I have some questions for a research projects!

The Watercooler
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1.What’s the most important thing in life to a Buddhist
2.What’s the best thing about being a Buddhist
3. What’s the hardest thing about being a Buddhist
4.What is the most important aspect as a Buddhist
5. What is your goal as a Buddhist
6.What do you enjoy most about being a Buddhist
7. What wisdom would you tell people.
8. What do Buddhists think about other religions.

Thank you to all that would answer!!!

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Welcome to the forum. Please describe the research project to give an idea of the context.

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  1. stop craving and suffering and live contently and peacefully
  2. living peacefully and minimally
  3. living peacefully (j/k), it’s giving up what we know and is comfortable, in order to attain what we don’t know through the uncomfortable, which would later result in more comfort than we originally had.
  4. To give up what needs to be given up and not give up what shouldn’t be given up
  5. To attain further peace
  6. The peace I’ve attained
  7. Depends on what they ask
  8. I don’t think about other religions unless someone asks specifically about them
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  1. What’s the most important thing in life to a Buddhist

Freedom from suffering

  1. What’s the best thing about being a Buddhist

Freedom from suffering

  1. What’s the hardest thing about being a Buddhist

Freedom from suffering

  1. What is the most important aspect as a Buddhist

Freedom from suffering

  1. What is your goal as a Buddhist

Freedom from suffering

  1. What do you enjoy most about being a Buddhist

Freedom from suffering

  1. What wisdom would you tell people.

None. People must ask. I am not allowed to tell without them asking.

  1. What do Buddhists think about other religions.

Cannot bring freedom from suffering. :pray:t2:

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1.What’s the most important thing in life to a Buddhist:

Freedom.

2.What’s the best thing about being a Buddhist:

Community.

  1. What’s the hardest thing about being a Buddhist:

Practice.

4.What is the most important aspect as a Buddhist:

For me its a combination of philosophy and meditation workimg together to deepen my practice.

  1. What is your goal as a Buddhist:

Unconditional Freedom.

6.What do you enjoy most about being a Buddhist:

Meditation.

  1. What wisdom would you tell people:

This too shall pass.

  1. What do Buddhists think about other religions:

I personally have a deep respect and admiration for them.

Good luck with your project!

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1.What’s the most important thing in life to a Buddhist
→ Cultivation to end suffering.

2.What’s the best thing about being a Buddhist
→ Discover the path to end suffering.

  1. What’s the hardest thing about being a Buddhist
    → Find and achieve seclusion (physically and mentally).

4.What is the most important aspect as a Buddhist
→ Reduce unwholesome actions. Increase wholesome actions. Purify one’s mind.

  1. What is your goal as a Buddhist
    → To end suffering (get out of “circulation”)

6.What do you enjoy most about being a Buddhist
→ Discover and started walking on the path to end suffering.

  1. What wisdom would you tell people.
    → Yesterday was gone. The future has yet to come. Live Now.

  2. What do Buddhists think about other religions.
    → Can’t speak for other Buddhists. Personally, there are wholesomeness in each religion and I hope their devotees will develop their respective wholesomeness accordingly.

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Tip: to get better answers, try asking open-ended questions that allow the respondent to give details. Ninian Smart’s seven dimensions of religion might give some food for thought around things you could ask questions about. Even though it’s actual work, going and meeting people in person and recording their answers is likely to be more rewarding. Just record, play back on slow speed (set hotkeys for pause and speed…you can do this in vlc media player), type what they say and then pull some quotes and themes, tada done. I once spent a whole summer doing religion interviews on a research scholarship, it was fun to talk to Daoists and Mormons, etc. Anyway…

Q1-5: All the Nibbana.

I enjoy everything about being Buddhist, it’s like winning the lottery every single day. Practising Buddhism is its own reward because it helps you feel happy and calm.

It’s not so much that there are things that I enjoy as much as that Buddhism makes everything in life meaningful…it makes meaningful life possible.

In terms of Buddhist places I enjoy: I really loved the temples I used to attend in my home state, I loved the generosity and laid back attitudes *most of the time. It was so holy to go give dana for the sangha of the arahants, and the climate was always like spring. It was nice to wear white and take food and flowers and go talk to the monks & observe sil. I have very fond memories, especially of some of the Vesak moons. I always made a point of getting there early and leaving late, I never wanted to go home at all.

Actually, I like my life now as a nun even more, even though it can be physically demanding some times in terms of reducing sleep, etc (see 2: the hardest thing). Nun life is good for learning patience.

If I had any life wisdom/advice, it would be to practise as much as you can and learn as much as you can while your body can still handle it. Also: looking for material things is mostly pointless past the point where you are healthy. If I did lay life again, I would give away 90% of my wardrobe, forget about movies and makeup, and just focus on dana and meditation.

I try to be humble and open-minded to other religions. Even though they may not have the complete truth as doctrinal systems, they may still have other valuable things socially or historically. It might be that an individual practitioner of a another religion is more polite or has better qualities than me in a given situation. I think the kindness we show outsiders reflects on ourselves, so we should be kind to non-Buddhists and try to be informed about other religions. But I don’t look to them for life guidance in general.

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