What is Buddhism?
1.
A teaching by Siddhartha Gautama "The
To the great credit of Buddhism, not a drop of blood has been shed in the name of The Buddha, in the faith's 2500 year history.
2.
Buddhism firstly does not believe in the existence of an omnipotent being i.e. God. Instead, there is a concept of, if you will, the universal law. To better understand this, think of laws of physics (like inertia), those things that all physical things abide by, but we simply do not know why.
All beings on this Earth are bound to the 'cycle of suffering'. Suffering does not necessarily mean it must be painful or you must not like it, but it means that they are worldly things. i.e. by being bound to these things, you are 'suffering' as in you are not free and you will not find true peace. If you die, you will be reincarnated to suffer through whatever you deserve depending on your karma in the past life.
Buddhism believes in freeing oneself from the otherwise neverending worldly suffering through detaching oneself from worldly things. Buddhism says you will never cease to feel angry, jealous, happy, or whatever as long as you are attached to worldly things like pleasure, love, and hate. Attachment to physical things also contribute to this suffering cycle. All the things that you see, hear, feel, touch, and taste everyday are all created by your brain, so there is no knowing that they are real and true. Thus, it is fair to say Buddhism is about freeing the mind.
When you meditate, you sit still, close your eyes, and clear your mind. This is so that you are less likely bound by 'outside' things, and you can focus on understanding the facts of life and freeing the mind. Enlightened monks are those who have fully detached themselves from all worldly things and therefore have found true peace. Once they die, they will not reincarnate because they are then free of the cycle of suffering.
On an interesting note, the Jedi concept was adapted from Buddhism. That's why Light Jedi's are taught to control the mind, and Anakin is warned against falling in love. I must add that Buddhism does not say you must not fall in love, but love is just another worldly thing which will cause much suffering like hatred, jealousy, and lust (just look at Anakin for example). The whole concept of 'The Matrix' is based on Buddhism (although not exactly the same), that the world is not real and once you have freed your mind and realized the 'outside' things, you become enlightened (like Neo).
Some may say that monks are torturing themselves by denying themselves the pleasures in life. In truth, monks who truly understand Buddhism do not wish for those things because it is 'outside' to them. To them, a new house is the same as a new pair of shoes, all of which is of no importance.
See
3.
Buddhism is a religion (not just a "philosophy") practiced by millions of people, primarily in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, and (increasingly) in the U.S. It is actually the most diverse family of religions, and the only major religion never to have sponsored a holy war. Founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northern India in the 6th Century B.C.E., Buddhism teaches that life is suffering, that the suffering is caused by desire and other delusions, and that overcoming these delusions will extinguish the suffering.
Most Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and strive to achieve Nirvana (enlightenment) and thus get off the 'wheel of rebirth' (in other words, cease being reincarnated). This can be interpreted as "nonexistence," or as graduating to a higher plane of existence -- being reunited with the universe itself.
Buddhism neither believes nor disbelieves in God; it is simply not considered an important question. But Buddhists do believe in the soul and afterlife (reincarnation). Buddhism is the most philosophical, contemplative, and psychologically oriented of all the major religions.
4.
An offshoot of Brahminism/Vedism taught by the Indian Prince Gautama Siddhartha, which declared that there was no permanent self (Atman) and that liberation from suffering was to be found not by worshipping gods but by escaping from the cycle of birth and death. According to Gautama Buddha, suffering and rebirth are caused by attachment to things which are devoid of independent existence and thus impermanent.
While generally classified as a religion, Buddhism is probably more accurately described as a spiritual path. However, many Buddhist sects contain strong religious elements.
Buddha himself told his disciples that understanding in Buddhism should be established through personal insight rather than faith or revelation.
Some modern Buddhists, especially in the West, do not accept the ideas of karma and rebirth (after death) at face value.
Sokka Gakkai believers who chant for personal gain and belief-free Western Zen practitioners are Buddhists.
See
5.
the belief that life is a cycle that causes suffering.
Suffering is perpetuated by roughly 3 things:
1.birth
2.life
3.death
Through meditation, one can free themselves of this cycle by reaching
nirvana.
It also extends to the fact that everything in life comes from all other things, and that those things came from something else and etc.
Example of the suffering cycle:
-A bird dies, and the body's nutrients decay into the ground.
-A berry bush is planted at the same location years later.
-Someone eats a berry from the bush, which in turn is eating the nutrients from the bird.
-This perpetuates life and essentially the suffering cycle.
You can apply this idea towards: space, recycling, and even humans.
6.
The only peaceful religion in the world
Buddhism says dont kill people
See
7.
For the most part, For The People's definition is right. However, Buddhism is not a religion, it's a philosophy or, if you prefer, a set of teachings.
Because many people follow the Buddhist teachings, Buddhism is thought to be a religion, even though it's really a philosophy/set of teachings.
See
