Hello

Introduce yourself to others at Dhamma Wheel.
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shjohnk
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:19 am
Location: Shanghai, China

Hello

Post by shjohnk »

Hi I'm John. i am from Sydney, Australia and live currently in Victoria (another part of Australia). I have been seriously practicing Buddhism for about a year now and the dhamma has made a HUGE impact on my life - I am so thankful for it! i became interested due to the influence of my wife (a Mahayana Pure land Buddhist from China). I have spent a lot of time in China and I will probably return there soon. I try not to label my Buddhist practice, but i spend most time listening to Theravada teachings as they seem to be appropriate for me at this time. I am interested in all schools of Buddhism and sometimes saddened by the doctrinal debates that go on: seems like a waste of time to me. I am currently putting my focus on improving my meditation and cultivating the Brahmaviharas (Loving kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimty): as I have never been a person who empathized or cared much about others, to my shame. But I acknowledge that now and I'm trying :) Look forward to talking to you all and learning from your collective wisdom as we all move forward on this beautiful path! Metta to all.
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retrofuturist
Posts: 27848
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: Hello

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings shjohnk,

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel.

:buddha2:

Possibly also worth pointing out, that there's different forums here, each with a different focus, and sometimes different guidelines. Some may appeal to you, and some may not... and that's perfectly OK. If any subject matter is going to be distressing and of no benefit to your practice, it may be best to stick clear of it.

Metta,
Retro. (also in Victoria) :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
shjohnk
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:19 am
Location: Shanghai, China

Re: Hello

Post by shjohnk »

Thanks for the welcome, Retro. I read on this forum that you were ill recently: i hope you have recovered fully! Thanks for the advice about the forums - I am certainly interested in learning more and hearing people's views, but i'm trying to train myself to not argue for aguments sake, and to avoid petty disagreements over what is 'true' Buddhism and what isn't, that's what I consider a waste of time. I saw a thread on another forum where you debated with a guy who was clearly just trying to be vexatious and i thought you dealt with it exactly the right way: you said 'I'm not going to discuss it with you because you're only interested in arguing' or something to that effect. At the time I thought 'That's exactly the way to do it - that's what the Buddha did with vexatious questioners'. So seeing that you're a moderator here encouraged me to take part here :) Thanks again and I'm sure we'll talk more later. Metta.
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Dhammabodhi
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 12:25 pm
Location: New Delhi, India

Re: Hello

Post by Dhammabodhi »

Greetings and Welcome, John! :anjali:

I wish you diligence and strength in your practice!

Metta,
Dhammabodhi
"Take rest, take rest."-S.N.Goenka
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DNS
Site Admin
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Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:15 am
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
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Re: Hello

Post by DNS »

shjohnk wrote: I am currently putting my focus on improving my meditation and cultivating the Brahmaviharas (Loving kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimty)
:thumbsup:

:hello:

Hi John,

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel!

:buddha2:
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Cittasanto
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Location: Ellan Vannin
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Re: Hello

Post by Cittasanto »

hi
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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phil
Posts: 874
Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 5:08 am
Location: Tokyo

Re: Hello

Post by phil »

Welcome aboard John! :smile:

Metta,

Phil
Kammalakkhano , bhikkhave, bālo, kammalakkhano pandito, apadānasobhanī paññāti
(The fool is characterized by his/her actions/the wise one is characterized by his/her actions/Wisdom shines forth in behaviour.)
(AN 3.2 Lakkhana Sutta)
shjohnk
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:19 am
Location: Shanghai, China

Re: Hello

Post by shjohnk »

Thanks for all the welcomes! As I said on a different thread, its great to have such a supportive Sangha as exists here at 'Dhammawheel'. I look forward to contributing in the future and getting to know you all more as we advance together on this wonderful path. Metta to all.
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