Supernatural

I'm a good old lapsed Catholic. I'm also a cradle Catholic. So I was born into the faith, have partaken of the 5/7 of the sacraments. The only ones I haven't done are the holy orders & last rites. But those don't really pertain to me so I can't be faulted. Then again, maybe we should start every day taking last rites, considering you never know if this day will be your last. I'm veering off topic.

So today, since I'm a good old lapsed Catholic, I thought a bit about what other religions are out there that might appeal.

I decided to look at Buddhism. I figured that it is probably easy enough to get into. There doesn't seem to be weekly services, but I wouldn't know. And they seem to have a lot of peace and wisdom there. Maybe they're onto something.

I started where every person should start their journey of faith:  Google. I looked up the phrase "becoming a buddhist." Who know there would be a website with exactly that phrase on their page? I should have done the real test of faith and selected, "I'm feeling lucky," when I submitted the Google search.

It was interesting reading. I really liked the vows.

• Sentient Beings are numberless, I vow to save them all.
• Sufferings are inexhaustible, I vow to end them all.
• Dharmas are boundless, I vow to learn them all.
• The Buddha Way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it.

Granted, I don't know what Dharmas or the Budda Way is, but the rest of the stuff there seems all good. How can you not want to be an instrument of salvation? How can you not want to end suffering? See all good.

I scrolled down and found the 5 precepts.

1. 1.  I practice the training of love, I refrain from killing.
2. 2.  I practice the training of generosity, I refrain from stealing.
3. 3.  I practice the training of contentment, I refrain from sexual misconduct
4. 4.  I practice the training of mindful speech, I refrain from harmful speech.
5. 5.  I practice the training of mindful consumption; I refrain from intoxicants & harmful substances that harm myself, society and the environment. 

The first one makes total sense. I'm on board with that. I don't kill people! That's crazy talk. Even in the Catholic way, we have that as number 5 in our rules. But then I thought, what if they're talking about killing anything? I remember hearing about Buddhist monks apologizing for the ants they might kill as they walked on the ground. That seemed excessive to me. Does this mean no beef? No pork? No delicious meat of any kind? I don't know if I can get on board with that. I'd have to think about that a little more.

Okay, no stealing is also in the Catholic rules (a.k.a. 10 commandments). I am with that one hundred percent. No stealing makes sense. It's wrong.

Number 3 is also acceptable and again with cross over with the 10 commandments, specifically #6. Yeah, I can do that.

Number 4 might be a challenge. There is a little bit of crossover with number 8 of the big 10 from Catholicism. But maybe this is a challenge that I can incorporate. Seriously, isn't it always better to be kind and compassionate with your speech. Words have energy and are powerful. It makes sense to use them with wisdom.

Then I came to number 5. "Training of mindful consumption," makes sense to me. There is the crossover to Catholicism with the classification of gluttony being one of the seven deadly or mortal sins. It isn't in the big 10, but definitely in the teachings.  It's why I like sunflower seeds. They're a snack food that you have to take the time to eat. You can't just inhale them the way you could a handful of nuts or chips. You have to crack open each one, appreciate each tiny seed as the gift if deliciousness it is. And then there was the second half of that precept.

"...refrain from intoxicants & harmful substances that harm myself, society and the environment."

What exactly are they talking about here? Crude oil? Probably. But the thing closer to my own life was alcohol. You're-the-reason-Mommy-drinks jokes aside, I like having a beer a few times a week. I like going out with friends and having a couple few drinks as a social lubricant. It feels grown up and definitely non-mommyish. There is something freeing about it that helps me keep my sanity. Could it be that this would be the hurdle too high to get me to switch to Buddhism from lapsed Catholicism? Yeah, that was it. I stopped reading the page after that.

Catholics drink. Proudly, boisterously, and enthusiastically. Cheers & Amen!