What Fascinates you About Buddhism?

Question

Why do u think Buddhism is becoming more and more poplular in the U.S?. How is Buddhism a universal religon?.

Answer 1

I hate to not be a smarty pantzz, but buddhists are the only ones whose leader says: any call to goodness is right. That versus the "join us or your'e wrong" mentality is certainly much more believeable.

Answer 2

I have read a lot about the different religions of the world, and one of my favorite ones is Buddhism. Mainly because it focuses more on your inner peace and how to project it to other living beings. With Buddhism you can free from selfish desires, and keep the evenness and peace of God which is always the same. I think Buddhism is becoming more popular in the US because people are starting to realize that wild materialism creates emptiness of spirit. A simpler and more spiritual life, like Buddhism preaches, brings more happiness.

Answer 3

I am a follower in a "sect" of Buddhism, I use quotes because Shintoism formed in no direct relations to Siddhartha's teaching but take influence from Buddhist tenants. I follow Shinto because simply it is something I believe in. It doesn't try to explain why the world is the way it is. It only teaches you how to live your life in a way to reach enlightenment. How to detach your self from the suffering of this world. Also there is no proselytizing in Buddhism, to do so would be a grave perversion of the teachings of Buddha and disrespect to the ancestors

Instead of fear of the end of the world and how you will survive it, Buddhism and all it's "Sect" strive for Enlightenment. How to expand your mind, help others.

Also I think the Deities and Bodhisattva's are figures people can try to emulate. Take The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, After achieving enlightenment and Ascension to Nirvana, she hears the suffering of the world and return to the world and vows never to leave until all suffering is eased.

To say that God spoke through Buddah is gravely wrong. Buddah recieved his enlightenment through understanding the ballance of the world within himself. Buddhism is really a religion of the self, to improve, grow, better, expand and transcend the self.

Finally (I promise) Buddha was Man. Not child of a god
not son of god not part of god but man. Sidartha became God. Knowing that it empowered mankind more than any other teaching or belief has. While Sidartha (Guatama Buddah) is not the first Buddah. The first Buddah, The Eternal Buddah is almost equivelant to God, but he was Man who after numerous eons of meditating found enlightenment and allowed other men to achieve enlightenment and Godhood

Answer 4

What fascinates me about Buddhism is how close its teachings are to Christianity, so close that Jesus has been accused of taking Buddha's teachings to form his own religion.
Check out the book:
The Lost Years of Jesus

I don't believe Jesus took his writings but I do believe God spoke through Buddha and gave the people at that time what they needed and prepared them to investigate Christianity.
He said:
"They were to follow the fruits of the way"
Jesus said:
He was "the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
and we are to know his followers by their "fruit".

Buddha also said he was not the first Buddha or the last.
As a Buddhist friend who accepted Christ told me -"Buddha had to get his enlightenment from somewhere. I believe it came from God"

Could the Buddist be some of the "other sheep"
Christ talked about?

Answer 5

I think more Americans are digging Buddhism because it's a practical spirituality that can help with daily life without making false promises that set us up for dissapointment. Buddhism helps quiet the inner person in a culture full of noise: thousands of advertising messages per day and all the entertainment and gadgets of the west. We need Buddhism's quiet spirit.

Answer 6

Idolators? you do no longer understand Buddhism all right. Buddhism isn't referred to as a god, nor as God. Nor as a prophet. Buddha is a guy who discovered why we are so unhappy, and what we can do to end being unhappy. it extremely is not a faith. it extremely is the 1st self-help software, and particular, superstitious uneducated villages dealt with Buddha as a God, yet they dealt with each and every thing as a God. The priests do no longer coach it that way, however, and that they are the companies of the classes. particular, Buddhists bow right down to statues of Buddha. Buddhism comes from the a strategies East, would not it? those are cultures the place you bow right down to elders, bosses, to somebody you appreciate. And exhibiting appreciate for the 1st instructor of Buddhism implants into your heart the attitude of appreciate for the practices. Which makes you greater probable to DO the practices. And those practices? “employing the breath as his universal concentration of interest, the meditator applies participatory remark to the completely of his perceptual universe. He learns to computer screen adjustments occurring in all actual stories, in thoughts and in perceptions. He learns to income his very own psychological activities and the fluctuations interior the character of know-how itself ... Meditation is a residing interest, an inherently experiential interest.” (“Mindfulness in undeniable English” via Venerable H. Gunaratana Mahathera, a Theravadan Buddhist) what's so undesirable approximately taking an exceedingly gooooood seem at your self? Are you worried of what you ought to be certain? With some compassion for your self, you could stay to tell the story seeing your self for sure. And as quickly as we initiate coming up compassion for ourselves, then we can sense compassion for others. it extremely is the Buddhist course. and is not any longer that what Christ informed us too? to love one yet another? the version is that Christ is seen as a God, mutually as Buddha is seen as a guy.

Answer 7

it has universal tenants like most all religions. what fascinates me is how similar it can be to my own faith at times.

its growing popular because jackass celebrities like richard gere want to be hip and cool, and follow religions that they think won't judge their awful, self-centered lives.

example: there are more zoroastrians in los angeles than anywhere else the world. - why? madonna....

Answer 8

Nothing fascinates me about it. I was searching when I was younger, and looked into it for awhile, but it didn't do anything for me so I moved on.

Answer 9

Ummmm, nothing.

Answer 10

not a thing.