How to start learning Buddhism

　

    Some people want to start learning Buddhism, but they don’t know how to start when encountering the huge and complex aspects of Buddhism. Here are a few ways to get started with Buddhism. You can do what you are able to do first, and then you will gradually have a general understanding of Buddhism:

　

1. Recognize the purpose of learning Buddhism

　

    Beings have 84,000 kinds of annoyances, and there are 84,000 ways in Buddhism to treat them. Think clearly why you want to learn Buddhism, so you can get the relevant practice methods you want quickly. Of course, after getting started, we often find that the benefits that Buddhism can provide are beyond our original purpose; at this time, we should stop, reassess the future direction of learning Buddhism, and then continue to practice.

　

2. Taking refuge

　

    Everyone can practice Buddhism. It is not limited to Buddhists, but if we want to become real Buddhists, we need to “take refuge”. How to take refuge? In Mahayana Buddhism, we can find a Buddhist monk (or nun), ask him (her) to testify, and teach us the content of the three refuges, and then we make a vow to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and we are done. At present, many Buddhist monastery in Taiwan will hold collective ceremonies of taking refuge, and some will issue certificates of taking refuge.

　

3. Be ready to "change yourself"

　

    The so-called “practice” is to modify our own behavior, and our ideas will affect our behavior, so practice also needs to modify our own ideas. Because of our misconceptions and wrong behaviors about the truth of the universe and life, we suffer from sufferings and reincarnate continuously; through the understanding and practicing of Buddhism, we can gradually keep away from annoyances and understand the truth of the universe and life. Therefore, the main point of Dharma practice is to "change ourselves." The process of becoming a Buddha is to continuously correct one's incorrect concepts and behaviors.

　

4. Join a practicing group and get close to good and wise advisers

　

    It is very difficult to practice Buddhism on our own; sometimes we have doubts and need to be answered by others; sometimes we will slack off or lose our confidence, and we need some encouragement; sometimes when we see the achievement of other people’s practicing, we can motivate ourselves to practice more diligently; therefore, in the early stage of learning Buddhism, it is best to join a group for practicing together, so that someone can lead us and we can learn from each other. There are many forms of practicing group; they generally are set up in Buddhist monastery: some meditate together, some study the sutras and learn Dharma together, some recite Amitabuddha together, and sometimes hold ceremonies, worship for repentance, etc.; there are more modern activities: Some can participate as volunteers, some study Buddhism together in the Buddhist academies established in the Buddhist monastery, and some hold seminars and book clubs. If, after evaluating, we feel that we can encounter good and wise advisers or make correct progress in our practice from these activities, then we had better stay in that group and practice together with the members.

　

5. Watch the Buddha's biography

　

    As a Buddhist, we should have a basic understanding of the Buddha Shakyamuni who left precious Buddhist Dharma. The best way is to read the Buddha's biography. The modern information providers are well developed; it is easy to get the Buddha's biography no matter in text or video.  The so-called “learning Buddhism” means learning the method of Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightenment; we should take the Buddha as our benchmark, and wish that one day we can also become a Buddha. This is the ultimate goal of learning Buddhism.

　

6. Learn to meditate

　

    Meditation is a commonly used practice technique in Buddhism, and it is an important method to transform Buddhist theory into practical experience. In the current Taiwanese environment, there are many Buddhist monasteries that provide meditation,or say, sitting meditation lessons or group practicing. When we first learn to meditate, we need someone to be nearby to give hints. After we are familiar with the method, we can try to find time to sit by ourselves at home. If you have never learned to meditate, we need to be cautious when deciding from which Buddhist monastery to learn; we should find a pure Buddhist monastery that is serious, does not practice for supernatural powers, does not do personal worship, and does not force believers to donate.

　

7. From broadly understanding to deep practicing

　

    When we first start to learn Buddhism, we should keep an open mind, read and listen broadly. Even if we don’t understand when we read or listen, it’s okay because we will get  an impression. As long as it’s Buddhist doctrine, we don’t need to reject it. We can gradually become familiar with the differences and similarities of various Buddhist sects, various theories, various methods of practice, and then we can fully consider where we should start. After that, we need to be more in-depth familiar with the various details of the chosen method in order to have a complete understanding and practicing.

　

8. Listening to the lectures of Buddhist sutras

　

    The precious teachings of the Buddha were handed down through Buddhist sutras, so learning Buddhism must emphasize the study of the sutras; but the current mahayana Buddhist sutras are all in ancient Chinese, and the Buddhist theories are profound and difficult to be understood, which makes many beginners unable to step out the first step. It is recommended that beginners can start from the common Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Amitabha Sutra or Ksitigarbha Sutra. Because these sutras are popular, therefore there are more books or information that are with relevant explanations, English translations, and explanations of Buddhist masters . Due to the rapid circulation of modern information, we can easily find the explanations of various common sutras on VCD, DVD, Buddhist TV stations, Internet articles or video websites. In addition to carefully choosing the preachers of explanations and the contents of the explanations not to differ from Buddhist doctrines, what we need is more patience; because understanding the Buddhist sutras is the basic skill of Buddhist practice; even if it is boring or hard to be understood, it’s better to start to accumulate understanding of the Dharma bit by bit, as long as we can only make tiny progress; of course, if we cannot comprehend any passages or gain any benefit of doctrine from the beginning to the end in the first one or two parts of the explanations, it means that there is a gap between this explanation and our current level of Dharma, we should give up in time and look for other explanations that suit us; but, after a few years, maybe our level will have improved, and we can give ourselves a chance to listen to it, maybe we will be able to understand it then.

　

　

    We are fortunate enough to encounter an era when Buddhism is spreading in the world. We should feel fortunate and cherish this opportunity. Don’t let the great condition slip away; make a wish for ourselves, wish we will learn Buddhism well and one day we will discover: the seeking of Buddhist Dharma is far more meaningful and valuable than the seeking of fame and fortune, because only Buddhism has the ability to lead us to find out the true spiritual destination.