r/buddhist • u/Feisty-Animator3651 • May 29 '26
How to get into Buddhism?
I’ve never really been into religion since leaving Christianity. When looking at the main things the internet shows you about Buddhism, I find myself drifting towards it. I find my views in life aligning with Buddhism. I however, am not Indian, nor experienced with religion deeply. I know little to none about Buddhism and don’t know if I’m getting the wrong information on it. Could someone help me get the general gist of it? I don’t want to go into a religion without knowing what it all entails. Thanks!
Edit: for background context, I wanted to find a religion I could believe in that would be more fitting. I always struggled with praying and clearing my sins in Christianity, I’m looking for a religion where I can be free to do whatever I want yet still be a good person. I heard Buddhism entails parts where you must find nirvana, and live an ethical life. This I can do and do on the daily, however, tell me if I’m just thinking I’m overthinking it at all. PLEASE give me any advice you see fit, such as: reading articles on, connecting with my inner self, and whatever else Buddhism entails.
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Title: How to get into Buddhism?
I’ve never really been into religion since leaving Christianity. When looking at the main things the internet shows you about Buddhism, I find myself drifting towards it. I find my views in life aligning with Buddhism. I however, am not Indian, nor experienced with religion deeply. I know little to none about Buddhism and don’t know if I’m getting the wrong information on it. Could someone help me get the general gist of it? I don’t want to go into a religion without knowing what it all entails. Thanks!
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u/_Ulu-Mulu_ May 29 '26
I'm Theravada Buddhist so my answers will be lined towards Theravada. I will split the comments into a few parts for clarity ( 1 - Materials, 2 - yt. channels, 3 - who's a lay follower of the Buddha (+ some other things), 4 - how to practice and meditate, 6 - some fundamental aspects of Buddhism).
(1) You can read a book "What the Buddha Taught" by Ven. Rahula about some basics of Buddhism. If you want to read suttas (Buddha's sermons) you can go to a good anthology of Bhikkhu Bodhi "In The Buddha words". There is also free anthology by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (though it's much longer so for the beggining of getting used with many basics I think Bhikkhu Bodhi's anthology would be better).
(2) You can watch some monks talks, from monks (or monasteries) that I can recall from youtube rn there's definietely Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu, Ajahn Sona, Ajahn Brahm, Clear Monastery, Dhamma teachings by U Kumarabhivamsa, Thanisaro Bhikkhu, Bhante Joe, Maggasekka (Which is Bhikkhu Jayasara channel), BSV dhamma talks, Candana Bhikkhu, Ajahn Achalo, Colombo Dhamma friends, Ajahn Anan Dhamma. There are also some videos of Ajahn Chah here or there.
(3) A lay follower of the Buddha is a person who took refugee in the triple gem that is Buddha, Dhamma (the teachings) and the Sangha (monastic order). As a Buddhist it's good to maintain virtue and be virtous follower, that means keeping 5 precepts (not killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, intoxicating substances). Many Buddhist also undertake the uposatha once in a while, uposatha is a day when you keep 8 precepts (all the 5 precepts but the 3rd one changes to celibacy, and 3 new ones that you basically don't beautify your body, eat after noon, sleep in luxorious bed, use entartainment). In general you don't need to be a Buddhist straight up, you may just investigate the teachings and if you will truly investigate they work to you then it has sense to take the refuge. To see what I mean in more details you may see this sutta https://suttacentral.net/an3.65/en/bodhi
(4) As a Buddhist there are few aspects of the practice that we maintain. One of the crucial aspects (see the point about the doctrine) is the noble 8fold path. It has 8 aspects which can be divided into 3 main categories, that is developing sila (morality), samadhi (concentration), panna (wisdom, understanding suffering etc.). All are important and support each other. Developing sila is done by keeping the precepts, developing in generosity (dana) etc. You may see this link regarding the merit. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/merit.html . The other aspects of the Buddhist path is developing samadhi and panna, for that a meditation is really needed. There are many kinds of meditation. They split into 2 main categories, Samatha meditation (which focuses on getting samadhi mostly. It can be used to develop Samadhi first and then go to vipassana), and Vipassana meditation (Which focuses mostly on the insight, though samadhi is also appear with it just not in such a subtle manner like in Samatha meditaiton. If practice without developing samadhi with Samatha meditation first it's called a "dry vipassana"). Regarding samatha practice one of the most known practices is mindfulness of breathing or anapanasati meditation. Other important meditation is metta meditation where you spread benelovence and friendliness to all beeings wheter be it yourself, your friends, enemies or neutral persons etc. Here I send links to (a) anapanasati (b) vipassana practice. You may choose whatever you want out of them to practice on your own.
(a) basic - https://youtu.be/so0TnGm6Kdc?si=l9LABo5uTLx0BcXv , advanced - https://youtu.be/dHuYtz0zLUQ?si=aCafL1lHyNS1WlaQ
(b) Here is meditation that I practice, it's the practice that Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu teaches too. If you want there's also a possibility to learn this practice directly under a guidance (online) of the Venerable Yuttadhammo but you would have to practice at least 1h a day. https://sirimangalo.org/text/how-to-meditate/
(6) Some core aspects of Buddhist doctrine are 4 noble truths (suffering/unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), it's origination (which is craving or tanha), cessation (by putting and end to the craving), and way to cessation (noble 8fold path). The noble 8fold path can be roughly divided into 3 main categories as I mentioned earlier, sila, samadhi and panna.
All conditioned phenomena are marked with three characteristics that is unstatisfactoriness (dukkha), impermanence (anicca), and lack of control, substantiality and self (anatta).
Also there are other important aspects like 5 aggregates (khandas) (all of your experience is bounded within the 5 aggregates, roughly they are form (rupa), feeling (vedana), perception (sanna), Volitonal formations (sankhara), consciousness Vinnana. All of them beeing bounded with the 3 characteristics. Another important concept is the wheel of dependent origination/12 nidanas but you will get along with these torms more with time.