tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5855180793926350647.post7698113238257349677..comments2024-03-16T19:27:07.142-04:00Comments on Ol'Buzzard's World View: MY PERSONAL BUDDHISMOl'Buzzardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00075162476463971258noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5855180793926350647.post-18265962890651872872011-04-22T08:50:58.752-04:002011-04-22T08:50:58.752-04:00I'd been studying the history of religious dev...I'd been studying the history of religious development through a number of written sources over the course of several decades before I began exploring Buddhism. Gnosticism (Stephen Hoeller is a good resource as is some early Jung - The Lost Gospels), the Tao, Sufism (my oldest friend is a Sufi in Philadelphia), Shamanism, and Advaita (Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj) have all been major influences but direct interaction with any of the original sources is, of course, impossible other than through reading.<br /><br />The unfolding of understanding from the heart's point of view is a long and entirely subjective process. Modern western Buddhism has naturally taken its own course but all I had to do was see the advertisements for fancy meditation gear and environments in magazines like Shambala Sun and Tricycle to know I'd best stay away from physical sanghas. Like Groucho, I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member.<br /><br />Your posts about the subject are very good reading.susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16747450215034568033noreply@blogger.com