017-Am I a Buddhist? - Buddhism in daily life

Am I a Buddhist?

People's lives are terrible. From the moment life begins, it can also end.

The ways of a possible death are infinite, from "falling out of bed and breaking the neck" to "falling asleep peacefully in old age", everything is there.

We know that it can be "over" any moment, we know about the finiteness of being, nevertheless only the fewest are ready to really think about the connections once.

In Western culture, such reflection is not common, as our ancestors lived according to religious traditions based on a "relationship of superiority and subordination" with a god, thus leaving little room for independence.

Like all things, spirituality and faith are subject to change, gods came, some stayed, many passed away. Today, little is left of the former beliefs, houses of worship are hardly frequented, people have emancipated themselves from the old teachings in large numbers.

But because life is finite, and all cultures have thought about the meaning and nonsense of life, "modern" man is also looking for answers to his questions. In the course of history, a bizarre relationship to death, and thus also to life, often developed.

The teachings of Buddha put forward a completely different concept here, which is directed towards man himself. Not the higher "power" should fix it, but the individual himself in personal responsibility.

Surely you have already asked yourself if you are a "believer", if there is a God. In which teaching could there be "something to it"? Sure, we were raised and shaped in one way or another, but faith is something very personal. When I was growing up, for example, a Catholic was not allowed to marry a Protestant, that was sacrilege. Today, that's hardly the case anymore; higher-level questions of faith have now taken its place.

Buddhism takes a refreshingly different view of spirituality. The philosophy of Buddha has knowledge as its goal, no god has to be worshipped.

According to the great teacher, the focus is on "awakening" as the goal of man, an event to be achieved on one's own responsibility.

Self-responsible, these are quite unfamiliar sounds. No one to tell me what to do?

Perhaps you have already thought about the philosophy of Buddha? Would this teaching suit me? Bring me peace and tranquility?

It would be worth a thought!

The murdered one is not without responsibility in his murder. And the robbed is not blameless in his robbery. The righteous one is not innocent of the deeds of the evil one.

- Khalil Gibran - Lebanese artist and poet - 1883 to 1931

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