I have trouble finding people with whom to practice and discuss Buddhism for all the reasons that you've described here and in other videos, but the fact that you are able to practice and, well, be Buddhist, even when there are so many people out there who make it unappealing is very encouraging to me. The way you described losing interest in the punk rock scene because of the way other people were involved in it sometimes happens to me with Buddhism, so can be hard to remain dedicated and it's easy to lose heart. It's not that it's become super popular and that's why it's become difficult, but I think that's an aspect of it. When people hear that you're Buddhist they assume so many other things about you that aren't necessarily true, and it's frustrating. That's why I appreciate you, Brad. It's encouraging to know that I'm not the only one who finds it distasteful to be a part of a group like that, but that I can still practice in spite of that feeling. So thank you.
I just started attending a Zen center. I was looking at their website, and one of the few rules is no talking politics. I was also supposed that about 1/4 of the practitioners were active duty military members. Great video🙏
it has taken me awhile to see how quickly things can go from a small group who endeavors to practice zazen simply to practice zazen, to “let’s grow this” and a passion to hold on to ideas of the group, an aversion to anything that threatens that and ignoring the fundamental point of buddhism. sticking to a few dedicated practitioners 🙏🏼 thank you Brad.
Yeah, I picked up an interest in daoism from a martial arts teacher who was a practicing Buddhist and a knowledgeable daoist. I do Tai chi style standing meditation. and have done so every day for many years.
I have had the same experience when it came to a Buddhist sangha. I have found more support and growth in practice with "Sanghas" outside of the Buddhist community.
Aa a person with Judeo-Christian and Buddhist traditions as part of my path, I wonder if the desire to find a sort of Social Sangha is sometimes a desire to feel less alone in one's Buddhist life and offset the loneliness from being surrounded by folks who aren't Buddhist. Like a heavily Christian-ish environment and group of people could leave a Buddhist feeling mighty alone. Especially if they do all the stuff you want to do, but want to do it from a Buddhist perspective.
My pet theory is that each group has two kinds of people: serious and casual (to pick some terms). Serious folks are there primarily for the thing the group is about. Casual folks are there in part for what the group is about, but it's not the most important thing to them (they might be there for fun, status, friends, etc). Problems happen when casuals outnumber serious folks and try to change the nature of the group to fit their interests. It's how a zazen group that sometimes talks about activism can become an activist group that sometimes talks about zazen.
My wife isn’t into Zen and it’s fine. You realize some people need it and some people don’t. She’s happy for me and I wouldn’t change a thing about her. :) I think it’s a realization or enlightenment- You don’t need to mess with things if they are already good. Think before you act.
Most of the Buddhists that stick to it seem to be introverts. Living “in sangha” everyone who I liked, who was more outgoing, left. And the people who stayed were seemingly not interested in being so involved-and with all the talk of intimacy ! So now my “sangha” is online.
Most Buddhist practice actually happens outside of a temple. Vimalakirti, for instance, frequented whorehouses and gambling dens (not that I'm recommending everyone do that!). Honestly, I've been in the same mindset as the guy whose comment you read. The place I live is basically a dharmic wasteland right now. However, I think people should be able to maintain their faith in the absence of a Buddhist community since, even if you're lucky enough to have access to one, it will not be there forever. Nichiren was banished to a graveyard shack on a cold snowy island and had to communicate to people through hand-written letters, and his faith never wavered. On the other hand, we have access to other Buddhists 24/7 via the internet, yet we're always dissatisfied and falling into doubt. Sad!
Great video, very relatable. I practice meditation and don't really have any friends that do. I slip in and out of a local sangha. I like the teachers but don't feel too connected to the community. I would like to have a friend I could talk about meditation, Buddhism and the like with, in a less formal way than talking with a teacher but I dont feel like I have much in common with the other sangha members other than Buddhism.
I relate to Brad and his aversion to group behavior, It always feels like a loss of autonomy. I even think I had that issue of Mad Magazine with the "Mad Non Conformer" segment (my favorite Mad Magazines were from the 1950s, my introduction to smut) ;-/...
Interesting talk thanks Brad. My brother has lived in a buddhist community for 30+ years..and I feel its a tad cultish..his gf is a buddhist, all his friends are too., but as far as family is concerned he seems a little distant, a little like hes acting like what a buddhist should be rather than being a genuine human. But..I cant blame him given family background and his presumed struggle to 'find himself' and being part of 'something larger than oneself' is intoxicating.
Most of the Buddhists that stick to it seem to be introverts, in my experience. Living “in sangha” for a decade, everyone who I liked, who was more outgoing, left. And the people who stayed were seemingly not interested in being so involved in friendship-and with all the talk of intimacy ! So now my “sangha” is online. Unfortunately, in my recent experience, politics and activism is widespread in Zen, and I am not so interested in the current brand of politics which tends to be cultish. Where I lived in sangha, it seemed more like a neighborhood where everyone went to the same church and worked for the same company. Regarding romantic partners, it went the worst with the Buddhists. The artists were the best!🙂 I did make some great friends among Zen dogs and cats.
it is wild to me that in the US buddhism is becoming somewhat... cultish in its thinking, since temple buddhism in asia, historically at least, has had such a rich tradition of philosophical logic and debate. I mean, a Buddhist Book Club + Meditation Group would make a lot of sense, with the entry text being Buddhist Logic. I mean... everything else should be immaterial other than your practice. It's all "bodhisattvas dancing on pinheads" lol
that said, I think it's impossible for Buddhism /not/ to have a political element to it. To neuter its political elements is to be untrue to Gautama Buddha's purpose, who brought liberation and education to women and the poor in an age when it was centralized in the hands of rich men. That has political implications, as do many, if not all of Lord Buddha's sermons.
Everyone is a Buddhist they just haven't thought about it A Buddhist is to be a good person a compassionate person a kind person , practice just walk say hello ask strangers have they seen your friend a six foot three invisible rabbit. , study practice laughing at yourself with others you have a day talk walk mile you don't have to sit go in they all go in tell them it's about time they came out the Buddha's are out walking around in jeans and t shirts put their practice into action go walk find a Buddha , I will give you a tip he won't be where you expect
What a pity. Good thing this isn’t the case for everyone. But yes, it’s easy to sit back in judgment and stir discontent. Unhappiness finds unhappiness. Good luck on your attachments.
I have trouble finding people with whom to practice and discuss Buddhism for all the reasons that you've described here and in other videos, but the fact that you are able to practice and, well, be Buddhist, even when there are so many people out there who make it unappealing is very encouraging to me. The way you described losing interest in the punk rock scene because of the way other people were involved in it sometimes happens to me with Buddhism, so can be hard to remain dedicated and it's easy to lose heart. It's not that it's become super popular and that's why it's become difficult, but I think that's an aspect of it. When people hear that you're Buddhist they assume so many other things about you that aren't necessarily true, and it's frustrating. That's why I appreciate you, Brad. It's encouraging to know that I'm not the only one who finds it distasteful to be a part of a group like that, but that I can still practice in spite of that feeling. So thank you.
I just started attending a Zen center. I was looking at their website, and one of the few rules is no talking politics.
I was also supposed that about 1/4 of the practitioners were active duty military members.
Great video🙏
As the person who made the comment at the beginning of the video I say thank you for clearing your point of view on that matter. 👍🏻
I agree with Shozan Jack Haubner @zenconfidential. The WORLD is your sangha. That is your practice. 🙏🏻
it has taken me awhile to see how quickly things can go from a small group who endeavors to practice zazen simply to practice zazen, to “let’s grow this” and a passion to hold on to ideas of the group, an aversion to anything that threatens that and ignoring the fundamental point of buddhism.
sticking to a few dedicated practitioners 🙏🏼
thank you Brad.
Yeah, I picked up an interest in daoism from a martial arts teacher who was a practicing Buddhist and a knowledgeable daoist. I do Tai chi style standing meditation. and have done so every day for many years.
I have had the same experience when it came to a Buddhist sangha. I have found more support and growth in practice with "Sanghas" outside of the Buddhist community.
Aa a person with Judeo-Christian and Buddhist traditions as part of my path, I wonder if the desire to find a sort of Social Sangha is sometimes a desire to feel less alone in one's Buddhist life and offset the loneliness from being surrounded by folks who aren't Buddhist. Like a heavily Christian-ish environment and group of people could leave a Buddhist feeling mighty alone. Especially if they do all the stuff you want to do, but want to do it from a Buddhist perspective.
My pet theory is that each group has two kinds of people: serious and casual (to pick some terms). Serious folks are there primarily for the thing the group is about. Casual folks are there in part for what the group is about, but it's not the most important thing to them (they might be there for fun, status, friends, etc). Problems happen when casuals outnumber serious folks and try to change the nature of the group to fit their interests. It's how a zazen group that sometimes talks about activism can become an activist group that sometimes talks about zazen.
My wife isn’t into Zen and it’s fine. You realize some people need it and some people don’t. She’s happy for me and I wouldn’t change a thing about her. :) I think it’s a realization or enlightenment- You don’t need to mess with things if they are already good. Think before you act.
Most of the Buddhists that stick to it seem to be introverts. Living “in sangha” everyone who I liked, who was more outgoing, left. And the people who stayed were seemingly not interested in being so involved-and with all the talk of intimacy !
So now my “sangha” is online.
Dude, what's your final conclusion that fits everybody? We want to know
Most Buddhist practice actually happens outside of a temple. Vimalakirti, for instance, frequented whorehouses and gambling dens (not that I'm recommending everyone do that!).
Honestly, I've been in the same mindset as the guy whose comment you read. The place I live is basically a dharmic wasteland right now. However, I think people should be able to maintain their faith in the absence of a Buddhist community since, even if you're lucky enough to have access to one, it will not be there forever.
Nichiren was banished to a graveyard shack on a cold snowy island and had to communicate to people through hand-written letters, and his faith never wavered. On the other hand, we have access to other Buddhists 24/7 via the internet, yet we're always dissatisfied and falling into doubt. Sad!
Great video, very relatable. I practice meditation and don't really have any friends that do. I slip in and out of a local sangha. I like the teachers but don't feel too connected to the community. I would like to have a friend I could talk about meditation, Buddhism and the like with, in a less formal way than talking with a teacher but I dont feel like I have much in common with the other sangha members other than Buddhism.
Well, my Buddhist community is mostly in Second Life.
I relate to Brad and his aversion to group behavior, It always feels like a loss of autonomy. I even think I had that issue of Mad Magazine with the "Mad Non Conformer" segment (my favorite Mad Magazines were from the 1950s, my introduction to smut) ;-/...
Interesting talk thanks Brad.
My brother has lived in a buddhist community for 30+ years..and I feel its a tad cultish..his gf is a buddhist, all his friends are too., but as far as family is concerned he seems a little distant, a little like hes acting like what a buddhist should be rather than being a genuine human. But..I cant blame him given family background and his presumed struggle to 'find himself' and being part of 'something larger than oneself' is intoxicating.
I hope the fires in California don't bring disaster to your area.
Most of the Buddhists that stick to it seem to be introverts, in my experience. Living “in sangha” for a decade, everyone who I liked, who was more outgoing, left. And the people who stayed were seemingly not interested in being so involved in friendship-and with all the talk of intimacy !
So now my “sangha” is online.
Unfortunately, in my recent experience, politics and activism is widespread in Zen, and I am not so interested in the current brand of politics which tends to be cultish.
Where I lived in sangha, it seemed more like a neighborhood where everyone went to the same church and worked for the same company.
Regarding romantic partners, it went the worst with the Buddhists. The artists were the best!🙂
I did make some great friends among Zen dogs and cats.
Pratyekabuddhayāna
Hi Hercules, lets all get some ice cream and watch Wicked! 😁
it is wild to me that in the US buddhism is becoming somewhat... cultish in its thinking, since temple buddhism in asia, historically at least, has had such a rich tradition of philosophical logic and debate. I mean, a Buddhist Book Club + Meditation Group would make a lot of sense, with the entry text being Buddhist Logic. I mean... everything else should be immaterial other than your practice. It's all "bodhisattvas dancing on pinheads" lol
that said, I think it's impossible for Buddhism /not/ to have a political element to it. To neuter its political elements is to be untrue to Gautama Buddha's purpose, who brought liberation and education to women and the poor in an age when it was centralized in the hands of rich men. That has political implications, as do many, if not all of Lord Buddha's sermons.
Everyone is a Buddhist they just haven't thought about it
A Buddhist is to be a good person a compassionate person a kind person , practice just walk say hello ask strangers have they seen your friend a six foot three invisible rabbit. , study practice laughing at yourself with others you have a day talk walk mile you don't have to sit go in they all go in tell them it's about time they came out the Buddha's are out walking around in jeans and t shirts put their practice into action go walk find a Buddha , I will give you a tip he won't be where you expect
Hey, Hercules!
I don't know about Buddhists but I'd go bowling with Hercules.
You don't have to be a buddhist to follow a buddha way.
True. My dog is the most Buddha I’ve ever met and he hasn’t been to Zazen even once. 😊
Sounds like the battlestar galactica religious cults.
You are just playing with a Zen lifestyle and pretending .
What a pity. Good thing this isn’t the case for everyone. But yes, it’s easy to sit back in judgment and stir discontent. Unhappiness finds unhappiness. Good luck on your attachments.
What? I guess you were not listening even a little bit.
Maybe listen again? Definitely no intention to stir up unpleasantness in this video. I thought it was excellent and perceptive
@@HardcoreZen “The next Buddha will be a Sangha”-Thich Nhat Hanh
@ good advice. Same outcome.
I'm not sure who has made more of an effort to stir discontent here...