conflicted

by din

(philippines)

Hi I’m Din from the Philippines and I’m 20 yrs old. I grew up in a devout catholic family and all the schools I attended were all catholic schools.

Ever since I was a kid I had been disenchanted with the Catholic church; I always felt I was an outsider and I never really felt that I was a Catholic.

When I was in high school I started reading Japanese lit such as Yukio Mishima and others, and I found myself being attracted to Buddhism. I’ve badly wanted to become a Buddhist since, but I know that I will hurt my family if I do so. please advise me on what I should do. should I push through to becoming a Buddhist?

I feel really conflicted. thanks.

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My answer:

Din, conflict inside is suffering, something Buddha talks about. I understand how you feel, you want to please your family but you still want to follow your heart.

Why not do both? Buddhism is one of the most liberal religions. So liberal indeed that some people call it a philosophy more than a religion. You could practice all the Buddhism principles without having to leave the church.

Doing so, would not even go against the Catholic faith. I have heard of many priests practicing Zen. To me, Buddhism adds a set of guidelines and principles to an individual and they can be inserted in another religion. There would be little conflict.

Unless you start praying to other deities and such, like many do in Japanese Buddhism. But there is no need to do so to be a Buddhist at heart.