Hey everyone;
For the past few years I have been interested in Buddhism. My interest came during a very difficult period in my life, I have read several books on the subject, which have been very beneficial to me, and I feel very drawn to begin practicing. I am emailing a couple people in my area about going to a local group to actually meditate and learn. I do feel some resistance though from my christian upbringing. I also dont want to hang out with a bunch of hippies either. I am also concerned about my job (I'm in the military), which conflicts with Buddhist ethics.
Anyway, I thought I'd share whats up with my life and hopefully get some advice about things.
After clearing up some misconceptions, I'll now address your post.
No Buddhist Temple is going to turn you away or chastize you for being in the military. We are bound by our faith to practice kindness and compassion to all sentient beings. Should you encounter any hostility from your teachers or community, I'd recommend finding a new temple or new teachers.
That said, being a member of the military is not, by ethical standards, in keeping with the Eightfold Path, which includes Right Livelihood. Right Livelihood is interpreted to exclude making profit by trading weapons, trading human beings (slavery), selling intoxicating drinks/narcotics/poisons, or killing animals. Being a member of the military is also in contradiction with Right Action, which also forbids killing. Followers of the Dharma, however, will not blatently proselyte this aspect (or any aspect, really) of the Eightfold Path to you (should you ever feel that you are being proselytized to, I would again suggest finding a new community and/or new teachers). Were you to
ask a teacher of the Dharma, it's likely that your military status would be considered a hindrance to your attainment of enlightenment. It's also doubtful that you'll be allowed to take your Bodhisattva precepts (should you wish to do so) as a soldier. However, your karmic choices are yours and yours alone, and will be respected as such.
What concerns me the most about your post is that you don't want to "hang out with a bunch of hippies." The Dharma expects that you treat all sentient beings with kindness and compassion. This involves not passing judgement. Again, were you to make such a comment in the presence of a Buddhist, it's unlikely that it would invite hostility or debate (I'm speaking from my experiences, of course), but it might be percieved as a sort of blantant disregard for the Dharma. Right View is to see and accept things as they are - to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas. The idea of "hippies" is a wordly concept. Compartmentalizing people by wordly stereotypes will, in essence, prevent you from attaining Right View, which is arguably the most crucial component of practicing the Dharma. If you resist releasing yourself from "worldly ideas" (like stereotypes), you will have great difficultly understanding and practicing other aspects of the faith.
I greatly encourage you to learn and explore, but understand that the Buddhist Path is tolerant by nature, and you may find yourself at odds with its doctrine if you do not practice without an open heart and mind (in other words, you will not reap the full rewards that the Dharma has to offer you).
Please understand that it is difficult to express myself as a follower of the Dharma with regard to your concerns, as it requires me to occupy a mindscape that is not free of judgement. I hope that you'll understand that I am only reiterating certain tenants that we abide by, and hypothesizing potential problems that you may have with it based on the personal concerns you have expressed in your post.
That said, even if you choose not to accept the Dharma as your presiding "life view," I believe it has much to offer to people of all faiths (even people of no faith). Buddhism does not require that you relinquish your affiliations with other religions. There are many followers of the Dharma who incorporate aspects of other faiths (so long as they are not contradictory to Buddhism). I, for example, incorporate aspects of Voodoo and Sikhism, which I'm willing to expound upon should you so desire. But there are people within my Temple that very much identify themselves with Christianity, Islam, Judaism, et al. I even know people who openly identify themselves as "Christian Buddhists." I'm sure that there are plenty of people here on CF who would deny that such a thing exists, but I personally feel that, within the context of religion, you are whatever you say you are. The majority of Buddhists consider such labels worldly, and therefore inherently flawed by their impermanence and imperfection. This is why most Buddhists will refer to themselves as followers of the Dharma, as opposed to Buddhists. You can be of another faith and still follow the Dharma.
In short, I think it's important for every individual to find his or her own path. This may mean building one that is entirely unique unto itself. It's YOUR faith. It's YOUR salvation/enlightenment. Go with your heart. The convictions of others are of little use if your heart is not as equally committed as theirs. I think all religions would agree that posturing is not faith. You must actually
believe to reap the benefits of any path.
I hope that you find my post helpful. My deepest apologies if I have offended you by anything that I have said.
