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to become a shaman...

Migrated topic.
A shaman is born with a gift and depending on the culture it is either encouraged or squashed but the gift is born in not learned. The gift can be honed by learning but cannot be created no matter how long you study. It is like becoming Buddha, unless one is born Buddha one can only become buddah-like.
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Umm... have you ever read anything about Buddhism? Your totally wrong. The Buddha himself says that every being has a "Buddha-nature"? Where the hell did you get that? Tell me what a Bodhisattva is?

I also believe that while a shaman may be born with certain gifts, many shamans are trained and learn to become shamans.
 
[quote='Coatl]
A shaman is born with a gift and depending on the culture it is either encouraged or squashed but the gift is born in not learned. The gift can be honed by learning but cannot be created no matter how long you study. It is like becoming Buddha, unless one is born Buddha one can only become buddah-like.
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Umm... have you ever read anything about Buddhism? Your totally wrong. The Buddha himself says that every being has a "Buddha-nature"? Where the hell did you get that? Tell me what a Bodhisattva is?

Like every being has a buddha nature every being has a "shamanic" nature this does not mean every one can become a Bodhisatva (A being raised to buddha consciousness who is not Sidhartha) nor does it mean everyone can become a Shaman.Native Shaman do not make a "career decision" they are usually chosen as apprentice for their inherent gifts.A "trained shaman" will give you ritual while a gifted shaman will improvise. So yeah I suppose there are "trained Shaman" but I equate them with trained priests who rely on ritual and formulaic approach. Gifted Shaman use their gifts to intuit the correct approach, this is what cannot be taught, one either has the intuitive gift or one does not. If one has the gift it can be encouraged and nurtured into a powerful tool if one does not have the intuitive gift then reliance on ritual and formulaic work is all one will be able to achieve.
All that said training can bring out gifts unknown as well as reveal the lack of gift. Do not think because you can go to south america and a "shaman" will apprentice you that you will be a Shaman when they are done. they may just be a bit wealthier and you a bit poorer. A gifted shaman will tell you straight up if you are wasting their time and either offer healing or show you the door.

I also believe that while a shaman may be born with certain gifts, many shamans are trained and learn to become shamans.
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In some shamanic cultures, a young potential shaman gets his calling usually from what in the west is known as a psychotic break. Meaning these people exhibit many traits similar to someone who is insane. The difference is they don't get locked up but rather then enter a path of learning to use their mental powers + drugs to do their shamanic work. If they fail they go insane or die or maybe just go back to normal after a while I dunno.

I don't think this is the case with all cultures however I think some the insanity (note i am not saying insanity is a negative thing) starts when they start becoming a shaman because of all the realms they are forced to descend into.

Umm... have you ever read anything about Buddhism? Your totally wrong. The Buddha himself says that every being has a "Buddha-nature"? Where the hell did you get that? Tell me what a Bodhisattva is?
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Who cares what buddha said? All he did was get pissed off because he was a rich spoiled prince who saw that everyone outside his palace was poor and suffering and he got depressed and eventually figured out the only way to get over his depression was to meditate away all his earthly desires. That's what buddhism is based on some rich prince dealing with his depression because he couldn't handle seeing all the poor people.

All buddhism is a psychological tool to deal with ones own psyche and desires. Its also a tool to induce mystical experiences through meditation which is part of dealing with oneself. There doesn't need to be any deeper truth behind it because the mystical experience is powerful enough to shred away most peoples ability to continue questioning what a mystical experience is.
 
Who cares what buddha said? All he did was get pissed off because he was a rich spoiled prince who saw that everyone outside his palace was poor and suffering and he got depressed and eventually figured out the only way to get over his depression was to meditate away all his earthly desires. That's what buddhism is based on some rich prince dealing with his depression because he couldn't handle seeing all the poor people.

Your right... he should have ignored and shunned the poor like a normal person. I mean where the hell does he get off?
 
Your right... he should have ignored and shunned the poor like a normal person. I mean where the hell does he get off?
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I never said that shunning the poor is a positive thing nor implied thats what I believe. I am just stating what my opinion on buddhism and its origins are. But then again I don't think its a good idea to base my life around what any one single person said a long time ago. But thats just me. Now buddha did encourage people to help the poor etc but look at the reality of who buddha was and how he came up with an answer for human suffering and it becomes apparent that buddhism is more of a psychological tool then a religion.

I meant who cares what budda said in the sense that who cares what he thinks has to be done to live a happy life or become a "buddha" whatever that means. That is for each person to figure out their own way.
 
But thats just me. Now buddha did encourage people to help the poor etc but look at the reality of who buddha was and how he came up with an answer for human suffering and it becomes apparent that buddhism is more of a psychological tool then a religion.
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Ya I totally agree. I was just playing devil's advocate.
 
Cool^^. I think it also applies to shamanic traditions. Different cultures developed different traditions rituals about their shamanic practices that may or may not always apply universally. So if one pursues the path of a shaman don't necessarily try to emulate the path of another culture if it does not fit in with your beliefs or desires. Take what you find beneficial from the advise of others but ultimately follow your own path.
 
bufoman said:
Read carlos castanada if you have not already. While he may have made up the stories they are incredible and the logic and philosophy of don juan is incredible. It is relevant to shamanism and everyday life.
Good luck. I would try and talk with real shamans if I were you, they have thousands of years of knowledge on the subject.
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Yes I was a follower of Somewhat; a great majority of Don Juan's teachings for about 3 years solid from when I was 13, though this was mainly to help me pick up girls, it also developed my own self-confidence (an invaluable quality).

And set the stage to undergird the future learning then honing of my skills in social/Emotional Intelligence 8)
 
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