Greetings

[M.Takoda]

Hello to everyone,

I recently joined your sister site of Dharma Wheel (Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism) which if I may say so, has been quite interesting. Someone on the forum suggested that I might look into the Theravada Tradition since in my particular case it might be the better route to take.

I grew up in in what might be considered a very fundamentalist Christian household. As time went on I studied Biblical and Systematic theology. By the mid-nineties I went through what might be described as a spiritual crisis which resulted in my questioning most of my long held beliefs. Many things I once believed in just did not make any sense. I eventually became disillusioned with organized religion altogether.

As for eastern religions, my first exposure was reading various books on Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism. I have also been an avid reader of various Buddhist magazines such as Shambhala Sun, Buddhadharma and Tricycle. Many of the articles have given me much needed and practical advice when it comes to living in our very perplexing world.

At this point in time I might consider myself simply as a searcher with lots of questions and very few answers.

One thing I have noticed is that Buddhism has many different traditions with varying viewpoints on many different subjects. In fact it seems that debates are quite common and the terminology can be overwhelming. To be honest this can be extremely confusing for a beginner… Help!

Thanks for the great forum!

Peace and Love to all.
Namaste

Mike

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Someone on the forum suggested that I might look into the Theravada Tradition since in my particular case it might be the better route to take.

Not keen on the old cultural accretions then, I guess?

Well, welcome to Dhamma Wheel.



Thanks for sharing your background and I'm sure people here will be more than willing to respond to any questions you have.

There are a lot of Theravada resources online (free of course) so you'll find plenty to go on with, if you're interested.

Metta,
Retro.

[cooran]

Mike said:I went through what might be described as a spiritual crisis which resulted in my questioning most of my long held beliefs. Many things I once believed in just did not make any sense. I eventually became disillusioned with organized religion altogether.

Hello Mike,

Welcome!

This sounds like the trigger that eventually brought me (and many of us) to the Dhamma of the Theravada.
Take your time and 'test and taste' everything.

with metta
Chris

[David N. Snyder]

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel!

[LonesomeYogurt]

By the mid-nineties I went through what might be described as a spiritual crisis which resulted in my questioning most of my long held beliefs.

Haha I read that as "In my mid-nineties..." You were about to take the title of oldest site member by far!

I grew up in the same kind of situation and I hope you find what you're looking for in the Buddhadhamma as I did!

[Ben]

Greetings Mike and welcome!
You'll find some introductory resources in a pinned thread in the "Discovering Theravada" forum.
kind regards,

Ben