Buddhism????

How does Buddhist taught in the Western world happen? Are most people Buddhists in the ancient sense, or has the meaning (and the method) of practicing Buddhism changed over time?|||The essence of Buddhism is the secret of Buddhism. It never changes... Buddha forever sits on the wheel of the law. Practice how you want... the wheel of law continues to turn...|||Westerners tend to change things to fit their lifestyles more easily.|||It has changed over the course of time. Even when I was young, it was looked on as a philosophy of life and not a religion. There are those with a vested interest in making it a religion.





There is nothing to stop you practising buddhism and following another religion.|||Buddhism is not a religion,is an education that teaches about the truth of the universe,in India Buddha is Indian,in Asia he has black eyes and in USA he has blue eyes,everyone can be a Buddha,if one strive hard,that is what Buddha taught and hope all to aim for,as the teachings has no time and space barrier,the teaching has to change with the times,the way they are put across to the masses is now high tech but the essence is still the same,in the old day you go to the temple to learn from the monks but now you can learn online,the method of learning can change but not the meaning and practice,for that is the basic to rid ourself of greed,hatred and delusion.Do not let the mistake of the past repeat itself,that is, many people want to change the world but do not want to change himself.What is Buddhism? Buddhism is to correct the wrong way we see the universe,the wrong way we think,act and speak.That is the main purpose of Buddha's teaching.Good luck. http://youtube.com/watch?v=peA6vy0D5Bg see for youself what the good man has to say.|||The method of 'practicing' has changed over the years in some places and in others, it has remained fairly unchanged for centuries. But this is to be expected and not a flaw but a strength.





Buddha taught that ALL teachings should be questioned, even his. Over the years, Buddhism has moved from nation to nation, from continent to continent and from culture to culture. As these changes occurred, so did the basic practices. In ancient Idea, it was acceptable to see religious practitioners sleeping under trees or begging for food. In china, this was not only less popular, but there were places where begging was considered illegal and other places where people didn鈥檛 have the spare food to give. So, monasteries where monks and nuns lived and grew their own food became a part of Buddhist practice. In the east, it is not uncommon for teens and young adults to leave home and become monks or nuns and dedicate their life to Buddhism. Here in the west, it is much more uncommon. As a result some schools of Buddhism have increased the responsibilities of the laity (non-ordained) practitioners making them teachers and masters the same as monks and nuns. This is due to life styles, cutlers and social environments. Does this change the core of Buddhism? Not at all. If anything, this is further proof of the wisdom found in the Buddhist tradition.





I hope this helps.|||Buddhism has many ways to teach Dhamma ( the Buddhas teaching ), and surely the practicing method changed overtime..





E.g. : When people have computer and internet, they use it to teach online, etc...|||Buddhism in the West is unique in that all of the major cultural traditions of Buddhism (Japanese, Chinese, SE Asian, Tibetan) get to meet and communicate face-to-face for the first time in centuries. This has led to a flowering of syncretic and hybrid traditions that mix teachings from various independent schools.





At the same time, the traditional cultural traditions have had to re-frame their teachings for a Western audience. Some have done this by emphasizing the rational, psychological teachings of the Buddha, while others have emphasized the similarities between the Judeo-Christian teachings and Buddhism.





Most people are Buddhists in the Modern sense. Buddhism (as a term) did not exist until European colonists made it up to describe the various religions of Asia that claimed descent from the original Indian spiritual movement and it's founder called The Buddha. Modern Buddhists, for the most part, do not become monks or live ascetic lives in forests or caves. They go on meditation retreats lasting anywhere from 3 days to 3 months, and then return to their daily lives of work and family.





The method of practicing Buddhism has evolved over time, but the basic framework has remained the same. The various practices all fall under the three main categories of Sila (ethics/virtue), Samadhi (mental cultivation/training), and Panna (insight or wisdom). After Buddhism declined in India, each culture developed independently of one another with no central authority to guide them. Thus newcomers will see big differences between, say, Japanese Zen and Tibetan Vajrayana. However, most practitioners eschew sectarianism, and seek out commonalities with each other in the spirit of harmony and peace - so emphasized by the Buddha himself.