What is the First Noble Truth?
The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.
What is the Second Noble Truth?
The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.
What is the Third Noble Truth?
The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.
What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.
What is the Noble 8-Fold Path?
In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.
What are the 5 Precepts?
The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.
What is Karma?
Karma is the law that every cause has an effect, i.e., our actions have results. This simple law explains a number of things: inequality in the world, why some are born handicapped and some gifted, why some live only a short life. Karma underlines the importance of all individuals being responsible for their past and present actions. How can we test the karmic effect of our actions? The answer is summed up by looking at (1) the intention behind the action, (2) effects of the action on oneself, and (3) the effects on others.
What is Wisdom?
Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. At one extreme, you could be a goodhearted fool and at the other extreme, you could attain knowledge without any emotion. Buddhism uses the middle path to develop both. The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality, all phenomena are incomplete, impermanent and do no constitute a fixed entity. True wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality. Wisdom requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. The Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence.
What is Compassion?
Compassion includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern, caring. In Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we can really understand ourselves, through wisdom.
How do I Become a Buddhist?
Buddhist teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that the solutions to our problems are within ourselves not outside. The Buddha asked all his followers not to take his word as true, but rather to test the teachings for themselves. ln this way, each person decides for themselves and takes responsibility for their own actions and understanding. This makes Buddhism less of a fixed package of beliefs which is to be accepted in its entirety, and more of a teaching which each person learns and uses in their own way.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Rapid Fire Questions and Answers -1
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.
Is Buddhism a Religion?
To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:
(1) to lead a moral life,(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.
How Can Buddhism Help Me?
Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.
Why is Buddhism Becoming Popular?
Buddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.
Who Was the Buddha?
Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found 'the middle path' and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80.
Was the Buddha a God?
He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience.
Do Buddhists Worship Idols?
Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favours. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching. Why are so Many Buddhist Countries Poor?
One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor, but those who understand Buddhist teachings can find true happiness.
Are There Different Types of Buddhism?
There are many different types of Buddhism, because the emphasis changes from country to country due to customs and culture. What does not vary is the essence of the teaching — the Dhamma or truth.
Are Other Religions Wrong?
Buddhism is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.
Is Buddhism Scientific?
Science is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith.
What did the Buddha Teach?
The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.
Is Buddhism a Religion?
To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:
(1) to lead a moral life,(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.
How Can Buddhism Help Me?
Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.
Why is Buddhism Becoming Popular?
Buddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.
Who Was the Buddha?
Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found 'the middle path' and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80.
Was the Buddha a God?
He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience.
Do Buddhists Worship Idols?
Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favours. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching. Why are so Many Buddhist Countries Poor?
One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor, but those who understand Buddhist teachings can find true happiness.
Are There Different Types of Buddhism?
There are many different types of Buddhism, because the emphasis changes from country to country due to customs and culture. What does not vary is the essence of the teaching — the Dhamma or truth.
Are Other Religions Wrong?
Buddhism is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.
Is Buddhism Scientific?
Science is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith.
What did the Buddha Teach?
The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The 3 important concepts
Three important concepts in understanding Buddhism are karma, Samsara,
and Nirvana.
Karma refers to the law of cause and effect in a person's life, reaping
what one has sown. Buddhists believe that every person must go through
a process of birth and rebirth until he reaches the state of nirvana in
which he breaks this cycle. According to the law of karma, "You are
what you are and do what you do, as a result of what you were and did
in a previous incarnation, which in turn was the inevitable outcome of
what you were and did in still earlier incarnations."(4) For a
Buddhist, what one will be in the next life depends on one's actions in
this present life. Buddha believed, unlike Hinduism, that a person can
break the rebirth cycle no matter what class he is born into.
The second key concept to understand is the law of Samsara or
Transmigration. This is one of the most perplexing and difficult
concepts in Buddhism to understand. The law of Samsara holds that
everything is in a birth and rebirth cycle. Buddha taught that people
do not have individual souls. The existence of an individual self or
ego is an illusion. There is no eternal substance of a person which
goes through the rebirth cycle. What is it then that goes through the
cycle if not the individual soul? What goes through the rebirth cycle
is only a set of feelings, impressions, present moments, and the karma
that is passed on. "In other words, as one process leads to another,
... so one's human personality in one existence is the direct cause of
the type of individuality which appears in the next."(5) The new
individual in the next life will not be exactly the same person, but
there will be several similarities. Just how close in identity they
will be, Buddha did not define.
The third key concept is Nirvana. The term means "the blowing out" of
existence. Nirvana is very different from the Christian concept of
heaven. Nirvana is not a place like heaven but rather a state of being.
What exactly it is, Buddha never really articulated.
Nirvana is an eternal state of being. It is the state in which the law
of karma, and the rebirth cycle come to an end. It is the end of
suffering, a state where there are no desires and the individual
consciousness comes to an end. Although to our Western minds this may
sound like annihilation, Buddhists would object to such a notion.
Gautama never gave an exact description of Nirvana, but his closest
reply was this. "There is disciples, a condition, where there is
neither earth nor water, neither air nor light, neither limitless
space, nor limitless time, neither any kind of being, neither ideation
nor non-ideation, neither this world nor that world. There is neither
arising nor passing-away, nor dying, neither cause nor effect, neither
change nor standstill."(6) Although no Buddhist really understands the
condition of Nirvana, it is their eternal hope.
and Nirvana.
Karma refers to the law of cause and effect in a person's life, reaping
what one has sown. Buddhists believe that every person must go through
a process of birth and rebirth until he reaches the state of nirvana in
which he breaks this cycle. According to the law of karma, "You are
what you are and do what you do, as a result of what you were and did
in a previous incarnation, which in turn was the inevitable outcome of
what you were and did in still earlier incarnations."(4) For a
Buddhist, what one will be in the next life depends on one's actions in
this present life. Buddha believed, unlike Hinduism, that a person can
break the rebirth cycle no matter what class he is born into.
The second key concept to understand is the law of Samsara or
Transmigration. This is one of the most perplexing and difficult
concepts in Buddhism to understand. The law of Samsara holds that
everything is in a birth and rebirth cycle. Buddha taught that people
do not have individual souls. The existence of an individual self or
ego is an illusion. There is no eternal substance of a person which
goes through the rebirth cycle. What is it then that goes through the
cycle if not the individual soul? What goes through the rebirth cycle
is only a set of feelings, impressions, present moments, and the karma
that is passed on. "In other words, as one process leads to another,
... so one's human personality in one existence is the direct cause of
the type of individuality which appears in the next."(5) The new
individual in the next life will not be exactly the same person, but
there will be several similarities. Just how close in identity they
will be, Buddha did not define.
The third key concept is Nirvana. The term means "the blowing out" of
existence. Nirvana is very different from the Christian concept of
heaven. Nirvana is not a place like heaven but rather a state of being.
What exactly it is, Buddha never really articulated.
Nirvana is an eternal state of being. It is the state in which the law
of karma, and the rebirth cycle come to an end. It is the end of
suffering, a state where there are no desires and the individual
consciousness comes to an end. Although to our Western minds this may
sound like annihilation, Buddhists would object to such a notion.
Gautama never gave an exact description of Nirvana, but his closest
reply was this. "There is disciples, a condition, where there is
neither earth nor water, neither air nor light, neither limitless
space, nor limitless time, neither any kind of being, neither ideation
nor non-ideation, neither this world nor that world. There is neither
arising nor passing-away, nor dying, neither cause nor effect, neither
change nor standstill."(6) Although no Buddhist really understands the
condition of Nirvana, it is their eternal hope.
God and the Buddhism
It may have occurred to the reader that in our discussion thus far no
mention has been made of God or an eternal deity. It is clear that
Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, did not claim to be divine. He
claimed to be the one to point the way to Nirvana, but it was up to
each individual to find his own way there.
The concept of a personal God does not fit into the Buddhist system of
religion. Today there are many sects of Buddhism. Many differ in their
concept of the divine and of Buddha. In general, Buddhists are
pantheistic in their view of God. Many view God as an impersonal force
which is made up of all living things and holds the universe together.
Here are what some of the most prominent of scholars say of the
Buddhist view of God. Dr. John Noss states, "there is no sovereign
Person in the heavens holding all together in unity, there is only the
ultimate impersonal unity of being itself, whose peace enfolds the
individual self when it ceases to call itself 'I' and dissolves in the
featureless purity of Nirvana, as a drop of spray is merged in its
mother sea."(7)
Here is what the late Dr. Suzuki, one of the greatest teachers of Zen
Buddhism, says about his concept of God: "If God after making the world
puts Himself outside it, He is no longer God. If He separates Himself
from the world or wants to separate Himself, He is not God. The world
is not the world when it is separated from God. God must be in the
world and the world in God."(8)
Since Buddhism in general does not believe in a personal God or divine
being, it does not have worship, praying, or praising of a divine
being. It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, heavenly hope, or
final judgment. Buddhism is, therefore, more of a moral philosophy, an
ethical way of life.
Professor Kraemer describes the Buddhist system as "a non-theistic
ethical discipline, a system of self training, anthropocentric,
stressing ethics and mind-culture to the exclusion of theology."(9)
Since Gautama's death, many sects have developed within Buddhism. Many
of these sects differ in many fundamental ways and comparing them to
one another is like comparing two separate religions. Many sects have
developed their own unique concept of God. Some are pantheistic in
their view of God. Others are atheistic. Still others have developed a
polytheistic system of gods. Some have combined pantheism and
polytheism. Several sects have elevated Gautama (or Buddha) to the
level of a savior or divine being although it is clear he never claimed
to be a deity. Other sects have combined some of the doctrines of God
from other religions with Buddhism.
Since Buddha never emphasized his concept of the divine, Buddhism is
left with some life's deepest questions unanswered, questions such as
the origin of the universe and the purpose of man's existence.
mention has been made of God or an eternal deity. It is clear that
Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, did not claim to be divine. He
claimed to be the one to point the way to Nirvana, but it was up to
each individual to find his own way there.
The concept of a personal God does not fit into the Buddhist system of
religion. Today there are many sects of Buddhism. Many differ in their
concept of the divine and of Buddha. In general, Buddhists are
pantheistic in their view of God. Many view God as an impersonal force
which is made up of all living things and holds the universe together.
Here are what some of the most prominent of scholars say of the
Buddhist view of God. Dr. John Noss states, "there is no sovereign
Person in the heavens holding all together in unity, there is only the
ultimate impersonal unity of being itself, whose peace enfolds the
individual self when it ceases to call itself 'I' and dissolves in the
featureless purity of Nirvana, as a drop of spray is merged in its
mother sea."(7)
Here is what the late Dr. Suzuki, one of the greatest teachers of Zen
Buddhism, says about his concept of God: "If God after making the world
puts Himself outside it, He is no longer God. If He separates Himself
from the world or wants to separate Himself, He is not God. The world
is not the world when it is separated from God. God must be in the
world and the world in God."(8)
Since Buddhism in general does not believe in a personal God or divine
being, it does not have worship, praying, or praising of a divine
being. It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, heavenly hope, or
final judgment. Buddhism is, therefore, more of a moral philosophy, an
ethical way of life.
Professor Kraemer describes the Buddhist system as "a non-theistic
ethical discipline, a system of self training, anthropocentric,
stressing ethics and mind-culture to the exclusion of theology."(9)
Since Gautama's death, many sects have developed within Buddhism. Many
of these sects differ in many fundamental ways and comparing them to
one another is like comparing two separate religions. Many sects have
developed their own unique concept of God. Some are pantheistic in
their view of God. Others are atheistic. Still others have developed a
polytheistic system of gods. Some have combined pantheism and
polytheism. Several sects have elevated Gautama (or Buddha) to the
level of a savior or divine being although it is clear he never claimed
to be a deity. Other sects have combined some of the doctrines of God
from other religions with Buddhism.
Since Buddha never emphasized his concept of the divine, Buddhism is
left with some life's deepest questions unanswered, questions such as
the origin of the universe and the purpose of man's existence.
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