Buddhism religion questions.?

you need this book. it is literally taken from the original teachings of the buddha. the oldest known surviving volumes of his teachings, the original. pali canon is this source (the tripitaka). it is the story of his life and includes his core teachings. you cannot get a more pure and condensed book on the topic. the one just below it doesn't focus on his life story but condenses even more of his teachings.

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Buddha-According-Pali-C...

http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Words-Anthology-Disc...

a really good practice book to apply step by step is idiots guide to zen living.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Zen-Li...

other than that if you mean deeper as in direct involvement find a temple near you, contact them and then go meet them and practice with them. i would stick to therevada temples since they are traditional buddhism and not mixed with other religions. zen or chan is also ok since they are mostly still original teachings. avoid tibetan buddhism (vajrayana) as it is about sixty percent the bon religion and only forty percent buddhism. it is a really cool religion but you should avoid it unless you already know very very well what original buddhism is otherwise you end up all confused! also pure land buddhism is in no way what the buddha taught so avoid that as well. it's where you chant the name of some magic buddha (amitabha is his name, the buddhas name is siddhartha gautama and the buddha never mentioned anyone named amitabha nor did he say to practice like that) who lives in a magic realm all day constantly until you die. kind of like brainwashing yourself. again cool to learn about, nothing wrong with it, but practicing it is not buddhism except for some similarities. good luck!

here is a link to a temple finder from a site called buddhanet.net it's a world wide buddhist site and is very helpful.

http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/

just click on your country and then your state/province and go from there.

other than that follow the precepts

1no killing

2no stealing

3no sexual misconduct (no rape, no cheating on people, etc.)

4no lying

5no use of intoxicants (no alcohol, no drugs, etc.)

you may not like number five but you also probably don't know that alcohol sucks away your seratonin (chemical in your brain that makes you happy), without that stuff you are not happy unless your drinking again, hence addiction. meditation makes you feel happy so if you lack the right chemical in your brain to feel happy you won't feel meditation works and trust me, it does!

try to understand karma. it exists as a very real thing, not just as a faith driven idea. for example if you steal something and no one sees you will still worry someone saw you. worry is a negative feeling and could be called bad karma. doing something nice for someone makes you feel happy, happiness could be called good karma. so try to think about what you do in life to understand karma and why it's important to follow the precepts.

meditate! at least 10 minutes a day and work your way up to thirty minutes a day twice a day. sit with your back straight and unsupported (like a backless chair or stool or on the floor) breath in and focus on where the breath comes in at your nose. let all thoughts drift by without interacting with them or trying to push them away. breath out the same way. when you get distracted come right back to your breath. counting really helps. count out breaths only from one to ten. start over at ten or if you get lost.

learn the eightfold path and four noble truths as well as you can. i'd explain but i have to go to work, good luck!

http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble.htm

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/8foldpath.htm

Om Mani Padme Hum

Here is what I got started with.

First you need a good intro book. I thought this book was fantastic.

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Buddhism-Book-Tra...

Then get some audio Dharma from Gil Fronsdal for your Ipod

http://www.audiodharma.org/

Once your grasping some concepts go for Thich Naht Hahn's book.

http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddhas-Teaching-Thich...

Then google for a local gathering place for your sangha.

Alan Watts also has an amazing lecture on Buddhism if you can find it, called "Religion of No Religion"

Hope that helped :)

Buddhism is fundamentally a practice tradition (unlike Christianity and most other traditions, which emphasize faith).

So if you want to become a Buddhist, you don't need to memorize any teachings or adopt any new beliefs.

All you have to do is practice.

The Buddha and other great teachers created a set of practices (meditation, chanting, study, etc.), which, if performed with seriousness and consistency, lead to enlightenment.

When you practice, a wonderful thing happens. Your inherent compassion, wisdom, generosity, creativity, equanimity and kindness begin to blossom in your life. But . . . without practice, life continues to be unsatisfactory.

The Buddha encouraged people to join together in practice communities (Buddhists use the word "sangha") where you can practice under the guidance of a teacher and with the support of other Buddhists. Most people find it very difficult to sustain their practice without the support of a community.

So if you're serious about learning Buddhist practice, the best way to do it is to go to a Buddhist temple or center, get instruction, and practice regularly with the other people there. This is what it means to be a Buddhist.

Here are two good online lists of Buddhist temples around the world:

http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/

http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Category:World_...

There are many introductory books on Buddhism and some of these can provide inspiration and a good sense of the overall direction of Buddhism. Unfortunately, many books are sectarian (represent the views of only one Buddhist school), filled with jargon, or written by unenlightened enthusiasts (Alan Watts). For this reason, I always recommend this short, simple book:

"It's Easier Than You Think" by Sylvia Boorstein

The author sets out the basic teachings of Buddhism - those teachings that form the foundation for all Buddhist schools - with warmth, wisdom and wit. Most importantly, she shows how Buddhist practice arises from ordinary, everyday modern situations.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2MEGY?tag=oxher-20&c...

Best wishes on your journey!

Read the eightfold path, study Alan Watts, the Lamai, and you will have learned all you can from it. There is far more excitement and wisdom in realizing your biological relations to your environment.

I don't know why P'ang has 5 thumbsdown. Out of the regular contributors, he has a deeper understanding of Buddhism than almost all of us.

Listen to him ... his advice is sterling.