Thoughts on Shamanism/Buddhism?

[Grav]

After having two religious experiences as a child, I have become a firm believer in the spirits. Making this thread because I want to see if there's anybody out there that is the same.

I'll start with myself, coming from the steppes of Mongolia there is a strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism but also Tengristic shamanism. My whole family is ingrained in this religion so obviously I grew up with it, visiting the monasteries and whatnot. And then I actually got to see a possession.

Now this began when I was in seventh grade and summer break was rolling in. Went on a trip to visit the family of my paternal grandfather's uncle in the countryside. Weirdly the night after we sleep over at their cabin, they had brought a shaman. Complete stranger that the relatives invited.

Its midnight and this man begins chanting and dancing around the fire. He beats his drum and just shaking all over. Then his voice is replaced in this unnaturally hoarse and gravelly voice. Not even remotely possible for a human, and he keeps referring to himself as an ancestor spirit that has watched over his family. Anyways after ten minutes of this spirit talking, the relatives are crying because the shaman is spouting family secrets that only the alive ones know. I'm in a bruh moment watching this through the crack in the door. And then I passed out from exhaustion.

This eventually led to my beliefs of a weird mix of shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism. Anyways that was my weird experience with an actual spirit. Your thoughts?

 

[Lanmandragon]

After having two religious experiences as a child, I have become a firm believer in the spirits. Making this thread because I want to see if there's anybody out there that is the same.

I'll start with myself, coming from the steppes of Mongolia there is a strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism but also Tengristic shamanism. My whole family is ingrained in this religion so obviously I grew up with it, visiting the monasteries and whatnot. And then I actually got to see a possession.

Now this began when I was in seventh grade and summer break was rolling in. Went on a trip to visit the family of my paternal grandfather's uncle in the countryside. Weirdly the night after we sleep over at their cabin, they had brought a shaman. Complete stranger that the relatives invited.

Its midnight and this man begins chanting and dancing around the fire. He beats his drum and just shaking all over. Then his voice is replaced in this unnaturally hoarse and gravelly voice. Not even remotely possible for a human, and he keeps referring to himself as an ancestor spirit that has watched over his family. Anyways after ten minutes of this spirit talking, the relatives are crying because the shaman is spouting family secrets that only the alive ones know. I'm in a bruh moment watching this through the crack in the door. And then I passed out from exhaustion.

This eventually led to my beliefs of a weird mix of shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism. Anyways that was my weird experience with an actual spirit. Your thoughts?

I grew up in a penacostal church. What your describing sounds a good bit like "speaking in tongues". Maybe it's along the same lines?

 

[Grav]

I grew up in a penacostal church. What your describing sounds a good bit like "speaking in tongues". Maybe it's along the same lines?

Don't really have a good grasp on Christianity as a whole, came to the U.S. and my maternal grandmother's cousin's family were part of a church and I came along because of hanging out with the relatives. So most knowledge I have is basic Bible study. What do you mean by 'speaking in tongues'?

 

[Lanmandragon]

Don't really have a good grasp on Christianity as a whole, came to the U.S. and my maternal grandmother's cousin's family were part of a church and I came along because of hanging out with the relatives. So most knowledge I have is basic Bible study. What do you mean by 'speaking in tongues'?

Folks speaking in languages they can't possibly know seemingly randomly. Usally with a message from God(supposedly).

 

[Grav]

Folks speaking in languages they can't possibly know seemingly randomly. Usally with a message from God(supposedly).

The relatives understood everything said, it seemed to be a recently deceased relative to them.

 

[Lanmandragon]

The relatives understood everything said, it seemed to be a recently deceased relative to them.

That sounds pretty cool if freaky.

 

[Deleted member]

@GravitysMomentum that kind of religious belief is essential normal in most of the world. Certainly I think it’s perfectly valid, if you trust Buddhist teachers on theologians matters and understand spirits work in that framework according to their own understanding and experience of it. My own religion tolerates the practice of witchcraft, if magic is performed for Thame.

 

[Lanmandragon]

@GravitysMomentum that kind of religious belief is essential normal in most of the world. Certainly I think it’s perfectly valid, if you trust Buddhist teachers on theologians matters and understand spirits work in that framework according to their own understanding and experience of it. My own religion tolerates the practice of witchcraft, if magic is performed for Thame.

What is "thame"?

 

[Deleted member]

“Order, Harmony and Niceness within a community” might be the best way to put it.

 

[Lanmandragon]

“Order, Harmony and Niceness within a community” might be the best way to put it.

Ahh we just call that home here. God bless small towns.

 

[Deleted member]

Ahh we just call that home here. God bless small towns.

Small towns are indeed the only place you can find a remnant of it in these days after the Eclipse.

 

[Scottty]

"Shamanism/Buddhism"?
Isn't that conflating two very different things?
Even "Shamanism" by itself is a very loose classification.

 

[Lanmandragon]

"Shamanism/Buddhism"?
Isn't that conflating two very different things?
Even "Shamanism" by itself is a very loose classification.

Traditional Mongols relgion mixed with budhism is what I got out of it.

 

[Scottty]

Traditional Mongols relgion mixed with budhism is what I got out of it.

The Mongols tended to convert to the religions of the people they conquered.

 

[Grav]

The Mongols tended to convert to the religions of the people they conquered.

Well shamanism is the one original religion that stuck through in my country, and when Tibetan Buddhism came it formed a synthesis with it.

 

[Lanmandragon]

The Mongols tended to convert to the religions of the people they conquered.

Indeed many did but not all. They certainly had native religions since they were humans. That's what he means by shamanism.

 

[Jormungandr]

I honestly think most religions that focus on some almighty entity or entities creating us are bunk. Most modern religions can be traced back to prior ones too, which means the majority of the religions today are bastardized hybrids or children of other religions.

However, that being said, the support structures, closeness, and other positives that come with them basically helped form civilization and are needed to help maintain it, even in this modern era: family/traditional families, friendships and kindness, morals like ''don't be a dick to your fellow man unnecessarily'', ''work hard and don't be lazy cunts'', et cetera from various holy book fables are still relevant to human-nature and are still applicable even today.

Humans on the whole are pretty much hardwired to believe in something greater.

Living in harmony with nature? That I can understand and get behind wholeheartedly, and while shamanism has a spiritual like other religions component, it's pretty [from my limited understanding] great in that regard.

...I might be a bit biased because I love animals, heh.

 

[Hlaalu Agent]

Well shamanism is the one original religion that stuck through in my country, and when Tibetan Buddhism came it formed a synthesis with it.

I thought it was Tengriism? Or is Tengriism a form of shamanism?

 

[Grav]

I thought it was Tengriism? Or is Tengriism a form of shamanism?

It’s a form of shamanism.

 

[Hlaalu Agent]

It’s a form of shamanism.

Got it. So what forms of Shamanism besides Tengriism exists in Mongolia?