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Zen would be a much better suggestion. More focused, and less religious. You can be as easely zen atheist or zen christian as zen buddhist.

dhimes 19y ago
Actually, Zen is simply one path to Buddhism. You have to check out the sects so you don't get into one you consider strange, but, for instance, vipassana is another path that (as far as I know) doesn't make claims to worshipping deities. Steve Hagen writes well on this, as does Gunaratana. Remember, the Buddha was agnostic. He simply gave advice. Follow it if it works for you. Buddhism doesn't address faith, but reality.
- gruseom 19y ago
  Both this and the parent comment strike me as very much a Western and modern spin on Buddhism. It's one I happen to be sympathetic to. But I'm also skeptical of what happens when such traditions are taken far out of their historical and cultural context.
  - dhimes 19y ago
    This is a great comment. I read folks I think are grounded in both contexts--modern and historical. Try "What the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula for background.
    - gruseom 19y ago
      Speaking of modern variants, did you ever run across "After the Absolute" by David Gold? It's about the author's experiences with a hillbilly Zen teacher from the back woods of West Virginia. There's no historical connection to Buddhism (or even Zen for that matter) but it's a vivid story. The guy in question was a volatile character who half the time would share profound spiritual insights and the other half would pull a gun on you.
      - dhimes 19y ago
        Sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.
  - radu_floricica 19y ago
    Of course it's modern and western, but not less useful. As for classical buddhism, as far as I got into it it's an ok religion, but just as full of myths and dogma as the orthodox christianity I was born in. I much prefer the modern version. Although after a little sorting I suspect I'd be very interested in a lot of old texts by Dogen and such - something that probably isn't true with christianity.

dhimes 19y ago

Actually, Zen is simply one path to Buddhism. You have to check out the sects so you don't get into one you consider strange, but, for instance, vipassana is another path that (as far as I know) doesn't make claims to worshipping deities. Steve Hagen writes well on this, as does Gunaratana. Remember, the Buddha was agnostic. He simply gave advice. Follow it if it works for you. Buddhism doesn't address faith, but reality.

gruseom 19y ago
Both this and the parent comment strike me as very much a Western and modern spin on Buddhism. It's one I happen to be sympathetic to. But I'm also skeptical of what happens when such traditions are taken far out of their historical and cultural context.
- dhimes 19y ago
  This is a great comment. I read folks I think are grounded in both contexts--modern and historical. Try "What the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula for background.
  - gruseom 19y ago
    Speaking of modern variants, did you ever run across "After the Absolute" by David Gold? It's about the author's experiences with a hillbilly Zen teacher from the back woods of West Virginia. There's no historical connection to Buddhism (or even Zen for that matter) but it's a vivid story. The guy in question was a volatile character who half the time would share profound spiritual insights and the other half would pull a gun on you.
    - dhimes 19y ago
      Sounds interesting. I'll have to check it out.
- radu_floricica 19y ago
  Of course it's modern and western, but not less useful. As for classical buddhism, as far as I got into it it's an ok religion, but just as full of myths and dogma as the orthodox christianity I was born in. I much prefer the modern version. Although after a little sorting I suspect I'd be very interested in a lot of old texts by Dogen and such - something that probably isn't true with christianity.