When I first began to read books about Buddhism, I realized the way I already thought, felt, and lived seemed to follow a parallel path. Therefore, when taking it up as my own faith, I already seemed to be partially practicing Buddhism. As I read more, discussed more, and studied more, I realized just how different to other religions Buddhism was. Whereas others heavily featured such as belief in a creator god, being obedient and pleasing to such god, and worshipping the entity, Buddhism much more focused upon setting ourselves right, and then radiating out into the world about us. It was a far more practical and self activated religion, involving much practice in everyday life.

Some ways we can change our lives in order to properly practice Buddhism can be found in basic Buddhist beliefs. One simply attempts to pick up new practices or adapt old ones, and gradually shapes oneself towards the goal. For example when attempting not to kill or harm any living being, one can start by no longer killing insects, becoming a vegetarian, eradicating hate and anger, or signing petitions to end the slaughter or animals. If one is working on generating compassion one could begin by recognizing the natural feelings of compassion we have for those we love, and extending these to reach everyone, or one could simply stare at an insect and observe it carefully until one began to feel that its life had a value.

As an example, since practicing Buddhism I have felt kindly thoughts to cockroaches that scuttle about the house or to spiders that creep about my ceiling. I now recognize them as living beings with an equal right to life, rather than pests to spray or squish. I feel I do not want to harm them, let alone kill them. If they need to be moved, this must now be done in a less harmful way. Otherwise, I would feel bad inside of myself. I find that I can now observe them, and that they are quite intriguing. If I had not chosen to become a Buddhist, they would simply have become a splattered mark on my bedroom wall.

Another way to practice Buddhism in our everyday life is to set aside a time for reading, meditation, and study. As we first read about Buddhism, we can then progress into meditation. Whilst meditating, we can often find ways in which we can live out the things that we have read about surfacing from within. Later, we can contemplate these. We can see if we are willing to take up the new ideas we have discovered. Sometimes the simple learning of a new truth

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