What exactly is Buddhism?

Question

I have heard of it, but never really knew what it was. From a buddhists perspective(not wikipedia or anything) what is Buddhism?

Answer 1

From a lay Buddhist perspective:Buddhism is the eternal Truth!

Just look at the 4 noble truths, the 8 folds noble path,dependent origination and the three characteristics of existence.
In the 4 noble truths,the Buddha explained:what is suffering;causes of suffering;cessation of suffering and the path to cessation of suffering.
The teaching of the Buddha can be summed up as:do no evil;do good;and purify one's mind.
The first two are common to all religions.What is so great about Buddhism is the third aspect of the Buddha's teaching!PURIFY ONE'S MIND!
No one can purify our mind except ourselves!
How to purify one's mind?THE NOBLE 8 FOLDS PATH!
Hope this is of help to you.

Answer 2

Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of psychology. Buddhism is also known in Sanskrit or Pali, the main ancient languages of Buddhists, as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means the teachings of "the Awakened One". Thus was called Siddhārtha Gautama, hereinafter referred to as "the Buddha". Early sources say that the Buddha was born in Lumbini (now in Nepal), and that he died aged around 80 in Kushinagar (India). He lived in or around the fifth century BCE, according to recent scholarship[1]. Buddhism spread throughout the Indian subcontinent in the five centuries following the Buddha's passing, and thence into Central, Southeast and East Asia and Eastern Europe over the next two millennia.

Today, Buddhism is divided primarily into three traditions:

Theravada - practiced mainly in certain parts of South Asia (mostly Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia
Mahayana - practiced predominantly in East Asia
Vajrayana - distinct school within Mahayana, practiced in Tibet and Mongolia, and surrounding regions.
The earlier Hinayana ("Small Vehicle") schools of thought that stemmed from the Indian subcontinent largely died out a millennium ago [citation needed]. The term Hinayana however is still associated in part with the Theravada tradition.

Buddhism continues to attract followers worldwide and is considered a major world religion. According to one source ([5]), "World estimates for Buddhists vary between 230 and 500 million, with most around 350 million." However, estimates are uncertain for several countries. According to one analysis[2], Buddhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world behind Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and traditional Chinese religion. The monks' order (Sangha), which began during the lifetime of the Buddha in India, is amongst the oldest organizations on earth.

In Buddhism, any person who has awakened from the "sleep of ignorance" by directly realizing the true nature of reality is called a buddha. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is thus only one among other buddhas before or after him. His teachings are oriented toward the attainment of this kind of awakening, also called with various nuances enlightenment, Bodhi, liberation, or Nirvana.

Part of the Buddha’s teachings regarding the holy life and the goal of liberation is constituted by the "The Four Noble Truths" about dukkha, a term that refers to suffering or the sorrow of life. The Four Noble Truths about suffering state what are its nature, its cause, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. This way to the cessation of suffering is called "The Noble Eightfold Path", which is one of the fundamentals of Buddhist virtuous or moral life.

you can read and learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddist

Answer 3

Buddhism is a beautiful simple yet complex system of beliefs.
The main idea behind Buddhism is that we are all one and All living things have a right to live.
If one living thing tips the delicate balance of life all is affected.
And the concept that people are reborn after dying. In fact, most individuals go through many cycles of birth, living, death and rebirth. After many such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana. This is a state of liberation and freedom from suffering.



This is the basic belief system of Buddhism:-

The Three Trainings or Practices:

Sila: Virtue, good conduct, morality.
This is based on two fundamental principles: The principle of equality: that all living entities are equal. The principle of reciprocity: -- to do onto others as you would wish them do onto you.

Samadhi: Concentration, meditation, mental development. Developing one's mind is the path to wisdom which in turn leads to personal freedom.

Prajna: Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment.
This is the real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure and calm.

The Four Noble Truths:
The Buddha's Four Noble Truths explore human suffering.

Dukkha: Suffering exists:

Samudaya: There is a cause for suffering.

Nirodha: There is an end to suffering.

Magga: In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path.


The Five Precepts:
These are rules to live by.

Do not kill.
Do not steal.
Do not lie.
Do not misuse sex.
Do not consume alcohol or other drugs.

The Eightfold Path:
The Buddha's Eightfold Path consists of:

Panna: Discernment, wisdom:
1) Samma ditthi Right Understanding of the Four Noble Truths
2) Samma sankappa: Right thinking; following the right path in life

Sila: Virtue, morality:
3) Samma vaca: Right speech: no lying, criticism, condemning, gossip, harsh language
4) Samma kammanta Right conduct by following the Five Precepts
5) Samma ajiva: Right livelihood; support yourself without harming others

Samadhi: Concentration, meditation:
6) Samma vayama Right Effort: promote good thoughts; conquer evil thoughts
7) Samma sati Right Mindfulness: Become aware of your body, mind and feelings
8) Samma samadhi Right Concentration: Meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness

Answer 4

Simply speaking, this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.

The essence of Buddha’s teachings is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.

Answer 5

Buddhists believe in paths of enlightenment. The Buddah himself did not think it mattered whether there was a god or not.
It is for these reasons that I don't take Buddhism seriously. I have found the way. Jesus said , "I am the way, the truth , and the life." I'd rather know the way, than travel many paths. And I do believe in one God. That for me is superior to Buddahs many paths.

Answer 6

In a nutshell.........The "Enlightened One", said.."It worked for me".