Very inspiring post. I hope i will be able to do it in a same wayā¦ lets see
Gāday Gillian, itās like this; Iām very new to Buddhist practice and enjoying the learning. Iām also new to the digital world, and not enjoying the learning at all.
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[quote=āGillian, post:1, topic:16681ā]
Are you new to the Forum?
Pretty new, a few months but donāt keep an eye on time.
Do you read a lot and post seldom?
I read all about the Buddha, albeit a simplified version with no confusing words, or literatureā¦
Do you post a lot but hide in the shadows?
I did post a lot at first, until I started to notice contradictions, ego and bickering. Itās like a lot of people are taking the literature as a set of instructions and memorising them.
Then referencing them at any given instance, and expecting newbies to understand.
Though in every situation I come across in real life now, I just ask myself what the Budhha would do, and it comes to me better than it did before I read and knew about him, .
Not sure what hiding in the shadows means?
This is my shadow
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Oh, did not notice before that thereās a thread like this! I am definitely not a robot, a TheravaĢda Buddhist and very bad meditator. I usually prefer practices like studying the TipitĢ£aka and other Buddhist texts (as i am a huge nerd) and doing puĢjaĢ, which means that iām not active in any Buddhist groups, as the only ones where i live are either heavily meditation based or serve immigrant communities from Buddhist majority countries (and i donāt want to intrude).
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Welcome @bobzane, @steve62, @LawnMower and @DefNotARobot! Great to see so many new (or new-ish) posters. And thanks for your honesty @LawnMower. A forum can be intimidating for newbies, but we encourage you to engage with it in your own way, and new eyes can bring fresh perspectivesā¦
Feel free to reach out to the moderator team if you ever have questions or need help with anything, by either messaging or mentioning @moderators.
Regards,
Sasha (on behalf of the moderators)
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Itās entirely possible that they would be thrilled to have you. Itās also possible they may not know quite what to do with you. In my opinion itās worth the risk to investigate by stopping by at an appropriate time. Just my $.02.
Welcome to the forum all!
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Yes. You never know. I started hanging out at a Thai Monastery, with the idea of improving my Thai and got distracted by Dhammaā¦ 
It takes effort to connect with immigrant communities, but itās my interactions with Thai and Sri Lankan communities and teachers that have been most important for me.
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Thankyou Sasha, slowly, slowly is working for me . Iām currently working my way through
Bhikku Sintitaās book. I was fascinated by the sutta that came out of China ?emptyness? and the triangulation of sourses to verify it. Particularly though the simple assumption at the end " it must have just dropped of the Theravada tradition. We loose stuff all the time, and find it too, have you ever been digging in the garden and unearthed some long forgotten treasure? Whoās was it, what was its life, how did it come to be lost? What tears were shed at its demise?
What ears have heard that sutta, what minds have slowly turned toward it. What joy to realise it!
Oopaday sorry I get a bit carried away sometimes.
I think that is what happened when that picture of the blue meany was posted, that sort of stuff really puts me off.
Thanks for your work as a moderator
With metta
Steve
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Are you new to the Forum?
yea newbie here,
Do you read a lot and post seldom?
Iām a nerd, spec guy, love books since young. read considerably ,But once i reached 35 my favorite only with Tipitaka Pali. 
,
I live in a Buddhist minority society.
learning abit of Pali here and there ( suttacentral is really good source 
)
Right now trying to learn-practice Noble eightfold path.
Do you post a lot but hide in the shadows?
hide in shadow, to read up, unless if necessary i will emerge out from shadow 
Please tell us a bit about yourself. ( slightly long story here we go):
Born into a Taoist ancestral family with a later Mahayana influence, I attended a Buddhist school (Sariputra) during secondary school and a Catholic missionary school during high school. This exposure left me confused and directionless, primarily learning mantras from various sources.
A turning point occurred during my 35th birthday. Returning from overseas work to my home town due to setbacks in my life and career, I sought solutions and had several epiphanies that led me to Theravada Buddhism.
One early epiphany came from witnessing Bhantes performing pindapatta. Their calm, serene demeanor reminded me of Buddha Gotama and his disciples, and their robes left a lasting impression.
One day ,during a random Vihara ( temple) visit, I realized that the Buddha statueās robe at the main hall ,was practically similar to those worn by Theravada Bhantes. (unlike those worn by mahayanas)
Coincidentally, this vihara offered a five-day meditation Mettabhavana retreat and a sutta class on the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, both taught by visiting Ajahn Sujato.
With a leap of faith, I joined the retreat and attended the sutta class. Ajahn Sujatoās instructions on meditation and thoughtful answers to my numerous questions clarified my doubts and misconceptions.
I was impressed by how Buddhaās disciples openly answered questions from non-Buddhists, unlike other faiths that often demand unquestioning belief and adherence to tradition, salvation through a supreme being.
While talking with Ajahn, i asked him what are Bhikkhu life all about ? he said just try it up yourself.
Intrigued, I signed up for pabajja (Samanera) and later pabajja Bhikkhu to experience the immersive practice of Dhamma and Vinaya. This led to more epiphanies and a deepening of my understanding of Buddhism.
Two unexplained examples, 
1)One day , i had thought how wonderful it will be, if one can get hold Vissuddhi Magga . (Just thinking about it).
While searching for book Vissudhi Magga ,I unexpectedly given a thick original copy by unknown Bhante from local cetiya that i never visited before.
Basically this book are from a recently closed public library in Australia
( there are library name and address stamp on one of its page!!).
This thick book carried by Theravadaan Bhante that happened to attend Dhammatalk-event in Australia.
At the end i collected this rare book from an unknown cetiya in my country. ( strange ? up to today i have no idea how this whole event worksā¦but i am convinced with the power of the mind ) 
2)Whenever I have questions about Dhamma , its solutions seem to appear in the form of Dhammadesanas from Bhikkhu Sangha, YouTube- Zoom meeting with kalyanmittas, meeting discussion with foreign Bhantes, or receiving new books."
All of these occurrence provide answer for my questions on Dhamma Vinaya.
The strange coincidences above strengthened my resolve to learn and practice Dhamma. The more I delve into Dhamma and Vinaya, the more my fascination and drive for this path grow.
So in 2024, I decided to further my endeavor by joining this remarkable group.I hope to learn more from Bhikkhu Sangha,Bhante,senior members, and members.
Appreciation
āFor all who are helping me discover this wondrous path, I would like to express my utmost gratitude and great anumodana to Bhante Ajahn Sujato. Without his guidance ,advice during retreats and Dhamma Q&As, I would not be on this path.ā
"Thank you Ajahn 
Anumodana,
I am forever grateful for bringing me to this path.
Of course not to forget i pay homage to our teacher SammasamBuddha Goetama,
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahatto Sammasambuddhassa 3x
Homage to the Blessed One, the Arahant, truly and completely Awakened One3x
May all being be well and happy
Mettacittena
Qzl (Dee)
( oh my native language is not english, so please bear with me).
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What is this please?
Are you new to the Forum?
I have been using suttacentral for a little over two years now but I only became an active member approximately 6 months ago.
Do you read a lot and post seldom?
I generally do much more reading than posting. Iāve only posted twice in fact.
Things like whether you are Buddhist by birth or by conviction, whether you live in a Buddhist majority or minority society.
I grew up in a small Christian community, however, I wasnāt a particularly religious person. By the time I was in high school I had basically lost all interest in religion and was primarily interested in philosophy, science and history. Through my interest in philosophy I was introduced to Buddhism via Tibetan Buddhism and then made my way through the Mahayana traditions before finally arriving at Theravada approximately ten years ago. I am now 36 and have been practicing meditation and studying the suttas daily for ten years. I feel like the blind man who found the wish fulfilling gem in a pile of trash, profoundly lucky. So, motivated by a sense of gratitude, I am learning the Dhamma and how to teach it. To that end, I also have begun to learn PÄli so that I can read the sutras themselves with all of the subtleties and nuances in meaning that may be lost in translation.
I am exceedingly grateful for all of the work that everyone involved with suttacentral does to make this resource available to everyone. This site has been immensely helpful to me and Iām certain to many others.
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