Touhou made me interested in Buddhism and Daoism, but especially Daoism. I didn't like the idea of basing my entire worldview on suffering, it seemed pretty sad, and I liked the part of Daoism that makes you in harmony with the world and nature, and accept everything as it is. However, despite considering reading the Dao De Jing, I did not end up doing it because I felt (erroneously at the time) that following an East Asian religion without having the background was "LARPing". And Buddhism kept being at the back of my mind, the Gyate Gyate Kyouko says became a vocal tic of mine and something I just say out of instinct. I know know that it is a mantra and probably connected me to Avalokiteshvara in some way (also known as Guan Yin and Kannon). I also felt enamored with Shou Toramaru.
One day, out of nowhere, I randomly decided to try meditation with absolutely no background or knowledge about it, and put sutras on my phone, and then I managed to clean the lump of hoard I had sitting on the other side of my room for months. The urge to do this is completely unexplicable. Then, during a trip to Amsterdam, I went to a Buddhist temple out of curiosity that was in front of me while I was wandering (Fo Guang Shan's He Hua temple), decided to pay money to take books and pamphlets with me despite me running out of money. The same day, I decided to do shrooms, and while waiting for my dad, I read the pamphlets out of curiosity (https://www.fgsitc.org/booklets/) and found the one on birth and death especially interesting. The cyclical nature of well, nature, should be reflected in our lifespan, it made sense. Death should not make anything stop.
I then did shrooms, and they told me Buddha was right and that his ideas were compatible with my worldview, especially the dialectial nature of the world and dependant origination. I didn't take it at face value and didn't become a Buddhist, but I felt that it was too much coincidences and that me finding the temple the same day as the shrooms was not a coincidence. However, something important, is that while I was on shrooms, something told me to never do it again, and that all drugs are poison. I also felt like it was very easy to come to very wrong conclusions under its influence, so I really don't recommend it. The following morning, I paid the temple a visit again, and coincidentally, it turns out it was Shakyamuni Buddha's birthday, I bathed the Buddha statue and wished for the eradication of evil thoughts. Apparently, in May 2024 I had a dream that I spread Buddhism in my home country. I do not remember this whatsoever.
Anyways, for a few months, I just continued on with life, and eventually decided to read the book that I bought in the Temple about the basics of Buddhism (https://archive.org/details/TheCoreTeachingsBuddhismMasterHsingYun). I was pretty much convinced by it. I found that it was profound that I was exposed the Dharma in a moment of my life when I could understand and feel it. I definitively think that I was karmically linked to it. While browsing the threads, I felt more and more connected to Okina and she weirdly invaded my mind. I eventually listened to my instinct and started researching Tendai (the school that worshipper Matarajin) and contacted a Tendai temple online out of curiosity. It was around the time of Obon, the Sangha did the ritual together, and I felt very positive about it.
I also feel very connected with Lord Bishamonten, maybe he tried to reach out to me using Shou, maybe not. Everytime I stray away from him, I get a syncrhonicity bringing me back, like for example recently the translation of a sutra I was researching (https://youtu.be/aoEXCmqSBQQ) by a Tendai monk (I recommend his channel and his website https://tendaiaustralia.com for learning about Tendai). I was eventually allowed to recite his mantra, and now he is most likely my honzon (main object of worship). I also was born on the year of the Rooster (guess my age!) which links me astrologically to Fudo Myo-o, which I have often visions of. That was my experience, I hope you enjoyed reading it. You who is reading this, is also a Buddha.
