this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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Simple Living

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This is a place to discuss simple living in all it's forms. Some may live a different life to you & that's okay, everyone is welcome here. Please keep it civil, we're all here for a good time.

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Never considered myself religious and during my younger years even dabbled in Atheism as a developing mind is inclined to do in questioning the beliefs they were brought up with.

However, recently I've been exploring philosophy as guidance and found the ideas behind Zen, Buddhism, Stoicism, and others expressed by the likes of Alan Watts, Ram Dass, Marcus Aurelius, and Miyamoto Musashi.

Just curious if anyone relates and if there's an encompassing term for these similar philosophies and individuals aforementioned. Not sure if this the the appropriate forum but I have some free time and wanted to engage in some conversation :)

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[โ€“] lobster@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago

I am a Zennith of sorts, that believes in an atheistic God, gods or large interdimensional CODS. I am also a heretic (most religions)

Buddhism, including Zen: https://newbuddhist.com/ or... If you need advice on Zen try https://www.treeleaf.org/

[โ€“] Yingwu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 days ago

Glad to hear you find these ideas useful! I've been a practicing Zen Buddhist for nearly a decade now, and Alan Watts was of course my first foray into exploring these ideas, even though he himself wouldn't describe himself as a Buddhist. I was also raised non-religious and I'd say I was a staunch atheist for some of my teenage years, but the solace and insight I've found in Zen has been life-changing in many ways. It also made me way more interested in religion as a concept, and what religion means to people in general.

While all you mentioned might share some similar ideas, I think it's difficult to group them together completely and find an encompassing term. But Watts, Ram Dass and MIyamoto Musashi at least were all inspired by dharmic religions. Stoicism shares similarities with Zen, but is in many ways also quite different. I'd hesitate to say too much though as I haven't looked into stoicism a lot. Also, Zen is as much Buddhism as Buddhism is Zen. The first patriarch of Zen was Mahakashyapa who was the only one among the Buddha's audience who understood what the Buddha meant when he raised a lotus flower in the air without saying anything :)