Question for Buddhists.?

Question

what do Buddhists believe in? Do they believe in a supreme being? What is a simplified answer on the buddhist belief structure.

Answer 1

It's all about proof through experience.

The closest thing that resembles belief to me is my relationship to the words of the Tao Te Ching.

I can't say that I understand a huge majority of the book, but I can say that some of the book says exactly what little I do understand about life (particularly chapter 20). Therefore, I can't help but lean towards BELIEVING in the majority of the book that I don't understand. Believing in it doesn't really change my life in the same way that proof through experience does, but I have had experiences of clarity where the experience makes me remember the words of the Tao Te Ching and how my personal experience was just described by the words in it (written 5,000 years ago). Therefore, my life has proven some of the Tao Te Ching to be true (to me, in my life). The rest I consider a real good possibility.

I'm done with my rant. I hope I made some type of sense. Thanks for asking.

Answer 2

Buddhists believe in the Universal Truths:The 4 noble truths;th 8 fold noble path;dependent origination;and the three characteristics of existence.
No creator or supreme being in Buddhist belief.

Answer 3

We do not concern ourselves with the prescence of a supreme being, as this takes away from true spiritual understanding that one can achieve in this life. Through deep meditation it is possible for one to see visions of their past lives, as many Buddhists have, so yes, Buddhists do believe in reincarnation. Once a person reaches enlightenement, or Nirvana, here is where there are arguments on the Buddha's teachings.

Answer 4

Many do believe in a supreme being, or specifically, many supreme beings. They serve more as guides than a leg up to heaven (or enlightenment). The spirits aren't considered 'better' than people, only different (they're immortal (good) but they can't really change (not so good)...it's like a lot of things in life, neither good nor bad but that thought makes them so).

As far as general beliefs, you can't get more basic than the four noble truths (in a nutshell, you want things, you suffer because you want and do not get - want is a human condition, so, therefore, is suffering).

Answer 5

As in much of Eastern thought, the universe is and was and always will be, in some form or another.

No supreme being. There's no need for one. Instead, one strives toward the state of enlightenment where you know absolutely that everything is connected, and everything co-exists as a single entity, in a manner of speaking.

The only "sins" are causing suffering to a sentient being (any living thing barring plants). This is measured simply by karma, an impersonal force that weighs the suffering you have caused against the suffering you have relieved.

Answer 6

Lots of types of buddhism. Basically, they operate under a "what comes around, goes around" mentality. Karma. If you do evil, evil will come back to you. They believe in reincarnation. If you progressed in this life, in the next you will be born into a higher life form (or as a "better" human), otherwise you can progress down.

They believe "desire" is the source of unhappiness. So to be "zen" or to rid yourself of desire is the best way to achieve enlightenment.

A supreme being isn't important to the belief system. Some believe, others don't.

It's more complicated than that, but you said you wanted simple.

Answer 7

You are Buddha. At least, you can be. The universe is simply made of one energy, of which you are a part. Everything you learn in life returns to enrich the universal energy from which you were created, and so on.

The goal in Buddhism is to be Buddha, which is simply to be fully enlightened about the nature of the universe. To become Buddha, you essentially become God, except not in the "one eternal deity" kind of way.

Instead you become your own god and are in full control of your own personal universe. Personal belongings do not matter, as they are simply part of the same energy. Doing harm to others is the same as harming yourself. Everything is tied together as one.

Interestingly enough, Buddhism is the only organized religion that does not contradict science. I appreciate the basic idea of Buddhism and that a "God" is completely unnecessary. I do believe that I am the strength in my own life and always look for truth instead of simple dogmatic faith to answer questions.

A good book is "The Buddha In Your Mirror". It's not very big, and will give you a good perspective of Buddhism and whether any of it makes sense to you.

Answer 8

They believe that by adhering to a set of moral precepts and following a system of practical philosophy set out by the Buddha they can escape material desires and attain a state of inner peace and enlightenment. That is the foundation of Buddhism-metaphysics like reincarnation are of secondary importance.

Answer 9

And what, monks, is right understanding? Knowledge with regard to suffering, knowledge with regard to the origination of suffering, knowledge with regard to the stopping of suffering, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of suffering: This, monks, is called right understanding.
Additionally, right understanding is sometimes considered to encompass an understanding of the Buddhist idea of the non-permanence, or even non-existence, of the self, an idea known as anatman in Sanskrit and anatta in Pali.
The Noble Eightfold Path (also known as the Middle Way) is essentially a practical guide of mental rehabilitation and mind deconditioning, by Buddhists, which is believed to result in an end to dukkha, or suffering, which is a goal that informs and drives the entire Buddhist tradition since its inception 2500 years ago. As the name indicates, there are eight elements in the Noble Eightfold Path, and these are further subdivided into three basic categories as follows:

Wisdom (Sanskrit: prajña, Pali: pañña
1. Right understanding
2. Right thought
Ethical conduct (Sanskrit: sila, Pali: sila)
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
Mental discipline (Sanskrit and Pali: samadhi)
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
In all of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, the word "right" is a translation of the word samyañc (Sanskrit) or samma (Pali), which denotes completion, togetherness, and coherence, and which can also carry the sense of "perfect" or "ideal".

Though the path is numbered one through eight, it is generally not considered to be a series of linear steps through which one must progress; rather, as the Buddhist monk and scholar Walpola Rahula points out, the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path "are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the others".









creator god

The Buddha argued that there is no apparent rational necessity for the existence of a creator god. Because there is no direct experience involved and no rational necessity, belief in a creator is not essential to a religion based on phenomenology. Since belief in a creator is not necessary, a particular theory about life and the cause of the universe is also not necessary, though of course one is free to accept a theory if they like, so long as they do not remain attached to it.

evolution

"There comes a time, Vasettha, when, after the lapse of a long, long period, this world died. And when this happens, beings have mostly been reborn into the Realm of Radiance [as devas]; and there they dwell, made of mind, feeding on rapture, self-luminous, traversing the air, continuing in glory; and thus they remain for a long, long period of time. There comes also a time, Vasettha, when sooner or later this world begins to re-evolve. When this happens, beings who had deceased from the World of Radiance usually come to life as humans...now at that time, all had become one world of water, dark, and of darkness that maketh blind. No moon nor sun appeared, no stars were seen, nor constellations, neither was night manifest nor day, neither months nor half-months, neither years nor seasons, neither female nor male. Beings were reckoned just as beings only. And to those beings, Vasettha, sooner or later after a long time, earth with its savours was spread out in the waters, even as a scum forms on the surface of boiled milky rice that is cooling, so did the earth appear."
Venerable Sariputta, the Buddha's chief disciple in wisdom said that a wise person is one who understands the four noble truths, and an unwise person is one who does not understand them.

Answer 10

No supreme being but a supreme state of consciousness that can be attained by anyone willing to try to attain it.