What's Buddhism?

Question

What's Buddhism all about? What's the attracting point which made their followers stick to it?

Just like how Christianity's about living in faith for Christ and accept His gift of salvation... How about the Buddhism side of story?

Answer 1

1) Buddha didn't force anything - he gives advices - our conscience will willingly to decide what we weed to do
2) The way, which allows people to redeem their sin, is also a way to live a better life
3) Mercy and gentleness are the strong point of Buddhism
Bad karma can only be redeemed by the ones who committed it, no one can forgive or save the sinner - they have to do it by themselves. Salvation will come to those who accept it. If they want to change and live as a better person, salvation eventually comes to them. Buddha doesn't require people to be faithful to him; he only asks people to live in a good way - so people, who belongs to other religions, can take his philosophy into their life without worrying about being convert into Buddhism.

Answer 2

what's a faith? no count if it is a theory gadget which incorporates greater than a number of deities, then Buddhism isn't strictly a faith. Buddha is respected as a God in some branches of Buddhism, yet as a instructor in others. The latter are philosophies no longer religions.

Answer 3

The name Buddhism comes from the word 'budhi' which means 'to wake up' and thus Buddhism is the philosophy of awakening. This philosophy has its origins in the experience of the man Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, who was himself awakened at the age of 35. Buddhism is now 2,500 years old and has about 300 million followers worldwide. Until a hundred years ago Buddhism was mainly an Asian philosophy but increasingly it is gaining adherents in Europe, Australia and America.
Please Read http://www.buddhistinformation.com/good_question,_good_answer.htm

Answer 4

Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion and a philosophy.[1] Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit and Pali, the languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism was founded around the fifth century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, hereafter referred to as "the Buddha".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/

Answer 5

READ HERE!!!!
VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!

You can cut to the chase and begin experiencing the benefits of Buddhism through chanting of the mantra of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, "nam myoho renge kyo." No study of dogma or history is required. That can come later. By practicing recitation of this mantra you can get all the benefits you have seen attributed to other meditation techniques, in a quick and direct way. Pursue it on the net. There are sites where you can hear the chant. And read Andrea Kovacs' story in the book "Visible Light," by Michael Lezy (New York Times Books).

Answer 6

The Buddha lived about 500 years before Jesus. He was a prince who was always protected and sheltered from the reality of suffering beyond his palace walls and one day he accidentally saw a homeless man (or disfigured-that detail I'm unclear about) and was shocked into an entirely different consciousness of thought and compassion.
He went on a quest from there to figure out why humans suffer-what 's it all about, ya know? Eventually, while meditating under a tree he received enlightenment and what is (mostly) now taught as Buddhist Dharma.
Compassion, love, peace and the idea that we all create our own reality through our perception and reaction to everything. Nothing we see is reality.
Also, we're all pieces of the One. One God. Buddhists believe in the same God as Christians, they just devote themselves differently.
And Buddha would probably dissapprove of his little statues all over all those altars everywhere. Just like Jesus, he wanted to teach, not be worshipped.
In my opinion, it kind of reminds me (loosely) of the philosophy behind The Matrix.

Answer 7

Buddhism is about dukkha (sufferings, unsatisfaction,etc) and how we develop our understanding about these phenomena and achieve happiness. The main qualities in Buddhism is Love and Wisdom.

Here, Love is Metta, a universal loving kindness to all beings since in the most subtle parts of our heart, we all want happiness.

Wisdom is Panna, an understanding about how dukkha emerges and how it will dissappear...

There is no stick in Buddhism. Ehipassiko, which literally means 'Come and See' encourages everybody to prove it by yourself. Even Buddha asked his disciples not to directly believe him.

Answer 8

Buddhism give free choice it doesn't teach "Believe in Buddha or go to hell !" So the Buddhist stood with Buddhism because they wanted to not because of fear like Christianity.

Buddhism started when a person named Buddha wanted enlightenment and wanted to end pain of all living things.

He tried many religions...

Many cults...

and after he tried them, he sat and meditated for 30 years and was enlightened(A person's proof of enlightenment is a yellow glow for the head).

Answer 9

Buddhism is a philosophical offshoot of Hinduism. All the tenets of the spiritual side of Buddhism can be found in Hinduism...Karma, Dharma, reincarnation, meditation, prayer beads etc etc.

Answer 10

Buddhism is not a religion,it is an education,the Buddha,after after gaining enlightment,ie he rid himself of greed,hated and delusion,realising the truth of the universe at the age of 30,went all over India to teach not to preach the universal truth for 49 years,he enters nivana at the age of 79,that is the stage of ultimate bliss or the stage of deathlessness,what he teaches is called Buddha Dhama or Universal Dhama and if you practise the Dhama,your relationship with the Buddha is teacher and studen.Buddhism has to be as simple as possible and not to be made too complicated because it is a teaching about living life with mindfullness and love,to achive happiness for oneself and others,lets starts with the lighter side of Buddhsm at http://www.members.tripod.com/anattaO/
and Buddhist like to laught at ourself at http://www.serve.com/~cmtan/buddhism/index.htm good luck to your quest,may you be happy