I am not here to recruit new Buddhist, I’m sharing what I enjoy learning.
To become a Buddhist you take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma (teachings), and sangha (the community of enlightened minds). You can leave any time you wish, ithe Dharma is like a boat you build that sails the sea of body mind sensations. You can take this vow on your own or through a teacher, you can have a ceremony depending on tradition.
The schools that exist today come from the original schools that existed, but along the way 18-21 schools died out for various reasons stated in the article.
I have had teachings from the Burmese Theravada tradition, Korean Soen (Zen), and Tibetan Kagyu and Nyingma tradition. All totally different methods but grounded in Gotama’s teachings.
What I tell people is go to YouTube and watch some videos from Mahayana, Theravada, and Vajrayana teachers. Pick a tradition that moves you the most. Be careful, there are lots of cults and hucksters out there. But even if one falls pray to scammers, you can use the lessons you learned to break old conditioning☺️
The reason I like Buddhism is there is a way out, you can leave anytime you want it isn’t a cult😉
Thanks for the response. I did not think you were recruiting. I am just curious about how Buddhism handles itself. I consider myself not following any particular set of beliefs.