Me & Religion

Hm...after nearly 2 decades, I truly feel the need to know more about my religion aka Buddhism...Took me a while to realize that it's not just a set of teachings etc, it provided me with answers when I needed them most...

I've never had formal religious education. My earliest memory of knowing my religion was when I was browsing through my report card as a child & saw that under Religion/Agama was the word "Buddhism". I asked Dad what it was, & he just said that that's my religion. So then I began to learn the difference of Buddha & Buddhism so that I'd write the correct thing when I filled forms by myself.

Time to appreciate the simple beauty of life
I wondered if Buddhism was the same as other religions like Christianity & Islam where they worship God & sometimes have such defined boundaries/rules. I wondered what was the structure of the religion & somehow never took the time to really figure out. Mom & Dad never pressured to send me to the temple to study; neither was I that enthusiastic about it...

Then when I arrived at uni, it made me realize there was a lot I didn't know so I started reading it up online (har har)...I found that I took the word "Buddhism" for granted & I ought to start learning a bit about it now.

How insignificant we are as materialistic beings...
Emo, much? Never intended it to be so, just having a humbling moment...If anything, Buddhism is a practical religion, we don't dwell on theology or a deity etc. The world changes, & we are bound to be disappointed; from disappointment we feel anger, hurt & other negative emotions. In Buddhism we accept that things like this happen & we have to learn not to let it affect us, to avoid negative actions that harms not only us but other people.

Still so many questions but I feel I can find the answers
I find that this will help me attain that maturity I sorely lack sometimes & definitely make me a better person. I am no hypocrite: don't expect me to go vegetarian/anti-beef/meditating (tried that, sorry Al, I just can't do it haha)...but I will try my best to give more in life & be better.

Comments

aMMerZ said…
~Rowies~
~Religion facts is too wider too explore, it's time to see rowieSS with "Dalai-lama" suite..hehe~lala..
November 13, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Rowan said…
A life-long learning process, I only hope to do my best :)
November 14, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Anonymous said…
i dnt get it..
wat hypocrite gotta do wth bein vege n anti-beef??

thi_gotcha87
November 18, 2008 at 12:07 AM
Rowan said…
If I'm not mistaken, you don't kill animals as a Buddhist, means you go vegetarian. I am not capable of that :p
November 18, 2008 at 12:38 AM
CDanvers said…
actually, many of today's high ranking monks are very much critical of dalai lama. many say he's not supposed to get involved in politics. and fyi, there are many buddist sects out there such as zen, pure land, tien tai, nichiren and tibetan buddhism just to name a few. if you go to http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/sects.htm, it says buddhism can be subdivided into three major branches, theravada, mahayana, and vajrayana. honestly, i never knew it's subdivided into 3. what i knew back then was it's subdivided into only theravada and mahayana. never had anyone here in malaysia mentioned about vajrayana probably because many are critical of the way those who embrace the vajrayana's way of life.
May 4, 2009 at 7:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fancy a Massage in Bangsar?

Image
I'm a fan of massages, I like people rubbing the aches away. Good thing massage centres are common in Malaysia and I've surveyed a few places in Bangsar so here's the rundown: 1) Chow Yang Reflexology This is probably the most popular massage centre in Bangsar. Their staff are local or from either Myanmar or Thailand. You need a high pain threshold to enjoy their foot massage; you might find it enjoyable if you prefer the strong kind of massage. I only tried their food and shoulder; unfortunately my neck ached more the next day and I never tried it again.  2) Everhealth This is a popular massage chain and the staff are China nationals, so communication is difficult. However the staff are polite, plus they have a variety of rooms (private and sharing). I got a young female masseuse during my 1st experience; she wasn't very strong and didn't get all the aches out. The 2nd time I tried the traditional body massage and the masseuse was STRONG! Check out th...
Read more

When is the Right Age to Marry?

Image
I went out with Grandma today & she made a light threat that I marry before her time is up. *knocks wood* *true story* That made me think: assuming she's still around for the next 10 yrs, I've less than that to find someone to spend the rest of my life with. In Malaysia, the minimum age of marriage is 18 with parental consent, 21 without parental consent. Having been in 2 serious relationships & both lasting for 4 months, I'd say I've little to no experience in having a deep relationship with another person. I'm 23 now, I remember being 18 & bragging that I'll have at least 10 boyfriends before I wed at 30.  Pfft. How reality has changed that estimation for me; at best, I can hope to meet Mr. Right within the next 5 yrs & start preparing for life as Mrs. Right. It won't be easy finding Mr. Right especially when Mom has a list of requirements for me to follow; I swear my ears ring everytime she tells me that "your husband...
Read more

Here We Go Again...

Image
Frankly I can't be the only one annoyed with all this talk about using English vs mother tongue for Science & Maths, right? I did an article about that previously.  All this talk is starting to piss me off. Why? Apparently many Malaysians are freaking ignorant & plain DUMB. I sent a letter to the Star explaining my stand on this issue, so I'll put it here (I don't know if it'll be published but frankly, enough is enough): "Hi I'm writing in response to the letter by CONCERNED CITIZEN on 18 June in the Star "What about English in Accountancy". My sister studied in form 6 arts stream, now she's studying accounting at a private university; although her major subjects were taught in Malay at form 6, she had no problem switching to English at the university level. This brings me to my point that the root of the problem is many young Malaysians these days aren't speaking enough English, hence the worry that they can't cope with the chan...
Read more