How to be a Buddhist?

Posted by John Smith on October 15th, 2018

If you are wondered that is Buddhism a religion? You must know that Buddhism is not a religion.
 
Siddharta Gautama was born in the year 563. Gautama chose the shadow of a tree and went to meditate, remaining that way until his doubts were clarified, and the spiritual awakening that he was looking for occurred. He enlightened by a new understanding of all things in life.
 
How to be a Buddhist?
 
Understands that it will be slow:
 
Knowing how to wait and live one day at a time is basic. In Buddhism, there is no church where through a magical ritual we become practitioners. Becoming a Buddhist will be a long way, but full of growth.
 
Read a lot:
 
Buddhism is a philosophy supported 100% in the knowledge that only comes through reading. Sure, you can be a very observant person and draw wonderful conclusions but if you do not read, you will not have any frame of reference.
 
The first step on the path to Buddhism begins when you finish your first book. And the second step is when you finish the second book.
 
Meditate:
 
Buddhism = meditation. No exit. If you want to be a Buddhist, you have to spend meditating three times as much time as you spend reading.
 
Knowledge enters with reading but you need to give space and silence to the mind to assimilate what you are learning. On the other hand, science has shown infinite benefits resulting from meditating with discipline. Actually, there is a lot to gain and nothing to lose.
 
Apply what you learned:
 
Buddhism opens the door to ethical codes of conduct and internal tranquility. Apply the learned to your daily life, the best you can.
 
No doubt you will run into many questions and doubts. You will hit the wall more than once and your family / personal/religious values will shake. When you are at this point, it will be time to look for a group.
 
Find a group:
 
It is possible to be a solitary practitioner but being part of a Sangha (Buddhist community) is very pleasant. You will always find workshops, festivals, good food, and the best excellent friends.
 
However, joining a group for the first time can be a hard experience. They will talk about topics that you do not understand, there will be codes of conduct that you do not know and they will say words that you have never heard. In short, you will feel out of place.