Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!rutgers!njin!princeton!tiamat.fsc.com!chromc!dynasys!jessea
From: chromc!dynasys!jessea@tiamat.fsc.com
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Looking for a philosophy/religion.
Message-ID: <1127@idunno.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 10 Jul 90 18:24:34 GMT
Sender: mukund@idunno.Princeton.EDU
Lines: 47
Approved: mukund@idunno.Princeton.EDU

I have an interesting problem that maybe some can help me with.

I believe that people need some sort of foundation for their morals to stand
on.  It is helpful to have some sort of guiding light when faced with difficult
decisions and problems.  I have come to the conclusion that I lack this 
foundation.  I am an atheist and do not believe in any kind of overall
intelligent being guiding the universe through its paces.  And I definitely
don't believe in a Christian type of god.

So, basically, I'm looking for some helpful hints on where to look for 
moral guidance.  I'm not asking for you to try to convert me or teach me
how your particular religion/philosophy works.  I'm asking for pointers
on reading material on other such helpful hints.

I'm not quite sure, but I think I may be looking more for a philosophy than
a religion.  I don't really care for mysticism or such things as that.
An example is _The Three Pillars of Zen_.  I started reading that, but the
further I got, the more mystical it became.  I'm looking more for some
logical way of looking at things.  It doesn't have to be something that
explains everything completely by logic, but at least gives some sort of
explanation on why this way of thinking exists.

I also tend to lean more towards an eastern way of thinking.  I believe that
everything is cyclical and balance should be maintained.  I believe that there
will always be "good" and "evil", or "good" and "bad".  But a balance must
be maintained between them.  To me, life is all about the struggle to maintain
the balance.  It is very rarely in balance, but ceaselessly strives to
reach equilibrium.

Can anyone help me here?  Can you see what I'm driving at?  I would appreciate
any help as I'd rather not read every book on philosophy or religion just
to find the one that best suits my needs and perspectives.  I realize that
I will not find one that exactly the way I think, but close is good enough
for me.

I'm tired of just saying I'm an atheist.  I'd like to be able to generally
describe my way of thinking about life and existance by just saying "I'm a
such and such."  Saying that you are an atheist only describes one small
part of what you believe.

Thanx for any help.  I would appreciate it.


-- 
Jesse W. Asher - Dynasys - (901)382-1705     Evening: (901)382-1609 
6196-1 Macon Rd., Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38134  
UUCP: {fedeva,chromc}!dynasys!jessea