Buddha said it best, don’t believe anything unless it agrees with your own common sense and reason.
And I am here to tell you that I am no expert on Buddhism. I know very little. But I am learning. And I have a thirst for knowledge and understanding, and hope to gain wisdom through practice.
So, I cannot tell you what Buddhists believe. I can tell you what drew me to Buddhism.
It makes sense to me to be awake and aware of every moment. To be fully present, meaning to have your whole self fully in that moment. Whether it is washing the car, walking the dog, taking out the trash, or having dinner with your Family. It makes sense to accept all things as they are. Don’t I actually cause myself a lot of suffering by wishing things were different? Or wishing I could control others or change them. Yes, I do see this has caused me years of turmoil and heartache. So yes, it does make sense to see and accept things as they are.
Is it the right thing that I see all human beings as equal and worthy of love, kindness and compassion? Of course I do. I would like people to be loving and kind to me, why would anyone else not want that!
Now if I add to this the other parts of the Eightfold Path, such as being honest and mindful, you start to see what I believe to be a Buddhist.
Of course this is a very basic breakdown of what I have learned so far, and there is so much more. But I can tell you that it is all based in doing the right thing and doing it from a place of genuine love and compassion.
I hope one day I will have more wisdom to offer, and I would love to share it with you if it happens.
For now, I do my best as a student. And I offer you my heart and compassion.
May you all be well, happy and peaceful.
