What
is Buddhism?
Buddhism
is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from
‘budhi’, ‘to awaken’. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha
Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of
35.
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Is Buddhism a Religion?
To
many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or ‘way of
life’. It is a philosophy because philosophy ‘means love of wisdom’ and the
Buddhist path can be summed up as:
(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.
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How Can Buddhism Help Me?
Buddhism
explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality
around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads
to true happiness.
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Why is Buddhism Becoming Popular?
Buddhism
is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first
good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern
materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep
understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent
psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and
effective.
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Who Was the Buddha?
Siddhartha
Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563
BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so
he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to
find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he
finally found ‘the middle path’ and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the
Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called
the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80.
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Was the Buddha a God?
He
was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to
enlightenment from his own experience.
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Do Buddhists Worship Idols?
Buddhists
sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for
favours. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a
compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within
ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching.
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Why are so Many Buddhist Countries Poor?
One
of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also
wealth is impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor,
but those who understand Buddhist teachings can find true happiness.
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Are There Different Types of Buddhism?
There
are many different types of Buddhism, because the emphasis changes from country
to country due to customs and culture. What does not vary is the essence of the
teaching — the Dhamma or truth.
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Are Other Religions Wrong?
Buddhism
is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions.
Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes
further by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom
and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with
labels like ‘Christian’, ‘Moslem’, ‘Hindu’ or ‘Buddhist’; that is why there
have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists
do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.
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Is Buddhism Scientific?
Science
is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and
testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into
this definition, because the Four Noble truths (see below) can be tested and
proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the
teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on
understanding than faith.
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What did the Buddha Teach?
The
Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up
by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
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What is the First Noble Truth?
The
first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old,
disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like
loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is
an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than
pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism
explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.
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What is the Second Noble Truth?
The
second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will
suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want
others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc. In other words,
getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly
struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives
us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and
especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which
causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering
because it causes us to be reborn.
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What is the Third Noble Truth?
The
third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained;
that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving
and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined
future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to
help others. This is Nirvana.
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What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
The
fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end
of suffering.
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What is the Noble 8-Fold Path?
In
summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our
livelihood), focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and
actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by
developing compassion for others.
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What are the 5 Precepts?
The
moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to
take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to
abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from
untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.
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What is Karma?
Karma
is the law that every cause has an effect, i.e., our actions have results. This
simple law explains a number of things: inequality in the world, why some are
born handicapped and some gifted, why some live only a short life. Karma
underlines the importance of all individuals being responsible for their past
and present actions. How can we test the karmic effect of our actions? The
answer is summed up by looking at (1) the intention behind the action, (2)
effects of the action on oneself, and (3) the effects on others.
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What is Wisdom?
Buddhism
teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. At one extreme, you
could be a good hearted fool and at the other extreme, you could attain
knowledge without any emotion. Buddhism uses the middle path to develop both.
The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality, all phenomena are incomplete,
impermanent and do not constitute a fixed entity. True wisdom is not simply
believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and
reality. Wisdom requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. The Buddhist path
requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence.
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What is Compassion?
Compassion
includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern,
caring. In Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we can really
understand ourselves, through wisdom.
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How do I Become a Buddhist?
Buddhist
teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that the
solutions to our problems are within ourselves not outside. The Buddha asked
all his followers not to take his word as true, but rather to test the
teachings for themselves. ln this way, each person decides for themselves and
takes responsibility for their own actions and understanding. This makes
Buddhism less of a fixed package of beliefs which is to be accepted in its
entirety, and more of a teaching which each person learns and uses in their own
way.
Source
: awakening-path.net