What Is Buddhism?

 

 

 

The original Pali (an ancient Indian language) term for Buddhism is Dhamma and in Sankript (another ancient Indian language) it is Dharma, which literally means reality, truth. In simple terms Buddhism is the Doctrine of Reality.

 

The term Buddha means the Wide Awake Man or Woman. A Buddha can be anyone who is wide awake or aware of things as they are.

 

At the moment, we’re at a stage where we’re not yet fully aware of things as they are. Rather, our minds are filled with false beliefs, fears and uncertainties. These cloud our perception and affect our ability to appreciate the true nature of things. As a consequence, our thinking and our behavior are unnatural.

 

 

“In simple terms

Buddhism is the

Doctrine of Reality.”

 

 

 

Buddhism is the path leading to the attainment of a balanced way of thinking, a balanced way of living. Through the study and practice of Buddhism we are able to develop a clearer awareness called Mindfulness. As we become more Mindful, we become healthier and more at ease. We enjoy greater peace of mind.

 

Now, in all the world, Buddhism is unique in that it can be viewed as a religion, a system of ethics, a philosophy and a mental science.

 

In one sense Buddhism is the religion of no religion. In another sense it is the religion of religions. It does not demand blind faith from its adherents, instead it replaces belief with understanding based on personal experience and reasoning.

 

In Buddhism there is not, as in most other religions, an Almighty God to be obeyed and feared; there are no divine revelations, prophets or messengers. Buddhists are, therefore, not subservient to any supernatural power which judges, controls, rewards or punishes them. At the same time, a Buddhist may believe in a god, gods, spiritual being, or divine force if it is comforting for a person to pay respects to an aspect of the cosmos (pantheism) but such a belief should be understood as an expression of culture (manifestation of the mind) and can not give you your own spiritual liberation (salvation). Only you can liberate yourself. Buddha explained that the Dhamma is “smiling raft” to help you go to the other side of consciousness and reach nibbana (nirvana).   Therefore, a belief or non-belief in a god or a set of deities is entirely a personal choice depending largely on your cultural upbringing and personal beliefs—they are simply ornamentations to your raft.

 

Insofar as Buddhism does not claim to teach the revelations of a divine being, Buddhism does not claim a monopoly on truth and doesn’t condemn other religions or cultures. Instead Buddhism recognizes the infinite latent possibilities of the human family and cultural expressions of truth, and teaches that men and women can achieve a balanced life by their own efforts alone.

 

 

“In one sense Buddhism is

the religion of no religion,

in another sense it is

the religion of religions.”

 

 

Buddhism cannot, in that sense, be called a religion. But if, by religion, we mean a teaching which takes a view that all things are related, a teaching which looks into life and not merely at it, a teaching which furnishes people with a guide to personal conduct and a system to alleviate of the ills of life, then Buddhism can be called the religion of religions.

 

As a philosophical system, Buddhism is consistent with the conclusions of modern philosophers.

 

Schopenhauer in his "World as Will and Idea" has presented the truth of dissatisfaction and its cause in a Western garb. Spinoza, though he doesn’t deny the existence of a permanent reality, asserts that all conditioned phenomena are transitory. In his opinion dissatisfaction is conquered "by finding an object of knowledge which is not transient, not ephemeral, but is immutable, permanent, everlasting." Berkeley proved that the so-called indivisible atom can be split and thus is a metaphysical fiction. Hume, after a relentless analysis of the mind, concluded that consciousness consists of fleeting mental states. Bergson advocates the doctrine of change while James refers to a stream of consciousness. These are conclusions reached by the greatest of the modern philosophers, yet Buddhism taught the doctrines of Change, (Anicca), Dissatisfaction (Dukkha), and No-Soul (Anatta) some 2500 years ago

 

But unlike philosophy, Buddhism is not merely to be studied and preserved in books, it is to be practiced, lived and above all to be realized. In fact, realization is Buddhism’s ultimate goal.

 

 

 

“Buddhism is not merely to be studied

and preserved in books, it is to be practiced,

lived and above all to be realized.”

 

 

 

 

As an ethical system, Buddhism is unparalleled in its perfection. But Buddhism is more than an ordinary moral teaching. Morality is only the preliminary stage on the Path to Awakening, and is a means to an end, but not an end in itself. Ethical conduct, though important, is itself insufficient in gaining emancipation. It must be coupled with knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

 

In observing principles of morality Buddhists regard not only themselves but also have consideration for others as well -- animals included.

 

 

 

 It’s a remarkable fact

of history that there has

never been a Buddhist war.

 

 

 

Again, morality in Buddhism is not based on divine revelation nor is it the invention of an exceptional mind, but it is a rational and practical code based on verifiable facts and personal experience. Dissatisfaction or happiness are seen as the inevitable results of one's own thoughts and actions. The question of incurring the pleasure or wrath of God does not enter into Buddhism’s equation of what is moral. Neither the hope of reward nor the fear of punishment acts as an incentive to do good or to refrain from evil. A Buddhist is aware of future consequences, but he or she refrains from evil because evil is removed as an option. A truly Wide Awake individual is incapable of committing an evil act. It’s a remarkable fact of history that there has never been a Buddhist war.

 

As a moral teaching Buddhism excels all other ethical systems, but morality is only the beginning and not the end of Buddhism.

 

Buddhism as a mind science. As Albert Einstein rightly stated, “The religion of the future will be a universal religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.”

 

Modernly, the mind sciences prescribes Buddhism as a cure for chronic pain and stress. In this respect, Buddhist Mindfulness meditation is being explicitly incorporated into a variety of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapies and in some of the newer psycho therapeutical methods, such as Acceptance, Commitment Therapy.