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How do I start practicing Buddhism or at least the practical aspects? (sopuli.xyz)

submitted 5 days ago by sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.ca

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What do Buddhists do? Is it the mindfulness meditation?

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[–] CubbyTustard@reddthat.com 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Hi! I'm a Buddhist, mostly I just do my best! There are different sects to buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, Zen, etc). I'm only familiar with Theravadan buddhism so all that follows is going to be colored by that;

Mindfulness meditation is not the only route to nirvana but it's one that almost anyone can grasp, making it a cornerstone of most Buddhist practice. The goal is not to reach nirvana so much as to increase the amount of time you are living in the moment every day and not reacting. As you gain skill at this you find that the amount of suffering you feel becomes less and less. Add in buddhist teachings about things like the 8 fold noble path and your suffering decreases even more.

I think if it as more of mental martial arts than a religion because there isn't really a faith in what i was taught. I'm aware that other sects believe in reincarnation for example but the sangha's (buddhist community) I have been in focused on practical aspects

There's probably a sangha near you that practices mindfulness meditation and discusses buddhist philosophy regularly, find them and they will welcome you!

If you have 10 days to spare go to dhamma.org and you can take a donation based meditation course if there is one near you. These are supposedly in the very format that Buddha taught as a roving teacher. You learn Anapanna breathing meditation for the first 3 days to sharpen your focus and then Vipassana mindfulness meditation for the next week. There are lectures every evening that cover the reasons for everything.

A book on the subject that I treasure is The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh.

If you want to begin today than you you should learn breathing meditation first and practice as you can! Here is a quick guide: https://youtu.be/-dHOWvFZa4M Good luck in your search!