Autism and Buddhism

I have a ginger cat just like that one, it's funny, it looks exactly like that, when it just rolls around on ground, all furr scruffed up, littered with leaves and plant debris , in this summer heatwave, too lazy to move or do much. 

Thank you 

Please can I ask what type of Buddhism you align too? 

I'm somewhat Buddhistic, or maybe zen

I'm somewhat Buddhistic, or maybe zen

Here are 2 good starter books:

The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Start Where You Are by Pema Chödrön

Yes, and yes. Have been since I was 16. I meditate everyday, I read a lot of philosophy. I;'ve visit temple sometimes but, as you might expect, I find this difficult

I remain skeptical I'm afraid. I can definitely understand the appeal  of Buddhism in this world. Pain is a powerful thing and many people understandly wish to seek relief from it.

I listened to a podcast where a girl was able to astral project to a specific place. She found, other people were able to access this exact place too. Upon discussion they mentioned aspects she had never mentioned to them, which were the same, so kind of corroborated her experience. She was a very keen meditator and brought up in a family where the "other side of life" was very much a normal part of her upbringing. 

I think this is something that helps many people.

I cannot commit to something like Buddhism as it is a hell of an intellectual commitment and it contradicts other ideas I have about the world . I  also feel it would also mean killing some of my aspirations and desires.

An old friend of mine is very convinced that there is afterlife.  An Astral Plane or something similar.

I'm just a bog standard Atheist I'm afraid.

Thank you all for replying. It has definitely given me a lot to think about 

I have practiced Buddhism for more than 20 years. It literally was my lifeline and got me through some incredibly difficult times/years. 

Since learning that I'm Autistic in November, I've stepped away from it. I'm trying to work out who I am. It was a huge part of my life, so it's unlikely that I won't return to it at some point. But right now I am on a journey of discovery. Albeit one where I feel like I'm walking on stepping stones, and sometimes the ones beneath my feet allude me. X

brother

Fun fact - Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism which is arguably the oldest religion on earth (Buddha is considered as the ninth avatar of Vishnu).

So it is a truly ancient religion with a lot of followers (0,5 billion Buddhists and 1.2 billion Hidus).

Hinduism and Judeism have a bun fight over which is older but their arguements go to a time before written records so it all gets a bit hard to proove.

I'm not Buddhist, but I have studied religion, and my conclusion is that Buddhism makes the most logical sense. It is based on compassion for the self as well as the community, so feels well-balanced between societal wellbeing and personal wellbeing. Mindfulness has been successfully practised around the world, as a practice for managing pain, stress, anxiety... and relies on finding/experiencing the 'answers' from within, rather than believing what others say. 

If I were to choose a religion, I'd choose Buddhism as it extends to all forms of life, not just the humans. It feels universal, if that makes sense? Maybe I should convert.

And as to if it helps.. It is a lifeline. I recommend time in a monastery to see what is of true value in a life and to see ourselves and others with compassion and to see one's "original face". My dharma bum years were the most fruitful in this than any others.

Sister.

[raises hands]

I have been a student of the Dharma, as I came to know it, since my late teens. I have received transmission from a lama in the Bon branch of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, first in Spain, and then in Nepal, where many Tibetan practitioners had fled around the time of the Chinese invasion of Tibet.

I have also spent some time in the Japanese Zen tradition, but "Dzogchen"•• practice is more suited to my temperament.

It very closely aligns with classical Northern school of Taoist in China. The 2 had some historical overlap, branching very early on when Padmasambhava came to Tibet.

The Tao Te Ching of Lau Tsi ••• and other early text on Taoism and Dzogchen, especially the translations of Thomas Cleary, are some of my most valuable resources when puzzling something out or trying to expand my understanding.

I do,also, love the koan tradition and teaching stories of the Zen tradition, as well.

••  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzogchen

•••https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi