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Expert: - 4/15/2009


Question
Hello, I am wondering, how will being a buddhist make me any better or how will it help with the problems in my life?
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Answer
Dear Kyle,

Buddhism will not make you a 'better' person

However simply learning to become more mindful will make it easier for you to notice how certain problems occur and thus deal with them. Longer term it will learn to help you relax so that many of the problems turn out not to be the big deals they may seem.

In terms of making you better, that won't happen either. You are already perfect, you just don't recognise this yet.

Over time though, sitting Meditation and Mindfulness will help you become more loving, compassionate, joyous, composed, generous, disciplined, patient, courageous, mindful, and wise but this is not 'self' development rather it is a shedding of unskillful habits you have acquired over the years.

In addition you learn not react to anger, fear, greed, laziness which all arise through ignorance of the way things are.

Reference: http://www.knowbuddhism.info/2009/02/four-noble-truths-luang-phu-mun-pinayo.html

Yours in Dhamma
Shozen

Buddhists

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James Chen Ball is the founder of the Buddhism IS Community Forum and Know Buddhism Blog. His primary focus is promoting Meditation practise through his websites and establishing an active Buddhist social community on the Internet. James' approach to Buddhism is intuitive and you will rarely find him referring to Sutras or similar ancient Buddhist texts but rather his words come from experience and a natural grasp of Buddhism. A long-time lay practitioner and student of Buddhism who has lived and studied as a lay monastic in all of the three major traditions of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan/Vajrayana) practicing alongside Bhikku's and studying under Monks such as Ajahn Sumedho and H.E Lopon Tenzin Jigme Rinpoche III. I am happy to receive any question you have on the vast topic of Buddhism and will endeavor to give you a clear and honest answer where possible.

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I am a long-time lay practitioner and student of Buddhism for over 14 years. I have lived as a lay monastic in many monasteries around the world studying and practicing alongside the Sangha.

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