Hello

by **shjohnk** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:36 am

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.

by **retrofuturist** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:28 am

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)

by **shjohnk** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:49 am

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.

by **Dhammabodhi** » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:05 am

Greetings and Welcome, John! :anjali:

I wish you diligence and strength in your practice!

Metta,
Dhammabodhi

by **David N. Snyder** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:54 pm

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

Hi John,

Welcome to Dhamma Wheel!

:buddha2:

by **Cittasanto** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:18 am

by **phil** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:02 am

Welcome aboard John! :smile:

Metta,

Phil

by **shjohnk** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:50 am

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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