curious to hear from Buddhists. Any DOWNSIDE to Buddhism?

I've never felt that there are any downsides, and I've been deeply involved with Buddhist studies for years.

The Buddha gave thousands of teachings during his lifetime. Over the centuries many different branches of Buddhism have evolved, so there are many different sects and schools for people to learn from. This can make it confusing for those with little to no knowledge of Buddhist philosophy. Some may consider the lack of a unified structure and canonical literature a downside, while others are grateful that other people are able to understand complex ideas in their own way.

If you ask a practicing Catholic I am sure that person would tell you there are more positives than negatives. I think the same would hold true of any person that practices a given religion.

I have been a Buddhist since I was about 12. I find it has made me a better person that I think I would have been, but that is purely speculation since there really is not way to determine that.

I find the there are positives and negatives to this practice, as I believe there are in every practice. Your personal experience will answer your question. You should stop by a Temple or research Buddhist beliefs on the Internet. There are many different sects of Buddhism but all work toward the same goal of enlightenment.

Trying to be a Buddhist since 1987, I do think that Buddhism has a few downsides: I need to take responsibility for this life and the next lives, real Buddhist practice is not easy, and it usually takes quite a bit of time and effort to get even small results.

However, I do not know any other spiritual/religious path that makes sense to me, so I have little choice in simply going on, step by step.

Since I am an atheist, I cannot offer much on Buddhism. However, I came across this piece of music and it is rather soothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qVRg3qFg0I&feature...

forsaking material things is pretty depressing