Am I a dummy and if so, which kind? (7-13-09)

With the energy and enthusiasm of a kid discovering fireworks for the first time, I curled up with "Buddhism for Dummies" and starting diving into this new, mysterious world. I quickly learned that Buddhism, while new to me, is about as old as Christianity--maybe a little older. I also quickly learned that there are about as many different types of Buddhists as there are sects of Christians.

After reading about the history of THE Buddha, Shakyamuni himself and how he abandoned a life of luxury for a life of penniless contemplation before becoming enlightened and discovering the middle path, I decided that I needed to figure out which type of Buddhism most closely matched my beliefs. After some research I decided that although I didn't have enough information to make a hard and fast decision about a particular type of Buddhism, I was more drawn to the the Mahayana schools. My original decision was based soley on the fact that I read that the Mayahana schools are seeking enlightenment to help not only themselves, but all living creatures. I work in human services and my mom will tell you that I've been "the helpy type" all my life.

With the thought that I was embarking on a journey toward one of the Mahayana traditions, I quickly confirmed my choice by engaging in another fool-proof determiner of modern spirituality. I answered some questions on the "Belief-o-matic" at www.Beliefnet.com. It turns out that my choice was well made and offered several paths within Buddhism that promised lots of opportunity for growth and development.

With this general direction and because of a television program in which a smiling man in saffron robes seemed to have a smile that garnered the attention and affection of throngs of people, I decided to read some books by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. That turned out to be a very good decision.

In my next article I'll discuss some of those readings, some of the Dalai Lama's words and their impact on me and a discussion I had (sorry in advance) with "my Mama about the Lama".

next time --> "Mama and the Lama"