How. . .

Have you ever had a moment in which something so fundamental in nature completely escapes your realm of perception or consideration? I recently had such a moment when asked a very basic question – How do You become buddhist? I think was off-set because I had never considered the action of “becoming buddhist.” I feel this may be the case because I personally never just became “buddhist” but found myself agreeing with and wanting to live by the basic tenets of what seemed like a logical means of living anyway. Buddhist teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that the solutions to our problems are within ourselves not outside. The Buddha asked all his followers not to take his word as true, but rather to test the teachings for themselves. ln this way, each person decides for themselves and takes responsibility for their own actions and understanding. This makes Buddhism less of a fixed package of beliefs which is to be accepted in its entirety, and more of a teaching which each person learns and uses in their own way.