Is your God called Buddha? I have heard from several people that your religion is the most non judgemental & very peaceful religion there is. I am not very knowledgable in religion but I know the Jewish religion believes there was a man named Jesus Christ but he is not their saviour & I know as a Christian we do, but what is your position on that & what holiday do you celebrate? Thanks
2007-01-21 18:07:36 · 9 answers · asked by gitsliveon24 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The original Buddha was not a god, in fact there have been many Buddhas since him. He was just an ordinary man who achieved enlightenment. There is some scientific evidence that Jesus did exist, so I think most Buddhists would achnowledge his existance. There are many different sects of Buddhism and some celebrate holidays and some do not. I personally celebrate Christian holidays, not in a religious way, but just to get together with family. I don't celebrate any Buddhist occasions nor do I agree with any of the "traditional" types of Buddhism (such as worshipping a statue of the Buddha or participating in ceremonies). Hope this helps you. If you're interested in Buddhism, the book "Buddhism Made Simple" by Steve Hagen has a lot of good inforrmation and is an easy read.
2007-01-21 18:15:25 · answer #1 · answered by Aquaman83 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Buddha was not a God, he was a spoiled prince who eventually went on a journey and walked among the people, and saw how they really lived.
He was a man who reached "enlightenment". A higher mental plain of existence. He sat down under a Bodhi tree, for days and days, tranced out, and evidently saw the wonders of the universe. When he came out of his trance like state, he started teaching peace, meditation, etc.
I know people who consider themselves Christian AND Buddhist. Buddhism can work well with other religions a lot of the time BECAUSE the Buddha wasn't a God. He was a man who learned and shared alot of his wisdom with a lot of people. Much of that wisdom still holds true today.
2007-01-22 02:27:20 · answer #2 · answered by ntm 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not Buddhist but a great book to read is "The Complete Idiots Guide To Buddhism". I'm not calling you an idiot that's the name of the book. It answered many questions i had about Buddhism and i sagest reading their guides on all the major religions. Buddhist do call Buddha god but Buddha never calmed to be a god. The common belief is that he was so enlightened that upon death he became one. And so Buddhist worship him in the hopes of also achieving that level of hilliness.
2007-01-22 02:19:46 · answer #3 · answered by esplin227 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The Buddha was simply the teacher.
Buddhism is older than christianity; of course it would not refer to it. In addition, it is a Dharmic religion, not an abrahamic one.
Edit: The Buddha was not overweight; this is merely how the chinese imagine the future buddha to be.
2007-01-22 02:11:47 · answer #4 · answered by eldad9 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the confusion comes in when the Word "worshiped" is used. That word is not used the same way in Buddhism as it is in Christianity. in Buddhism it means " remind" or recenter, it does not mean to put a being on a pedestal or acknowledge him as a god. he wasn't a god, a normal man like everyone else
2007-01-22 02:40:38 · answer #5 · answered by handsomefunnyguy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, Buddha was a religious leader, just a man. Anyone has the potential to attain Buddhahood if they work at it, few achieve it.
2007-01-22 02:10:52 · answer #6 · answered by CHEESUS GROYST 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not a buddhist but can field some of this as I understand it.
Buddha was the great teacher - the most enlightened human there ever was.
2007-01-22 02:13:12 · answer #7 · answered by special-chemical-x 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buddha means to wake up. He said everyone is buddha they just don't know it.You can find out much more on the net.
2007-01-22 02:15:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Would you believe teachings of moderation and self control from a 600 lb. man?
2007-01-22 02:12:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋