On calling oneself Buddhist
So I came across this subreddit recently, and have been going through some of the older as well as more recent threads. There are some fascinating discussions here, and much to be learnt.
However, reading some of the views expressed have left me a little confused too. I have benefitted greatly from Buddhist teachings and philosophy, and have been quite comfortable calling myself Buddhist, but I am starting to have doubts now.
I got introduced to Buddhism through Zen Mind Beginner's Mind by Shinryu Suzuki, and the fascination this introduction filled me with led me to read a lot of other Buddhist works (by Goldstein, Bhante G, Analayo, Mahasi Sayadaw, etc.)
I consider my life currently guided to a significant extent by Buddhism. I meditate for an hour everyday, try to keep the five precepts to the greatest possible extent, and make every effort to base my daily life decisions on the noble eightfold path.
At the same time
I have a high regard for the Pragmatic Dharma movement and its teachers, and have benefited a lot from it (This seems to be predominantly frowned upon by many traditional Buddhists)
My meditation is guided almost exclusively by The Mind Illuminated, which again does not seem to be a favourite in this subreddit (owing to reasons such as lineage, which frankly doesn't bother me at all.)
I cannot bring myself to accept the supernatural elements of Buddhism, such as rebirth and the realms. This is probably because I was raised Hindu, and superstitious beliefs such as these were the exact reason for my disillusionment with Hinduism. However, I see that popular opinion on this subreddit seems to be that 'Right View' necessarily entails acceptance of the whole of the Buddhadharma, including the supernatural.
Having said all that, I have full confidence in what I believe to be at the heart of the Buddha's teaching, which is that dukkha is real and that permanent liberation from dukkha is possible through sustained and diligent practice of the eightfold path. For this reason, I don't really identify with Secular Buddhism either (which doesn't really believe Awakening is real or permanent.)
My question, then, is - what does it take to call oneself Buddhist? To be clear, I am not looking for confirmation for myself (after all, 'Buddhist' is also a label.) Rather, I am interested in what this community's views are in regards to Buddhist identity.
Thanks for reading.
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