Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Can you state some details about the difference between the Buddhism religon and the Ancient Egyptian religon?

I need to find the differences between the Ancient Egyptian religion and the the Buddhism religion for a project in SS in middle school.





Can you help?|||Buddhism is non-theistic (doesn't have a god).


Ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic (had lots of gods).





And LOADS of other differences, but that will do for starters. What sort of an answer does a teacher expect to a question like this? It's like asking





"What are the differences between motorcycles and steam locomotives?"|||I'm sorry I couldn't help you about the ancient Egyptian religion. For introductory Buddhist topics, you can read 'China Falun Gong', available on the web. In the section “Buddhist Qigong and Buddhism” of the Zhuan Falun Lecture on the web, you can find out a concise discussion about reforms in Buddhism; in the section “Different Levels Have Different Laws” for Zen discussion. Guided meditation demonstration video, meditation music, and books about Falun Gong are free to download from the URL listed below. If you need any help, contact a local practitioner in your area for free instructions.





Falun Gong is a unique Buddhist School, found in 1992 by Master Li Hongzhi in China. About 100 million people practice in over 80 countries worldwide. Falun Gong is an ancient practice for the body, mind, and spirit 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.


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

What is a good starting point for someone interested in Buddhism?

I'm interested in the teachings of Buddhism but I don't know where to find Buddhist text or even places of worship. How can I further myself in my quest for knowledge?|||read old path white clouds





or





the four agreements|||The internet is a good place to start.





The Buddhist equivalent of the Bible or Quran is the Tripitaka, however, there are many books that basically capture the essence of Buddhism. The Tripitaka is long so I don't think you need to read the entire thing. A well written book that summarizes the core teachings is probably adequate.





The core of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the Precepts. Anything that you learn after that is just additional stuff, i.e. the Bardos, although it's probably worth learning about too.|||First you have to keep your faith in Lord Buddha.You can keep a statue of Lord Buddha to worship.





Buddhists are practicing 3 major merits in their lives.


They are





1. Dana (Giving %26amp; helping other people and animals.)





2. Sheela (preventing from doing sins like killing and harming others and animals, stealing, adultery, false speech, etc.)





3. Bhavana (The improvement in mindfulness and wisdom by practicing Meditation.)





From these practices they are trying to give up desires step by step and coming closer to the state of ultimate freedom NIRVANA.





5 Main precepts of Buddhism





1. I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living beings.


2. I undertake the precept to refrain from stealing.


3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, child abuse, etc).


4. I undertake the precept to refrain from false speech (lying).


5. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness.





Every Buddhist should take those precepts and try to improve own self to live a happy, peaceful life. When you give up your lust, anger, fear, hatred your mind becomes more clear and calm. Mind can be improved by meditation.


One fine day when you understand the truth by your self which was shown by Lord Buddha you will find the ultimate peace. Buddhism is a great philosophy, it all about understanding by your self. There is much more to learn about Buddhism.





So here are two of the best web sites to find out more about Buddhism.





http://www.metta.lk/





http://www.bswa.org/|||Do not involve in factionism, competitions among the various schools...





Always open mind, see through outer shells of things including Buddhism cultures and patterns, learn from various source and different people and compare. Some teachers are great, some are just big fame, few are enlightened, most are patternize, some are just "go to school for PhD"...





Make notes, do alot of thinking. What you can't understand, just leave a ? on it.





It's a "life time" thing and always more than meets the eyes, more than humanism, much much more...





You can start wikipedia for basics.





If you want advise, I might give you some. I learn and practice in Chinese though...|||Start by attending a Buddhist introduction meeting near you, do your research and ask whatever questions you might have at the meeting about the different types/schools and practices of Buddhism. To find a Buddhist meeting and contact near you; see our web site below.


Under quick links- click (find us) then just type in your state and click go. If you live in a different country, see SGI related sites also under quick links.





Attend a meeting, you won't be sorry and maybe a bit wiser. Just tell em Dave sent you(kidding).|||See how Buddhism fits into a much bigger plan which unifies all the religions of the world. It is not a matter of choosing one over another; but instead of seeing how they all fit together perfectly. Minus man's doctrines and dogmas of course.





Buddhism along with the other mystical paths teach how to contemplate, meditate, go within to find the experience of The Essence. Our essence and God's Essence is the same. The ego thinks itself to be separate and away from God. The goal is to overcome the ego and return back to the Light/Essence/Oneness.





But there are no shortcuts and we have to follow the Path God gave humanity one step at a time. Only when the 7th Step is understood can we fully have the opportunity to reach Pure Consciousness.





It is done. Check out the link below. :-)|||My Buddhist beliefs are very set in my philosophical beliefs. To me, Philosophy is the art of Understanding. As a Buddhist, I try to understand my self and my environment, to better myself, and to better the lives of all sentient beings. You CAN find Buddhist texts online at no cost to view, the same as other religions, but a place of worship you will not find, because it is not a worshiping religion. A Buddhist does not worship himself, any God or Man or Ideal. A Buddhist can and usually DOES believe in a God or Ideal, but at no point worships them. To understand ourselves and our world is our aim. There are many, let's call them, variations, of Buddhism today. This is incorrect, as these groupings are made by teacher and belief differences, and you lose essence. Remember to always better yourself morally, and to always be kind, and you will find Understanding much easier to obtain. I'm interested in talking to other Buddhists, particularly ones new to this mindset, and would like to chat with you. I'm not saying you are a Buddhist, that you are this or that; I recognize that you are interested and am ready to talk to you .|||Visit http://www.falundafa.org/eng/home.html first, then browse in Introduction, FAQ, and How To Learn.





If you're into the arts, get a ticket to see the Shen Yun dance troupes. The Buddhist stories and theme they show are just amazingly magnificent.|||Monkey|||Aewesome book by Matthieu Ricard, translator to Dalai Lama, called "Happiness".

Where can I find out more about different kinds of Buddhism?

I am trying to work on mindfulness, letting go of the past, and learning happiness. I am interested in different kinds of meditation as well. I want to know more about the different kinds of Buddhism, and what I may be drawn to.|||Over 2,500 years, the Buddha's teachings on happiness have evolved into a very diverse set of traditions and teachings. It can be very confusing to determine what's best for you.





It's a little like going into an ice cream store and ordering a flavor of ice cream. Most stores offer small tastes so you can find out what flavor you really want!





In a similar way, the best way to find out about the different kinds of Buddhism - and what might best suit you - is to visit as many Buddhist centers as you can. With just one visit, you can often tell if a center "feels" right to you. (This only works if there are some centers/temples in your community, of course!)





Here's a listing of Buddhist centers/temples worldwide:


http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/





If visiting centers isn't an option, then it's going to be quite a bit harder - sort of like reading about ice cream!





Here are a few generalization that might be useful - although, as with all generalizations, these statements mostly misrepresent each tradition.





Theravada (Insight, mindfulness, vipassana)


Focus on paying attention to the mind. Low emphasis on ritual and ceremony. Some teach that enlightenment is not possible in this lifetime. Emphasis on the (mostly male) monastic community. In the West, this tradition emphasizes lay practice and careful attention to the mind.





Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism)


Many people find this version of Buddhism to be the most "religious" tradition. Much emphasis on ceremonies and ritual activities. Chanting and meditation are emphasized, with meditations involving visualization. Very rich teachings on the nature of mind.





Mahayana (Zen, Pure Land, and others)


This is a vast and diverse tradition. Zen teaches that enlightenment is possible in this lifetime, and in this moment. Emphasis on meditation and cutting through the thought patterns that produce suffering. Pure Land focuses on chanting Amitabha Buddha's name in order to be born in the "pure land" in the next life. Many other types of teachings. What holds them together is the teaching that all beings have Buddha-Nature and can fully enlighten through actions in this lifetime. Strong emphasis on compassion and engagement with social issues.





Best wishes in your (re)search!|||Google..|||Google and wikipedia are your friends.





This site also may help:





www.buddhanet.net|||The Bible is where you will find real, true peace and happiness. As far as letting go of the past, seek out a biblical based deliverance ministry, you have some demon "oppression" going on there. Blessings!|||I'd recommend to experience the performance of the Shen Yun Perfomring Dance Company: www.divineperformingarts.org, seeing some of the Buddhist theme stories on stages in beautiful costumes and spectacular show.





In the section “Buddhist Qigong and Buddhism” of the Zhuan Falun Lecture on the web, you can find out a concise discussion about reform in Buddhism. In the section “Different Levels Have Different Laws” of the same Lecture on the web, you can find out a good discussion about Zen Buddhism.

What are the differences in morals/ethics in Christianity and Buddhism?

What is the difference in their ethics and moral beliefs? One I know of is that Christianity teaches that you shouldn't have sex before marriage, while Buddhism teaches that you shouldn't have sex that would be harmful (which doesn't rule out sex before marriage). What are some other differences in morals and ethics between the two? Thanks everyone! If you can, quote scripture from either religion.|||Christianity worships a guy who was killed by being nailed to a cross.


Buddhism worships a guy who was killed by eating poisonous mushrooms.

What encouraged Buddhism and the spread of Chinese culture?

I need to study for a Japan test! Here are the options. Pure Land Buddhism or Zen Buddhism.|||Are you interested in China or Japan? Big difference.


Zen is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism which strongly emphasizes the practice of meditation. It emerged as a distinct school in China (as Chan) and spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and, in modern times, the rest of the world. The common English name derives from the school's name in Japanese, zen (绂?.|||actually buddism was started in india and was spread along the silk trade routes into china -- the chin dynasty was the most sucessfull dynasty -thats how china got it's name-- fron chin

What is the diffrence between Hinduism and Buddhism?

I really need help!


I need to do a chart that is the difference between Buddhism and Hinduism.


I already covered Hinduism.


I need help on


1. Difference between Buddhism.


2. How they are similar too.








Thanks :)


I really need help please give me the right answer. :) %26lt;3|||The Buddha first studied and practiced with Hindu teachers, but ultimately found their teachings and practices didn't suffice to reach the ultimate goal. Broadly speaking, these were some of the most important points where he distanced himself from the Hindu teachings:





1. In the Hindu system, the ultimate goal was that our individual soul, the true self trapped in the material world, should get liberated from the material world and merge with the infinite and unchanging Divine spirit, the Brahman (= God). In Buddhism, both the individual souls and the Divine spirit are rejected. There are no eternally unchanging "true selfs", neither individually, nor all-embracing. Everything is constantly changing, like the water in the river or the atoms in the body.





2. The Buddha rejected any kind of "blind belief". The buddhist texts (that were written down after the death of the Buddha) are not seen as holy because of some purported divine origin or as a divine revelation, but because they are consistent with reason, logic and experience, and because they have been checked and rechecked, tried out and retried to be effective instructions in how to work with your own mind to become a better person and ultimately attain wisdom and liberation from all kinds of suffering.





3. The Buddha rejected the usefulness of ritual as an independent tool. There are lots of rituals in Buddhism, but they are always subsidiary tools, used to aid your own work with your own mind. In and of themselves, they are useless.





4. The Buddha rejected the Indian caste system. In Buddhism, at least religiously kings and outcasts became equals. He also opened the religious paths for both men and women, by founding the monastic orders for both monks and nuns.





There is of course much more if you go into the subtleties of both philosophy and practice techniques, but these points will give at least a superficial picture.





Generally speaking, the philosophical differences are far greater than they seem on the surface. Both religions have a lot of terminology and even names of deities in common, but in almost every single case, the meaning is actually different - both believe in reincarnation/rebirth, but the interpretation is very different; both believe in karma, but the interpretation is slightly different; both believe in samsara (the cycle of rebirth and suffering) and liberation from samsara (moksha/nirvana), but the interpretation is widely different, especially about liberation; both have yoga, tantra, dharma, mantra, and so on, but often mean totally different things with the words; the significance of gods or deities is grossly different - in Hinduism several of them are important objects of veneration, even seen as emanations of the supreme God (Brahman), whereas they are never objects of veneration or prayer in Buddhism, only seen as deluded sentient beings who will eventually die and be reborn in a new body just like you and me.|||Well Basically:





Hinduism is realizing that your atman (soul/true self) is one with brahman which is the universal oneness. You have a karmic self that acts and an atman that doesn't but is reincarnated. When you realize that your atman is one with brahman, you are free from the cycle of samsara (rebirth cycle). Most people follow the worshiping of deities like Vishnu and Shiva and Ganesha and stuff, who are supposed to be extensions and vehicles to the true universal oneness, but there is a philosophical side for those that seek deeper enlightenment that requires a lot more than praying to a deity or going to temple.





Buddhism is freedom from suffering by reforming the mind of illusions that cause suffering and finding inner peace and universal enlightenment. Originally there is no worshiping of gods and is very philosophical, although Tibetan and Pure Land Buddhism are more like the popular form of Hinduism practiced. Philosophical practice is removing desires that cause suffering. Such as the belief that money and nice things will make you happy when sleeping on hammock outside on a nice day could make you just as happy if not more even if you were dirt poor or people who are miserable trying to be or stay skinny eating nothing but tasteless low calorie foods just because society says thin people are happier. They also believe in anatman which mean no atman so the opposite of the hindu view. Buddhism teaches that our physical bodies are not possessed of an intrinsic self, and our persistent sense of ourselves as separate from the rest of the universe is a delusion. Like you're not the same person you were a year ago, you're always changing and gaining insight, there isn't a you that stays the same through different lives.





The Buddha (a normal prince guy who died normally) was born into Hinduism and probably got a lot of insight from the philosophical aspects of it when he was trying to find "the true way." The philosophical side of Hinduism is a lot like Theravada and Zen Buddhism and the popular deity worship form of Hinduism is similar to Pure Land and Tibetan Buddhist practices.





It's quite complicated as they are both complex and old religions that offer a lot of good insight. Good luck!|||To add a couple of points to my dark brother's answer . . .





Hinduism believes in deities - Buddhism is atheistic. (That can be argued, but it's true for normal purposes.)


Both teach that we come back life after life, but Hindus believe that there is a permanent 'self' which returns and returns, (re-incarnation), while Buddhism sees no separate 'self', just an ever changing stream of consciousness, (re-birth).





I too would be happy to be of further help, mainly from a Buddhist perspective, if you need it.|||The main difference is that Hinduism is based on Vedas and also other texts as well like the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, The Ramayan, The Mahabharat and the list goes on and on however Buddhism is based on the words of Buddha (Siddhattha Gotama) and focuses not so much on the belief in deities but focuses on the path of enlightenment.

Though some sects of Hinduism are based on enlightenment as well Buddhism's entire structure revolves around it.

If u need me to clarify anything please ask :)|||Hinduism is based on philosophies having mythological gods and goddess but hindu scripture Vedas says God is one having no image or Akurti. Where as Buddha never talk about God except path of salvation, he never declared himself as God. There are no similarity between the two. Hindhuism have gods and Buddhism have no god.|||First of all - the term hinduism includes a vast array of beliefs - often with very little linking them. So if this is for home work - you might like to choose one of the larger branches of hinduism such as people who worship Krishna or shiva for instance - and keep your comparison to that - rather than all of the religions that come under the term ( although hindus often dont even call themselves hindus)



the same is also true for buddhism - with some branches being purely atheistic - and others having quite a strong belief in a deity..



also - some hindus believe that buddha is an avatar / incarnation ( although the word literally means ''descent'' of God'' ..



ill expand later as i dont have time now - but i hope thats helpfull for now



To add :

Similarities :

- Both religions have their roots in northern india ( Buddha was born a Hindu)

- Both traditions dont really consider themselves ''religions''

- Both traditons vary greatly under their umbrella terms.

- Both can be both vegetarian or meet eaters, depending on how they interpret scriptures.

- Both take initial inspiration and/or guidance from the indian scriptures the Vedas.

-Both have a concept of karma - consequences for actions - although - the concept of this also varies greatly within and between both traditions.

- Both use the chanting of mantras on a string on 108 and believe that the sound vibration of the words chanted can directly effect a person.

- Both believe that the body is a temporary vessel and that the point of life is to advance spiritually and to eventually escape the cycle of birth and death.



- monastic life, the reasons for it ( ie - controling and restricting senses so that spiritual advancement can take place) and the similarities in dress and the practise of monks - ie shaved heads, no possesions.



Differances:

- In Vaishnava hinduism ( the branch that i belong to - its too difficult to generalise here without causing offence to followers of other branches of hinduism) God has a supreme, personal form - that of Krishna - which is behind all other forms and names of God - ie from which all other faces and forms of god come from.

Buddhism generally rejects the idea of a supreme, sentient deity, and tends to concentrate on the idea of chi- (roughly meaning life force)



- Buddhists end goal is enlightenment -for the benefit of all beings - not just themselves.

in my faith - we seek escape from life and death - but our goal is to exist in eternal service to god on a spiritual platform.



- My branch of hinduism strictly advocates vegetarianism - whereas buddhism has a concept of '' no harm'' or ahimsa - which can take on several interpretations.



- scriptures- buddhism is based mainly on the teachings of Buddha- the dhama pada, the vedas - and other scriptures for us are the main basis for our teachings .



I could go on all day - but i hope that helps|||No difference - both are non believers

What roles do women play in modern buddhism? Are there female monks in buddhism?

Can a woman become a buddhist monk? Is there another sect of buddhism for women as there is in Western monks and nuns? Just wondering what part women play in the buddhist faith today?|||women are too busy growing their hair in their bits. They never shave!?!|||Women in Buddhism





http://www.google.com/search?hl=en%26amp;sourc鈥?/a>|||Yes , women absolutely can.





I visit asian countries several times, and visited a lot of buddish temples and orphange. There were several orphanges operated and run by female monks only, and the majority of the kids there were girls. The temples were mostly built and maintained by generous donations of people.





Women basically have the same part in buddhism as male monks, they do the same things as male monks do. Please remember that in buddhism, genders are not at all important. In the countries that I visit though, Buddhism tend to blend with the traditions of the country. That is, you dont get to see a mixture of female and male buddhist monks in the same temple, they tend to be in separate ones.|||My only experience is with Tibetan Buddhism. And yes, there are nuns. Both Eastern and Western nuns. I do not know of any that are in a leadership role, except for Pema Chodron, who is Abbot at Gampo Abbey, a Shambhala monastery in Nova Scotia, Canada. Also Thubten Chodron and Khenmo Drolma ... all Western women. They may be more, but there's lots I don't know.





One of the ladies in our dharma group took her vows and robes after 5 years of practice under the guidance of the monk/geshe at this Centre. She didn't do it until she had retired ... she did not feel that, at her age, it was fair to join a shangha group and be a burden to them as she aged. So she waited until she could afford to retire (monks and nuns are not allowed to go out and get jobs, so either the monastery supports them or they must support themselves). She will often go on retreats with other nuns, though. She spends her time in her practice and in serving our Centre in any way she can be useful.





The Dalai Lama is spearheading the acceptance of Tibetan Buddhism nuns as being on par with the monks. As a matter of fact, he is hinting that if he reincarnates, it might be as a woman. This is a very powerful push on his part to get the male monastic "establishment" to modernize their attitude towards nuns.|||Traditionally no, but that is changing.





It also depends on the sect, in Nichiren Buddhism, there are NO barriers for women to be enlightened (although there are no monks in Nichiren Buddhism). Most Buddhist organizations are modernizing.

How do you feel Buddhism should be classified?

Buddhism has been put into various categories, ranging from "Religion" to "Philosophy." Where do you think it should be placed? Give reasons.|||I think it should be classified as a Way of Thinking...or is that basically a philosophy?


Anyway, I love Buddhism, and I'm going to join a center as soon as I get home from vacation. None of the other religions really work for me because they all have like a God/ Gods, who control your life. And I'm a firm believer that it's you who control's your life. Reading the Bible every night, or visiting your temple every morning isn't going to make you successful. It's your hard work, respect for others, yourself and responsibility (The Dalai Lama's 3 R's) that will.|||http://www.plumvillage.org/


http://wkup.org/


http://www.aboutbuddha.org/


http://wkup.org/index.php?opti鈥?/a>

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|||Why does it need to be classified? It seems we are too eager to slap a label on everything.|||Spirituality|||It is a Spiritual Path. I would say that is more like Religion.|||Both are acceptable and correct. It is, at least, very solid in theory.|||It is a religion. There are theistic and atheistic Buddhists. Religions do not necessarily have to be theistic (though the vast majority of them are).|||Philosphy/Spiritual Path. I practice the teaching but have no belief in any gods. But it doesn't bother me if someone classifies it as a religion.|||A more tolerant,peaceful religion than most. No matter how you feel about it, The Dalai Lama doesn't come off as one of these fire and brimstone know it alls to me!|||Just another lie?

What is a good book on the destruction of Buddhism in Central Asia by Islam?

I am familiar with the basic details of the Islamic conquest of Central Asia and the destruction of Buddhism in Central Asia by the Islamic armies. However I am looking for an historical book that contains a detailed account the these events. Must be in English.|||Hi, not sure of a book, but you may find quite a bit good info on Islamic/Buddhist history on Alex Berzin's website www.berzinarchives.com

What is the connection bewteen ethics and metaphysics and buddhism?

Im trying to write a research paper on buddhism and in my outline it says to introduce the concept of ethics and metaphysics. I have the definitions but im not really sure what it really means and how to introduce the concept|||for ethics they have karma





metaphysics means after physics. you can talk about the soul. in reincarnation the soul goes to the other bodies in rebirth. the non-physical soul is limited by the physical body. for example if you came back as a frog your soul could only use the frog brain, frog eyes and so on. The soul could not think like a human does but would think like a frog does. whatever that entails. |||Fascinating subject.





The earliest sort of Buddhism was empiricial - even we might say pragmatic. It rejected metaphysics as practiced within the Hindu tradition against which it rebelled.





The Buddha's task was to show people how they can overcome their own suffering, NOT to conceptualize about it.





In time (this sort of thing happens a lot in history, east and west) the rebellion against metaphysics developed its own metaphysics.





But, if I were you, I'd write a paper emphasizing the original insight. primitive Buddhism practiced ethics TO THE EXCLUSION of metaphysics.





|||The original Buddhist belief teaches the concept of karma, precept, concentration, wisdom, ...etc. These knowledge permits the disciple to lead a path toward ultimate wisdom - enlightenment.





Ethics is based upon human interaction in the secular society. The applicable teaching to ethics in the Buddhist belief would then be: compassion, truthfulness, tolerant, karma creation, and other prescribed conduct. Keep in mind that the spiritual teaching surpass that of humanity. For example, karma can't be discovered and is not recognized by science nor believed by other religion, such as some Christians. But the understanding of karma leads the Buddhists conduct themselves with high ethics.





The metaphysics in the Buddhist belief is very much spiritual, and surpass the idea of philosophy.





The mediation mechanism is well explained in the 'China Falun Gong' book. The effects and advantages are discussed in details in the Zhuan Falun Lecture. Both books and meditation demonstration video are free to download from the URL listed below.





Falun Gong was found in 1992 by Master Li Hongzhi in China. About 100 million followers like the practice in over 80 countries worldwide. Falun Gong is an ancient practice for the body, mind, and spirit 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 Daoists 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








|||buddhism explores the same concepts that people in europe explored later, only in europe they called these concepts "metaphysics" and "ethics". buddhism is more of a set of philosophical doctrines than an actual religion, which is what makes it so special to me. buddhism teaches us compassion, honesty, steadfastness, and tolerance, it teaches us to interact with our fellow human beings with kindness and humility. but in a deeper sense, buddhism also questions the very foundation of existence itself, it questions whether or not the thing we call "i" actually exists, or if it is simply the result of complex chemical reactions firing off in our brains, which, in a way, is a metaphysical question.





the three are very deeply correlated. they're pretty much the same types of ideas manifesting in different cultures during different epochs.

What is the buddhism perspective on social justice?

I am doing an assignment and I need to know...


What is the buddhism perspective on social justice?


And how is this implemented in modern society?


Please add websites as that would be extremely helpful|||Buddhism today is quite diverse. It is roughly divisible into the two broad categories of Theravada (small vessel) and Mahayana (large vessel). Theravada is the monastic form which reserves ultimate enlightenment and nirvana for monks, while Mahayana Buddhism extends this goal of enlightenment to the laity as well, that is, to non-monks. Within these categories can be found numerous branches including Tendai, Vajrayana, Nichiren, Shingon, Pure Land, Zen, and Ryobu, among others, so you are going to get a mix of answers concerning this.|||How to cheat your way to the top of the leader board without even answering the question Sucks

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|||Wow! a Dot account who probably used a Bunch of accounts to vote "No best Answer" leaving a comment about Cheating creating a double standard thinking that the ends justify's the means, Typical Bull Crap

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Do some Westerners not realize that some sects of Buddhism are totally faith based?

And all they do is worship gods, and don't even meditate? This is different than what most Westerners think Buddhism is.|||When are you ever going to learn


When Lord Buddha revealed the Dharma He did so in many different way Knowing we { I am referring to The Human Realm ] are all different With different levels of understanding Different capacities and also He know there would be different time periods too


This one for example is termed The Dharma Ending Age when because of you Reptilians doing your thing In time the Dharma will die out It has done this three times previously Lord Buddha was the Fourth Buddha out of a total of one thousand who will Visit this Saha World


Now back in Lord Buddhas time yes there were many great Teachers and conditions on the whole were not bad for learning The same can't be said for these times


What is pertaining to be Teachers but only to sight are very corrupt and are hardly worth their rations


The unbelievable life sty;le of what is pertaining to be the Dalai Lama is one such example and there are many many others too


Now here in the west Here you all are with the run up to 2012 and the Christian Faith is still a force to be reckoned with in spite of it being infiltrated by Masonry [As is Buddhism too ]


The game plan is Convince as many Christians that Buddhism is a much better way to live and at the same time convince many Buddhists we only need to meditate Driving as many as possible to these questionable centers run for the most part by Self Styled Western Zen Buddhists Many are on here


Meditate with these ? The conditions couldn't be better to get into their head and grab their "stuff " Right


Thankfully Lord Buddha was smart You see He left specific Dharma just for this time and guess what We don't need any of the above


Instead of having to rely on a living Teacher as it was necessary to do in times past Pure Lander's are able to rely on Lord Buddha Amitabha The Buddha of Infinite Light


In His forty eight vows The nineteenth vow He states quite clearly If a Practitioner can recite Even as little as ten times His Name with focused intent He would be their at the time of death to guide and escort that Practitioner to His Pure land Sukhavati and there have been many recorded account of this happening


There are physical signs that are not only apparent to the Practitioner but also to anyone who happens to be around at the time I have had those experiences More than once


Meditation Of course there is meditation We have the Meditation Sutra along with the Larger Sukhavativyuha and Smaller Sukhavativyuha but again we do not need these centers which are very bad news for us Humans


I thought it was Tibetan Buddhism with it's Satanic iconography you had interest in


For Humans who wish to hack it out of here here here is the link for Ven Master Chin Kung's site that contains all a person would need With not a single begging bowl or Donation "suggestion" in sight All free





http://www.amitabha-gallery.org





This link will also lead to a very good book Wrote by Ven Master Tam which explains like no other the Pure Land practice " Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith"


Now I have explained this to you Hopefully in any future questions regarding Buddhism you wont be misleading Okay|||True, I suppose that is because these totally faith-based (mainly Chinese) traditions are not very popular with Westerners, so most simply don't know about them.





One could argue though that this strong emphasis on faith and lack of meditation etc. is in pretty stark contrast to most of the teachings from the other Buddhist traditions, which would be considered 'mainstream' in the West.|||Zen Buddhism is not the same thing. Buddhism has it's sects, just like Christianity.





Yes, I do realize that many of the Eastern Buddhists are faith based. I don't follow those.





I like Buddhism because it teaches me how to put things in perspective. How to minimize my materialism and how to be as one with all life.





That is a universal Buddhist teaching.|||Yes they don't realize such a truth.As a Mahayana Buddhist and a totally faith based Buddhist I give testimony to the truth in your statement.Sometimes all I do is worship without meditation.Westerners are often blind to this obviousness.We have many deities whether it be for meditation or prayer etc.|||In Buddhism there are two main things.





1. Chantings, worship buddha etc,





2. Meditation





Buddha never said that we shouldnt do chanting or worship buddha. But, he said "if you want to respect me , you need do meditation". Following what he said is another way to respect Buddha.We really can see buddha by following his teachings.





Chantings can make your mind calm and quite also peaceful.





Watch this vidio,its about the life of buddha.You will know who Buddha is.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2NLQGrbf…|||I don't think that anyone is saying that they aren't faith based. I am sure that they do worship " god'S ". The thing is that they don't worship Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. Blessings to you !!!|||Yes, I do which is why I see Buddhism as ridiculous as any other religion. But I think overall Siddartha and his teachings are ridiculous.|||And some sects of Christianity worship the devil. :)|||Well they sound just as stupid as the ones that worship god(s) here.|||Yes, I'm well aware that there are forms of Buddhism with deities.





So?

How does Mahayana Buddhism conflict with Roman Catholicism?

Mahayana Buddhism is a philosophy and Roman Catholicism is a religion.


I cannot see the conflict between them. God and Jesus I worship as well as the Bible. But I also believe that the Buddha taught about suffering which is basically sin and how to have a practical means to avoid it alongside prayer to God. And the Buddha's and Bodishavattas are saints in another name and place. God reveals himself in many ways.


What do ppl think?|||The Buddha made many claims about realities that are transcendental. For example: Nirvana, anatman, Buddha-nature, the Dharmakaya, liberation. All of these objects are transcendental, meaning none of them can be seen with the eye or heard with the ear. You cannot find them "scientifically" nor can you show they exist philosophically. To know them you have to experience them, as the Buddha did.





If you want to experience them for yourself you have to take his teaching seriously for long enough to try out its precepts sincerely. The Buddha gave instructions on how to do so, and the extended dharma of the Mahayana tradition gave even more. Taking the teaching seriously before you know all its results is a form of faith. You have to have faith in the teaching in order to practice it seriously enough that it has its advertised effect. This is why Buddhism is a religion not a mere philosophy.





Jesus of Nazareth made claims of precisely the same nature鈥攖ranscendental鈥攁nd again to know them you have to experience them, and to experience them you have to take his teaching (with the teaching of the Church) seriously enough for long enough, which is again faith. Christianity too is a religion and not just a philosophy about being nice and loving one's neighbor.





I find the ascetic programs of Christianity and Buddhism quite different in nature. I would find it difficult to have faith in both of them at the same time, to take them both seriously, even if there is no ultimate conflict. To know whether they conflict I would have to be enlightened already, to have a "God's eye" view which I am not promised until sainthood/enlightenment.





This is not to say you cannot draw many of the treasures of Buddhism (see my source) and apply them in a Christian life. Just know what you are doing is following Christianity and using some Buddhist insights. You would not be combining the two, and it is dangerous to do so, for the same reason that combining two maps of the same object could result in a third map which is unusable.|||Tibetan Buddhism is one of the branches of Mahayana Buddhism, and the similarities are incredible:





Vajrasattva Puja does the same thing as Confession


Guru Puja has elements of the Transubstantiation the Host


Both have the concept of direct lineage, transmission of power


Both have saints


Both had a mother figure


Both use incense and sprinkle "special" water


Both use mudras/hand gestures


Both go down in reverence (prostration - genuflection on one knee)


Both chant and have prayer beads


Both meditate (read St. Theresa of Avila on "Contemplative Prayer")





I have no explanation, nor need to make one ... but I find it quite remarkable|||mahayana Buddhism is a religion, not just a philosphy. The bible said you cannot mix darkness and light.





Your nick is ironic, considering christianity is a very evil religion.|||Agreed, there are even nuns that practice buddhism.








Ummm, thumbs down?! I'm just stating known facts. Unbelievable!|||Because christianity views any other religion as no different than paganism.

Does Buddhism hold that the nature of the universe is to create?

I would prefer answers from people who have actually studied Buddhism; not the westernized, hippie version of Buddhism. Not from "Buddhism for Dummies" or reading a wiki page. I'll be able to tell.





Thanks in advance!|||Good morning, Renee.





I must really be dense since I'm not sure what you mean by "鈥s the nature of the universe to create." Are you asking how the universe came into being? Does creation exist or is it illusion? Anyway, I'll base my response on my latter interpretation.





As I understand, the Nature of the Universe is Impermanence but then that ultimately leads to a new creation. Just as mountains wear down into their components (aggregates) by natural forces, the aggregates are re-made into new rocks and in time new mountains. The same holds true for sentient beings鈥攚e die, the aggregates that make us up dissipate, we decay, and eventually there is rebirth. Likewise, the universe expands and then collapses in time only to renew itself (like the so-called Big Bang theory) according to the Aganna Sutta.





There are two suttas that appear to relate to your question. You may want to download, read them, and make your own decision: the Aganna Sutta ( http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/AggannaSu鈥?/a> ) gives an account of how the universe came to be and the Aggivaccagotta Sutta ( http://www.vgweb.org/sutta/m72.pdf ) which states that such discussions are fruitless since they create inner unrest and confusion.





The following may explain the essence of the Aggivaccagotta Sutta as stated by Ven. Ajahn Brahmanvamso:





"鈥et me quote from an elegant and complete discourse of the Buddha, the Alagaddaupama Sutta, in paraphrase.





"The Dhamma is taught for the elimination of all standpoints (ditthithana), of all decisions [adhitthana], of all obsessions (gaha), of all adherences (abhinivesa), of all underlying tendencies (anusaya), of all determinations (sankhara), of all attachments (paramasa), for the destruction of craving (tanha), for attaining dispassion (viraga), for Nibbana (extinction) the Dhamma well proclaimed by me is thus is clear, open and free from patchwork those here who are arhants are completely liberated those who have abandoned the five lower fetters (orambhagiya-samyojana) shall attain Nibbana without ever returning, those who have abandoned the three lower fetters and attenuated lust, hate and delusion shall return once, stream-enterers (sotapanna) are headed for enlightenment those who are Dhamma-followers (dhammanusari) and faith-followers (saddanusari) are all headed for Nibbana." (from http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/03/25/fea06鈥?/a> ).





I'll leave you to read the referenced suttas and make your own decision.





May all be at peace.





John|||Well, in my brief time with SGI, and my longer time with Tibetan Buddhist teachers, noone has ever asked or brought this topic up.





The buddha taught that the "nature" of the universe was samsara (the cycle of life-death-rebirth), karma (cause and effect) and dukkha (suffering). He refused to answer any questions about the existence of a god, or a creator god, so Buddhism normally stays away from the subject of creation. The reason for this is because the issue of creation is not very important on the path to enlightenment.





On the other hand, dependent origination and interconnectedness are pretty important concepts. It all has to do with karma. To put it very basically, everything that happens, happens for a reason, and everything that happens to someone, is intricately connected to and caused by the actions of others.|||Desire created everything.





Including suffering and pain.





To end suffering, you have to stop desires.





Life is going through the samsara cycle, the cycle of continuous pain, ie life.





Once you have rid yourself of desire, the cycle of samsara pain cycle will end. Nirvana.





The goal is to achieve Nirvana, out of the samsara cycle by getting rid of desire.





So the Universe came from desire.|||In Ch'an Buddhism, it is believed that all things exist in balance: therefore, the nature of the universe is to create AND to destroy. In this, it is very similar to Taoism.





That's really the answer, I was studying Ch'an for a good number of years.|||No... Because the basic essence of Buddha's teachings are,- the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering.


Hence i never came across anything .|||I'm not sure that Buddhism touches on that topic at all.





Most Eastern religions are practical 'how-to-live-your-life' religions; they don't take the 'what's it all about?' approach that judeo-christians go for.|||The Buddha taught only about the suffering in life, and how to cease that suffering. Everything else is commentary that came at a later time.|||No, Buddhists believe that the goal of sentient beings is to cease existing.

What is the difference between Zen and Buddhism?

Are they the same thing? Is Zen a part of Buddhism? I am not clear on the distinction between these 2 practices. Thanks.|||Zen is one approach to "enlightenment", which is the goal of Buddhism. Some Buddhists attempt to achieve the greater consciousness through ascetic prectices, others through devotional rituals. Zen Buddhists employ a style of meditation and mental exercises that attempt to shock the mind out of conventional thinking.|||Zen is a school of Buddhism - The essential element of Zen Buddhism is found in its name, for Zen means "meditation." Zen teaches that enlightenment is achieved through the profound realization that one is already an enlightened being. This awakening can happen gradually or in a flash of insight (as emphasized by the Soto and Rinzai schools, respectively). But in either case, it is the result of one's own efforts. Deities and scriptures can offer only limited assistance.





It's part of the mahayana school of Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism emerged in the first century CE as a more liberal, accessible interpretation of Buddhism. As the "Greater Vehicle" (literally, the "Greater Ox-Cart"), Mahayana is a path available to people from all walks of life - not just monks and ascetics.





Theravada (traditional) and Mahayana Buddhists differ in their perspective on the ultimate purpose of life and the way in which it can be attained. Theravada Buddhists strive to become arhats, or perfected saints who have attained enlightenment and nirvana. This is considered to only be possible for monks and nuns, who devote their entire lives to the task. The best outcome the laity can hope for is to be reborn in the monastic life.





Mahayana Buddhists, on the other hand, hope to become not arhats but boddhisatvas, saints who have become enlightened but who unselfishly delay nirvana to help others attain it as well, as the Buddha did. Perhaps more significantly for one who would choose between the paths, Mahayana Buddhists teach that enlightenment can be attained in a single lifetime, and this can be accomplished even by a layperson. The various subdivisions within the Mahayana tradition, such as Zen, Nichiren, and Pure Land, promote different ways of attaining this goal, but all are agreed that it can be attained in a single lifetime by anyone who puts his or her mind (and sometimes body) to it.





The Mahayana form of Buddhism tends to be more religious in nature than its Theravadan counterpart. It often includes veneration of celestial beings, Buddhas and boddhisatvas, ceremonies, religious rituals, magical rites, and the use of icons, images, and other sacred objects. The role of such religious elements varies, however: it is central to Tibetan/Tantric Buddhism, but is highly discouraged by Zen practitioners, who have been known to burn statues of the Buddha to demonstrate their unimportance.





Hope this helps


Halcon :-))|||Zen is a state, not a philosophy. It is the way the Japanese pronounced the Chinese word "Ch'an", which is the Chinese pronunciation of the Sanskrit word for meditation, "dhyana". The state of no thought, totally contentless awareness, is called "samadhi" or "pure consciousness", and being able to function in that state is called "Zen". There are schools which aim at Zen and use Buddhism as the basis of their teachings, but not one of them would say Buddhism is necessary to Zen.|||Zen is a Japanese term, borrowed from the Chinese "Chan", meaning "to sit". It describes methodology rather than philosophy. Buddhism traveled from India, through the Himalayas, into China and then into Japan. Along the way it adopted local flavors and customs. So Tibetan Buddhism, headed by the Dali Lama, doesn't look much like Nichiren Zen from Japan.





The basic tenets that Buddha taught, the four noble truths, the eightfold path, the illusion of samasara, of separateness, vs. the reality of nirvana, oneness, the need for each individual to explore and question all the teachings for his or her self, are common to most branches and schools, however.|||Zen is a sub-set of Buddhism. Much the same as Catholicism is a sub-set of Christianity. In both cases, there is no difference.|||The word 'zen' was explained to me as meaning the simple way of...


I write haiku poems and they are the simple version of poetry. Where as Buddhism is a religion that embraces the art of 'zen'.|||Zen is Japanese Buddhism. It means Meditation. Chan is Chinese Buddhism. Most of those schools don't focus too much on scripture, but on meditating, koans, etc...|||I was going to answer this question but Halcon has already given an excellent response. Admirable.

How can buddhism and its teachings help a person ?

Buddhism is much more than a religion. It is a philosophy of Life, because philosphy means


"love of wisdom" and the Buddhist path can be summed up as follows:


1 - to lead a moral and ethically sound life.


2 - to be mindful %26amp; aware of one's thoughts,


words, and actions.


3 - to develop Wisdom and Understanding.





But how can Buddhism help me ?


Buddhism explains our real purpose in life.


It explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world. It Provides a code of practice which brings Peace and Happiness.


Buddhism has the answers to the problems in modern materialistic societies. It includes a Deep Understanding of the human mind, which prominent Scientists, and Psychologists around the world are now discovering to be very advanced and effective!! Buddhism teaches not to believe everything we're told but to develop wisdom,which requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. We can understand others when we can truly understand ourselves through Wisdom.|||Yes it can help us. One important thing to learn in Buddhism is Karma which is a Sanskrit word which literally means 鈥榓ction鈥? This is a key concept in Buddhism, as it is in Hinduism. At its most simple, the Buddha taught that our actions (including thought, word and deed) have consequences. In short, good deeds lead to happy states and bad deeds lead to unhappy ones.





For Buddhism, therefore, there is no such thing as good fortune or bad luck. What we experience is a result of what we have done in the past. We learn from our mistakes.





If we have lived a good moral life then at some point in the future there will be positive consequences. If we have been morally unsound, at some point in the future we will suffer because of this. What this means in effect is that we have total responsibility for what happens to us. If bad things happen to us it is not the fault of God or someone else but ultimately a consequence of what we have done in the past. It is important to note that this karmic process relates only to intentional acts. If we accidentally injure someone that is not our fault and there are no karmic consequences. However, if we intentionally hurt someone, karmic consequences|||Buddhism is a beautiful activity and functions well is you are open to its teachings.

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.

Buddhism??

I'm studying and practicing different religions, and so far I've got Christianity and Wicca down, now I want to study Buddhism, I know I could check out a book or look up a website, but I prefer to study my religions by discussing them with other people, are there any buddhists out there who would be willing to IM and chat with me on it?|||http://www.bswa.org


The above is one of the best,it has a forum for beginners,etc.


Good luck to you.|||buddism is a good faith. I am not buddist, but i respect it.





It says " dont just believe, because some one told it as truth, but anayze it and believe if only your conscious says to "





I could not put it properly, but the meaning is same.|||The website below is good.





http://www.metta.lk|||Simply speaking, this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.





The essence of Buddha鈥檚 teachings is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.|||I'm glad that someone out there is looking at what the different religions have to offer. Me personally I have no set religion (I follow none but parts of all) so I can not personally tell you about Buddhism but www.religioustolerance.org is a good website for information on all religions.|||Hey, I'm glad you want to study Buddhism. It's definitely worth studying. The one thing I love most about Buddhism is that the Buddha - the teacher - challanges us to "come and discover it, ask questions, and not just take the word of the Buddha or anyone else, but to discover the truth yourself."





I don't think I can IM or chat with you because of time constraints, but I can give you some great web-sites where you can discover buddhism.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism


(General topic on Buddhism)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Budd鈥?/a>


(The concept of God in Buddhism)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Bud鈥?/a>


(On Gautama Buddha, the teacher)





http://buddhism.2be.net/Three_Jewels


(The Three Jewels)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_鈥?/a>


http://buddhism.2be.net/Four_Noble_Truth鈥?/a>


(The Four Noble Truths)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_co鈥?/a>


(The Buddhist Cosmoloty - the world view as taught in Buddhism)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_me鈥?/a>


(Practising Buddhist Meditation)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_an鈥?/a>


(Buddhism and Science)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianit鈥?/a>


(Comparing Christianity and Buddhism)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_an鈥?/a>


(Comparing Buddhism and Hinduism)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_ph鈥?/a>


(Buddhism as Philosophy)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_Et鈥?/a>


(Buddhism as Ethical system)





http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/autho鈥?/a>


(Buddhism in a nutshell)|||This forum knows Buddhism:


http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.p鈥?/a>





Good fundamentals here:


http://www.buddhanet.net/





Also, anything by the Dalia Lama.|||Go to http://www.buddhachat.org/forum/index.ph鈥?/a> and let's talk/ask questions over there.|||you may learn here, but go to various temples and get involved.|||If you absolutely wanna follow a religion. Stick with Buddhism you will be happy. Good Luck!!

Buddhism..?

could someone tell me about buddhism|||Buddhism is an atheistic religion.it doesn't believe that a "God" controls the actions of people but that people are responsible for what they do themselves.Even in the English language,there's a saying that "what goes around comes around"-if a person commits a sin,the best he can do is to strongly determine not to commit further sins but u can't turn back time and undo the sin u have already done.





however,what u do will be a sin ONLY if u had the INTENTION to do it.e.g. if a worker mistakenly drops a hammer from on top of a roof where he's working and it lands on another man and kills him,still that worker has not committed any sin because he did not MEAN to do it.


the basic 5 precepts Lord Buddha taught are that:





one should refrain from killing (this includes ALL creatures..not just humans)





one should refrain from stealing


one should refrain from sexual misconduct


one should refrain from lying


one should refrain from consuming intoxicants





if u think about this,u don't really need a religion to tell u these things.they are common sense.THAT'S what Buddhism is all about.True Buddhism is the "Dhamma"-teachings of Buddha.going to temples,worshipping etc is not essential to be a true buddhist.those are things we do to make his teachings effective in day to day life.Lord Buddha never told anyone to do all those things.





the core of Buddhism is being open minded.never blind faith.Lord Buddha has always said not to believe even what he has preached merely BECAUSE he preached it without questioning.we are,as humans,capable of intelligent thinking.so why sacrifice that intelligence and give into blind faith? we must question and investigate about the world around us and be as realistic as possible





this is why Buddhism is not really a "religion".it's the philosophy of life and the logic behind it.u can possess the characteristics of a good Buddhist even though u may technically not even BE a Buddhist.fo example,if a catholic lives according to the 5 precepts he will automatically inherit the characteristics of a Buddhist even though he believes in God.that's because Buddhism doesn't attach importance to whether or not one believes in Buddha (like the christians do since people who don't believe in God are thought to be non-religious) .it's WHAT YOU DO that's important.





Buddhism is based on LOGIC.+we do not consider the Buddha to be a "God"





"Buddhism has many sects and schools, often fairly different"





the TEACHINGS of Buddha are no different.they remain the same.one must learn to filter through different countries' cultures and learn the true TEACHINGS.|||It's a philosophy, a really great one. It teaches personal responsibly, kindness and tolerance.|||A comprehensive description of Buddhism is beyond the scope of this forum.





Buddhism has many sects and schools, often fairly different.





Buddhism is a non-theistic religion where the existense or non-existense of god has no bearing on Buddhist practice. It contains no dogma, no laws handed down from a higher power or teacher. Buddhist practice relys on the practitioner to find their own truth through meditational practices.





It is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as The Buddha. "Buddha" means "Enlightened one".





It is a meditational religion which seeks to come to a very deep understanding of self and end suffering, known as self-realization or enlightenment.





At it's basis is the inquiry into why we suffer, what causes it, what we can do to eliminate it, and the practice thereof.





All Buddhist schools and practices are considered different paths to the same goals.





Buddhism is extremely tolerant of other religions, considering them all fingers pointing to the same moon. We have people who are Christians practicing at our temple. Because I call myself Buddhist and they call themselves Christian means nothing - we all have the same prospects with regards to gaining self-realization.|||This one at my school goes girl to my buddhist friend " If you don't believe in god doesn't that mean you go to hell ? "


Buddhism is a atheistic religion


Life is suffering


That is because of your emotions


You want something ( materialistic) to fill your satisfaction yet it does not satisfy you


If are a good person in your current life who does good actions,thinks good thoughts and so on you will be one step closer to nirvana ( ultimate bliss where you no longer exsist )


If are a horrible person you will be born as a bug ,or some animal who shall suffer a short life|||www.buddhanet.net is the best resource. Your question is too broad.





_()_|||Buddhism





Buddhism is a very logical philosophy which reveals about the mind, life, and the nature of the world. Lord Buddha is the great master.


A Buddha is a great master who shows people the way to achieve Nirvana the cessation of Sorrow. Lord Buddha was his own master and preached the knowledge he gained through enlightenment. He has reached the state of Buddha by improving his self doing merits and meditation for many years in his previous lives.


Lord Buddha did not represent another powerful invisible figure to preach his knowledge and was his own master. To the layman he taught how to live a good, sincere, happy and a purposeful life and proposed some guidelines to follow to achieve these objectives. Those who do good deeds are rewarded with positive results and vice versa he said. He also said those who want to improve the mind should practice to eliminate selfishness, hatred, anger and ignorance.





Lord Buddha had born 2500 years ago in Northern India and has gain the state of Buddha in his life due to the great merits he has done in his previous lives and the improvement of mind by the meditation he has done. He is not the first or the last Buddha.


There were Buddha's in the past and will be in the future. So we are living in a rare era, an era where Buddhism exists in the world.


We are very lucky to be born in a period of a Buddha. Because there are dark eras where Buddhism does not exists in this world.





He said right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration will lead to cessation of sorrow and to attain Nirvana the ultimate peace. To achieve Nirvana you have to follow the above path. It is not a process which can be done very quickly. One has to follow the path Buddha has taught patiently to achieve Nirvana.








For the intellectuals he said the life is sorrow and taught the way to eliminate the sorrow, by enlightenment. Enlightenment could only be attained through improvement of knowledge thus the improvement of conscious or mind hence some consider it as a philosophy. Worshipping is not a requirement in Buddhism though many do it as a habit and a custom.





Long before Newton, Buddha said every action has a reaction including in all conscious deeds. Those who do good deeds shall be rewarded with positive results and those who do harmful actions (with an evil intension) may experience in adverse results. The results of our righteous or sinful deeds Buddha said shall follow our soul in subsequent lives. Apart from heaven and hell he also said there are other forms of lives after this life.





Just like in thousands of present day books which provide self improvement techniques. Buddha provided an enormous amount of advice to the layman to improve one's self. He said selfishness; hatred, anger and ignorance prevent one from self improvement. One who wants to improve the mind should learn to eliminate these four statuses of mind. Buddha is said to have supernatural powers such as reading others thoughts. He has gained those abilities through meditation. We already know some people possess super natural powers and extra ordinary abilities. Such status could be achieved by improving one's mind thought it is not the ultimatum of the Buddhism. Self improvement or the learning process since the childhood is a way of improving our mind or thinking. It is by improvement of one's mind that the truth could be understood.





It is up to the individual who follows Buddhism to understand and practice what Lord Buddha had taught. Understanding and practicing is important for self improvement.


The Lord Buddha has shown the way. It is our own responsibility to follow it and understand the truth.





Buddhists are practicing 3 major merits in their lives.


They are





1. Dana (Giving %26amp; helping other people and animals.)





2. Sheela (preventing from doing sins like killing and harming others and animals, stealing, adultery, false speech, etc.)





3. Bhavana (The improvement in mindfulness and wisdom by practicing Meditation.)





From these practices they are trying to give up desires step by step and coming closer to the state of ultimate freedom NIRVANA.








5 Main precepts of Buddhism





1. I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living beings.


2. I undertake the precept to refrain from stealing.


3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, child abuse, etc).


4. I undertake the precept to refrain from false speech (lying).


5. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness.





Every Buddhist should take those precepts and try to improve own self to live a happy, peaceful life. When you give up your lust, anger, fear, hatred your mind becomes more clear and calm. Mind can be improved by meditation.


One fine day when you understand the truth by your self which was shown by Lord Buddha you will find the ultimate peace. Buddhism is a great philosophy, it all about understanding by your self. There is much more to learn about Buddhism.


So here are two of the best web sites to find out more about Buddhism.








http://www.metta.lk/





http://www.bswa.org/|||Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion and a philosophy.[1] Buddhism is also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit and Pali, the languages of ancient Buddhist texts. Buddhism was founded around the fifth century BCE by Siddhartha Gautama, hereafter referred to as "the Buddha".


Prince Siddhartha is believed by Buddhists to have been born in Lumbini[2] and raised in Kapilavastu near the present-day Indian-Nepalese border.[3] After his attainment of enlightenment at the age of 35, he was known as the Buddha and spent some 45 years teaching his insights (the Buddha Dharma). According to scholars, he lived around the fifth century BCE, but his more exact birthdate is open to debate.[4] He died around age of 80 in Kushinagar (India).





Buddhism spread throughout the Indian subcontinent in the five centuries following the Buddha's passing, and into Asia and elsewhere over the next two millennia.








Divisions


The original teachings and monastic organization established by Buddha can be referred to as pre-sectarian Buddhism, but all the current divisions within Buddhism are too much influenced by later history to warrant inclusion under this name.[citation needed] The most frequently used classification of present-day Buddhism among scholars[5] divides present-day adherents into the following three traditions:





Theravada, also known as Southeast Asian Buddhism, Pali Buddhism or southern Buddhism — practiced mainly in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and parts of Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Bangladesh (Southeast Asia);


East Asian Buddhism, also known as Sino-Japanese Buddhism or eastern Buddhism — practiced predominantly in China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia;


Tibetan Buddhism, also known as northern Buddhism — practiced mainly in Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan and parts of Nepal, India, Maldives, China and Russia.


An alternative scheme used by some scholars[6] has two divisions, Theravada and Mahayana, with the latter including the last two traditions above. This probably better reflects the self-identification of Buddhists. Some scholars[7]use other schemes.








Buddhism Today


Indian Buddhism has become virtually extinct, except in parts of Nepal. Buddhism continues to attract followers around the world and is considered a major world religion. According to one source,[8] "World estimates for Buddhists vary between 230 and 500 million, with most around 350 million." However, estimates are uncertain for several countries. According to one analysis,[9] Buddhism is the fifth-largest religion in the world behind Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and traditional Chinese religion. The monks' order (Sangha), which began during the lifetime of the Buddha in India, is amongst the oldest organizations on earth.








Doctrine


In Buddhism, any person who has awakened from the "sleep of ignorance" (by directly realizing the true nature of reality), without instruction, is called a buddha.[10] If a person achieves this with the teachings of a buddha, he is called an arahant[citation needed]. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is thus only one among other buddhas before or after him. His teachings are oriented toward the attainment of this kind of awakening, also called enlightenment, Bodhi, liberation, or Nirvana.





Part of the Buddha’s teachings regarding the holy life and the goal of liberation is constituted by the "The Four Noble Truths", which focus on dukkha, a term that refers to suffering or the unhappiness ultimately characteristic of unawakened, worldly life. The Four Noble Truths regarding suffering state what is its nature, its cause, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. This way to the cessation of suffering is called "The Noble Eightfold Path", which is one of the fundamentals of Buddhist virtuous or moral life.





Numerous distinct groups have developed since the passing of the Buddha, with diverse teachings that vary widely in practice, philosophical emphasis, and culture. However, there are certain doctrines which are common to the majority of schools and traditions in Buddhism, though only Theravada regards all of them as central. About all Buddhists few valid generalizations are possible.[11]








The Four Noble Truths


Main article: The Four Noble Truths


According to the scriptures, the Buddha taught that in life there exists sorrow / suffering which is caused by desire and it can be cured (ceased) by following the Noble Eightfold Path (Sanskrit: Āryāṣṭāṅgamārgaḥ , Pāli: Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo). This teaching is called the Catvāry Āryasatyāni (Pali: Cattāri Ariyasaccāni), the "Four Noble Truths".





Suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.


The cause of suffering: The desire which leads to renewed existence (rebirth) (the cycle of samsara)


The cessation of suffering: The cessation of desire.


The way leading to the cessation of suffering: The Noble Eightfold Path;


According to the scriptures, the Four Noble Truths were among the topics of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment,[12] which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practiced austerities, and were originally spoken by the Buddha, not in the form of a religious or philosophical text, but in the form of a common medical prescription of the time. The traditional understanding in the Theravada is that these are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them.[13]








The Noble Eightfold Path


Main article: Noble Eightfold Path





The eight-spoked Dharmachakra. The eight spokes represent the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism.According to a saying attributed in some traditions to the Buddha, if a person does not follow the Eightfold Path, one lives one's life like a preoccupied child playing with toys in a house that is burning to the ground.[14]





The Noble Eightfold Path is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. This is divided into three sections: Sila (which concerns wholesome physical actions), Samadhi (which concerns the meditative concentration of the mind) and Prajñā (which concerns spiritual insight into the true nature of all things).





Sila is morality — abstaining from unwholesome deeds of body and speech. Within the division of sila are three parts of the Noble Eightfold Path:





Right Speech — One speaks in a non hurtful, not exaggerated, truthful way (samyag-vāc, sammā-vācā)


Right Actions — Wholesome action, avoiding action that would do harm (samyak-karmānta, sammā-kammanta)


Right Livelihood — One's way of livelihood does not harm in any way oneself or others; directly or indirectly (samyag-ājīva, sammā-ājīva)


Samadhi is developing mastery over one’s own mind. Within this division are another three parts of the Noble Eightfold Path:





Right Effort/Exercise — One makes an effort to improve (samyag-vyāyāma, sammā-vāyāma)


Right Mindfulness/Awareness — Mental ability to see things for what they are with clear consciousness (samyak-smṛti, sammā-sati)


Right Concentration — Being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion. (samyak-samādhi, sammā-samādhi)


Prajñā is the wisdom which purifies the mind. Within this division fall two more parts of the Noble Eightfold Path:





Right Thoughts — Change in the pattern of thinking. (samyak-saṃkalpa, sammā-saṅkappa)


Right Understanding — Understanding reality as it is, not just as it appears to be. (samyag-dṛṣṭi, sammā-diṭṭhi)


The word samyak means "perfect". There are a number of ways to interpret the Eightfold Path. On one hand, the Eightfold Path is spoken of as being a progressive series of stages through which the practitioner moves, the culmination of one leading to the beginning of another, whereas others see the states of the 'Path' as requiring simultaneous development. It is also common to categorize the Eightfold Path into prajñā (Pāli paññā, wisdom), śīla (Pāli sīla, virtuous behavior) and samādhi (concentration).








Bodhi





Gautama Buddha, Gandhara, northern Pakistan.Main article: Bodhi


Bodhi (Pāli and Sanskrit बॊधि, lit. awakening) is a title given in Buddhism to the specific awakening experience attained by the Buddha. When used in a generic sense, a buddha is generally considered to be a person who discovers the true nature of reality through lifetimes of spiritual cultivation, investigation of the various religious practices of his time, and meditation. This transformational discovery is called Bodhi (literally, "awakening" — more commonly called "enlightenment"). In Sino-Japanese Buddhism (Zen) this experience is called Satori.





After attainment of Bodhi, it is believed one is freed from the compulsive cycle of saṃsāra: birth, suffering, death and rebirth. Bodhi is attained only by the accomplishment of the pāramitās (perfections), when the Four Noble Truths are fully grasped, and when all karma has reached cessation. At this moment, all greed (lobha), hatred (Pali dosa), delusion (moha), ignorance (Sanskrit avidyā, Pāli avijjā), craving (Sanskrit tṛṣṇā, Pāli taṇhā) and belief in self(ātmān, Pāli attā) are extinguished. Bodhi thus implies understanding of anātman (Pāli anatta), the absence of ego-centeredness. All schools of Buddhism recognize three types of Bodhi. They are Śrāvakabodhi (Pāli: Sāvakabodhi), Pratyekabodhi (Pāli: Paccekabodhi) and Samyaksambodhi (Pāli: Sammāsambodhi), the perfect enlightenment by which a bodhisattva becomes a fully enlightened buddha. According to a saying attributed in some traditions to the Buddha, if a person does not follow the goal of Total Realization, one lives one's life like a preoccupied child playing with toys in a house that is burning to the ground.[15] The aspiration to attain the state of samyaksambodhi, known as the Bodhisattva ideal, is considered as the highest ideal of Buddhism.








Middle Way


The primary guiding principle of Buddhist practice is the Middle Way which was discovered by the Buddha prior to his enlightenment (bodhi). The Middle Way or Middle Path has several definitions:





It is often described as the practice of non-extremism; a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and opposing self-mortification.


It also refers to taking a middle ground between certain metaphysical views, e.g. that things ultimately either exist or do not exist.[16]


An explanation of the state of nirvana and perfect enlightenment where all dualities fuse and cease to exist as separate entities (see Seongcheol).





Refuge in the Three Jewels





Footprint of the Buddha with Dharmachakra and triratna, 1st century CE, Gandhāra.Main articles: Refuge (Buddhism) and Three Jewels


Acknowledging the Four Noble Truths and making the first step in the Noble Eightfold Path requires taking refuge, as the foundation of one's religious practice, in Buddhism's Three Jewels (Sanskrit: त्रिरत्न Triratna or रत्नत्रय Ratna-traya, Pali: तिरतन Tiratana).[17] Tibetan Buddhism sometimes adds a fourth refuge, in the lama. The person who chooses the bodhisattva path makes a vow/pledge. This is considered the ultimate expression of compassion.





The Three Jewels are:





The Buddha (i.e., Awakened One). This is a title for those who attained Awakening similar to the Buddha and helped others to attain it. See also the Tathāgata and Śākyamuni Buddha. The Buddha could also be represented as the wisdom that understands Dharma, and in this regard the Buddha represents the perfect wisdom that sees reality in its true form.


The Dharma: The teachings or law as expounded by the Buddha. Dharma also means the law of nature based on behavior of a person and its consequences to be experienced (action and reaction). It can also (especially in the Mahayana) connote the ultimate and sustaining Reality which is inseverable from the Buddha.


The Sangha: This term literally means "group" or "congregation," but when it is used in Buddhist teaching the word refers to one of two very specific kinds of groups: either the community of Buddhist monastics (bhikkhus and bhikkhunis), or the community of people who have attained at least the first stage of Awakening (Sotapanna (pali) — one who has entered the stream to enlightenment). According to some modern Buddhists, it also consists of laymen and laywomen, the caretakers of the monks, those who have accepted parts of the monastic code but who have not been ordained as monks or nuns.


According to the scriptures, The Buddha presented himself as a model and besought his followers to have faith (Sanskrit श्रद्धा śraddhā, Pāli saddhā) in his example of a human who escaped the pain and danger of existence. The Dharma, i.e. the teaching of the Buddha, offers a refuge by providing guidelines for the alleviation of suffering and the attainment of enlightenment. The Saṅgha (Buddhist Order of monks) provides a refuge by preserving the authentic teachings of the Buddha and providing further examples that the truth of the Buddha's teachings is attainable.





In certain Mahayana sutras, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are viewed essentially as One: all three are seen as the eternal Buddha himself.





Many Buddhists believe that there is no otherworldly salvation from one's karma. The suffering caused by the karmic effects of previous thoughts, words and deeds can be alleviated by following the Noble Eightfold Path, although the Buddha of some Mahayana sutras, such as the Lotus Sutra, the Angulimaliya Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra, also teaches that powerful sutras such as the above-named can, through the very act of their being heard or recited, wholly expunge great swathes of negative karma.








Śīla (virtuous behavior)


Main article: Sila


Śīla (Sanskrit) or sīla (Pāli) is usually rendered into English as "behavioral discipline", "morality", or ethics. It is often translated as "precept". It is an action that is an intentional effort. It is one of the three practices (sila, samadhi, and panya) and the second pāramitā. It refers to moral purity of thought, word, and deed. The four conditions of śīla are chastity, calmness, quiet, and extinguishment, i.e. no longer being susceptible to perturbation by the passions.[citation needed]





Sīla refers to overall (principles of) ethical behavior. There are several levels of sila, which correspond to 'basic morality' (five precepts), 'basic morality with asceticism' (eight precepts), 'novice monkhood' (ten precepts) and 'monkhood' (Vinaya or Patimokkha). Lay people generally undertake to live by the five precepts which are common to all Buddhist schools. If they wish, they can choose to undertake the eight precepts, which have some additional precepts of basic asceticism.





The five precepts are not given in the form of commands such as "thou shalt not ...", but are training rules in order to live a better life in which one is happy, without worries, and can meditate well.





1. To refrain from taking life. (i.e. non-violence towards sentient life forms)


2. To refrain from taking that which is not given (i.e. not committing theft)


3. To refrain from sensual misconduct (abstinence from immoral sexual behavior)


4. To refrain from lying. (i.e. speaking truth always)


5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness (refrain from using drugs or alcohol)


In the eight precepts, the third precept on sexual misconduct is made more strict, and becomes a precept of celibacy.





The three additional rules of the eight precepts are:





6. To refrain from eating at the wrong time (only eat from sunrise to noon)


7. To refrain from dancing, using jewelery, going to shows, etc.


8. To refrain from using a high, luxurious bed.


Vinaya is the specific moral code for monks. It includes the Patimokkha, a set of 227 rules in the Theravadin recension. The precise content of the vinayapitaka (scriptures on Vinaya) differ slightly according to different schools, and different schools or subschools set different standards for the degree of adherence to Vinaya. Novice-monks use the ten precepts, which are the basic precepts for monastics.





In Eastern Buddhism, there is also a distinctive Vinaya and ethics contained within the Mahayana Brahmajala Sutra (not to be confused with the Pali text of that name) for Bodhisattvas, where, for example, the eating of meat is frowned upon and vegetarianism is actively encouraged (see vegetarianism in Buddhism).








Samadhi/Bhāvana (Meditative cultivation)


Main articles: Samadhi, Vipassana, and Buddhist meditation


In the language of the Noble Eightfold Path, samyaksamādhi is "right concentration". The primary means of cultivating samādhi is meditation. Almost all Buddhist schools agree that the Buddha taught two types of meditation, viz. samatha meditation (Sanskrit: śamatha) and vipassanā meditation (Sanskrit: vipaśyanā). Upon development of samādhi, one's mind becomes purified of defilement, calm, tranquil, and luminous.





Once the meditator achieves a strong and powerful concentration (jhāna, Sanskrit ध्यानम् dhyāna), his mind is ready to penetrate and gain insight (vipassanā) into the ultimate nature of reality, eventually obtaining release from all suffering. The cultivation of mindfulness is essential to mental concentration, which is needed to achieve insight.





Samatha Meditation starts from being mindful of an object or idea, which is expanded to one's body, mind and entire surroundings, leading to a state of total concentration and tranquility (jhāna) There are many variations in the style of meditation, from sitting cross-legged or kneeling to chanting or walking. The most common method of meditation is to concentrate on one's breath, because this practice can lead to both samatha and vipassana.





In Buddhist practice, it is said that while samatha meditation can calm the mind, only vipassanā meditation can reveal how the mind was disturbed to start with, which is what leads to jñāna (Pāli ñāṇa knowledge), prajñā (Pāli paññā pure understanding) and thus can lead to nirvāṇa (Pāli nibbāna).








Prajñā (Wisdom)


Main article: Prajñā


Prajñā (Sanskrit) or paññā (Pāli) means wisdom that is based on a realization of dependent origination, The Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path. Prajñā is the wisdom that is able to extinguish afflictions and bring about bodhi. It is spoken of as the principal means, by its enlightenment, of attaining nirvāṇa, through its revelation of the true nature of all things. Prajñā is also listed as the sixth of the six pāramitās.





Initially, prajñā is attained at a conceptual level by means of listening to sermons (dharma talks), reading, studying and sometimes reciting Buddhist texts and engaging in discourse. The Buddha taught dharma to his disciples mainly through the mean of discourse or sermon,[citation needed] many attaining bodhi upon hearing the Buddha's discourse.





Once the conceptual understanding is attained, it is applied to daily life so that each Buddhist can verify the truth of the Buddha's teaching at a practical level. Lastly, one engages in insight (vipassanā, Sanskrit vipaśyanā) meditation (Citation needed) to attain such wisdom at intuitive level. It should be noted that one could theoretically attain bodhi at any point of practice, while listening to a sermon, while conducting business of daily life or while in meditation.








Early Buddhism


Main articles: History of Buddhism and Buddhist councils


According to the scriptures, soon after the parinirvāṇa (Pāli: parinibbāna, "complete extinguishment") of the Buddha, the first Buddhist council was held. As with any ancient Indian tradition, transmission of teaching was done orally. The primary purpose of the assembly was to collectively recite the teaching to ensure that no errors occur in oral transmission. In the first council, Ānanda, a cousin of the Buddha and his personal attendant, was called upon to recite the discourses (sūtras, Pāli suttas) of the Buddha, and, according to some sources, the abhidhamma. Upāli, another disciple, recited the monastic rules (Vinaya).








Indian Buddhism


Main articles: The Second Buddhist Council and Early Buddhist schools


As the Saṅgha gradually grew over the next century a dispute arose regarding ten points of discipline. A Second Buddhist Council (said in the scriptures to have taken place 100 years after the Buddha's death) was held to resolve the points at dispute. The result was that all the monks agreed that those 10 practices were unallowed according to Vinaya.





At some period after the Second Council however, the Sangha began to break into separate factions. The various accounts differ as to when the actual schisms occurred: according to the Dipavamsa of the Pali tradition, they started immediately after the Second Council; the Puggalavada tradition places it in 137 AN; the Sarvastivada tradition of Vasumitra says it was in the time of Asoka; and the Mahasanghika tradition places it much later, nearly 100 BCE.





The Asokan edicts, our only contemporary sources, state that 'the Sangha has been made unified'. This apparently refers to a dispute such as that described in the account of the Third Buddhist Council at Pataliputta. This concerns the expulsion of non-Buddhist heretics from the Sangha, and does not speak of a schism.





These schisms occurred within the traditions of Early Buddhism, at a time when the Mahāyāna movement either did not exist at all, or only existed as a current of thought not yet identified with a separate school.





The root schism was between the Sthaviras and the Mahāsāṅghikas. The fortunate survival of accounts from both sides of the dispute reveals disparate traditions. The Sthavira group offers two quite distinct reasons for the schism. The Dipavamsa of the Theravāda says that the losing party in the Second Council dispute broke away in protest and formed the Mahasanghika. This contradicts the Mahasanghikas' own vinaya, which shows them as on the same, winning side. On the other hand, the northern lineages, including the Sarvastivada and Puggalavada (both branches of the ancient Sthaviras) attribute the Mahāsāṅghika schism to the '5 points' that erode the status of the arahant. For their part, the Mahāsāṅghikas argued that the Sthaviras were trying to expand the Vinaya; they may also have challenged what they perceived to be excessive claims or inhumanly high criteria for Arhatship. Both parties, therefore, appealed to tradition.[18] The Sthaviras gave rise to several schools, one of which was the Theravāda school.








Buddhist proselytism at the time of emperor Aśoka the Great (260–218 BCE).Following (or leading up to) the schisms, each Saṅgha started to accumulate an Abhidharma, a collection of philosophical texts. Early sources for these probably existed in the time of the Buddha as simple lists. However, as time went on and Buddhism spread further, the (perceived) teachings of the Buddha were formalized in a more systematic manner in a new Pitaka: the Abhidhamma Pitaka. Some modern academics refer to it as Abhidhamma Buddhism. Interestingly, in the opinion of some scholars, the Mahasanghika school did not have an Abhidhamma Pitaka, which agrees with their statement that they did not want to add to the Buddha's teachings. But according to Chinese pilgrims Fa Xian (5th century CE) and Yuan Chwang (7th century CE), they had procured a copy of Abhidhamma which belonged to the Mahasanghika School.








Buddhist tradition records in the Milinda Panha that the 2nd century BCE Indo-Greek king Menander converted to the Buddhist faith and became an arhat.Buddhism may have spread only slowly in India until the time of the Mauryan emperor Aśoka the Great, who was a public supporter of the religion. The support of Aśoka and his descendants led to the construction of more Buddhist religious memorials (stūpas) and to efforts to spread Buddhism throughout the enlarged Maurya empire and even into neighboring lands – particularly to the Iranian-speaking regions of Afghanistan and Central Asia, beyond the Mauryas' northwest border, and to the islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives south of India. These two missions, in opposite directions, would ultimately lead, in the first case to the spread of Buddhism into China, and in the second case, to the emergence of Theravāda Buddhism and its spread from Sri Lanka to the coastal lands of Southeast Asia.





This period marks the first known spread of Buddhism beyond India. According to the edicts of Aśoka, emissaries were sent to various countries west of India in order to spread "Dhamma", particularly in eastern provinces of the neighboring Seleucid Empire, and even farther to Hellenistic kingdoms of the Mediterranean. This led, a century later, to the emergence of Greek-speaking Buddhist monarchs in the Indo-Greek Kingdom, and to the development of the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhāra. During this period Buddhism was exposed to a variety of influences, from Persian and Greek civilization, and from changing trends in non-Buddhist Indian religions – themselves influenced by Buddhism.








Rise of Mahayana Buddhism


Main article: Mahayana





Chinese Seated Buddha, Tang Dynasty, Hebei province, ca. 650 CE. Chinese Buddhism is of the Mahayana tradition, with popular schools today being Pure Land and Zen.The precise geographical origins of Mahayana are unknown. It is likely that various elements of Mahayana developed independently from the 1st century BCE onwards, initially within several small individual communities, in areas to the north-west within the Kushan Empire (within present-day northern Pakistan), and in areas within the Shatavahana Empire, including Amaravati to the south-east (in present-day Andhra Pradesh), to the west around the port of Bharukaccha (present-day Bharuch, a town near Bombay), and around the various cave complexes, such as Ajanta and Karli (in present-day Gujarat and Maharashtra). The late Professor Hirakawa argued that Mahayana was a movement of lay Buddhists focused around stupa devotion. Pictures within the wall of a stupa representing the story of the Buddha and his previous reincarnation as a bodisattva were used to preach Buddhism to the masses. This theory is still widely held among Japanese scholars, but most western scholars now reject it.[19] The Sangha, at the same time, became increasingly fragmented both in terms of Abhidharma and Vinaya practice. This led to a widening distance between the laity and Sangha. The Mahayana movement, on the other hand, was ecumenical, reflecting a wide range of influence from various sects. Monks representing different philosophical orientations could live in the same Sangha as long as they practiced the same Vinaya. Still, in terms of Abhidharma, the Sarvastivada school and the Dharmaguptaka school, both of which were widespread in the Kushan Empire, seem to have had major influence. Moreover, those who believe that Mahayana sutras were composed during this period speculate that the process of reshuffling of sutras according to various Abhidharma eventually led to editing which made the composition of new Mahayana sutras possible.








Expansion of Mahayana Buddhism between the 1st – 10th century CE.Around 100 CE, the Kushan emperor Kanishka is said to have convened what many western scholars call the fourth Buddhist council and is usually associated with the formal rise of Mahayana Buddhism. This council is not recognised by the Theravada line of Buddhism. According to Mahayana sources, this council did not simply rely on the original Tripitaka in the third council. Instead, a set of new scriptures, mostly notably, the Lotus Sutra, an early version of the Heart Sutra and the Amitabha Sutra were approved, as well as fundamental principles of doctrine based around the concept of salvation for all beings (hence Mahāyāna "great vehicle") and the concept of Buddhas and bodhisattvas who embody the indwelling yet transcendent Buddha-nature who strive to achieve such a goal. However, most western scholars believe this council was purely Sarvastivada, while the late Monseigneur Professor Lamotte considered it entirely fictitious.[20] The new scriptures were first written in Sanskrit. From that point on, and in the space of a few centuries, Mahayana would flourish and spread from India to Southeast Asia, and towards the north to Central Asia and then east to China where Mahayana was Sinicized and this Sinicized Mahayana would be passed on to Korea, Vietnam and finally to Japan in 538 CE. The East Asians would go on to write more indigenous sutras and commentaries to the Mahayana Canon. The most complete Mahayana Canon today is in the Chinese language.





Mahāyāna Buddhism received significant theoretical grounding from Nāgārjuna (perhaps c.150–250 CE), arguably the most influential scholar within the Mahāyāna tradition. Writings attributed to him made explicit references to Mahāyāna texts, but his philosophy was argued within the parameters set out by the Tripiṭaka sūtras. Completely repudiating the then-and-there-dominant Sarvāstivāda school, which argued for the existence of dharmas (factors of existence) in past, present, and future, Nāgārjuna asserted that the nature of the dharmas (hence the enlightenment) to be śūnya (void or empty), bringing together other key Buddhist doctrines, particularly anātman (no-self) and pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination). His school of thought is known as the Madhyamaka.





After the end of the Kuṣāṇas, Buddhism flourished in India during the dynasty of the Guptas (4th – 6th century). Mahāyāna centres of learning were established, the most important one being the Nālandā University in north-eastern India. Sarvāstivāda teaching, which was criticized by Nāgārjuna, was reformulated by scholars such as Vasubandhu and Asaṅga and were incorporated into the Yogācāra (Sanskrit: yoga practice) school. While the Madhyamaka school asserted that there is no ultimately real thing, the Yogācāra school asserts that only the mind is ultimately existent. These two schools of thought, in opposition or synthesis, form the basis of subsequent Mahāyāna theology in the Indo-Tibetan tradition.








Emergence of the Vajrayāna


Main article: Vajrayana


There are differing views as to just when Vajrayāna and its tantric practice started. In the Tibetan tradition, it is claimed that the historical Śākyamuni Buddha taught tantra, but as these are esoteric teachings, they were written down long after the Buddha's other teachings. The earliest texts appeared around the early 4th century. Nālandā University became a center for the development of Vajrayāna theory and continued as the source of leading-edge Vajrayāna practices up through the 11th century. These practices, scriptures and theory were transmitted to China, Tibet, Maldives, Indochina and Southeast Asia. China generally received Indian transmission up to the 11th century including tantric practice, while a vast amount of what is considered to be Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayāna) stems from the late (9th–12th century) Nālandā tradition.





In one of the first major contemporary academic treatises on the subject, Fairfield University Professor Ronald M. Davidson argues that the rise of Vajrayana was in part a reaction to the changing political climate in India at the time. With the fall of the Gupta dynasty, in an increasingly fractious political environment, institutional Buddhism had difficulty attracting patronage, and the folk movement led by siddhas became more prominent. After perhaps two hundred years, it had begun to get integrated into the monastic establishment.[21]








Decline of Buddhism in India and Central Asia


See also: Decline of Buddhism in India


Buddhism was established in the northern regions of India and Central Asia, and kingdoms with Buddhist rulers such as Menander I and Kaniska. Under the rule of tolerant or even sympathetic Greco-Bactrian and Iranian Achaemenid kings, Buddhism flourished. The rulers of the Kushāna Empire adopted Buddhism, and it continued to thrive in the region under the rule of the Turk-Shāhīs.





Buddhists were briefly persecuted under the Zoroastrian priest-king Kirder. Syncretism between Zoroastrianism and Buddhism had resulted in the rise of a 'Buddha-Mazda' divinity, which Kirder treated as heresy.[22]





The Hinayana traditions first spread among the Turkic tribes before combining with the Mahayana forms during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE to cover modern-day Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, eastern and coastal Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. These were the ancient states of Gandhara, Bactria, Parthia and Sogdia from where it spread to China. Among the first of these Turkic tribes to adopt Buddhism was the Turki-Shahi who adopted Buddhism as early as the 3rd century BCE. It was not, however, the exclusive faith of this region. There were also Zoroastrians, Hindus, Nestorian Christians, Jews, Manichaeans, and followers of shamanism, Tengrism, and other indigenous, nonorganized systems of belief.





From the 4th Century CE on, Hindu dynasties had achieved preeminence elsewhere in India. Even in regions of Buddhist predominance, such as the northwest (Pañjāb) and the lower Gangetic plain (Uttar Pradesh and Bengal), the Indian caste system was found. In political contests between Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms, Buddhist rulers were gradually replaced by Hindu ones. By the 4th to 5th century Buddhism was already in decline in northern India, even though it was achieving multiple successes in Central Asia and along the Silk Road as far as China.





The Buddhist states of Central Asia were weakened in the 6th century following the invasion of the White Huns and Buddhism suffered as recorded by Xuanzang. Later Buddhist regions in Central Asia came either under the sway of the Persian Sāsānids or Tibet. When the Muslim Arabs overthrew the Sāssānids they encountered Buddhists in the eastern provinces of the Persian Empire. They called them by the Persian name of butparast, literally meaning "buddha-worshipper", although the term has come to be used generally for any religion in which cult images play a role. Several high officials of the Abbāsid Caliphate, notably the Barmakids, were descended from these East Iranian Buddhists.





When Muhammad bin Qāsim led the invasion of Sindh at the mouth of the Indus river, he was aided by some Buddhists in his campaign against their Hindu overlord, Rājā Dahir. Relations with later Iranian rulers such as the Saffarids and Samanids were more difficult; Buddhist monasteries and stūpas were not exempt from looting under Arab rule.[23]





After the disintegration of the Abbāsid Caliphate, the Muslim Turks rose to prominence among the Persian emirates that emerged in Central Asia and Afghanistan. In the 10th century CE, one of them, Mahmūd of Ghaznī, defeated the Hindō-Shāhīs and finally brought the region firmly under Muslim rule through Afghanistan and the Pañjāb. He demolished monasteries alongside temples during his raid across north-western India but left those within his domains and Afghanistan alone and al-Biruni recorded the Buddha as a prophet "burxan".





The originally pagan Turkic tribes who lived in western Central Asia converted to Islām as they came to be increasingly influenced by Persian culture. As the Turkic tribes of Central Asia battled for control of land, similarly an ideological battle waged within them as Sufis, faced with an increasing hostile environment in Arabia, moved to Transoxania and found fertile ground here for converts among the Buddhist and non-Buddhist Turkic tribes alike. Buddhism persisted, together with Christianity, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, and shamanism in areas to the east (modern Xinjiang) for several centuries, which did not become overwhelmingly Muslim until the 15th century CE; however, under the two-pronged onslaught Buddhism waned and over time Central Asia gradually became predominantly Muslim.





In 1215 Genghis Khan conquered Afghanistan and his horde devastated the local population indiscriminately; in 1227 after his death his conquest was divided and Chagatai established the Chagatai Khanate while Hulegu established the Il Khanate where Buddhism was the state religion across Muslim lands. In the Chagatai Khanate the Buddhist Turkic tribes slowly converted to Islam, including the occasional Khan [3]. When Tarmashirin came to power he made Islam the official religion of the region in 1326. In the Il Khanate, Hulegu and his successors Abaqa and Arghun also established Buddhism as the state religion but were hostile to the Muslims. Many mosques were destroyed and numerous stupas built; however, when Ghazan came to power in 1295 and converted he reverted the state religion to Islam and the climate became hostile towards Buddhism. Today no stupas built by the earlier Mongol Khans survive, and after Ghazan's reign little mention of Buddhism can be found in Afghanistan and Central Asia.[24]





Buddhists retained power in parts of northern India, in Kaśmīr and especially in Bengal, where the Buddhist Pāla kings ruled from the 8th–12th centuries CE. These last Buddhist strongholds played an important role in the evolution of the Vajrayāna and the transmission of that form of Buddhism to Tibet before they collapsed under assault from the Hindu Sena dynasty.





Elsewhere in India, Buddhism suffered from pressure by Hindu dynasties, such as the increasingly powerful Rajputs, as well as competition from a Hinduism that had gained ideological coherence and emotional vigor from such movements as Vedānta philosophy and Bhakti devotionalism. One symptom of increased Hindu confidence with regard to Buddhism was the identification of the Buddha as an avatāra of the Hindu god Vishnu – an identification which contradicted basic Buddhist understandings and the Buddha's own unequivocal words about the nature of a Buddha and of nirvāna.





In 1193, only a few decades after the fall of the Pāla kingdom, Muhammad Khiljī destroyed Nālandā, the great Buddhist university. Khiljī was one of the generals of Qutbuddīn Aybak, a subject of the Afghan Ghurids but soon to become the monarch of a Muslim sultanate at Delhi. Khiljī's march across northern India caused a precipitous decline in the fortunes of Indian Buddhism, as he destroyed Buddhist walled monasteries fortified by the Sena kings (which he thought were cities), killed the monks and burned their libraries. At about the same time, the Buddhist king of Maldives, a country that had been trading with Bengal, converted to Islam and ordered all his subjects to do likewise.





After the Mongol invasions of Islamic lands across Central Asia, many Sufis also found themselves fleeing towards the newly established Islamic lands in India around the environs of Bengal. Here their influence, caste attitudes towards Buddhists, previous familiarity with Buddhism, lack of Buddhist political power or social structure along with Hinduism's revival movements such as Advaita and the rise of the syncretic bhakti movement, all contributed to a significant realignment of beliefs relegating Buddhism in India to the peripheries.





By the 13th century CE, Buddhism had become a marginal religion in central India; without a monastic infrastructure, Buddhism could not easily maintain its identity, and many Buddhists, especially in Bengal, were converted to Islām, Hinduism or left for the Himalayan foothills. In Kaśmīr Buddhism remained a significant religion down to the early 15th century, when it was displaced by Islām and Hinduism, except among the Tibetan peoples of Ladakh.





Elements of Buddhism have remained within India to the current day: the Bauls of Bengal have a syncretic set of practices with strong emphasis on many Buddhist concepts. Other areas of India have never parted from Buddhism, including Ladakh and other Himalayan regions with a primarily Tibetan population. Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are the other Indian states where Buddhism is practiced in great numbers. The Newars of Nepal also retain a form of Buddhism that differs from the Buddhism of Tibet. Furthermore, much of Buddhist philosophy was eventually absorbed into Hinduism.








Main traditions





Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monk lighting incense in a Beijing temple.The most common way scholars categorize Buddhist schools follows the major languages of the extant Buddhist canons, which exist in Pāli, Tibetan (also found in Mongolian translation) and Chinese collections, along with some texts that still exist in Sanskrit and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. This is a useful division for practical purposes, but does not necessarily correspond to philosophical or doctrinal divisions.





Despite the differences, there are common threads to almost all Buddhist branches:





All accept the Buddha as their teacher.


All accept the Middle Way, Dependent origination, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, though only the Southern (Theravada, Pali) tradition regards these as central.


All accept that both the members of the laity and of the Sangha can pursue the path toward enlightenment (bodhi).


All accept three types of Buddha and consider Buddhahood to be the highest attainment.





Southern (Theravāda) Buddhism


Main article: Theravada


In addition to the Edicts of Aśoka, Buddhist annals compiled at a later date offer a history of the Aśokan and post-Aśokan period. Among these annals are the Dīpavaṃsa, the Mahāvaṃsa, and the Samantapāsādika of the south Indian Vibhajjavāda (Sanskrit: Vibhajyavāda) saṅgha, beside the Divyāvadāna and the Avadānaśataka from the northern Sarvāstivāda (Pāli: Sabbatthivāda) saṅgha. According to the accounts of the Vibhajjavāda, Aśoka convened a third Buddhist council (c. 250 BCE), whose purpose was to produce a definitive text of the Buddha's words.[citation needed] According to the Theravada account, given in the Dipavamsa and elsewhere, Asoka called this council to sort out doctrinal disputes within the sangha, which these sources say were caused by the infiltration of the sangha by non-buddhists, apparently not actually ordained. The account goes on to say that the council approved the Kathavatthu, compiled by its president Moggaliputta Tissa, as part of the scriptures. As this text consists of doctrinal debates, apparently with other schools, the account seems to imply the other schools were not proper Buddhists or proper monks. Vibhajjavādins claim that the first step to insight has to be achieved by the aspirant's experience, critical investigation, and reasoning instead of by blind faith. This school gradually declined on the Indian subcontinent, but its branch in Sri Lanka and South East Asia continues to survive; this branch of the school is now known as Theravada. The Theravāda school claims that the Sarvāstivada and the Dharmaguptaka schools were rejected by the council, although according to other sources the Dharmaguptaka school is classified as one of the Vibhajyavādin schools. However, these schools became influential in northwestern India and Central Asia and, since their teaching is found among the scriptures preserved by the Mahāyāna schools, they may have had some formative influence on the Mahāyāna. The Sarvāstivadins have not preserved an independent tradition about the Third Council. it has been argued by some scholars that the council was part of a series of debates and/or disputes resulting in the formation of three main doctrinal schools, Vibhajjavada, Sarvastivada, and Puggalavada, which later were subject to further subdivisions. One such subdivision of the Vibhajjavada was established in Ceylon, and in course of time came to resume the name Theravada (given above in its Sanskrit form Sthaviravada). Its scriptures, the Pali Canon, were written down there in the last century BCE, at what the Theravada usually reckons as the fourth council.





It was long believed in Theravāda tradition that the Pāli language is equivalent to Māgadhī, the eastern dialect of the kingdom of Magadha spoken by the Buddha. However, linguistic comparisons of the Edicts of Aśoka and the language of the Pāli canon show strong differences between the Māgadhī of the Edicts (characterized by such changes as r → l, masculine nominative singular of a-stems in -e, etc.) and Pāli. The greatest similarity to Pāli is found in a dialectal variant of the Edicts written on a rock near Girnar in Gujarat.





Theravāda is Pāli for "the Doctrine of the Elders" or "the Ancient Doctrine". Theravāda teaches one to encourage wholesome states of mind, avoid unwholesome states of mind, and to train the mind in meditation. The aim of practice, according to Theravāda Buddhism, is the attainment of freedom from suffering, which is linked with Nirvana, the highest spiritual goal. Theravāda teaches that the experience of suffering is caused by mental defilements like greed, aversion and delusion, while freedom can be attained though putting into practice teachings like the Four Noble Truths and especially the fourth one, the Noble Eightfold Path.





The Theravāda school bases its practice and doctrine exclusively on the Pāli Canon and its commentaries. The Sutta collections and Vinaya texts of the Pāli Canon (and the corresponding texts in other versions of the Tripitaka), are generally considered by modern scholars to be the earliest Buddhist literature, and they are accepted as authentic in every branch of Buddhism.





Theravāda is the only surviving representative of the historical early Buddhist schools. Theravāda is primarily practiced today in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia as well as small portions of China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bangladesh. It has a growing presence in Europe and America.








Eastern (East Asian) Buddhism





Chinese Ming dynasty porcelain figure of Guanyin, "Goddess of Mercy."Main article: Mahayana


Mahayana ("Great Vehicle") is an inclusive, cosmically-dimensioned faith characterized by the adoption of additional texts, seen as ultimately transcending the Pali suttas, and a shift in the understanding of Buddhism. It goes beyond the traditional Theravada ideal of the release from suffering (dukkha) and personal enlightenment of the arhats, to elevate the Buddha to the God-like status of an eternal, omnipresent, all-knowing being, and to create a pantheon of quasi-divine Bodhisattvas devoting themselves to personal excellence, ultimate knowledge and the salvation of humanity (and indeed of all living beings, including animals, ghosts and gods). In Mahayana, the Buddha became an idealized man-god and the Bodhisattva was the universal ideal of excellence.





The Mahayana branch emphasizes infinite, universal compassion (maha-karuna) or the selfless, ultra-altruistic quest of the Bodhisattva to attain the "Awakened Mind" (bodhicitta) of Buddhahood so as to have the fullest possible knowledge of how most effectively to lead all sentient beings into Nirvana. Emphasis is also often placed on the notions of Emptiness (shunyata), perfected spiritual insight (prajnaparamita) and Buddha-nature (the deathless tathagatagarbha, or Buddhic Essence, inherent in all beings and creatures). The teaching of the tathagatagarbha is said by the Buddha in the tathagatagarbha sutras to constitute the "absolutely final culmination" of his Dharma — the highest presentation of Truth. The Mahayana can also on occasion communicate a vision of the Buddha or Dharma which amounts to mysticism and gives expression to a form of mentalist panentheism (God in Buddhism).





In addition to the Tripitaka scriptures, which (within Mahayana) are viewed as valid but only provisional or basic, Mahayana schools recognize all or part of a genre of Mahayana scriptures. Some of these sutras became for Mahayanists a manifestation of the Buddha himself. Mahayana Buddhism shows a great deal of doctrinal variation and development over time, and even more variation in terms of practice. While there is much agreement on general principles, there is disagreement over which texts are more authoritative.





Native Eastern Buddhism is practiced today in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, parts of Russia and most of Vietnam. The Buddhism practiced in Tibet, the Himalayan regions, and Mongolia is also Mahayana in origin, but will be discussed below under the heading of Northern Buddhism. There are a variety of strands in Eastern Buddhism, which in most of this area are fused into a single unified form of Buddhism. However, in Japan they form separate denominations. The five major ones are the following.





Chan/Zen


Pure Land


Nichiren, peculiar to Japan


Shingon, a form of Vajrayana


Tendai|||Hi,





Buddhism evolved out of the personal experience of enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama - he is called the Buddha because of his enlightenment.





Buddhism offers a way out of suffering. Life is unsatisfactory and only by attaining Nirvana or enlightenment can we come out of the vicious circle.





Please explore the links below for an introduction to facts about Buudhism that will give you an understanding of the subject.





Buddhism spread to many countries in Asia. However it died out in the country of its birth - India. In spreading to different countries it adapted itself to the peculiar genius and requirements of those people. Thus we have many forms of Buddhism today - Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, the Theravada tradition and so on.





Buddhism emphasizes the Middle way. It also emphasizes meditation. The Buddha attained enlightenment through meditation and meditation was what he primarily taught.





Many of the mystical insights of Buddhism about the nature of the Universe are now being accepted as true by modern science - especially the science of Quantum Physics.





There is a lot more I can say - but I would suggest that you explore the links given below for a good understanding of what Buddhism can do for you.





You may also want to learn Buddhist meditation. I would recommend the Finding Peace Program taught by the Rigpa foundation at www.rigpa.org You can also try out Vipassana as taught by SN Goenka but it may be too demanding since you have to go through an intensive 10 day meditation camp (meditating as much as 10 hours per day).





Anyway that's up to you. To conclude I would like to tell you that Buddhist psychology and meditation has helped me to lead a much happier life and I would encourage you to find out more.





regards





Nikhil Gangoli|||Buddhism is a logical, atheistic religion and teaches people to be tolerant, open minded and at the same time to find inner peace. the main idea is to love and respect all other living beings and that your actions, if deliberate, will have consequences.