Not well. They weren't angry with me, but they assumed that Buddha was a God so they thought he was demonic and wouldn't let me have a small statue of him in the house. They don't really want to have anything to do with it to be honest!
Well I was having quite a few issues with Christianity. It wasn't disbelief in God (although I was doubting it), but more becuase I felt isolated from the communtiy due to my homosexuality, and many of the Christians I knew were hypocritical and superficial. I was going through a difficult time of separation from someone I was attached to, and I stumbled across Buddhism as an answer to the causes of suffering. It teaches "anicca" which means that all things are impertinent and we suffer when we do not realise that. Upon further research, many of the Buddha's really comforted me and helped me to become a better and wiser person. It's not a strict set of rules,more guidelines that were flexible around issues such as homosexuality.
How did you convert? What’s different about the lifestyle? I’m quite interested in Buddhism. If I had to choose a religion, it would 100% be Buddhism.
What’s your opinion of people who aren’t Buddhist, but own Buddhist statues/ornaments?
Well since Buddhist principles are more guidelines than strict rules, it's quite easy to slot them into everyday life. Many Buddhists are vegetarian (I'm vegan),but the Buddha did not condemn meat eating, it's just becuase some people see meat consumption as breaking the first moral precept. So unless you're a Theravada monk, there is so drastic change. Although many Buddhists meditate on teachings, there isn't any pressure and you could just meditate for relaxation.
2. I find it sort of annoying, becuase people use them to look cool or exotic... actually a lot of people have the 'happy fat Buddha' statues which aren't of religious significance, but it does wind me up a little bit (but hey ho, people are free to do that if they want to).
If you have any more questions feel free to message me!
I think it would be really hard to do that in this country! I like a lot of the traditions and they hold sentimental value for me, but I wouldn't go to Church or anything. Also living with my family is hard becuase they are all quite religious so I don't want to isolate myself in that way.
I think Buddhism is amazing and I try to apply Buddhist philosophies to my everyday life. Could you explain what the eightfold path is? I'm still unsure as to what it is.
Yeah I did! I personally like taking guidance for my life from scripture, becuase in all honesty I think this world is so messed up that my morality would become blurred (that's not the case for everyone though). Actually, Buddhsim is one of the few religions that fit with atheist theories! The Buddha taught to not question the past too much as it is unanswerable , but the concept of 'dependent arising' (that is all things can arise and cease to exist based on conditons) fits in with the bigbang theory and modern science.
Thanks! The biggest change for me is just the fact that I'm aware of things more. For example, I recognise things like impermanence in everyday situations and that comforts me and eases my stress, as I realise that everything will be subject to change.