Im think of become Buddhist because of what ive heard and studied Buddhism seems well kick ***. Please no big words and try to keep it simple||| To become a Buddhist, one merely made public profession of the faith by reciting the Refuge: "I take my refuge in the Buddha; I take my refuge in the Doctrine; I take my refuge in the Brotherhood."
Buddhism took origin in a historic person, not in a myth. Gautama's followers called him Sasta, meaning master or teacher. While he made no superhuman claims for either himself or his teachings, his disciples early began to call him the enlightened one, the Buddha; later on, Sakyamuni Buddha.
Buddhism prospered because it offered salvation through belief in the Buddha, the enlightened one. It was more representative of the Melchizedek truths than any other religious system to be found throughout eastern Asia. But Buddhism did not become widespread as a religion until it was espoused in self-protection by the low-caste monarch Asoka, who, next to Ikhnaton in Egypt, was one of the most remarkable civil rulers between Melchizedek and Michael. Asoka built a great Indian empire through the propaganda of his Buddhist missionaries. During a period of twenty-five years he trained and sent forth more than seventeen thousand missionaries to the farthest frontiers of all the known world. In one generation he made Buddhism the dominant religion of one half the world. It soon became established in Tibet, Kashmir, Ceylon, Burma, Java, Siam, Korea, China, and Japan. And generally speaking, it was a religion vastly superior to those which it supplanted or upstepped.
Some of his later followers taught that Sakyamuni Buddha's spirit returned periodically to earth as a living Buddha, thus opening the way for an indefinite perpetuation of Buddha images, temples, rituals, and impostor "living Buddhas." Thus did the religion of the great Indian protestant eventually find itself shackled with those very ceremonial practices and ritualistic incantations against which he had so fearlessly fought, and which he had so valiantly denounced.
This philosophy also held that the Buddha (divine) nature resided in all men; that man, through his own endeavors, could attain to the realization of this inner divinity. And this teaching is one of the clearest presentations of the truth of the indwelling Adjusters ever to be made by a Urantian religion.
The many Buddhas. It was reasoned that, if Gautama had come to the peoples of India, then, in the remote past and in the remote future, the races of mankind must have been, and undoubtedly would be, blessed with other teachers of truth. This gave rise to the teaching that there were many Buddhas, an unlimited and infinite number, even that anyone could aspire to become one--to attain the divinity of a Buddha.
. The Absolute Buddha. By the time the number of Buddhas was approaching infinity, it became necessary for the minds of those days to reunify this unwieldy concept. Accordingly it began to be taught that all Buddhas were but the manifestation of some higher essence, some Eternal One of infinite and unqualified existence, some Absolute Source of all reality. From here on, the Deity concept of Buddhism, in its highest form, becomes divorced from the human person of Gautama Siddhartha and casts off from the anthropomorphic limitations which have held it in leash. This final conception of the Buddha Eternal can well be identified as the Absolute, sometimes even as the infinite I AM.
While this idea of Absolute Deity never found great popular favor with the peoples of Asia, it did enable the intellectuals of these lands to unify their philosophy and to harmonize their cosmology. The concept of the Buddha Absolute is at times quasi-personal, at times wholly impersonal--even an infinite creative force. Such concepts, though helpful to philosophy, are not vital to religious development. Even an anthropomorphic Yahweh is of greater religious value than an infinitely remote Absolute of Buddhism or Brahmanism.
The great weakness in the cosmology of Buddhism was twofold: its contamination with many of the superstitions of India and China and its sublimation of Gautama, first as the enlightened one, and then as the Eternal Buddha. Just as Christianity has suffered from the absorption of much erroneous human philosophy, so does Buddhism bear its human birthmark. But the teachings of Gautama have continued to evolve during the past two and one-half millenniums. The concept of Buddha, to an enlightened Buddhist, is no more the human personality of Gautama than the concept of Jehovah is identical with the spirit demon of Horeb to an enlightened Christian. Paucity of terminology, together with the sentimental retention of olden nomenclature, is often provocative of the failure to understand the true significance of the evolution of religious concepts.
Gradually the concept of God, as contrasted with the Absolute, began to appear in Buddhism. Its sources are back in the early days of this differentiation of the followers of the Lesser Road and the Greater Road. It was among the latter|||Here is the begining of the article or wikipedia,
Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices, considered by some religion,[1] but not by all.[2] A Buddhist is one who takes refuge in The Three Jewels: the Buddha (the Awakened One), the Dharma (the Teaching of the Buddha) and the Sangha (the Community of Buddhists). Depending on the source, the number of Buddhists in the world ranges from 230 to 500 million or more, [3][4][5][6]. Most Buddhists live in Asia, but adherants are found world-wide.
Buddhism is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, sometimes known simply as "Buddha", who lived in or around the fifth century BCE in the northeastern region of ancient India. Buddhists recognize him as an awakened teacher who shared his insights to help sentient beings end their suffering by understanding the true nature of phenomena, thereby escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth (sa峁僺膩ra). Among the methods various schools of Buddhism apply towards this goal are: ethical conduct, cultivation of wisdom, meditation, study, understanding, altruistic behaviour, renunciation of worldly matters, devotional practices and the invocation of holy beings that help them achieve Nirvana. "Buddha" is actually a title, meaning the "Enlightened One." After he became enlightened, he taught that the way to eliminate suffering begins with understanding the true nature of the world. However, the Buddha considered knowledge important only insofar as it remains practical. He rejected speculation about such matters as God, the nature of the universe, and the afterlife, urging his followers to focus instead on the Four Noble Truths by which they can free themselves from suffering.
This seems like a decent description, though I have only read three books on the subject and have never met a real Bhuddist. From most perspectives Bhuddism is a philosophy and way of life rather then a religion. They are not deist, that is they do not believe in a god or gods. Their discussion on causality almost seems more like a kind of pseudo or para science. Hope it helps!|||Buddhism is based on the truth around us that we hardly see and actually don't like to see.. ;)
It teaches that everything changes, there's no eternal thing that would last forever in anything, place or person.
But since we don't see things like this easily, we develop greed, bonds and attachments to such things, places or people that are actually states of mind that we create in our minds.
So becuase of these qualities that exist in all things around us, from all belongings and bonds that we pursue so eagerly we end up with sadness one day. May be coz we one day might realize that all things change or may be coz we loose them forever.
Buddhism teaches to see this truth and live life meaningfully without too much or too little of anything. hope you will have the courage to do so.. May TheTipple Gem Bless You..
|||Different Strokes - same foundation
Suzuki taught: "Pay close attention to the details of form, for true freedom is found there (Hinayana practice with Mahayana mind)"
HERE
However, in form there is content. That content is emptiness.
Hinayana is a substitute for Theravada:
Four Noble Truths:
1) Suffering
2) Cause of Suffering
3) Extinction of Suffering
4) Eightfold Path
Three Theravada training points:
Sila = moral training (critical thinking)
Samadhi = mind training (corpus of knowledge)
Panna = wisdom training (application of knowledge)
Three characteristics of existence:
aniccam = impermanence
dukkham = suffering
anatta = myth of self
The Three Jewels are:
Buddha = that Gautama 艢膩kyamuni awoke (bodhi)
Dhamma = that Buddha taught
Sangha = that communities of Buddhists exist
The goal is Nirvana (extinguishing desire)
*********************************
This is not rocket science.
********************************* |||Falun Gong is a unique Buddhist School, teaching the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Falun Gong consists of five sets of powerful exercises. Through the exercise, meditation, scripture reading, and giving up attachments, the disciple reaches enlightenment.
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
|||Trying to spiritually escape desire and suffering in this world by many means including living a life of moderation (the middle way) and achieving a level of enlightenment.
Others in this thread explain many fundamentals to get you started on the right path.
Good luck in your search
|||Hey, Buddhism DOES kick *ss.
There are many different sects, though, as most religions.
The prime goal though, is reaching enlightenment.
Just wikipedia it. =)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism|||The question is, in a way, irrelevant since Buddhism sees belief as at best delusional and is not about beliefs. Also, Falun Gong has nothing to do with Buddhism any more than any other cult does.|||Buddhism is based on the faith founded by Gautama and its main aim is to overcome selfish thought and actions and thus overcome karma to reach the ultimate Enlightenment. |||Change LIFE.
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