Hello one and all!

[Thornbird]

Hello everyone my name is thornbird, and I live on the South coast of England.
I am in my fifties, I have been on a spiritual journey for many years, but ultimately never fulfilled.
Buddhism has always been a path of mystery, indeed never understanding all of its many facets and different incarnations, yet somehow drawing me in, although I have never felt worthy of it.
So I have joined this forum to seek, knowledge and hopefully glean some insight & wisdom, & meet some gentle, loving & gracious folks along the way.
Be kind, be gentle, and hopefully I will bloom and perhaps one day be able to call myself a Buddhist. Thank you.

[Aloka]

Hello Thornbird,



I look forward to reading your posts in our various other forums on the website!


With metta,

Aloka

[woodscooter]

Hi Thornbird,

Thanks for your introduction. Welcome to Buddhism Without Boundaries !

Woodscooter.

[Cyril]

Hi Thornbird,
According to your introduction, you already have the right frame of mind to be a Buddhist.
The Buddhist universe seems complex, but in my humble opinion the basic message is quite simple to understand.
To stop suffering (or to suffer less) :
- you must not expect life to give you what it can't give you (such as youth, love and happiness forever)
- you must be kind to all living things
- you need to take a step back from what's happening to you, whether it's good or bad.

The difficulty lies in the application of the message.

Kind regards,
Cyril

[Esho]

Welcome Thornbird

[lisehull]

Hello Thornbird, and welcome to our group!

[justusryans]

Hello Thornbird, and welcome to Buddhism Without Boundaries. Here you will find many like minded people who are looking for the answers... Welcome

Metta
Mike

[Thornbird]

Thank you one and all, for your kind words of welcome and encouragement.
I look forward to dipping my toes into the shallows, then hopefully be able to go deeper as my knowledge and confidence grow. I thank you all for the warm welcome. Thornbird.

[Traveller]

Hi Thornbird,
According to your introduction, you already have the right frame of mind to be a Buddhist.
The Buddhist universe seems complex, but in my humble opinion the basic message is quite simple to understand.
To stop suffering (or to suffer less) :
- you must not expect life to give you what it can't give you (such as youth, love and happiness forever)
- you must be kind to all living things
- you need to take a step back from what's happening to you, whether it's good or bad.

The difficulty lies in the application of the message.

Kind regards,
Cyril

Cyril,

One thing I have begun to learn is that by being mindful of the desire to experience "happiness" one ceases to search for it in "external" things, turning the mind inward and making some effort to rest internally in the inherent peacefulness of it's own intuitive awareness one begins to find a superior form of happiness that is more like peace.

Welcome to the forum Thornbird. :).

[rocala]

Welcome, and good luck on your search.