And a Buddhist is someone who speaks in ways that are harmless, gentle, skillful. They act in ways that are harmless, skillful, beneficial. And they think and conduct their minds in ways which are harmless and beneficial....purifying body, speech, and mind.
Ajahn Kovilo
I do not consider myself a Christian anymore in the way I was brought up to consider myself (Catholic) though I find such beautiful practical wisdom in Christ's teachings and do my best to adhere and live by them. Though I call myself a yogi because I study and practice yoga in all its forms, I really do not consider myself a yogi though I do my best to adhere and live in what I am learning. I don't consider myself a Taoist though I have studied the Toa Te Ching in great depth and practice QiGong and Tai Chi everyday. I try to live by that wisdom shared by Loa Tzu.
And...I don't consider myself a Buddhist though I love and do my best to adhere to the dharma because I find such beautiful practical wisdom in it. It resonates so much within me. I seek to purify body, speech and mind. Purification is my major goal in Life these days and I pick and choose from both the Buddhist and the Yogic path as I journey towards healing and freedom. I do my best to speak in ways that are harmless, gentle, and skillful. I try to act in ways that are harmless, gentle, and beneficial. (In yogic terms, I seek to serve the moment, the world, and other beings as well as the Higher Self). And I seek to think in wholesome ways, attempting to train the mind while I watch it and learn from its unwholesome tendencies. My practice is all about going forth from bad habits to good habits which is also the mandate for "Sin no more" in Christianity...and the mandate for wholesome skillful karma in the others.
I love the dharma and I love listening to dharma teachers share these beautiful and very, very practical teachings from the Buddha. I get sucked right in to some crazy type of "familiarity" with it. It all makes such perfect sense to me...yet I do not call myself a Buddhist. I personally don't want to label myself as a Buddhist. I do not wish to label myself as anything actually.
I do in many ways follow the five precepts of Buddhism. I try to refrain from taking the lives of any living thing. People think I am crazy that I do not kill spiders, flies or ants and protest loudly when others are about to. Not because I see self as a Buddhist but because it just feels so wrong to my mind and my being to take the life of a being away. I do my best not to take anything from others unless it is given to me. I refrain from all forms of sexual misconduct. I do my best to refrain from lying. I am considered a very honest person. (Though I know I could strive to be even more honest.) I refrain a great deal from intoxicants...though I do drink tea and coffee and I will have a glass of wine on occassion. (Tonight I plan on having a glass when I celebrate my birthday.) But I truly see the unwholesome reasons why many humans partake and abuse substances (including this one) and how that use can interfere with higher goals. (Even knowing that, I will still have a glass of wine so I am obviousl not a true buddhist.).
I meditate regulary and practice mindfulness, equanimity- the acceptance of Life as it is. I also try to train my mind in the bliss of seclusion. I love my solitude,
Anyway. in so many ways I appear to be a practicing Buddhist, without labelling myself as such.
So, what does that mean? Can I still learn and practice what I am learning from this path if I am not a Buddhist?
I hope so. Missing the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh from Plum Village, I ran into another podcast commnity...Clear Mountain Monastry. These teachings are actually from the Theravada tradition (The way of the Elders). One of the oldest (3 centuries BCE) and most structured schools of Buddhism with "strict" rules and regulations. Its teaching are preseved in the Pali Canon. Both Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama, on the other hand, are of the Mahayan school, originating in 1 century BCE.
Anyway, this podcast touched my heart and made me ask the question: Do I want to label myself and commit to being a practicing Buddhist?
The answer: Not yet. I still, find great wisdom, grace, and strength from many other religions, and fields of thought...so I would rather keep seeing the one unifyng nature of all of them as I pursue this path.
Does that make sense?
All is well!
Clear Mountain Monastry Project (January, 2026) "Why We're Not a Cult" or "Going Forth"...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tejAh-56S7Q&t=5s.
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