Hello... I am becoming increasingly interested in Buddhism and would like to know if there are any meetings / places / schools near where I live so I can find out more. Or maybe a good website that is not too overwhelming and easy to learn from?
I would be grateful if anyone can help me.
RE: Please help me find...
Hiya Mir,
as we most religions, in Buddhismthere are different schools of thought and ways of studying. There is one school called New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) that have centres and satellite groups that hold regular classesfor people atall stages of study throughout the UK. Here is a link to the 'centre finder' section on their website...
[link= http://www.kadampa.org/english/centers/index.php ]http://www.kadampa.org/english/centers/index.php[/link]
There is also a group called Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. I only know of a centre in Manchester, but you may be able to Google it or contact the group for further information.
Love & Blessings! 🙂
Lisa x
RE: Please help me find...
Dear Mir,
I believe there is a Buddhist meditation group around Bedford - the contact number I have for it is 01234 720892 although I'm not sure if this is completely up-to-date. If you live in the area you may also want to contact your local public library. They tend to have lists of all sorts of local groups.
Best wishes,
RE: Please help me find...path
hello everyone, I'm quite new to these forums so I'm not sure if I'm on the right pages?!
I have been interested in Buddhism for a while now. I was brought up a catholic (say no more!), and needless to say with that and many other things I am pretty dissolusioned with mainstream organised religion, yet I feel something is missing. I'm going thru a little crisis of confidence at the moment, and feel I'm at a crossroads career wise. Everything I read and hear about Buddhism draws me closer to it. I am keen to find out more. Can anyone recommend books that are not too mind blowing. Or does anyone know of any groups that meet within the Staffordshire/West Midlands areas UK, or websites that can give me these answers.
Much Love x
RE: Please help me find...path
the very first book on buddhism i read was BUDDHISM FOR DUMMIES
found in any good book shop
got mine passed on by a friend
after that i have read many others,as the first book i read...was the lead in,so to speak.and you can never read too much.
Dee.x
another i am reading at the moment,is the essence of buddhism!
not put it down yet.bought it on e-bay last week,and it is very good..
welcome to the path
RE: Please help me find...path
My absolute favourite is Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen. It's amazingly concise, informative and readable!
[link= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buddhism-Plain-Simple-Arkana-Steve/dp/0140195963/ref=sr_1_1/026-2243775-3182028?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178272435&sr=1-1 ] [/link]
RE: Please help me find...path
The best introductory book to Buddhism is 'Transform your Life' by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Or you could try 'Introduction to Buddhism' by the same author. These are astonishingly clear explanations of the Buddhist path and are perfect for complete beginners to Buddhism.
Geshe Kelsang is the founder of the 'New Kadampa Tradition' as mentioned above.
RE: Please help me find...
ORIGINAL: Mir
Hello... I am becoming increasingly interested in Buddhism and would like to know if there are any meetings / places / schools near where I live so I can find out more. Or maybe a good website that is not too overwhelming and easy to learn from?
I would be grateful if anyone can help me.
Hi
Try this site
[link= http://www.allspirit.co.uk/buddhism.html ]http://www.allspirit.co.uk/buddhism.html[/link]
RE: Please help me find...
for anyone interested in finding out more about buddhism:
read widely... there is a very wide range of material available now.
remeber that buddhisttraditionshave come throughtadaptations from eastern cultures andthere has been a long history or different strandsschools andlineages for thousands of years.buddhist institutions are really quite a new phenomenon in the west.
my greatest concern in writing this post is that many many people taste a little of a buddhist group and somethingdoesn't feel right.... trust your intuitions! there is great value in joining with others and contributing to a group but in the end every group or teacher hasit's faults! be careful and don't be surprised and dissappointed. don't give up... move on and continue your search for a group or teacher but beware of feeling too comfortable too! in the end you have to adopt a practice and stick with it for quite a while.
however, there is one thing that makes buddhism different from any other path and that is worth recognising and learning about: the philosophy of anatman; the no self or no soul philosophy. combined with the philosophy of anatman theisunderstadingof shunyata (emptiness)which isintegrated inthe "middle way" which rejectsthe extremes of "eternalism" (belief in an eternal spiritual baseto all existence or god) and "nihilism" (belief that all is inert and material and thatthe onlyvalue of experience is pleasure).
The middle way philosophy wasfurther developed in india (madhyamaka)at the buddhist university of nalanda until it was destroyed. Today, probably the most authoratative and widely respected teacher of this philosophical approach is the dalai lama. the madhyamaka philosophy as taught inthe gelug school of buddhism (of which the dalai lama is head) is widely acknowledged as representingthe accademic heart of buddhist philosophy.while this "vehicle of liberation" is recognised as the cornerstone of buddhism it is not the only vehicle of liberation. however, whilethis philosophyis not the only vehicle of liberation it istheessentialperspectivethat makes any buddhist practice a buddhist practice.
this philosophical approachis also, i believe a most helpful tool in western world to reingage faith and spiritual practicebecause we have very much lost trust in the montheistic traditions and their institutions. this philosophy also bears great similarity to 20th century existentialist philosophy that was part of the enlightening process that lead to our cultural mistrust of spiritual authority in the first place.while buddhism and existentialism broadly speaking recognise thatall things that appear to exist have no intrinsic qualtiy of self existence and exist only in relatitionto other designated things, and both rejecta "belief in a transcendant or spiritual reality",the buddhist practitioneris not left hanging in a state ofexistential limbo but trained to develop a deeper "understanding"through refining patterns of though, speach and action to come to an "experience of reality".
i recommend anyone interested in finding out moreuse wikipedia to to searche on these terms:
anataman
shunyata
middle way
madhyamaka
anicca
dukkha
buddha nature