Thursday, November 7, 2019

#2382: Thursday, November 7: My type of Buddhism


Post 2382
- 8 years and 311 days since I started this blog -
  
Daily Comment
I self-identify as a Buddhist, but do not see Buddhism as a religion. I used to say it is a philosophy, but these days, I think of it as a practice.

What education I have about Buddhism came from a forty-plus page pamphlet given to me by a boyhood friend who got involved with Buddhism when he moved, in his twenties, from New York to Chicago.

He got involved with the Buddhist Temple of Chicago, founded by Rev. Kubose, who wrote the pamphlet I read: "Buddhism In America."

In that pamphlet, I got the gist of it, the Four Noble Truths and the Seven-fold Path. There wasn't a lot of commentary, but what I read, back in the late eighties, had immediate impact - I found it resonating with me strongly.

I got back into meditating, which I had done on and off since the late sixties. I began, to look at my thoughts and words a little closer, in more detail.

And, very, very slowly, I began to integrate the principals into my life.

The move to Syracuse eleven years ago was one where I reinvented my life. I got to choose how I would present myself to people for whom I was making a first appearance - there was no common history with any of them. This solidified my thinking vis a vis Buddhism.
But I don't hang out with other Buddhists. Not in any way, although, at least for the short periods of time I spend in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I am rubbing elbows with them all the time.

I am not a member of any Buddhist group. I don't follow any rituals. I don't see Buddhism as an exclusive practice or philosophy, I see it as a way of thinking and behaving that is not externally guided, and does not suggest that you cannot worship however you choose, if you choose. The Dalai Lama suggests you use what you learn you put to use v to  

Although I don't practice it, I still identify, at least culturally, as a Jew. That's my ancestry, my blood. But I feel religionless

That's one of the things that attracts me to Buddhism. It is personal and while it philosophically connects xv    I meditate now. I practice kindness. I am careful with my words - I try to listen more than I talk. I tune my awareness to being less attached - to everything, especially in that I'm struggling with jettisoning most of my material possessions as I prepare to leave the US. 

Most of all, I practice gratitude.

Food and Diet 
Today's Weight:                    196.8 lbs.
Previous Weight (11/6/19):         196.3 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     + 0.5 lbs.
Diet Comment
I'm good with this slight variation. I wish it wasn't the second day of small games, but that's the way it was.

Food Log
Breakfast
4:45pm: Greens, salmon and eggs: Kale, spinach, peppers and onions, wild-caught salmon, 3 large cage-free eggs, guacamole.

Lunch
7:45pm: Walnuts and a Quest bar.

Dinner
11:25pm: Brussel sprouts with shaved parmesan, and a Quest bar.

Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 9 oz.;  Water: 78+ oz.; 


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