Buddhism......................…

what is the current state of the religion? is it the same now as it was when it first started?|||Is Buddhism the same today as it was initially? Certainly not in some respects. While the basic tenants of Buddhism have remained the same we need to realize that Buddhism is a non-static belief structure and, as such, has changed and continues to change as it went and continues to travel from region to region throughout the world. This is why there are so many different types of Buddhist traditions—from Tibetan to Zen.





As in all belief structures, Buddhism has incorporated various cultural and regional ideologies and customs as it migrated from region to region, country to country, throughout the world. At the same time it has adhered to the tenets taught by the Buddha as stated in the suttras and explained by masters in their commentaries. It is for this reason that we see various sects within every religion whether it be Christian, Islamic, Judaism, or Buddhist. It is for this reason we see a preponderance of various sects, traditions, orders of worship, and houses of worship be they church, ashram, mosque or temple.





Think of it as similar to the evolution of Christianity. The Christian faith has changed as it progressed across the world—incorporating cultural, regional and ethnic beliefs as it did. It is in part due to this natural evolution (there were some obvious other factors as well such as repression and differences in beliefs that created schisms and ultimately the Protestant Reformation) that we see so many different Christian Churches throughout the world today; Baptist, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine Rite, Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. Even within each of these there may be sub-groups which vary slightly in their order of worship or canon of belief. For example, in the USA there are the Southern Baptist, Evangelical Baptist, First Baptist, etc. Similarly we see differences in Judaism between Orthodox sects and Reformed Jewish temples. Each, however, has certain basic tenets common to all but the rites and subtle beliefs are unique to each. This is neither "good" nor "bad": it just "is as it is."





It is the same with all religions and, for the sake of a commonality of reference, I will classify Buddhism as a religion. And so it is with Buddhism.





In the same manner as it was in Christianity, the Buddhism that is practiced in one place is different in certain aspects from Buddhism practiced in another. Usually it differs in outward manifestations; ceremonies, hierarchy, etc. and certain sutras. The Buddhism practiced in Thailand is different from that practiced in Vietnam and in each of the Southeastern nations. It will be interesting to see how Buddhism evolves as it gains inroads in Western societies. Hope this is of some help.





May all be at peace.





John|||Buddhism has grown and changed over time. This is inevitable. Some sects might be closer to "historical" Buddhism than other sects, but is this really an important detail? I don't think so. I think it's an important lesson in the Dharma. Even Buddhism is subject to change.





As for Chris' response, it is so disgustingly offensive and misrepresentative of what Buddhism is. A side effect of Viagra is blue vision. A person who takes too much Viagra and then says that everything is blue is not seeing things clearly, are they? The world is not blue; it's a problem with their vision. Likewise, when a person sees demons in behind every door, under every bush, and in every person that doesn't accept their brand of religion, then what is more likely: that there are demons are everywhere else, or that they are in the person who sees them everywhere?





LOL! Of course, it would be deleted by time I finished typing!|||It is somewhat not the same. On page #7 in the Zhaun Falun Lecture on the web, it discusses the state of Buddhism:


"The Law that Shakyamuni taught was for those ordinary people 2,500 years ago with a really low degree of civilization, they were people who’d just emerged from a primitive society and whose minds were kind of simple. He talked about, “the Age of the Law’s End.” That’s today. Modern people can’t cultivate with that Law anymore. In the Age of


the Law’s End it’s hard for monks in monasteries to save even themselves, let alone save others. The Law Shakyamuni preached back then was specific to that situation, and also, he didn’t teach people everything he knew at his level about Buddha Law.





For the Buddhist belief, a new unique school has emerged since 1992: Falun Gong. Falun Gong was found in 1992 by Master Li Hongzhi in China. Falun Gong has attracted about 100 million practitioners and it's practiced in over 80 countries worldwide. Falun Gong is based upon the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Falun Gong consists of five sets of powerful exercises.





Falun Gong, Tibetans, other Buddhists, and Christians have been persecuted in China. The most offensive human right violation is the organ harvesting from the Falun Gong practitioners in China. Can you kindly sign a petition to stop persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China please ?


http://cipfg.org/en/news/petition.html








|||I didn't think Buddhism was a religion? I think it's more of a philosophy.


And they are growing like all people.


BTW, not all religious are growing. Look at Communism... it's has shriveled down to a shadow of its mere self|||It was once more popular in India than Hinduism but nowadays it has about 800 million adherents worldwide and its numbers are remaining stable.|||There was a great article about this published in Buddhadharma magazine. (The one with the Karmapa on the cover)





I suggest you look it up.|||Did I miss the offensive answer?





It's gone now...





Bah





All things are subject to change without prior notice, Buddhism is one of the few religions that acknowledge this from the get-go.|||LOL Chris is funny!











"Hey mommy look! There's a troll dancing underneath the bridge"|||It's grown, just like any religion.