What exactly is Buddhsim?

Question

I want to try it out, I've tried A LOT of religions to see which one I can belive in. I can't understand or accept Christianity, Wicca is even harder now, and Islam...I need something to belive in. Please don't say Christianity is the best way, because I can't stand it anymore! By the way, did I spell everything right?

Answer 1

"What is Buddhism ?


Buddhism cannot be categorised. No label suits it.

Buddhism is not a religion, at least not in sense that we generally use the word. In fact, it does not at all presuppose belief in the existence of one or several gods, and in a more general way, categorically rejects the idea that there is anything to believe in without being able to submit it to analysis through reasoning.


Buddhism is not a philosophy either, because it is not limited to an intellectual or conceptual approach. It teaches, in fact, that to understand is not enough. One must also experience and eventually "realise". That is the spiritual dimension of Buddhism.


Buddhism is not a cultural, political or social phenomenon either.
Culture, of which one could say that art in all its facets is the superior expression, is rooted in worldliness, whereas Buddhism goes beyond the worldly. Within culture, art is an end in itself; within the framework of Buddhism it is a means. Art is minor when compared to wisdom. In other words, Buddhism is timeless and beyond worldliness, whereas culture or art is rooted in a given time and society.


Buddhism is not political, that is, it does not know the limits of frontiers or of groups. It is not based on opposition between people. It does not come "from somewhere". It transcends continents and groups of humans. Nationality, colour, social class and membership of one party or another etc. do not constitute pertinent criteria in its eyes. The process is, on the contrary, to show that fundamentally all people, and more generally all living beings, share the same fundamental nature, the same emotions, the same aspirations and the same fears.


It is not a social phenomenon either. Buddhism is an individual quest for perfection. The Buddhist looks for himself. He evolves in the solitude of his own spiritual path. The Buddhist message influences, of course, the attitude or the behaviour of those who study and practice it, but it does not have a social aim. It does not intend to be a pressure group and does not set out rules about the organisation of society.


Lastly, is Buddhism a science? The sciences, in any case those which we describe as pure, are turned towards the exterior world, the diverse phenomena that we perceive. Buddhism is, on the contrary, turned towards "the interior"; that is to say, it is attentive to the mind. That is why it is said sometimes that Buddhism is a "science of the mind". As with all expressions, it has its limits.


I prefer to say that Buddhism is unclassifiable; that it eludes categories and comparisons.

Historically, Buddhism is the teaching of the Buddha Shakyamuni, who lived in India more than two thousand five hundred years ago. With the passing centuries the teachings was transmitted, translated into diverse languages and enriched by numerous commentaries. In this way, Buddhist literature is incomparably extensive.


More profoundly, Buddhism is the thought or thinking of the Buddhas, which is summed up by two great principles: compassion and wisdom. Buddhism is, therefore, a way of thinking. Buddhists are those who aspire to finding this good way of thinking and train in it. Buddhas are those who have succeeded.


One could also say that Buddhism is essentially reflection on happiness and the teaching of the causes of happiness. After having shown how much we deceive ourselves, how much we lose our way because of how we conceive the world and ourselves, Buddhism wakes us up to a new vision. It makes us see things in another way and leads us progressively to the realisation of the true nature of phenomena and of the mind.


This realisation is precisely at the origin of the cessation of all suffering and of all fear. A Buddhist is, above all, a serene person. He has no fear. He is also a good person, open to others. These three qualities –wisdom, serenity and goodness – are, moreover, linked one to the other and come one from the other.


Buddhism is, therefore, a voyage towards wisdom, serenity and goodness."

Text by the contemporary Tibetan Buddhist master Dza Ranyak Patrul Rinpoche

Answer 2

It's Buddhism, which is the following of the teachings of the Buddha (note where the 'h' goes to spell it right).

Buddhism sort of straddles the line between religion and philosophy - for some practitioners, it's as full of gods and legends and mysteries as Hinduism or Catholicism. For others, it's an essentially atheistic philosophy, with virtually all points in between being occupied too.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha is the Four Noble Truths. In everyday English, they are roughly:

1. Life is suffering.
2. The cause of suffering is desire.
3. You can break the desire cycle.
4. Breaking it requires the use of the Eightfold Path.

I can't remember all eight off the top of my head, but it basically says to be as reasonable, moderate, and even-keeled as possible in order to break yourself of the habits of desire and the subsequent suffering that desire causes.

It goes a lot deeper than that, and others can explain it better, but it's worth looking into, as a religion or not.

Answer 3

B C,

It is important to believe in something. If it gets all too confusing, try believing in GOD.
Someone who practices the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama is called a Buddhist. (Check out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism). But his fundamental premise is that everyone can be a Buddha, which means "the enlightened one". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha) What this means briefly is that one is enlightened about reality (kinda like Matrix, eh?) Gautama, through the power of intellectual analysis using advanced meditative skills, achieved Buddhahood and to help fellow humans, prescribed a set of "how to's" (kinda like Cliff Notes) for others to achieve enlightenment too - which is called the Eight Noble Path (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path).
Someone who attains Buddhahood reaches Nirvana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana) which has been described as "nothingness" but also "everything". While Gautama may not have been documented as mentioning anything about "God", isn't "everything and nothing" synomous to the omnipresent "God", which is also merely a word to descibe the indescribable? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God). (No, God is not that bearded white or black dude with the cool white outfit that Hollywood keeps showing us!).

BTW - people who follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth are called Christians ("Christ" was not his last name - Christ comes from the Greek word "christos" which merely means "annointed") (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ). Jesus was also enlightened.

Also, the Arabic word "Muslim" actually means someone who believes in the one God (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim), which is what the Christians believe in too, as well as the Jews. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism)

While the Muslims prohibit any image of God precisely because God cannot be described because He is omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent, the Jews have something similar: the Second commandment from the tablets that Moses brought down also says that "thou shall not make any idol in any form" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_commandments). Any attempt to visualize God as a humanoid (or any other entity) will be in error, hence the instruction not to describe it. Kinda like the Nirvana-thing, right? Think about it!

So, let me see if I can summarize: religions are based on each culture and always have rituals and customs associated with them based on where they originated and the early "tribe" or culture it came from. Religion is a practice about believing in God (and its implications) and how to show respect to Him and other fellow humans and lead a righteous life. Buddhism (I was getting to that) is probably one of the most analytical with a very clear set of do's and don'ts coupled with reasoned thinking that can be clearly practiced (The 8-fold Path) and not mixed with cultural mumbo jumbo (although if you go to temples, there is a certain amount of it). Gautama, Jesus, Mohammad, etc are all merely human teachers showing the direction.

Ultimately it is about how you want to lead your life and how your heart leads it. So, as I said at the beginning, if you are put off by all the mumbo jumbo of the so called religions, try focusing on God - he is all forgiving if you do not do the ritual exactly right. It is the effort that counts. After all, he already knows what is in your heart!!

Follow your heart and wherever it takes you.
God Bless.

Answer 4

Buddhanet - worldwide Buddhist information and education network

http://www.buddhanet.net/