Members Bios - please contribute yours

Introduce yourself to others at Dhamma Wheel.
Nuggets
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri May 05, 2017 6:56 pm

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Nuggets »

My name is Luke

I am 45 years old.

Born in Melbourne, Australia. Live in Geelong, Australia.

Single dad - look after my two little ones 2 to 4 nights a week (4 year old boy and 7 year old girl).

Discovered Buddhism about 7 years ago. Dabbled in Zen and Tibetan but finding Theravadan the most appealing.

Enjoy sport, meditation and hanging with family and friends.
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Invokingvajras
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 2:48 am
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Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Invokingvajras »

Hello! I'm 27, recently moved to Portland, OR from Pennsylvania, where I attended school at Penn State and graduated in 2013 with a dual B.A. in Religious Studies and Japanese.

My studies started around 2004, when my Japanese teacher introduced me to Pure Land and Zen Buddhist traditions. I have been an artist as far back as I can remember, and as a child was inspired by popular media such as music, animation and video games. After formally studying the culture, I came to notice how much Japanese culture was lost among American audiences, especially regarding religion. In 2007, I had a dream about Amitabha shortly after attending a Jōdo Shinshū temple and picking up taiko drumming, which inspired me to take up a more serious and eclectic study of Buddhism, including Theravada and the Nikaya/Agama canon.

My interests cover various subjects within the overlap of Buddhist and Western pagan/occult traditions, including meditation, cosmology, mythology, and gender. After a certain Uposatha observance, I came to identify as non-binary/gender fluid for a time. In hindsight, I realize that this identification came from a misunderstanding of LGBT culture and identity view. I'm slowly beginning to realize that gender is irrelevant at this point in time in my practice. I've been studying Japanese language and culture since 2004, which has served as a catalyst for my interest in becoming more involved with the POC community. This in turn has provided me with the opportunity to learn and grow within the tradition. You really begin to notice the tropes in Buddhist literature and how they relate to our own experiences interacting with fellow humans. I studied abroad at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan in 2010 and Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in the summer of 2015.

I have had a few very intense experiences in my 10 years of practicing meditation, which primarily includes mindfulness of breathing. In 2010, I experienced a vision of what I later came to believe was Vajirapani, a Buddhist deity who was synthesized with Herakles among the Greeks in the area that is now Pakistan and Afghanistan. I didn't know at the time of the experience, but discovered several depictions of this deity that were eerily reminiscent of what I saw in the vision. This historical period, as well as my involvement with the Pagan community, inspired me in 2012 to adopt Paganism as a valid worldview within my practice, especially as I reflect on the various states of the deva worlds. I've recently found inspiration in Alexander Duncan's writings in light of these ideas. It's part of my intuition that the widespread nature of folklore and mythology can play a vital role in aiding communication across cultures and potentially building a more cohesive, "global" community.

That being said, I'm mostly a solitary practitioner. And I'm absolutely comfortable wandering alone, "like a rhinoceros," but figured I'd try becoming more involved with the online community. It's nice to be acquainted with everyone and I look forward to studying the Dhamma with y'all!
Last edited by Invokingvajras on Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
Spiraling Down the Middle Path

♒⚡~Musā me bhaṇamānāya muddhā phalatu sattadhā~⚡♒
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Christofer
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 3:05 am
Location: Southern Utah

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Christofer »

Hi, my name is Christofer, I am born and raised in southern Utah. I am a husband of 12 years and have 2 sons ages 6 and 4. I have played the drums since I was 12 and play in a few bands locally. I am a barber by trade, I've been at that for about 7 years now. I started meditating daily about a year ago. I got really interested in Zen at first but eventually found my way to the Theravada tradition. I am very new to dharma practice but I have seen the fruit of it in my life and am looking forward to deepening my practice and learning what I can here. Thanks.
indianromeo
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:04 pm

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by indianromeo »

Christofer wrote:Hi, my name is Christofer, I am born and raised in southern Utah. I am a husband of 12 years and have 2 sons ages 6 and 4. I have played the drums since I was 12 and play in a few bands locally. I am a barber by trade, I've been at that for about 7 years now. I started meditating daily about a year ago. I got really interested in Zen at first but eventually found my way to the Theravada tradition. I am very new to dharma practice but I have seen the fruit of it in my life and am looking forward to deepening my practice and learning what I can here. Thanks.
Welcome! I've found this to be a helpful community and still do, Christofer.

Southern Utah, beautiful part of the world, love the national parks.

Have you encountered the Satipatthana Sutta, as yet?
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Christofer
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 3:05 am
Location: Southern Utah

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Christofer »

indianromeo wrote:
Christofer wrote:Hi, my name is Christofer, I am born and raised in southern Utah. I am a husband of 12 years and have 2 sons ages 6 and 4. I have played the drums since I was 12 and play in a few bands locally. I am a barber by trade, I've been at that for about 7 years now. I started meditating daily about a year ago. I got really interested in Zen at first but eventually found my way to the Theravada tradition. I am very new to dharma practice but I have seen the fruit of it in my life and am looking forward to deepening my practice and learning what I can here. Thanks.
Welcome! I've found this to be a helpful community and still do, Christofer.

Southern Utah, beautiful part of the world, love the national parks.

Have you encountered the Satipatthana Sutta, as yet?
Thanks, I actually live about 20 miles from Zion National Park. Very beautiful. I have not encountered the Satipatthana Sutta. I will seek it out.
indianromeo
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:04 pm

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by indianromeo »

I just visited Zion! Gorgeous. The narrows are so cool.

Satipatthana, as I've described to other people, is like a "cheat code" to Buddhism. Analayo is a contemporary monk who has written a solid commentary on it.

Good luck.
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Christofer
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed May 17, 2017 3:05 am
Location: Southern Utah

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Christofer »

indianromeo wrote:I just visited Zion! Gorgeous. The narrows are so cool.

Satipatthana, as I've described to other people, is like a "cheat code" to Buddhism. Analayo is a contemporary monk who has written a solid commentary on it.

Good luck.
The narrows are amazing. I just ordered her book. Looking forward to the read. Thanks for your input.
indianromeo
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:04 pm

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by indianromeo »

Sure!
Corsair_Caruso
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:50 am

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Corsair_Caruso »

Hello, everyone.

I'm relatively new to Buddhism; I've been meditating for about a year and seriously reading the writings of Buddhist teachers and visiting temples for about six months.

I've found that the Theravada tradition speaks to me more than the Mahayana or Vajrayana traditions, at least at this point. I'm a professor of voice/opera in East Texas and live about two hours away from the nearest temple, so I'm finding communicating with other Buddhists on the internet is the most convenient way to participate in Dhamma communities.

I look forward to learning more about my new spiritual practice from more experienced practitioners.
indianromeo
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2016 3:04 pm

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by indianromeo »

Welcome, Corsair! I'm in Austin. I really appreciate this community, as it's given me a great inroad into understanding Theravada practice.
Artlover
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 2:21 am

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Artlover »

Hi Everyone, 33 year old male here and have been a follower of Buddhism for the past 3 years now. I currently live in Vietnam although I have lived in several other countries, most notably Spain, Uk & Switzerland amongst others.

I had been visiting SE Asia frequently before really embracing the Buddha's teachings. The day it all changed was in Myanmar at the Shwe Dagon pagoda, can remember that day as if it were yesterday. I was sitting around minding my own business when a curious monk approached me, amazed at my smartphone. I let him play with it. A small child then took an interest in my gopro, much to the dismay of his father. Watching the joy on their faces was a priceless moment.

There was also a group of orphans present that day and their leader took the time to sit with me and explain the basics of Buddhism to me. I have been interested in it ever since. Although I wouldn't describe myself or a lot of my actions as being in line with Buddhist doctrine, I still try and apply the wisdom in everyday life. It has made a huge difference and it continues to do so.

I am just starting a new chapter of my life. Inspired by these events and what I have learned, I have just opened an online store selling paintings & handcrafted statues of the Buddha among other items. There will be some who see this as exploiting religion for profit and they would be somewhat justified for thinking so. I see it more as providing high quality items with their corresponding high vibrations for people to decorate their living spaces and enrich their lives. Being a technophobe this is super challenging and just the fact that I got this shop up & running is a huge success. Now it's time for the fun to start.
Pasaul
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 8:16 pm

Career path vs Spiritual path

Post by Pasaul »

Hi everyone,

I'm 31 (tomorrow is my birthday actually) from Canada. I've been following Buddhism since my religious studies courses 3 years ago.
Although I still struggles establishing a daily practice, my interest into the dharma haven't diminish.
I have been consulting many thread on this site over the years, but I thought It was about time to step up and start sharing and interacting more actively.
I am currently in a weird situation in my life, as I don't have a clear career path and without a job for the moment.
So I have hesitation on what should be my next move in life, invest time and effort to go back to school (I'm thinking nursing school) or
go on with something less demanding and more short term.. Which could give me more time to concentre on my practice.
The reason why hesitate so much is I can't see the point of going through all the effort of starting a career at this stage on my life, when I know It might become a hindrance later on.
I'm looking forward to heard your suggestions and recommendations,
Thank you in advance.
Kind regards.
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dylanj
Posts: 936
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2016 1:48 am
Location: San Francisco
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Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by dylanj »

My name is Dylan, I am 21 years old, I have been Buddhist since I was ~17.

I grew up as an atheist scientific-materialist with a nonreligious family.

I found Buddhism after looking into meditation in the midst of depression, existential discontent & uncertainty, & sympathy for my friends who were going through a lot of pain. I had been engrossed in bad conduct & decided it was time to stop, to be happier & set good example. Through reading about meditation I came to read about Buddhism via wikipedia, a lot of the ideas I initially found seemed at the time to correspond with what I was reading; I converted almost instantly. It took me 2-3 more years to settle against mahāyāna but I feel from the beginning I saw a clear distinction between the two sets of teachings...I always held the nikāyas as authoritative over Mahāyāna doctrine & had lots of doubts about the latter, none about the former...but nibbāna scared me & I was seduced by the bodhisattva path concept. Anyway eventually I gave it up, now I am theravādin, albeit in the likes of figures like Bhikkhu Anālayo & Bhikkhu Ñāṇananda whom are willing to reject parts of the theravāda canon.

I live in San Francisco. I was attending the University of San Francisco, I took a leave of absence for a semester after my partner whom I'd been with & living with for over a year suddenly died in my 2nd year. Then I went back after the summer recess & completed another semester as Theology & Religious Studies major. After that - in part due to the lack of equipment in the school's department for Buddhist Studies but mostly due to fearing the obstacle of debt & feeling I was not receiving a worthwhile education - I decided to discontinue pursuing a degree. Now I work full time, still living in San Francisco, with friends. I intend to ordain once I can pay off the debt I've already accumulated.

I am in the process of teaching myself to read pāli, trying to exercise regularly - I had several long periods in the past 4 years of a decent albeit never stable meditation practice...but right now I have come to a point where I think the state of my virtue is concerning & it seems without addressing that I will get nowhere with meditation.

I don't regularly attend any saṅgha or involve myself with other Buddhists, although I recently met someone in SF through facebook who is theravādin, interested in learning pāli, I intend to meet with him. There is a theravādin temple near me, I wish to give alms to the monks. I asked for their schedule once but I lost the notebook & am embarrassed to go ask again after still having not given alms since the last time. Of course that is a ridiculous way to think, though.

Also I run the facebook page in my bio, that is a fulfilling hobby I think it is good.
Born, become, arisen – made, prepared, short-lived
Bonded by decay and death – a nest for sickness, perishable
Produced by seeking nutriment – not fit to take delight in


Departure from this is peaceful – beyond reasoning and enduring
Unborn, unarisen – free from sorrow and stain
Ceasing of all factors of suffering – stilling of all preparations is bliss
Garrib
Posts: 605
Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 8:35 pm

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by Garrib »

Hi,

I'm Brad - I'm 30 y/o, from Seattle area - I am finishing a Master's degree in Special Education this year, and have tentative plans to pursue another degree (MS in Computer Science...) while teaching, but this remains to be seen.

In my former life (teens/early twenties) I had my heart set on a career in music (jazz guitar lol) but this fizzled out, and now I find that music gets in the way of meditation - I simply don't enjoy it as much as I used to.

I became seriously interested in Buddhism a number of years ago - I was reading Chogyam Trungpa and following the Dalai Lama's teachings. I participated in a number of meditation groups, Shambhala, IMS, some Zen groups...I was supporting myself working as a bartender and waiter, playing music when I could get a gig. At a certain point I decided I had to make a change in livelihood so that I could truly cultivate the Noble 8 Fold Path. As I began to study and learn more about the Dhamma, I started gravitating towards early Buddhism/Theravada, and trying to make my life really accord with the teachings (difficult, but the effort is worth it!) . I don't believe, to this day that I haver ever been to a Theravada temple, or met/spoke with a monastic face to face, but I enjoy participating in Dhamma related discourse online. I actually wanted to ordain, and was seriously considering it until I told my parents - my dad, especially, couldn't deal with it. I ended up deciding that I would just work on deepening my practice in lay life for the time being, and try to support my parents as they age.

Anyway, I'm really happy to have found this forum and look forward to contributing in whatever small ways I can! :smile: I appreciate all of your contributions as well!
frank.b
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:32 am

Re: Members Bios - please contribute yours

Post by frank.b »

Hello to All, I'm Frank a newie to this site, but not to Buddhism. I have been a Buddhist for about 20yrs now., but some how feel that I've been a B. all my life, it just feels right.
For 3 yrs I was a monastic in England, but left to go travelling. Now living in Philippines :(
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