Problem about learning Buddhism

burntan SG

The problem is I never know who should I learn it from?

Seem like no one claim to be expert of it and knowing it all, that can give answers about buddhism.

There is no "user manual" like Bible in Christian that you can learn by yourself.

Different buddhist tell different stories.

An Eternal Now SG

User manuals???

Have you forgotten that there are thousands of Buddhist scriptures? Aren't they manuals leading to enlightenment? Very Happy You can look into the "sutras" links: http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=97719

And why are there so many scriptures? Because there are 84,000* dharmas to enlightenment.

Bible? Well, I do know that many Theravadin Buddhists consider the "Dhammapada" to be the "Bible of Buddhism", but Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners have a different set of Canon.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/khuddaka/dhp/

But for the "Zennists", the ultimate Dharma is not found in any scriptures.
Zen manuals are like...

What is the sound of one hand clapping?
What is your original face before you were born?

Take your manual and contemplate Very Happy

My point to you is... do not look into Buddhism as an academic subject, (and another wrong view of Buddhism is to look upon it as mysterious or complex). Anyway if you are interested in Buddhism... I would suggest you visit a dharma centre and learn under spiritual guidance...

* 84,000: means "uncountable". not necessary literally.

Suicine SG

I heard that Buddhist scriptures are like 11 times the volume of the Bible.

FireIce SG

buddhism is not learnt

it shd be felt......

rber, it is a way of life

and there is no manual to life

Suicine SG

yes but you could do with a guide from those who have walked the path before you.

An Eternal Now SG

true... maybe more....

erijazz SG

Buddhism is like the moon, Buddhist scriptures are like your finger.
You can use your finger to point at the moon yet the finger is not the moon...

burntan SG

What you said is so broad.... although it make you sound like a monk but it basically tell nothing.

FireIce SG

it is broad

so complex but yet it's so simple

burntan SG

Deep!

Can you translate it to plain English?

You see, this is the problem I am trying to explain here, different people tell different stories and what make it worst is they try to be "deep".

burntan SG

Yes, it's like unlimited number of it....then it just like people, some said this and some said that, don't know which one is true and some goes into very fantasy stories involved wars between gods and evils.

You know what, the danger is some one can simply pretend to be a buddhist monk and we never know he is real or not? If I learn from him will going to waste my time.

Suicine SG

It means the teaching itself is not the real destination, but only leads you there.

When you reach the destination you even have to discard all teachings...

burntan SG

It is so truth and yet it is so wrong

burntan SG

Do you mean that we do not need a teacher, but the journey to Buddha is a process of self discovery?

Suicine SG

you need an enlightened teacher to guide you on the self discovery process

Suicine SG

it’s like when you want to cross a river. you use the raft to cross the river. when you reach the other shore do you still travel around on that raft? of course not.

burntan SG

How to find such a teacher and how to know he is genuine?

Suicine SG

that you got to wait for Xabir/An Eternal Now or some other people to answer

FireIce SG

as i was told.......

oni "you yuan ren" can get to learn......and eventually attain the so-called nirvana

burntan SG

sound like WKW, that's why you like his movie....