Basic FAQ for Buddhism - A religion that works
Buddhism works - Basic FAQ (Work in Progress)
What?
Buddhism is a religion but not in every sense of the word. It has 300 million followers worldwide and that puts it up there with the other big four or five major belief systems of christianity, islam, athiesm, chinese traditional religion and hinduism. Try and hold back your outrage at me grouping athiests in with religion it is merely expediency.
A lot of people have a problem calling Buddhism a religion as it has no deity and for them this is the defining concept of a religion. Look a bit more closely at the nature of religion and you will see the idea of a singular and authoritarian omnipotent figure is something peculiar to Abrahamic religion and not or rarely encountered elsewhere. So while it does not have the same concepts as other religions rather than saying it is not a religion I would say it trancends religion. In essence it has much in common with philosophy as it is the pursuit of wisdom but it also includes a deep understanding of the human mind, the principles of which can be found in modern psycology. To follow buddhism you must abide by three principles before anything else:
(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.
So now you cry, "What is this crazy man talking about? This is no religion!" Consider the word:
re·li·gion (rĭ-lĭj'ən)
n.
Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.
The reason the first two points are so important to people when defining the word is the widespread nature of the abrahamic religions to the point where this religous system comes to define and characterise the word religion when in fact there are many other types it just shows the level of ignorance we have due to the prevalence and enforced dominance of said western religion. The emergence of religion in african cultures was and still is comprised of ancestor worship and shaminism, to what extent you label this religous worship and where you draw the line between spiritualism and actual religion is debatable. There is and still exists today the anthromorporphic religions where the forces of nature take on a human aspect, and are not neccessarily worshiped but feared and placated. Especially true in the ancient world like Rome and Greece. The higher religous form would be hinduism, it is pantheistic with many gods but each one resembling a certain natural function.
A really interesting religion is Shintoism, it is pantheistic and doesn't even remotely resemble monotheistic or even the dualistic or polytheistic religions. I would describe it but I don't really understand a great deal about it myself. Just that there is no developed theology and hundreds of kami (gods) it is truly strange.
You can also have specist deities, or momentary deities. A malignant force usually that momentarily or permenantly inhabits objects. Water sprites, tree gods etc. and naturism as an idea that predates the emergence of religion itself.
As you can see Buddhism does fit in with the idea of a religion though in the west and to an indoctrinated mindset a religion without a single focal point or God may seem hard to accept but religion is not neccessarily dogmatic. The basic tenets are easy to understand and practical and nothing is fixed or permanent. As times change buddhism changes with it and changes respective to race or nationality. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realise and utilise its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion
When?
The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken' and 'buddhism' which is 'law of the awakened'. 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.
From wikipedia:
According to all Buddhist traditions, the buddha of the present age, called Siddhārtha of the Gautama clan, was born in the grove of lumbini near the town of kapilavastu (Pāli: Kapilavatthu), the capital of the kingdom of the sakyas. Lumbinī and the Śākya realm were known to have been in the north, adjacent to the kingdom of kosala and the republic of the Koliyas along the ganges, separated from Koliya by the river Rohiī. The exact location of Lumbinī is fixed in what is now south central Nepal by a pillar inscription of the Mauryan emperor Asoka the great from the 3rd century BCE commemorating the Buddha's birth.
Siddhārtha's father was Suddhodana, then the chieftain (rājā) of the Śākyas. He was the ruler of the city of Patliputra or the modern city of Patna, the capital of Bihar. Traditions state that the Buddha's mother died at his birth or a few days later. The Legend says that the seer Asita predicted shortly after his birth that Siddhārtha would become either a great king or a great holy man; because of this, his father tried to make sure that Siddhārtha never had any cause for dissatisfaction with his life, as such dissatisfaction might lead him to follow a spiritual path. As a result, under strict instruction of his father, Siddhārtha was never exposed to suffering or pain and was carefully kept away from sad, sick or dying people. He was raised in a very opulent environment. Nevertheless, at the age of 29, he came across what has become known as the Four Passing Sights: an old crippled man, a sick man, a decaying corpse, and finally a wandering holy man. These four sights led him to the realization that birth, old age, sickness and death come to everyone. He decided to abandon his worldly life, leaving behind his privileges, rank, Caste, and his wife and child, to take up the life of a wandering holy man in search of the answer to the problems of birth, old age, pain, sickness, and death.
Siddhārtha pursued the path of theSrama and meditation with two Brhamin hermits, and, although he quickly achieved high levels of meditative consciousness, he was still not satisfied with the results. Siddhārtha then began his training in the ascetic life and practicing vigorous techniques of physical and mental austerity. Siddhārtha proved quite adept at these practices, and was able to surpass his teachers. However, he found no answer to his questions. Leaving behind established teachers, he and a small group of close companions set out to take their austerities even further. After six years of ascetism, and nearly starving himself to death without any profit, Siddhārtha began to reconsider his path. He then remembered a moment in childhood in which he had been watching his father start the season's plowing; he had fallen into a naturally concentrated and focused state in which he felt a blissful and refreshing feeling and time seemed to stand still.
After discarding asceticism and concentrating on meditation, Siddhārtha discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and Self-mortification. To strengthen his body, he accepted a little buttermilk from a passing goatherd. Then, sitting under a pipal tree, now known as the bodhi tree, he vowed never to arise until he had found the Truth. At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment and became a Buddha.
For the remaining 45 years of his life, Buddha Gautama traveled in the Gangetic Plain of northeastern India, teaching his doctrine and discipline to all from nobles to outcaste street sweepers, including adherents of many different schools and teachers.
Where?
This is obviously an Eastern Religion but it has many followers in the west as well. For example there is actually a buddhist retreat not far from me in the country. You may wonder why you don't hear or see much of them, buddhism is not something that people try and actively convert you to or advertise. That is a condition related in my mind to Abrahamic religion, something which is not encouraged. This article by the way is put forth not to try to convert you but merely as an information source and to bring together a number of different sources for my own reference.
Why?
"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity"
- Albert Einstein
Why would anyone not be a buddhist I don't understand. You can hate religion but love buddhism, you can think what you like about god and still be a buddhist. The world would be a better place I think if everyone studied it.
That being said I do not neccessarily believe buddhism is the only path to (for want of a better word) spiritual perfection or enlightenment. Aristotle on occasion presented enlightened principles and ideas and this quote in particular gave me pause for thought:
I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law.
Aristotle
I merely view Buddhism as a conduit on a path of self education and seeking peace within myself, and wisdom.
How?
From buddha net:
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.
Buddhism compared to other religions
Can you consider another religion that is not mered in hate or controversy? Consider the founding of these other religions and their actions since, and you will find the reasons why, even if I was able to put aside my doubts about God and the logical and scientific evidence against the idea, I could not accept them even if I had faith. I could not associate myself with something associated with these religions pasts and presents, where members of that religion can find justification in killing in there texts or feel they are doing Gods work in anyway.
Consider also holy wars and ask yourself where the last buddhist holy war, burning (of others not themselves :-)) at the stake or other religious inspired massacre was. I will be interested if anyone can find any as I have been unable. Though I did find reports of a few extremists smashing a statue and organising a particularly dramatic sitdown.
From Buddhanet:
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.
Athiest question and answer?
Open for questions and I will cut and paste them in here socratic style.
Is Buddhism Scientific? Creationism?
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.
Reincarnation? God?
Apparently a buddhist, according to everyone I talk to, must believe in reincarnation. The simple truth of this is; that buddhism was created around Hinduism and people being people cherry picked what they wanted to believe from the things around them, or it may be true for all I know. The one thing I am certain about is, that buddhism is not certain about anything but is the pursuit of knowledge, ethical and moral perfection and that is all I need to know. Reincarnation to me is very similar to believeing in God, considering this subject is not something the buddha encouraged simply because it is a waste of time, if you can't know one way or the other then why think about it, in his words:
"A man thinking about God is like a man with an arrow in his eye
Wondering what type of wood it is made of and who fired it"
This is becuase Buddha believed physical issues were more important than metaphysical ones where the value of such pursuits is limited to conjecture.
Enlughtenment?
An Imperfect word or translation to my mind as it makes reference to the soul being lit by a higher power. Well there isn't neccessarily a soul or a higher power but we are aiming for perfect sanity and an end to suffering, suffering comes in many forms and I do not believe many people actually die the perfect death having resolved all issues in there life but it is a worthwhile goal. Of course in abstract terms there is also the idea that you will achieve something greater and it is a nice idea though not neccessary, buddha never knew of any greater idea when he followed his path so there is no reason we should if indeed there is one.
So hang on I am confused give me some buddhist beliefs and texts
I am assuming if you have made it this far you can put up with this so here comes the most basic tenures of the buddhist faith comprising of:
The four noble truths:
Suffering exists 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
Suffering arises from attachment to desires 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.
Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases 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.
Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path Thats it!
The Eightfold path:
Right Views means to keep ourselves free from prejudice, superstition and delusion... and to see aright the true nature of life.
Right Thoughts means to turn away from the hypocrisies of this world and to direct our minds toward Truth and Positive Attitudes and Action.
Right Speech means to refrain from pointless and harmful talk... to speak kindly and courteously to all.
Right Conduct means to see that our deeds are peaceable, benevolent, compassionate and pure... and to live the Teachings daily.
Right Livelihood means to earn our living in such a way as to entail no evil consequences. To seek that employment to which can give our complete enthusiasm and devotion.
Right Effort means to direct our efforts continually to the overcoming of ignorance and craving desires.
Right Mindfulness means to cherish good and pure thoughts, for all that we say and do arises from our thoughts.
Right Meditation means to concentrate on the Oneness of all life and the Buddhahood that exists within all beings.
The Five Precepts which are as follows:
1. Not killing or causing harm to other living beings. This is the fundamental ethical principle for Buddhism, and all the other precepts are elaborations of this. The precept implies acting non-violently wherever possible, and many Buddhists are vegetarian for this reason. The positive counterpart of this precept is love.
2. Not taking the not-given. Stealing is an obvious way in which one can harm others. One can also take advantage of people, exploit them, or manipulate them all these can be seen as ways of taking the not given. The positive counterpart of this precept is generosity.
3. Avoiding sexual misconduct. This precept has been interpreted in many ways over time, but essentially it means not causing harm to oneself or others in the area of sexual activity. The positive counterpart of this precept is contentment.
4. Avoiding false speech. Speech is the crucial element in our relations with others, and yet language is a slippery medium, and we often deceive ourselves or others without even realising that this is what we are doing. Truthfulness, the positive counterpart of this precept, is therefore essential in an ethical life. But truthfulness is not enough, and in another list of precepts (the ten precepts or the ten kusala dharmas) no fewer than four speech precepts are mentioned, the others enjoining that our speech should be kindly, helpful, and harmonious.
5. Abstaining from drink and drugs that cloud the mind. The positive counterpart of this precept is mindfulness, or awareness. Mindfulness is a fundamental quality to be developed the Buddha's path, and experience shows that taking intoxicating drink or drugs tends to run directly counter to this.
Three Characteristics of Existence
1. Transiency (anicca)
2. Sorrow (dukkha)
3. Selflessness (anatta)
Hindrances
1. Sensuous lust
2. Aversion and ill will
3. Sloth and torpor
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Sceptical doubt
Factors of Enlightenment
1. Mindfulness
2. Investigation
3. Energy
4. Rapture
5. Tranquillity
6. Concentration
7. Equanimity
Be prepared though, if you delve into buddhist teachings it is hard going though worthwhile. I have been interested for years and started seriously reading about 6 months ago and feel only marginally closer to understanding, its good stuff though.
Peter
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Originally Posted by DaftVapor
