Can anyone tell me whether Buddhism is classified as a religion or a way of life following habitual principle?

Answer 1

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.

Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.

There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation .

Answer 2

There is a part of buddhism that is a religion: Zen, Mahayana, Tibetan, New Land etc. And there is a what you can call, church, or sangha, and they also have what you call a pope, the Dalai Lama, who now lands a job teaching college people, last time I heard.

For one thing, buddhism doesn't praise any God, so it might be compatible with any other religions since you still get to praise their God, the Buddha suggests that there is no need to know or argue the existence of God since there is no scientific way of proving it exists.

But buddhism isn't a religion. It is a teaching by a riches-to-rags guy Siddharta Gautama, who is an enlightened being(a scientist, in layman's terms) who found out the way to the end of suffering, your suffering - in what is called the 4 noble truths. It had been proven for 2000 years that it works, but it is up for you to see if it is really true.

He also teaches how to attain spiritual perfection and happiness, and there are discourses too that goes as far as how to cure hemorrhage, lol.

I like reading Buddhist texts too, they are funny(his first 5 disciples left him because he ate delicious foods, he's supposed to be teaching ascetism to them / the priests at that time tried to trap him into an argument and convert him, but he converted them instead, and what's worse - he let them decide and see for themselves if they really want to convert and become beggar monks!), yet if you look deep enough at your life, you'll find them true.

Answer 3

All religions are different ways of life,even Christianity which was not even born when Lord Buddha was born is a some kind of way of life following habitual principles

Answer 4

There are a great many ways of practicing Buddhist, from complex philosophical inquiry and scholarship to straightforward practices of prayer and sacrifice to deities etc. So the unschooled peasant who gives a monk his daily rice is as important as the wisest scholar.

"Habitual principle" is anathema to Buddhism however. Being mindful and doing everything with intention is central. Nothing is do be done out of habit.

Answer 5

It all depends how you define religion. In practice, Buddhism look a lot like a religion - Buddhists have rituals, prayers, surround themselves with religious icons, etc...
But Buddhist philosophy states that these are not things to be worshiped, nor do Buddhists (at least in theory) expect these things to intercede in their favor in the world. These icons are there as reminders, to keep a person aware of the ideals they are trying to achieve.

Answer 6

If you take a world religions class in college and don't learn about Buddhism, get your money back.

Answer 7

It is both, as with all religions pretty much. Every religion is a way of life.

Answer 8

It is a religion. And any religion is also a way of life.

Answer 9

The Buddha taught to benefit all beings in the universe. Buddhism’s virtuous teachings, therefore, extend to all cultures or people: It is multicultural.
There are many different variations which have developed with little conflict. This has been because at its core is a philosophical system to which such additions can be easily grafted. Buddhism explains the reality of life and the universe: that all beings are equal by nature and that all teachings are equal. The Buddha said many times that the wisdom to understand the true reality of life and the universe, and the virtuous abilities to cultivate are all already within our true nature. Buddhism teaches us to have a broad mind, one that overflows with sincerity, purity, equality, proper understanding, and compassion. Everyday, we must strive to awaken to this reality. Being contented with all conditions and settings is a good example for all, and striving for attainment of freedom of mind and spirit will help to awaken. From this, we can see that the Buddha is a compassionate multicultural educator who is worthy of emulation.

Buddhism is Not a Religion. According to the Webster's Dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows, "An organized system of beliefs, rites, and celebrations centered on a supernatural being power; belief pursued with devotion."
Buddhism is not a religion because:
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First, the Buddha is not a 'supernatural being power'. The Buddha is simply a person who has reached Complete Understanding of the reality of life and the universe. Life refers to ourselves, and universe refers to our living environment. The Buddha taught that all beings possess the same ability to reach Complete Understanding of themselves and their environment, and relieve themselves from all sufferings to attain utmost happiness. All beings can become Buddhas, and all beings and the Buddha are equal by nature. The Buddha is not a God, but a teacher, who teach us the way to restore Wisdom and Understanding by conquering the greed, hatred, and ignorance which blind us at the present moment. The word 'Buddha' is a Sanskrit word, when translated it means, "Wisdom, Awareness/Understanding". We call the founder of Buddhism Shakyamuni Buddha because He has attained Complete Understanding and Wisdom of life and the universe. Buddhism is His education to us, it is His teaching which shine the way to Buddhahood.
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Second, the 'belief' in the Buddha's teachings is not blind belief, or blind faith. Shakyamuni Buddha taught us not to blindly believe what he tells us, he wants us to try the teachings and prove them for ourselves. The Buddha wants us to know, not merely believe. The Buddha's teachings flow from his own experience and understanding of the truth, and shows us a path of our own to taste the truth for ourselves. The Buddha uses a perfectly scientific way of showing us reality in its true form.
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Third, Buddhism is not a religion because all the 'rites and celebrations' are not centered on a supernatural being, but rather the people attending the assemblies. The ceremonies and celebrations in Buddhism all serve an educational purpose, a reminder of the Buddha's teachings and encouragement to all students who practice it. The point of the ceremonies is to help others awaken from delusion and return to Wisdom and Understanding.
Finally, Buddhism is not a religion because the 'devotion' used in Buddhism is not one based on emotion, but one based on reason. Students of the Buddha are devoted to their practice of maintaining Purity of Mind because this practice brings true happiness. We are devoted to helping both ourselves and others attain Complete Understanding and Wisdom. Our devotion is to become Buddha.


Buddhism is a philosophy of life expounded by Gautama Buddha ("Buddha" means "enlightened one"), who lived and taught in northern India in the 6th Century B.C. The Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are aimed solely to liberate sentient beings from suffering.

Gautama Buddha taught the four noble truths: that there is suffering, that suffering has a cause, that suffering has an end and that there is a path that leads to the end of suffering. He saw that all phenomena in life are impermanent and that our attachment to the idea of substantial and enduring self is an illusion which is the principle cause of suffering.

Freedom from self liberates the heart from greed hatred and delusion and opens the mind to wisdom and the heart to kindness and compassion.

Answer 10

Buddhism, in my opinion, is both, and is a very pleasant religion/way of life. I like it, very calm way of life and very calm religion.