How did you become a Buddhist?
Craig Photography
To my Buddhist friend's/reader's out there, how did you become a Buddhist?
Did you join a sangha, take a vow, meditate, study with a monk? With the current influx of western Buddhist blogs/books and notoriety conjoined with the phrase "I am Buddhist", can anybody call themselves a Buddhist? Can a person simply say today, "I am a Buddhist", or do you go through a baptismal ritual, for lack of a better phrase?
I personally find the Dharma of Buddhists to be fascinating, and a divine path to follow. In my (integral) Christian faith I find/feel many similarities with the Buddhist practice. The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Paths are in balance with the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes of Christianity. The question remains, are current western Buddhists truly Buddhists? Is the path of Buddha being followed by the newly converted? Are they doing the work that Buddha put forth? Don't get me wrong, Christianity has won the gold award for its practitioners not following the Word of God. I am not trying to cause any disharmony with the Buddhist community.
I just want to know when it is alright to call your self a Buddhist.
Access: Public
Craig Photography
August 2008 
Thank you for this post. It is an interesting concept. If you actually follow the teaching of the buddha rigorously, and to its end, there will be no 'you' to be anything,, buddhist or otherwise.
I personally practice meditation and loosely follow a zen buddhist tradition, but i would not identify with self-as-buddhist. This seems to be more of a hindrance on the path than a benefit.
If there is any truth in this world, it is universal and transcends any belief we could ascribe to it (including this one ;)
have a great day,
c
There are no Buddhists. There are just people who are on The Way.
from Gary Snyder on Buddhism
Wow, Thanks for the Gary Snyder link!! He is one of my fav writers…..