Chapter 1: the Buddhist today in the Western World

The reason why Western people back East to the Buddhist world?

Indeed is already not a sign heralding the success of Buddhism in the Buddhist before Western contact with this land into the twentieth century. Alfred Foucher (1865-1952, was an erudite scholar of France), author of a book portraying the life of the Buddha are still worth, wrote in 1949 a sentence as follows: "except for some special person curious love interest to foreign things ra then Buddhism will only load some true believers on the little country of ours". According to him, the creed that there is harmony with the mood of Western people.

Today many major concepts of Buddhism and can say that there were a lot of Western people who shared her perspective: Although there is compassion, the solidity of the phenomenon of impermanence (this text is a particularity of Buddhism), the concept of infinity-fall, about career or are correlated phenomena (LY pratītyasamutpāda). One might claim, then it will become the Western land of Buddhism, though not necessarily under one form of practice that specializes in needs to go further.

The benefits due to the meditation brings back then everyone knows and has had millions of people are practicing today.

More than seven-hundred-thousand French people themselves as Buddhists (France had 65 million people), and so Buddhism has become the third largest religion in the country. The figure was also obscured a much more important truth: that there are five million French people claim that Buddhism is a religion that they feel close to me all the more. Buddhism in France more firmly than elsewhere: several hundred meditation centres have been set up on French soil. The largest Tibetan Buddhist temple of Europe is located in Burgundy (France), the most important Zen Buddhist meditation centers in Europe was established in Touraine (Western France), and the new temple of Buddhism in Vietnam, in Evry (Paris suburb).(your party)

There are many causes that lead to the development of the Buddhist above. But based on a few aspects of the Buddhist beliefs have meant that Western people's hearts are shaken, then maybe just realized two major causes for is enough: first of all is a moral foundations built on tolerance, generosity, the conscious of their responsibility towards others in the community; and it is the practice of meditation as an art of living, help make manifest the essence of true humans place each of us in any other context would in life.

Natural resources was thoroughly made the future of the planet is suffering harm seriously, and if viewed on a wider scale, you can say anything on this planet are also exploited in a way the end-including humans. The scene for many Buddhism emerged as a powerful Savior solution, coherent and genuinely needed.

For Western people wanted to become a Buddhist ceremony like?

It is hoped to be the Buddha's foot steps, but this is not a gathering for themselves a foreign thing, which in fact is to follow the mirror of a People is far more than the two-thousand-five-hundred years have discovered a path for us to follow, most help yourself become those people deserve more.

If required to the Buddhist definition in a single sentence, I would say that it is a method that helps us to live it each moment of one in this lifetime.

All of us are experiencing moments of agony and grief, hard-and other difficult things more or less fierce. But Buddhism shows as we can to counteract what he effectively, and also IM told we shouldn't blame external circumstances or to other people, because that's just how we don't help prevent matured properly are.

Buddhism advises one must always keep the accuracy and attention to each of his sense of life, in every thought, every emotion, and each of its actions. If you look at the trend of Buddhism is not a religion. Buddhism is not rooted in a faith at all, and don't need to accept a minor understanding would bring Bollywood dogma. Even a God nor in his beliefs.

Teachings of the Buddha are the words just teaches us to approach directly with real life experiences that we perceive. Anyway, the word experience (experience) does not contain the full implications needed to be what comes to on here, because today the words of experience already familiar used in science and meant as a test, not a true listening with all due vigilance anymore.

Buddha's footprint step by firstly means discover that reality does not reveal the true facts of it, but we are not willing to accept that. Therefore required a necessary exercise to help us reach the right real close to what are showing up. For example, when visiting a city that previously I never know, then we also need to take some time to feel the characteristics of the place, and the scene where she's living. But there could still be one cannot argue that I have felt in a way cause all that in the context of individual's or not, so we need to have more time to verify. If you look under the aspect he would understand that we have to encourage Buddhist practice of meditation. The Buddha sat down to meditate and have direct access and is close to all things right with what they appear, at the same time, He has also looked at the experiences felt by himself with a sharp truth elevations. Become a Buddhist, that could simply mean knowing behave like that.

But not easy to do that. If more people work out together, it might be easier, for is know to follow a number of rules are distinct settings and try to keep the innovative "religion" in my heart, is confident that he is a good person and he has a point-should not blame others for its own problems. People are being pushed hard by a desire to make a certain facility and cornered all his wits in there, and then to sacrifice all for ideals like established a factory, a society, an administrative basis, or according to a Sect that somehow because of circumstances drive has bound himself with it. All the stuff was extremely horrible.

The Buddha exhorts us to enjoy, know the feel and know life in each moment one through his own existence, but not so that it removes his own intelligence, and required her to be given the freedom of his own into the hands of anyone else.

The idea is different from what is happening in Western countries or not?

It is true that there is, because in Asia generally is not considered meditation Center of Buddhism. Meditation is only implemented by some who are particularly interested in it only. Buddhism in these places have a natural fit with everyday life. In the West, we also see a similar phenomenon like that for Christianity, and should also understand that many people see all the stuff that was just a thunderstorm frame of cultural infiltration and longstanding customs only, not a true spiritual path.

Buddhism in the West must first be considered a spiritual appetites propagation. Buddhism is not a sum of beliefs, rituals and the attitude to behave. Indeed it was all thanks to the "hero" (this is how the "borrowed" word in the Scriptures of Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism Scriptures, the word "hero" refers to the Bo-slapped for the die itself, and in this case are the Tibetan monks escaped their homeland deteriorate their ng exile in Europe) brought Buddhism to the Western us We sale the late twentieth century, there were ripped out of the social institutions on their homeland. They are conscious of Buddhism is becoming a fossil (GEO stubs-fossil) on their homeland, and when it came to be the Western land, they also understand that there is also a chance to help Buddhism exist, and furthermore it is also an occasion to promote the let everyone know to the precious mineral potential all of Buddhism. The potential is not necessarily a strong moral background or promoting something religious at all, but rather it is what help we can see a possible form of existence somehow (probably as high, and the rescue of a person in practice).

For the younger generations in Asia, Buddhism being seen as something backward, and don't work for them in the global economy that they are looking to enter the to join. In the Western world, we are more fortunate and were aware of the limits of the doctrine of globalization as well as by the Joneses material. Personal experience helps us to experience the true personality of the teachings of the Buddha. The teachings he helps us to be aware of though is always trying to find ways to satisfy the desire of world but actually we won't ever desire at all. We would know the search retrieved his happily available that constantly want to find ways to pursue other things more.

Then oil the problem still contain a different perspective again. In the world of the East, Buddhism deeply embedded in the culture and instill in each of the specific activities of daily life. Humans breathe the atmosphere of Buddhism in a way that nature-their actions are both Buddhist spiritual infiltration from demeanour, how to say hello, how to look like animal, mountains or any other things. The Oriental culture, not to make war against anything by a Friday order rationalists innovative calculation-which always keep the sense of the sacred and ritual, said interest in the body and even love. And that is exactly what we don't have. Want to do the things he then required a certain effort is enormous. If not set is a foundation of authentic Buddhist culture in the Western mass media, you will hardly help for Buddhism does land on the rooted.

The end also needs to raise an additional difference between the Asian Buddhist and Western Buddhism: that is the role of the family. In the East especially in Southeast Asian countries, the status of the austerities to be raised very high. American members are required to provide the physical facilities for the monks in daily life, and they viewed the duty then more importantly the practice can toward enlightenment for themselves.

In the West is another, the American knows only lo practice, engage in the practice sessions or hidden. They seek to step straight into most areas of higher ingress and most sacred of Buddhism.

The cause would have driven me to become the Buddhism?

People, how much more diverse then the causes motivating as well as many hassles.

The causes can be stiff in the unrest, the persistent content (because of the suffering that tu), accepts himself shouldering all his troubles (aware of the cause of suffering is due to her own cause), or it's chivalry, your desire to help all sentient beings (the Portuguese-slapped).

Or maybe because felt deep in the words of the Buddha, always in my heart in a way so fervently.

Anyway going to someday, people will also feel I'd be taking the SIPs of water flux from rivers's (i.e. Buddhism). If you want to be the Creek must be willing to give up the habit just behave against their personal interests. Indeed there is nothing more narrow-minded. It's just a running loop running around. The way that we would also like to see things closer, more true to the way in which they appear.

It is helping us to step into the "path".

Why we search to the Buddhism of course also have to transform. The causes fueling narrow-minded and then gradually turns into the wider higher causes, selfishness and a time that will turn into determination to sacrifice for the good of others.

Whether driven by any motivation you always we also need a way to help us keep it going.

The fruit is a hard thing. People always want to cover themselves by an outer rigid so that never thought of is to improved ourselves from within.

But it is the aim of Buddhism. Must practice only, but not to simply become a Buddhist-the word's meaning because, because that is the only way to assign more for his personality to his own values, much to reassure yourself-which rather practice meant to follow the footsteps of the Buddha.

Buddhist practices similar to baptism or Bar Mitsva (passive reception of Judaism at the daughter has just the right 12 years and her son, then 13 years old) or not?

When we're not born naturally is the Buddhist people, similar to the case of Judaism, or the case of Christianity by virtue of baptism. We become the Buddhism by a voluntary innovative individuals known as the "three jewels refuge" i.e. refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha: one is the mirror I will follow (the Buddha), the road to follow (Scouts of France), and collectively responsible for the evangelization (Sangha).

Why is it called a "refuge"?

Becoming a Buddhist who is (indirectly) demonstrates that the previous targets do not meet their aspirations. The goal was not enough for sturdy one can cry into it. Looking for fun, profit, supremacy, just as running as things ephemeral. The refuge's landing offers the benefit really is the expansion space-the space that the Buddha was pointing us. Only the Buddha is firmly and do not have any one thing can make Him being unclean was.

The Buddha also as Leader of France and the Sangha are all manifest a real authentication, and are seen as the three precious gems nothing comparable. The priceless gems which can help us to heal the deep wound sealed for. We can cry incessantly on the security of her without any apprehension. It's the security of never wanted and never make us have to get lost direction ...

The refuge usually takes place in a ceremony with the leader of a teachers, can organize in the temple or at home. Real casual manner, just choruses and over three times:

I'm Buddhist refuge

I ask for refuge in France

I'm refuge Increased

For formal events, the ceremony master will cut a front person's disciple, curls, similar to when the Buddha left the palace his father cut hair to show their determination to follow the path he had chosen.

Even in the East, these rules are sometimes no longer hold solemn personality like old times again, and unfortunately that is what is needed. The new disciple despite choruses up wishes but not likely to know that, and don't need to take out to apply his practice on the road. That's why nowadays in Western thought should also celebrate solemn real refuge and should wait until the practice is truly ready to transport medicine and determination to abide by the terms of his desire to do.

Refuge action is not only mean and limits during the ceremony. The practice of each day must remember to act his refuge, and to see it as a practice target for real, and it is also a way of reminding each of us must not forget the ideals that we wished to bring his own life. Although it is not aware of, but actually we also dwell too much on things futile and ephemeral, so it's better we should find themselves a direction (i.e. Buddhism) to send our own hearts GAM. END=VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTMENT.WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=THE EIGHTFOLD PATH.NAM MO SAKYA MUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.17/7/2014.