Buddhism..?

Question

could someone tell me about buddhism

Answer 1

Buddhism is an atheistic religion.it doesn't believe that a "God" controls the actions of people but that people are responsible for what they do themselves.Even in the English language,there's a saying that "what goes around comes around"-if a person commits a sin,the best he can do is to strongly determine not to commit further sins but u can't turn back time and undo the sin u have already done.

however,what u do will be a sin ONLY if u had the INTENTION to do it.e.g. if a worker mistakenly drops a hammer from on top of a roof where he's working and it lands on another man and kills him,still that worker has not committed any sin because he did not MEAN to do it.
the basic 5 precepts Lord Buddha taught are that:

one should refrain from killing (this includes ALL creatures..not just humans)

one should refrain from stealing
one should refrain from sexual misconduct
one should refrain from lying
one should refrain from consuming intoxicants

if u think about this,u don't really need a religion to tell u these things.they are common sense.THAT'S what Buddhism is all about.True Buddhism is the "Dhamma"-teachings of Buddha.going to temples,worshipping etc is not essential to be a true buddhist.those are things we do to make his teachings effective in day to day life.Lord Buddha never told anyone to do all those things.

the core of Buddhism is being open minded.never blind faith.Lord Buddha has always said not to believe even what he has preached merely BECAUSE he preached it without questioning.we are,as humans,capable of intelligent thinking.so why sacrifice that intelligence and give into blind faith? we must question and investigate about the world around us and be as realistic as possible

this is why Buddhism is not really a "religion".it's the philosophy of life and the logic behind it.u can possess the characteristics of a good Buddhist even though u may technically not even BE a Buddhist.fo example,if a catholic lives according to the 5 precepts he will automatically inherit the characteristics of a Buddhist even though he believes in God.that's because Buddhism doesn't attach importance to whether or not one believes in Buddha (like the christians do since people who don't believe in God are thought to be non-religious) .it's WHAT YOU DO that's important.

Buddhism is based on LOGIC.+we do not consider the Buddha to be a "God"

"Buddhism has many sects and schools, often fairly different"

the TEACHINGS of Buddha are no different.they remain the same.one must learn to filter through different countries' cultures and learn the true TEACHINGS.

Answer 2

Hi,

Buddhism evolved out of the personal experience of enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama - he is called the Buddha because of his enlightenment.

Buddhism offers a way out of suffering. Life is unsatisfactory and only by attaining Nirvana or enlightenment can we come out of the vicious circle.

Please explore the links below for an introduction to facts about Buudhism that will give you an understanding of the subject.

Buddhism spread to many countries in Asia. However it died out in the country of its birth - India. In spreading to different countries it adapted itself to the peculiar genius and requirements of those people. Thus we have many forms of Buddhism today - Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, the Theravada tradition and so on.

Buddhism emphasizes the Middle way. It also emphasizes meditation. The Buddha attained enlightenment through meditation and meditation was what he primarily taught.

Many of the mystical insights of Buddhism about the nature of the Universe are now being accepted as true by modern science - especially the science of Quantum Physics.

There is a lot more I can say - but I would suggest that you explore the links given below for a good understanding of what Buddhism can do for you.

You may also want to learn Buddhist meditation. I would recommend the Finding Peace Program taught by the Rigpa foundation at www.rigpa.org You can also try out Vipassana as taught by SN Goenka but it may be too demanding since you have to go through an intensive 10 day meditation camp (meditating as much as 10 hours per day).

Anyway that's up to you. To conclude I would like to tell you that Buddhist psychology and meditation has helped me to lead a much happier life and I would encourage you to find out more.

regards

Nikhil Gangoli

Answer 3

what's a faith? no remember if it incredibly is a thought equipment which incorporates a number of 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 4

A comprehensive description of Buddhism is beyond the scope of this forum.

Buddhism has many sects and schools, often fairly different.

Buddhism is a non-theistic religion where the existense or non-existense of god has no bearing on Buddhist practice. It contains no dogma, no laws handed down from a higher power or teacher. Buddhist practice relys on the practitioner to find their own truth through meditational practices.

It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as The Buddha. "Buddha" means "Enlightened one".

It is a meditational religion which seeks to come to a very deep understanding of self and end suffering, known as self-realization or enlightenment.

At it's basis is the inquiry into why we suffer, what causes it, what we can do to eliminate it, and the practice thereof.

All Buddhist schools and practices are considered different paths to the same goals.

Buddhism is extremely tolerant of other religions, considering them all fingers pointing to the same moon. We have people who are Christians practicing at our temple. Because I call myself Buddhist and they call themselves Christian means nothing - we all have the same prospects with regards to gaining self-realization.

Answer 5

Buddhism is a logical, atheistic religion and teaches people to be tolerant, open minded and at the same time to find inner peace. the main idea is to love and respect all other living beings and that your actions, if deliberate, will have consequences.

Answer 6

The Buddhist “learns to watch changes occurring in all physical experiences, in feelings and in perceptions. He learns to study his own mental activities and the fluctuations in the character of consciousness itself. All of these changes are occurring perpetually and are present in every moment of our experiences. Meditation is a living activity, an inherently experiential activity. It cannot be taught as a purely scholastic subject.” (“Mindfulness in Plain English” by Venerable H. Gunaratana Mahayhera, a Theravadan Buddhist teacher)

Answer 7

This one at my school goes girl to my buddhist friend " If you don't believe in god doesn't that mean you go to hell ? "
Buddhism is a atheistic religion
Life is suffering
That is because of your emotions
You want something ( materialistic) to fill your satisfaction yet it does not satisfy you
If are a good person in your current life who does good actions,thinks good thoughts and so on you will be one step closer to nirvana ( ultimate bliss where you no longer exsist )
If are a horrible person you will be born as a bug ,or some animal who shall suffer a short life

Answer 8

It's a philosophy, a really great one. It teaches personal responsibly, kindness and tolerance.

Answer 9

Buddhism

Buddhism is a very logical philosophy which reveals about the mind, life, and the nature of the world. Lord Buddha is the great master.
A Buddha is a great master who shows people the way to achieve Nirvana the cessation of Sorrow. Lord Buddha was his own master and preached the knowledge he gained through enlightenment. He has reached the state of Buddha by improving his self doing merits and meditation for many years in his previous lives.
Lord Buddha did not represent another powerful invisible figure to preach his knowledge and was his own master. To the layman he taught how to live a good, sincere, happy and a purposeful life and proposed some guidelines to follow to achieve these objectives. Those who do good deeds are rewarded with positive results and vice versa he said. He also said those who want to improve the mind should practice to eliminate selfishness, hatred, anger and ignorance.

Lord Buddha had born 2500 years ago in Northern India and has gain the state of Buddha in his life due to the great merits he has done in his previous lives and the improvement of mind by the meditation he has done. He is not the first or the last Buddha.
There were Buddha's in the past and will be in the future. So we are living in a rare era, an era where Buddhism exists in the world.
We are very lucky to be born in a period of a Buddha. Because there are dark eras where Buddhism does not exists in this world.

He said right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration will lead to cessation of sorrow and to attain Nirvana the ultimate peace. To achieve Nirvana you have to follow the above path. It is not a process which can be done very quickly. One has to follow the path Buddha has taught patiently to achieve Nirvana.


For the intellectuals he said the life is sorrow and taught the way to eliminate the sorrow, by enlightenment. Enlightenment could only be attained through improvement of knowledge thus the improvement of conscious or mind hence some consider it as a philosophy. Worshipping is not a requirement in Buddhism though many do it as a habit and a custom.

Long before Newton, Buddha said every action has a reaction including in all conscious deeds. Those who do good deeds shall be rewarded with positive results and those who do harmful actions (with an evil intension) may experience in adverse results. The results of our righteous or sinful deeds Buddha said shall follow our soul in subsequent lives. Apart from heaven and hell he also said there are other forms of lives after this life.

Just like in thousands of present day books which provide self improvement techniques. Buddha provided an enormous amount of advice to the layman to improve one's self. He said selfishness; hatred, anger and ignorance prevent one from self improvement. One who wants to improve the mind should learn to eliminate these four statuses of mind. Buddha is said to have supernatural powers such as reading others thoughts. He has gained those abilities through meditation. We already know some people possess super natural powers and extra ordinary abilities. Such status could be achieved by improving one's mind thought it is not the ultimatum of the Buddhism. Self improvement or the learning process since the childhood is a way of improving our mind or thinking. It is by improvement of one's mind that the truth could be understood.

It is up to the individual who follows Buddhism to understand and practice what Lord Buddha had taught. Understanding and practicing is important for self improvement.
The Lord Buddha has shown the way. It is our own responsibility to follow it and understand the truth.

Buddhists are practicing 3 major merits in their lives.
They are

1. Dana (Giving & helping other people and animals.)

2. Sheela (preventing from doing sins like killing and harming others and animals, stealing, adultery, false speech, etc.)

3. Bhavana (The improvement in mindfulness and wisdom by practicing Meditation.)

From these practices they are trying to give up desires step by step and coming closer to the state of ultimate freedom NIRVANA.


5 Main precepts of Buddhism

1. I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living beings.
2. I undertake the precept to refrain from stealing.
3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, child abuse, etc).
4. I undertake the precept to refrain from false speech (lying).
5. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness.

Every Buddhist should take those precepts and try to improve own self to live a happy, peaceful life. When you give up your lust, anger, fear, hatred your mind becomes more clear and calm. Mind can be improved by meditation.
One fine day when you understand the truth by your self which was shown by Lord Buddha you will find the ultimate peace. Buddhism is a great philosophy, it all about understanding by your self. There is much more to learn about Buddhism.
So here are two of the best web sites to find out more about Buddhism.


http://www.metta.lk/

http://www.bswa.org/

Answer 10

www.buddhanet.net is the best resource. Your question is too broad.

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