Guys, no one ever said to be buddhist you have to renounce all wordly posesions. Its not like that at all. THis is a very-very understanding belief. That is also tolerant of other religions. THe ONE religion that says its ok to read and practice others even while praticing buddhism. ITs not about restraining you. More of fine tuning yourself. Its a commen misconception-posesions that is. Its about "attachment" NOT "possesions". As in being obsesed with somthing-not that you cant "care" about it. You dare have all the techno gismo's ya want. All the electronic toys you name it. You just have to try to follow certain principles that arent hard to follow at all. Basic instinct of doing right is all you need.
http://www.allspirit.co.uk/sumedho.html
Examples
"1. Right View
See things as they truly are without delusions or distortions
for all things change. Develop wisdom by knowing how things
work, knowing oneself and others.
2. Right Intention
Wholehearted resolution and dedication to overcoming the
dislocation of self-centered craving through the development
of loving kindness, empathy and compassion.
3. Right Speech
Abstinence from lies and deceptions, backbiting, idle
babble and abusive speech. Cultivate honesty and
truthfulness; practice speech that is kind and benevolent.
Let your words reflect your desire to help, not harm others."
http://www.lamayeshe.com/lamayeshe/etb/etb_2.shtml
"Renunciation
First of all, all of us consider that we would like to be free from ego mind and the bondage of samsara. But what binds us to samsara and makes us unhappy is not having renunciation. Now, what is renunciation? What makes us renounced?
The reason we are unhappy is because we have extreme craving for sense objects, samsaric objects, and we grasp at them. We are seeking to solve our problems but we are not seeking in the right place. The right place is our own ego grasping; we have to loosen that tightness, that's all.
According to the Buddhist point of view, monks and nuns are supposed to hold renunciation vows. The meaning of monks and nuns renouncing the world is that they have less craving for and grasping at sense objects. But you cannot say that they have already given up samsara, because monks and nuns still have stomachs! The thing is that the English word "renounce" is linguistically tricky. You can say that monks and nuns renounce their stomachs, but that doesn't necessarily mean they actually throw their stomachs away.
So, I want you to understand that renouncing sensory pleasure doesn't mean throwing nice things away. Even if you do, it doesn't mean you have renounced them.
Renunciation is a totally inner experience. Renunciation of samsara does not mean you throw samsara away because your body and your nose are samsara. How can you throw your nose away? Your mind and body are samsara --well, at least mine are. So I cannot throw them away. Therefore, renunciation means less craving; it means being more reasonable instead of putting too much psychological pressure on yourself and acting crazy."
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Templ.../morality.html
"The Buddha taught morality.
The rules for the monks and nuns are very strict. It makes sure they have the time, energy and peace to work toward Enlightenment. He taught it as Karma, cause-and-effect. Some acts have become known as "good" because over the years people noticed they have good results. Nothing metaphysical about it. But he NEVER taught that you can reach Enlightenment by being good!"
Theres the point I making. Some feel to be a true buddhist you must be a "munk". Thats not so. They live differently then the followers of buddhism. Do most Christians live as a nun or priest? No. Nor should a buddhist live as a munk. You dont have to throw anything away. You dont have to shave your head or eat tasteless food. Those are seeking the higher level of enlightenment can find it in their own ways. Not just by following one path. As buddha said there are "many" ways to find enlightenment. Could be a moment in time-a single event or life as a whole. As in all religions there are extremists. Those that tell ya to shave your head are such examples. When buddha didnt say any such thing. I think they are going off the deep end! You can look at most any site on buddhism and find this info. You are free to be yourself. One time here I said somthing about morals when somone was flaming. I got flamed back -"morals" ha. Well morals and ethics happen to be what buddhism is about. Learn them before moching them. I dont see how trying to do right is a funney thing? It saddens me to think todays youth (lest he was older) have no idea what morals are. Pathetic. I just hope they find them. I was looking for this pic I found once. Not giving up. But it portrays it perfectly. A child in buddhist clothes on the floor in meditaiting position -playing a gameboy advanced. The capture said "you can always find time for buddha"
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