At a stage in my life where I am a Christian -- a struggling Christian -- on the verge of accepting that I may no longer be able too keep up the façade for much longer. If I renounce my faith I lose the vast majority of my friends and my fiancée.
I've always felt drawn to Buddhism and though I've never been diagnosed(I'm pretty sure it's incredibly difficult to accurately diagnose in adults as well), I'm pretty sure I have ADD(Attention Deficit Disorder) and meditation is the only thing I've found, ever, to stop my mind dead from running a million miles an hour. It's utter bliss and so hard to put in to words. My mind normally questions and considers things and then breaks them down and goes over and over and over every possible eventuality, so it can be pretty exhausting. It was ultimately what sowed the seeds of doubt in my mind that were inescapable that have lead me here.
I have a lot about my character that I'd like to address -- inward and outward -- so I am looking forward to learning both how to cope with various things myself but also how I can be a positive and joyful person to others.
I look forward to meeting you all.
Hello
That was fast!Re: Hello
I'm married with children --- Saturday nights aren't what they used to be. 
“Life is swept along, short is the life span; no shelters exist for one who has reached old age. Seeing clearly this danger in death, a seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.” SN 1.3
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The Thinker
- Posts: 806
- Joined: Sun Nov 08, 2015 6:12 pm
- Location: UK
Re: Hello
Hello Wanderer,
Welcome
Welcome
"Watch your heart, observe. Be the observer, be the knower, not the condition" Ajahn Sumedho volume5 - The Wheel Of Truth
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dhammacoustic
- Posts: 955
- Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2014 4:30 am
Re: Hello
Welcome to DW Wanderer, stick around 
Re: Hello
Welcome!
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.
- BB
- BB
Re: Hello
There's no reason you can't be both. I still consider myself a Christian, and I definitely believe in God(through an actual experience that I had). I agree about Buddhist meditation. It has helped me a ton with my anxiety, along with other aspects of Buddhism as well. Btw, welcome!
With metta,
Jim
With metta,
Jim
"He who walks in the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana." Buddha
Re: Hello
Most of my friends are conservative Evangelical Christians. As far as they are concerned it's pagan practice. Even yoga unless it's purely for physical fitness(which is often shady to most too).nekete wrote:People usually are not ready to accept some changes in others. Isn't it ridiculous you have to lose a friend because you have decided to become buddhist?
I am more concerned about losing my fiancee. I can understand why my beliefs changing would affect that. She's a devout Christian and wants her husband to be as well.
So I'll just have to see how that plays out.
We came from nothing and nothing is everything, so to lose everything is to lose nothing at all.