What would be the sacred text of buddhism? name of clergy? priestly vestments?major symbol?
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Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha.\n\nThe Four Noble Truths\n\nThe Buddha taught that life was dissatisfactory because of craving, but that this condition was curable by following the Noble Eightfold Path ( This teaching is called the Four Noble Truths )\n\nDukkha: All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering. \n\nSamudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance (avidya). \n\nNirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana. \n\nMagga: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path. \n\nThe Noble Eightfold Path\n \n In order to fully understand the noble truths and investigate whether they were in fact true, Buddha recommended that a certain path be followed which consists of:\n\nRight Understanding \nRight Thought  \nRight Speech\nRight Conduct \nRight Livelihood  \nRight Effort \nRight Mindfulness  \nRight Concentration \n\n Buddhist texts\n\nThe Buddhist canon of scripture is known in Sanskrit as the Tripitaka \n\nThese terms literally mean "three baskets" and refer to the three main divisions of the canon, which are:\n\nThe Vinaya Pitaka, containing disciplinary rules for the Sangha of Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as a range of other texts including explanations of why and how rules were instituted, supporting material, and doctrinal clarification. \n\nThe Sutra Pitaka , contains the actual discourses of the Buddha. \n\nA third type containing commentaries or systematic expositions of the Buddha's teachings. In the Theravada school, as well as in several others, this division is called the Abhidhamma Pitaka.
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Oh, wow, there are SEVERAL.\n\ncheck out\nhttp://www.sacred-texts.com/\n\nTo name a few off the top of my head, there is:\nTaoism - Tao Te Ching, I Ching, Chuang Tze\nBuddhism - Tipitaka, Dhammapada, Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra\nHinduism - Besides those you mentioned, Mahabharata, Vedas (there are 4), Upanishads, Puranas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, etc.\nZoroastrianism - Avesta\nSikhism - Guru Granth Sahib\nShinto - the Nihongi\n\nthose were just off the top of my head\n\nBuddhism has so many sacred texts, you cannot read them all in a lifetime.
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To start with, Christianity has a problem with any faith that does not conform to the doctrines set forth in their bible. Buddhism does not conform to their teachings in any way.\n\nFirst and foremost, the argument is that the bible does not recognizes Buddha as one of gods messengers. And if it is NOT in the bible, it is not the truth. \n\nChristians teach that there is one god and only one god.  => Buddhism teaches that there are many devas and none are worthy pf praise for they are just beings trapped in Samsara. (The cycle of life, death and rebirth.) \n\nChristians believe that Jesus was the son of god and thus, god himself. => Buddhists do not share this belief because gods are not omnipotent creators to be praised. \n\nChristians believe in a soul...a sprit that lives on after the death of the body => Buddhist do not. There is no self that lingers or move on or anything.  There is no 'self'. There is just the essence of the Chita. \n\nChristens believe in a heaven with their god  => Buddhist do not have a belief in heaven. \n\nChristians believe that Jesus died to free them of their sins.  => Buddhist do not believe in sin. There is karma, and only we can change the outcome our actions and thoughts will have on us, not some god.\n\nChristians believe that only the chosen will be liberated and go to heaven. => Buddhist believe that ALL beings can be liberated and attain enlightenment. \n\nChristians believe that the catalyst for their salvation is external to themselves, via god.  => Buddhist believe that the catalyst for enlightenment can ONLY be found within ourselves...our unborn Buddha Mind! \n\nThere are many other arguments, but these are the most prominent. \n\nI hope this helps.
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@@ poohgirl - ever heard of Purgatory? Well, it's in the Bible. Bet they didn't teach you THAT one in Sunday School.\n\nBuddhist monks who have meditated many years will stay warm after death. Even their skin remains supple and rigor mortis will not set in. This has been witnessed and documented in non-Buddist hospitals in the west, even in the US. \n\nUnder Sources I have included a link to a very interesting interview that might interest you.
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To become a Buddhist is not to join a sect of Buddhism, but it is to learn and apply the teachings of Buddha in your life. So instead of seeking for any Buddhist organizations, you better read the Holy verses of Buddha which are freely available on the Internet.\nWhen you understand some of His verses and sincerely apply them in your life, He will guide you to His true religion.\n\n"Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvana), thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already."\nDhammapada,  Sacred Books of the East 2\n\nLet the wise man guard his thoughts, for they are difficult to perceive, very artful, and they rush wherever they list: thoughts well guarded bring happiness.\nDhammapada, Sacred Books of the East 2\n\nFor with the Buddhist faith there came the germ of the belief that the Gautama Buddha in his own grandeur bore witness to One Greater - the Amitabha or Amida Buddha - that One who in boundless light abideth, life of the Universe, without colour, without form, the Lover of man, his Protector and Refuge. He may, He must be worshipped, for in Him are all the essential attributes of Deity, and He, the Saviour of mankind, has prepared a pure land of peace for his servants, beyond the storms of life and death. \nSHINRAN SHONIN, BUDDHIST PSALMS , TRANSL. S. YAMABE AND L. ADAMS BECK
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this question has brought out the degree of dogmatic pig headedness that if have come to expect here!!!!\n\nto answer your question, i once new a catholic priest who left the church to marry a buddhist lady. although he remained catholic, they respected each other and were secure enough in their beliefs to accept the differences. I don't thinkk that many who answeed this question are mature enough to manage this.
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from what you are describing I would recommend Buddhism but I could be wrong \n\ntry out this web site and see what your religion should be\n\nhttp://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
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http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/layguide.htm  <<< lay's guide to the monks' rules.\n\nwhat do they wear?\nmonks & nuns wear robes. colors depends on the different buddhist traditions.\n\nhe Lord Buddha gave this reflection about why a monk wears a robe:\nProperly considering the robe, I use it: simply to ward off cold, to ward off heat, to ward off the touch of flies, mosquitoes, simply for the purpose of covering the parts of the body which cause shame.\nIn the Lord Buddha's time, 2,500 years ago, clothing was made without complex machinery. (Although simple 'sewing-frames' are mentioned in the texts, which the monks would have used at robe-making - Kathina - time.) So the pattern of the robe is very simple and designed so that it can be made up out of patches of cloth, for discarded rags were often used after washing and dyeing. This 'yellow robe' is considered the banner of the arahant and emblem of Buddhism. For the ordinary Theravadin bhikkhu it is a privilege to be able to wear this robe, continuing the tradition and practising to be worthy of it. There are rules as to the robes' size, colour, how they are sewn, type of cloth used, etc., and how bhikkhus can acquire them.\nThe colour of the robes depends on the dye used. Until very recently, this would have been natural vegetable dye found in the jungle from roots or trees. (In NE Thailand, for example, we used the heartwood of the jack-fruit tree.) Nowadays chemical dyes are more used and sometimes give that more vivid orange colour that one sees in Bangkok. The colour white is used by Buddhist devotees to show their commitment to keeping the Precepts — usually the Eight Precepts — on Observance Days. (White robes are also worn by the anagarika, or postulant before he becomes a monk.)
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Buddhism is the only major religion which acknowledges a large area of ignorance about external matters. Unlike other religions, it does not even attempt to answer questions like 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' . Buddhism regards such questions as at best unanswerable and probably intrinsically meaningless. The only purpose of life is what we personally give to our own lives. Buddha suggested that the most meaningful use of life was to seek liberation from ignorance, suffering and the cycle of samsaric rebirth, both for one's self and others. But this 'meaning' does not reside 'in the sky' or in any way outside of the individual, and it cannot be imposed, but must be freely chosen.\nMost other religions go further than Buddhism, and if asked 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' will usually come up with an answer along the lines of 'To fulfil the will of God.' \nThis invites the further question of 'What is the will of God', which usually brings forth an answer to the effect that 'God's will is to create life, the universe and everything'.\n\nThere is a common belief that the need for God as an explanation of the unknown has been eliminated by science. This may well be so, but not all religions believe in a 'God of the gaps'. Buddhism can get along quite happily without needing to speculate on the existence or non-existence of a First Cause. The real threat to all religions comes not from the closing of the gaps which God used to occupy (such as origin of the species), but from the doctrine of mechanistic materialism, which teaches that there is no spiritual dimension to human life. Buddhism at present seems to be the only coherent philosophical system  which is capable of resisting materialism and emphasising human spiritual potential.\nMost religions teach that they are the one true path to salvation and all those people who chose (or were brought up in) the wrong paths will be judged by the True Religion's Founder and thrown into hell. This doctrine is known as exclusivism or judgementalism.  Buddhism is not exclusivist. To a Buddhist any person guided in their activities by compassion is regarded as following a beneficial spiritual path.\nWithin the various schools of Buddhism there is a great deal of variation in the belief in a Supreme Being. Beliefs range from atheism, through agnosticism, monotheism ('ground of being')  up to multifaceted aspects of Enlightened Mind.\nOne of the preponderant deities of Tibet is actually a Goddess - Tara, the compassionate rescuer and Holy Mother. She is often seen as being equivalent to the Virgin Mary in the Christian pantheon. \nAt a more philosophical rather than devotional level, there are certain difficulties with accepting the Judeo-Christian idea of an omniscient, omnipotent, logically necessary being or First Cause. Within Buddhist philosophy this view of God would be regarded as suffering from a number of internal logical contradictions, and possibly a rather dubious politically motivated history.
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There are many translations due to it's poetic nature. Here are a few:\n\n * Kavikratu Tattva Budh:\n\n    "Almighty Supreme Sun impel us with your divine brilliance so we may attain a noble understanding of reality."\n\n * Gayatri Pariwar:\n\n    "O God, Thou art the giver of life, the remover of pain and sorrow, the bestower of happiness; O Creator of the Universe, may we receive Thy supreme, sin destroying light; may Thou guide our intellect in the right direction."\n\n * William Q. Judge:\n\n    "Unveil, O Thou who givest sustenance to the Universe, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return, that face of the True Sun now hidden by a vase of golden light, that we may see the truth and do our whole duty on our journey to thy sacred seat."\n\n\n    "Oh matter-energy-mind (triple universe); Upon this worthy source of divine spiritual light, meditate: thus enlighten our intellect."
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In Buddhism, it is slightly different meaning. \n\n"Dharma" means teaching or "protection". By practicing Buddha's teachings we protect our self from suffering and problems. All the problems we experience during daily life originate in ignorance, and the method for eliminating ignorance is to practice Dharma.
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"The phrase NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO is taken from the title of the greatest teaching of the first historically recorded Buddha, known as Siddhartha Gautama or Shakyamuni Buddha, who lived in India around 500 years before Christ was born. This teaching, called the Lotus Sutra, declares that all living beings, regardless of gender or intelligence (that means everyone - including you and me!), have the potential to attain Buddhahood. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha teaches that inside each one of us a universal truth known as the Buddha nature. Basing our lives on this Buddha nature enables us to enjoy absolute happiness and to act with boundless compassion. Such a state of happiness is called enlightenment. It's simply waking up to the true nature of life, realising that all things are connected, and that there is such a close relationship between each of us and our surroundings that when we change ourselves, we change the world. \n\nIn the 13th Century, a Japanese priest called Nichiren (1222-1282) realised that the message of the Lotus Sutra was summed up by its title, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, which can be translated as the teaching of the lotus flower of the wonderful law. Nichiren declared that all of the benefits of the wisdom contained in the Lotus Sutra can be realized by chanting this title NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO. Since the time of Nichiren many, many millions of people have followed his advice, chanting NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO regularly as a means of improving their health, happiness, wisdom and compassion. The goal of chanting NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO is to manifest the enlightenment of the Buddha in our own lives. We can then realise our own creative potential as individuals and, in so doing, create thriving and peaceful families, work places and communities. Eventually this gradual transformation of individuals will create peace and prosperity in societies throughout the world."
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I believe in quiet meditation and personal spiritual well-being, kinda like Zen Buddhism I suppose, but officially agnostic.\n\nI really like the ideas in Buddhism wherein someone can personally acheive enlightenment by clearing their mind, doing good deeds, sharpening their senses, and enriching the world.  People should adopt this kind of thinking regardless of religion.\n\nI'm not an Anti-theist, since you really can't knock Buddhism >_>, but I hate other religions that proclaim their ideology over other people, even over common sense, or religions that make people dependent on God / Allah and helpless to make decisions themselves or improve themselves.  People need to think for themselves before begging for miracles and help from Jesus.
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It's not Buddhism because there are Buddhist warriors. Look it up. I would have to say the most peaceful religion is the one that no one practices.
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the Heart Sutra is the shortest and the most popular sutra in Buddhism. The six hundred volumes of the Maha Prajna Sutra are summarized by the Diamond Sutra in around 5000 words, and the Diamond Sutra is summarized by the Heart Sutra in around 250 words. The Heart Sutra is regarded as the summation of the wisdom of Buddha. It expresses perfectly the insight attained by non-attachment, the doctrine of emptiness.\n\nMany Buddhist around the world recite the Heart Sutra daily. However, they may not really and fully understand what it is. Some of them may have incredible response, and benefits. In Buddhism, reciting Buddha-name and sutra has great merit and virtues. And, it is one of the effective ways in cultivation of Buddhist Way. In nearly all Buddhist monastery and many Buddhist household, the Heart Sutra is recited by the people regularly on a daily basis.\n\nIf it is the first time you read Heart Sutra, you may find that it is difficult to understand because its way of thinking is different from the traditional ones. Therefore, you should be open-minded, and think deeply and carefully. The Heart Sutra reveals the entire secret of truth of the universe and life.\n\n*** \n- Prajnaparamita, usually translated as "Perfection of Wisdom", is the name given to a body of Mahayana literature to which the Heart Sutra belongs.\n-Bodhisattvas are mythical enlightened beings referred to in Mahayana literature. They're not supposed to be real beings (as the historical Buddha was) - rather they're idealized concepts to aid in the teaching and understanding of Buddhism. Avalokita is the Bodhisattva of Compassion.\n-Sariputra was a disciple of the historical Buddha, and probably really existed. He is traditionally believed to have originated the Abhidhamma method (the highly theoretical and analytic approach to Buddhism referred to in the introduction), and it is to him that Avalokita is supposed to be addressing this sutra (i.e. discourse).\n-Most people will have come across the word Dharma as a synonym for the teaching of the Buddha. However, the word literally means "law", and in Buddhist writing its meaning is even wider than that. The two occurrences of dharma in the Heart Sutra mean something like "any phenomena that can be perceived or conceived by the mind".
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First of all, the Buddha is a human being; he never claimed that he is a god. Although some Mahayana Buddhists pray to the Buddha, that does not necessarily mean that they believe him to be a god. On the other hand, Theravada Buddhists clearly claim that the Buddha is a wonderful "human being," not a god in any sense. The Buddha was a man who strove to find a cure for the pervasive and fundamental unsatisfactoriness of this worldly life. \n\n  Basically, Buddhism is an idea, not a religion in the strictest sense of the word. This is mainly because in Buddhism, you are kindly advised to try and see if it is good for your happiness or not. The Buddha repeatedly pointed out that "you should find out for yourself." If you find Buddhism to be a reliable and useful way to live a happy life, then follow it. If not, just drop it. There is no penalty (at all) for not believing in Buddhism. But Buddhists firmly believe that if anyone behaves badly, they will ultimately pay the price for their bad hehavior.\n\n  Next, the Buddha is also a state of mind. The Buddha taught that "there is a Buddha in each and every one of us." It is a state of mind in which we can restore our "essential oneness with nature" and realize that we and the world are one large family.  \n\n  As for "the Buddha's body in the temple," I believe that this refers to "the Buddha's bones" that some Mahayana Buddhists give special emphasis to. They believe that the almost-transparent bones reflect the long period of self-purification. Whether it is true or not, the bones are not related to the essential teachings of the Buddha. \n\n  The essence of the Buddha's teaching is as follows (according to the "Path of Truth"): \n\n "To refuse to do anything harmful,\n  To do everything helpful,\n  And to calm one's mind,\n  This is the teaching of the Buddhas." \n (my own translation)   \n\n  It may sound strange, but I have found many similarities between the Buddha's teachings and Wiccan beliefs. Basically, the two ideas share the belief that you should not do anything harmful to anyone. Unfortunately, some Buddhists have a rigid state of mind and do not tolerate other belief systems, but this is a shame. I don't think such an attitude is in accordance with the Buddha's teaching that emphasizes peace, compassion, and wisdom.\n\n  (I need to mention the case of a Buddhist nun who reproached Diane Stein for her interest in healing arts. The nun claimed that Diane's interest in healing was misplaced and that Diane should pay more attention to guiding other people to nibbana. I disagree with the nun. \n\n  In fact, I would like to ask the nun whether or not the Buddha would appreciate someone's efforts to end the physical and psycological suffering of someone else. I firmly believe that the Buddha would embrace the idea and extol it. This belief is based on the fact that the Buddha is a compassionate human being. It is highly unlikely that the Buddha enjoys seeing somebody suffer physically or psychologically. The first of the five precepts of Buddhism is "do not kill anybody (or any being)." The true meaning of this precept is, in my opinion, to respect life.\n\n  I think that the nun's attitude is based on the thinking that nibbana (or nirvana in Sanskrit) is the ultimate goal of Buddhism and that everything else is far less important than this goal. I disagree. The true meaning of nibbana is, in my humble opinion, to touch the "core of our soul," not to leave this suffering world. When we touch the core of our soul, we can truly see that everything in this world is beautiful by its very nature.)  \n\n  If you are interested in Buddhists' belief, then I recommend this wonderful book:\n\n  "The Dhammapada" Translated by Ananda Maitreya\n                   Foreword by Thich Nhat Hanh\n                   Published by Parallax Pre
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So Buddhism and Christianity by definition are different religions, and one should be careful when trying to "mix" them. For example, Buddhism does not believe in a "creator-God" who controls the world and similarly, Christianity does not believe in karma or rebirth. \nOn the other hand, it may not be a bad idea to look at what we can learn from each other: the beautiful Christian practice of helping others in need is just as useful to Buddhists, as Buddhist meditation techniques can help Christians.\n\nmeditation (there's nothing 'spiritual' or 'buddhism' about it):\nThe practice of meditation basically complements the inherent nature of your mind. The negative patterns that we talked about--aggression and anger--are not inherent characteristics of the mind. So when you practice meditation and begin to relate to the inherent state of the mind, these enlightened qualities can surface, and the intensity and frequency of the habitual patterns are subdued. Then you can discover such potential qualities as compassion and loving-kindness.\n\nprayer in buddhism:\nBuddhists don’t pray to a Creator God, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. Radiating loving-kindness to all living beings is a practice which is believed to benefit those beings.\n\nin buddhism: chanting mantra (prayer) & meditation compliment each other.\n\nin christianity: prayer is a communication with god. meditation is a stress relieving method (like yoga). they don't compliment each other by most christian denominations.\n\nin buddhism:\nUnlike other religions, it does not even attempt to answer questions like 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' . Buddhism regards such questions as at best unanswerable and probably intrinsically meaningless. The only purpose of life is what we personally give to our own lives. Buddha suggested that the most meaningful use of life was to seek liberation from ignorance, suffering and the cycle of samsaric rebirth, both for one's self and others. But this 'meaning' does not reside 'in the sky' or in any way outside of the individual, and it cannot be imposed, but must be freely chosen.\nMost other religions go further than Buddhism, and if asked 'What is the purpose of life, the universe and everything?' will usually come up with an answer along the lines of 'To fulfil the will of God.' \nThis invites the further question of 'What is the will of God', which usually brings forth an answer to the effect that 'God's will is to create life, the universe and everything'.