Peaceful greetings, fellow Mindspringers! It will be my birthday in 2.5 hours, and as a "Leap Year Baby" who only celebrates her birthday once every four years, I feel this is a magical time for me to contemplate matters that are, at their root, divine and spiritual. I hope you will allow me these musings and questions, for I am seeking your input on questions that have arisen in my addled brain after attending Mindspring live sessions in Mindfulness and Buddhism. I think all of us in this beautiful community have come to this site from various backgrounds, with deep and different lenses through which we view the world and spirituality. I initially perceived all of the new ideas provided by wonderful Alistair and this site through my personal lens as a progressive Muslim, fervent feminist and queer ally. Believe me, it was challenging to cotton on to some of the ideas expressed here! LOL But recently I have come to this site with a more simplistic approach, a more open perspective. Still, I have questions that run round my heart and soul, and I wonder if any of you have approaches to them, or answers that have provided you with peace and clarity. Here are three of my most pressing questions, with thanks for considering them! Firstly, I understand that Buddhism does not have hard and fast rules concerning how a person should live (unlike Abrahamic faiths). But what about the precepts? Are they not rules for living? If they are broken, is there judgement? Are there consequences? And is one of the consequences additional suffering? Secondly, Buddhism talks about the importance of "no-self", but in this universe, how can there be "no-self" without there being "self"? And thirdly, I understand that Buddhism does not perceive there to be a Creator Deity - a Supreme God - but isn't the goal of meditation and mindfulness to empty oneself of everyday thoughts and endless suffering to come to a place of ethereal emptiness, where there remains (in words from the Qur'an) "only the face of God"? I'd like to end this epistle (!) with a million thanks to you all, and blessings, salaams and lasting peace!
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My message was just posted today, almost two months after I wrote it, and if you have kindly read my long message, I would like you to know that I now have answers to questions one and two, through studying Buddhism and listening to Alistair's amazing sessions. I still wonder if the serene emptiness and ultimate reality of Buddhism is very much like the serene stillness and ultimate reality of Islam, but I don't mean to contrast, or try to mingle the philosophies. Thank you for allowing me this expression of my thoughts, and hugs to you all!