Buddhism??

Question

What are the main beliefs of buddhism?
And is anyone here a buddhist

Answer 1

Basically, buddhism is about living an ethical life, not harming others, and gradually achieving enlightenment, which allows you to help more ppl.

Buddhists follow the 'dharma' or teaching, the 'buddha' or teacher, and the 'sangha' or collection of believers. They should try to meditate every day (I don't coz I'm bad) in order to control their thoughts and learn to focus their minds on infinite compassion for all beings -- even spiders, evil spirits, and people who do bad things.

Basically, the Buddha followed the 'middle way' or the balanced path to enlightenment. He realised that all beings are suffering, because they live in 'samsara' or the mortal world.

There are many websites on Buddhism which have more information. Just google "four noble truths" and have a look.

Answer 2

Others have put in several cut and paste jobs about buddhism, and the main thing to remember is that Buddha (or whoever he was) is quoted as having said that everything must be tested and questioned. I try to follow a buddhist path ... liek many, I hestitate to call it a religion - some people combine buddhist teachings with Christianity,for example.

Answer 3

I'm not a Buddhist, but I was quite interested in it a few years ago, particularly the Zen Buddhism.

The are 4 main Noble Truths in Buddhism which are defined as follows (from my memory):

1. Life is suffering (not just this life but the entire cycle of reincarnation)
2. The source of this suffering is desire (all kinds of desire, including the will to live)
3. It is possible to break the cycle of this suffering and achieve peace (Nirvana, which is defined as "extinguishing" rather than "ecstasy")
4. The way to achieve this peace is through following Buddhism and its precepts

After that, Buddhism starts to fracture into various traditions and schools and it becomes harder and harder to find common ground, although meditation and non-violent attitude are generally present in most of them.

Answer 4

one may note that Jainism the ascetic break from the Hindu traditions predates Buddhism by centuries and is reflected in some sect of Buddhist thought . the Theravada Buddhists are more in line with Atheism much as Jainism . I for one find the merits of Buddhist philosophy different from the mainstream of Buddhist religion but closer to Theravada Buddhism and hence as usual find much merit as well as regret in some degree in some of the beliefs of Buddhism as a religion . I don't believe in reincarnation as most Buddhists but find the insights into living better, very helpful . As these are beliefs and not necessarily facts, you may of course decide for yourself.

Answer 5

Check out Buddhism on wikipedia.

Main beliefs of Buddhism: do no harm to yourself or others. Try to be compassionate and understanding. Think before you speak or act. Just be.

Answer 6

Buddhists have no beliefs. The Buddha himself said to not believe anything he said, instead, take his philosophies, observe the human condition and the experiences in life, and judge them to be true or false yourself.

As Buddhism does not claim to be the ultimate truth, only a path to realize it, there are no universal beliefs in Buddhism, though almost all Buddhists, through study and contemplation, come to realize the four noble truths, one of which includes that all life involves suffering. If you are not suffering now, you will eventually grow old and sick. As you grow older, even if you are not directly suffering, you will be forced to become more aware of the suffering of those around you, causing suffering

Most Buddhists attempt to end their suffering through following the eightfold path, largely involved with causing no harm to any living thing.

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The Four Noble Truths
The Eightfold Path

Answer 7

Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism and originated in India. Main tenets of Buddhism can be summarized as the 4 truths.

The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting. Pursuit of pleasure can only continue what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. The same logic belies an understanding of happiness. In the end, only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable.

The Four Noble Truths are a contingency plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces -- suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature. The First Truth identifies the presence of suffering. The Second Truth, on the other hand, seeks to determine the cause of suffering. In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison, relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached. The Fourth Noble truth charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight (Mindfulness and Concentration).

Answer 8

I'm not a Buddhist, per se, but I've been following Zen Buddhism for many years. As another responder said, Buddhism has no "Beliefs." The main tenet, if you want to call it that, is that you must find out for yourself... I am extremley partial to Zen which is all about finding out "who you are" by paying Attention to your own mind. The other big thing in Buddhism is compassion, for self and others.

For a gentle introduction, I suggest checking out books by Cheri Huber, for example "There is nothing wrong with you":
http://www.amazon.com/There-Nothing-Wrong-You-Self-Hate/dp/0971030901/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
or "When You're Falling, Dive": http://www.amazon.com/When-Youre-Falling-Dive-Possibility/dp/097103091X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196121184&sr=1-1

Answer 9

I'm not a Buddhist per say, but I really like the buddhist concepts. You should read 'Siddarthar' by Herman Hess.

Answer 10

ov course there's a thousand points ov buddhist theory and practice, but beliefs...that may not be the point.