus on working with what I have now and somehow making it better (incl. “driving a car” which I am terrible at). I guess for too long I’ve been trying to add something above and beyond what’s already there, and that’s my critical mistake.

Naoko: I think religion means different things to different people. I agree religion can make one more happy and peaceful, but I also feel it’s important to also use religion to improve one’s self and also benefit others. Otherwise, it would be a selfish pursuit. People who help others, and have self-discipline I think are much happier than other people. :) You’re right: you have to live life each day, whether you want to or not, and that’s a huge challenge. I want to be a better person, I want to have more self-discipline, and so on, but I just can’t make it work through Buddhist teachings, so I want to explore other ways of dealing with the same problem. Maybe Buddhism is the right choice after all, maybe not. Or maybe a combination. Who knows? :)

]]> By: naoko http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4647 naoko Mon, 27 Sep 2010 02:34:13 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4647 Hi Doug-san, I'm very impressed with your writing. In my opinion, all religion are to make people happy, so you don't have to struggle. Maybe, you never find the truth of any religion by such an easy or dishonest way, but you have to live the real life every day, you know? It's too stressful to be simply honest. However if you can feel happy in such a world, I think it's the power of religion. Now you feel happier than before because you've got something by Buddhism. Hi Doug-san,
I’m very impressed with your writing. In my opinion, all religion are to make people happy, so you don’t have to struggle. Maybe, you never find the truth of any religion by such an easy or dishonest way, but you have to live the real life every day, you know? It’s too stressful to be simply honest. However if you can feel happy in such a world, I think it’s the power of religion. Now you feel happier than before because you’ve got something by Buddhism.

]]> By: scott http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4646 scott Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:19:11 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4646 Rev. Harry Bridge gave a talk at the SF Zen Center a week or two ago. The local Zen folks don't often know what to do with Pure Land practice, hung up as they sometimes get on "Buddhist practice" = "seated meditation" or, just as likely, "practice" = "doing something outside of or different from your normal routine." a lot of folks had many questions in this realm, and one woman asked in a very straightforward way, "what is the practice?" To which Harry responded, "Raise a family? Drive your car?" in his own way (a way far more eloquent than mine, here) I think he was pointing out that practice us no different than anything else we're doing, that the distinctions we make between "Buddhist" and "not Buddhist" are the real problem. Not that this has anything to do with anything necessarily. Just thought I'd share. You sound, as always, like you're doing well. Keep it up! Rev. Harry Bridge gave a talk at the SF Zen Center a week or two ago. The local Zen folks don’t often know what to do with Pure Land practice, hung up as they sometimes get on “Buddhist practice” = “seated meditation” or, just as likely, “practice” = “doing something outside of or different from your normal routine.” a lot of folks had many questions in this realm, and one woman asked in a very straightforward way, “what is the practice?” To which Harry responded, “Raise a family? Drive your car?” in his own way (a way far more eloquent than mine, here) I think he was pointing out that practice us no different than anything else we’re doing, that the distinctions we make between “Buddhist” and “not Buddhist” are the real problem.

Not that this has anything to do with anything necessarily. Just thought I’d share. You sound, as always, like you’re doing well. Keep it up!

]]> By: Doug http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4645 Doug Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:48:04 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4645 Hi Kyoushin, far from it! The book is a good example of all the interesting content on Buddhism and east Asian religion missing from mainstream media and I have been reading it out of genuine curiosity. :-) I was very happy you even thought of it. Yeah it's a shame we couldn't meet, but as you can see, I am much more busy than I was before, but nit necessarily in a bad way. :-). I was too embarrassed to bring up this subject until now anyway, so I might not have mentioned it at the time. But I'm sure well run into each other again. Wee are also planning trips to the EU one of these days. Your point about "orthodox" Western religion is an excellent point. I wasn't aware of the blend in Jodo Shinshu in Japan as most of my exposure has been in Western temples. Hi Kyoushin, far from it! The book is a good example of all the interesting content on Buddhism and east Asian religion missing from mainstream media and I have been reading it out of genuine curiosity. :-) I was very happy you even thought of it.

Yeah it’s a shame we couldn’t meet, but as you can see, I am much more busy than I was before, but nit necessarily in a bad way. :-) . I was too embarrassed to bring up this subject until now anyway, so I might not have mentioned it at the time. But I’m sure well run into each other again. Wee are also planning trips to the EU one of these days.

Your point about “orthodox” Western religion is an excellent point. I wasn’t aware of the blend in Jodo Shinshu in Japan as most of my exposure has been in Western temples.

]]> By: Kyōshin http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2010/09/26/am-i-buddhist-anymore-a-brief-socratic-dialogue/#comment-4644 Kyōshin Sun, 26 Sep 2010 08:15:10 +0000 https://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=9079#comment-4644 Hey Doug, Wow that book I just gave you couldn't have been worse timed. I doubt you are in the mood for reading about some extinct heretical Buddhist sect right now! :-) It's a real shame that we didn't get to meet up the other week as I think we would have had a lot to talk about. You might have noticed that I just posted something at 'Echoes' where I was trying to assess why I go to the temple. I grew up with a particular religious world view which was pretty hermetically sealed but once I left home it cracked open and after that I don't think you can go back to following a particular tradition or school of thought in a totalistic way - which is probably a good thing. Like you say though maybe that attitude - the assumption that Buddhism should answer to every aspect of our lives - is a very European and North American thing? I have been to a very orthodox, very traditional Shin temple in Japan where they nonetheless have classes on the Analects and Confucian ethics, occasional lectures by Shinto priests and frequent lectures by artists, philosophers and so on. Hey Doug, Wow that book I just gave you couldn’t have been worse timed. I doubt you are in the mood for reading about some extinct heretical Buddhist sect right now! :-)

It’s a real shame that we didn’t get to meet up the other week as I think we would have had a lot to talk about. You might have noticed that I just posted something at ‘Echoes’ where I was trying to assess why I go to the temple.

I grew up with a particular religious world view which was pretty hermetically sealed but once I left home it cracked open and after that I don’t think you can go back to following a particular tradition or school of thought in a totalistic way – which is probably a good thing. Like you say though maybe that attitude – the assumption that Buddhism should answer to every aspect of our lives – is a very European and North American thing? I have been to a very orthodox, very traditional Shin temple in Japan where they nonetheless have classes on the Analects and Confucian ethics, occasional lectures by Shinto priests and frequent lectures by artists, philosophers and so on.

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