Buddhism wot is it exactly?
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Buddhism is the name of the religion based on the teaching of the historical Buddha,  Gautama Siddhartha. It encompasses a great deal of teachings, but they can be summed up quite succinctly in two main themes. \n\n*Mindfulness \n ~ and ~\n*Compassion\n\nThese are the key to any Buddhist practice. \n\nHere is a little more detail, but for a good understanding, please see the links below.\n\nBuddha researched and came upon the Four Noble Truths:\n\n1) All worldly life is unsatisfactory, disjointed, containing suffering.\n2) There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha) rooted in ignorance\n3) There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.\n4) There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.\n\nThe Noble Eightfold Path as explain in the Four Noble Truths is:\n1 - Right Understanding - (samyag-dRSTi, sammaa-diTTi)\n2 - Right Thought - (samyak-saMkalpa, sammaa-saGkalpa)\n3 - Right Speech - (samyag-vaac, sammaa-vaacaa)\n4 - Right Conduct - (samyak-kalmaanta, sammaa-kammanta)\n5 - Right Livelihood - (samyag-aajiiva, sammaa-aajiiva)\n6 - Right Effort - (samyag-vyaayaama, sammaa-vaayaama)\n7 - Right Mindfulness - (samyak-smrTi, sammaa-sati)\n8 - Right Concentration - (samyak-samaadhi, sammaa-samaadhi)\n\nThe moral tenants of Buddhism are summed up in Sila, also known as the Five Precepts. \n1. To refrain from harming living creatures (ahimsa).\n2. To refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing).\n3. To refrain from sexual misconduct. (causing Physical, emotional or mental harm to yourself or others.)\n4. To refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat).\n5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness.\n\nThe basic practices differ from schools to school, but Mediation and the study of sutra are pretty much universal. \n\nPersonally I find Buddhism to be the most peaceful, selfless and 'real' religion I have ever read about or studied. \n\nI hope this helps.
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well, the main focus is on attaining enlightenment. it involves finding the "clear mind" state. the ultimate goal is to attain buddah status and freeing yourself from the cycle of dying and being reborn. karma plays a role, and any action has either positive or negative karma. karma decides what you will come back as and how good of a life you will have. the more good you do the closer to enlightenment you will come. rituals include meditation.\n\ni just read a really good book on buddhism that i would reccommend and it is called "how to practice" by the Dalai Lama. excellent read and very informative.
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Contemporary Buddhist practices differ from place to place. You should investigate which branch of Buddhism you're interested in and then research how well their practices reflect the foundations of either their branch or Buddhism as a whole.\nFor the most part, thought, Buddhists do practice what they teach.
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Buddha is believed to be the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Being. His teachings (Buddhism) originated in India but is more widely practised in other countries of south east Asia.\n--------\nWell, my two questions are:\n\na) How does one get over love and yet remain loving?\n\nb) What can strengthen a loveless child apart from love and care?
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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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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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I consider myself an atheist and a Buddhist. I read Batchelor's book a few years ago. It wasn't bad. My favorites:\n\nThe Dhammapada, translated by Easwaran\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dhammapada-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/0915132370/\n\nThe translation and introduction are terrific. Also:\n\nMindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Plain-English-Updated-Expanded/dp/0861713214/\n\nWhich can also be found online for free:\nhttp://www.budsas.org/ebud/mfneng/mind0.htm\nhttp://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html\nhttp://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Archive/G/Gunaratana/MindfulnessIPE/index.html\n\nBuddhism can be viewed as a secular philosophy or psychology, so I agree that it's perfectly compatible with atheism/agnosticism.
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Buddhism, because it's not as dangerous a way of life.
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Buddhism is Not a Religion.\n\nhttp://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/buddha.html#1  <<< who is buddha?\n\nBuddhism is a philosophy of life expounded by Gautama Buddha ("Buddha" means "enlightened one"), who lived and taught in northern India in the 6th Century B.C. The Buddha was not a god and the philosophy of Buddhism does not entail any theistic world-view. The teachings of the Buddha are aimed solely to liberate sentient beings from suffering. \nGautama Buddha taught the four noble truths: that there is suffering, that suffering has a cause, that suffering has an end and that there is a path that leads to the end of suffering. He saw that all phenomena in life are impermanent and that our attachment to the idea of substantial and enduring self is an illusion which is the principle cause of suffering. \nFreedom from self liberates the heart from greed hatred and delusion and opens the mind to wisdom and the heart to kindness and compassion. \n\nif you want to gain more insight into buddhism's wisdom, my advice to you is to find a temple or monastry near you, and ask a buddhist master directly. do not be afraid that they may 'recruit' you into buddhism. no obligation, really. you should have the 'look see' attitude. \nfor people who are new to buddhism, this is an advice: TRY TO BE CRITICAL at everything you see and hear, but do not be afraid to open yourself up, and give new ideas the chance to settle in; in other words, avoid accepting things before you have taken time to 'sit on it' (meditate), and also avoid rejecting things before you 'sat on them'. Especially if we grew up in a different religious tradition, our prejudices often go deeper than we think - be aware of your own mind. \nyou must remember that buddhism can't be told or taught. it has to be experienced.
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Basic Buddhist beliefs. \n\nThe Four Nobel Truths:\n1) All worldly life is suffering. Causing us to lead an unsatisfactory, disjointed life.\n2) Suffering is caused by the ego. Things such as attachment and desire are rooted in the ego through ignorance.\n3) There is a way to end suffering. \n4) The way to end suffering is found in the Noble Eightfold Path\n\nThe Noble Eightfold Path: (Divided into three categories)\n>Wisdom\n1) Right Understanding - Looking at the world without attachment and desire, without ego.\n2) Right Thought - Keeping the mind on what is at hand and being resolved on renunciation, freedom from ill will, and on harmlessness.\n\n>Ethical Conduct\n3) Right Speech - Abstaining from lying, divisive, abusive and idle chatter.\n4) Right Action - Abstaining from taking life, stealing and improper sexual activities\n5) Right Livelihood - Doing what is right with ones life.\n\n>Concentration or Mental Development\n6) Right Effort - A persistent desire and an matching endeavor to participate in proper activates the are good and just. \n7) Right Mindfulness - Remaining focused on ones actions, speech, thoughts and lively hood. \n8) Right Concentration - by abandoning all selfishness and adopting a heart of compassion, keeping ones mind on what needs to be do including the helping of others.\n\nTo sum all of this up and cover a few other basic ideas, Buddhists believes that all beings are united in this world, we are all a part of each other, thus the ego is in fact detrimental to our own happiness since if we embrace the ego, we will unintentional hurt others. And if we are all united, then we will in fact be hurting ourselves. \n\nBuddhists also believe that compassion is the key to happiness and that the Buddha Mind, that which we must nurture if we wish to become enlightened, is our natural state. As Michelangelo talked about stripping marble away from the sculpture the was contained within, so do Buddhists talk about stripping away the self to release the Buddha within. \n\nOn a more spiritual level, Buddhist generally believe in reincarnation, a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. When we reach enlightenment, this cycle is broken and we are able to move into the next step of existence, Nirvana. \n\nA few notes. Buddha is NOT god. Some Buddhist believe in a god or gods, others do not. The common factor is that the perception of gods or a god are that he/she/they are not responsible for us, but rather we are responsible for ourselves. Most Buddhist do not have faith in a god or gods in the traditional western sense. In fact, a god would be little more then a being that has exceptional y good karma and will one day be born again as a human. \n\nI hope this helps.
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I am going to tell you the truth, nothing but the truth.  Buddhism is a man made religion or man make God.  You can never reach the God through  Buddha.  Religion could be categorized into two, namely man-made and God's religion.  Your conscience would be able to tell you what is wrong or right.  God created us not Buddha, he is just a human like you and me.  If a person can be declared as a God after death, you and I and the rest of the people in the world will Gods and Goddesses.
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Core beliefs of Buddhism:\nBuddhism, like most of the great religions of the world, is divided into a number of different traditions. However, most traditions share a common set of fundamental beliefs.\n\nOne fundamental belief of Buddhism is often referred to as reincarnation -- the concept that people are reborn after dying. In fact, most individuals go through many cycles of birth, living, death and rebirth. A practicing Buddhist differentiates between the concepts of rebirth and reincarnation. In reincarnation, the individual may recur repeatedly. In rebirth, in a person does not necessarily return to Earth as the same entity ever again. He compares it to a leaf growing on a tree. When the withering leaf falls off, a new leaf will eventually replace it. It is similar to the old leaf, but it is not identical to the original leaf.\n\nAfter many such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana. This is a state of liberation and freedom from suffering. \n\n\n\nThe Three Trainings or Practices:\nThese three consist of:\n\nSila: Virtue, good conduct, morality. This is based on two fundamental principles: The principle of equality: that all living entities are equal. \n The principle of reciprocity: This is the "Golden Rule" in\nChristianity -- to do onto others as you would wish them do \nonto you. It is found in all major religions. \n\nSamadhi: Concentration, meditation, mental development. Developing one's mind is the path to wisdom which in turn leads to personal freedom. Mental development also strengthens and controls our mind; this helps us maintain good conduct. \nPrajna: Discernment, insight, wisdom, enlightenment. This is the real heart of Buddhism. Wisdom will emerge if your mind is pure and calm. \nThe first two paths listed in the Eightfold Path, described below, refer to discernment; the last three belong to concentration; the middle three are related to virtue. \n\n\n\nThe Four Noble Truths:\nThe Buddha's Four Noble Truths explore human suffering. They may be described (somewhat simplistically) as: \n\nDukkha: Suffering exists: (Suffering is real and and almost universal. Suffering has many causes: loss, sickness, pain, failure, the impermanence of pleasure.) \nSamudaya: There is a cause for suffering. (It is the desire to have and control things. It can take many forms: craving of sensual pleasures; the desire for fame; the desire to avoid unpleasant sensations, like fear, anger or jealousy.) \nNirodha: There is an end to suffering. (Suffering ceases with the final liberation of Nirvana (a.k.a. Nibbana). The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. It lets go of any desire or craving.) \nMagga: In order to end suffering, you must follow the Eightfold Path. \n\nThe Five Precepts: \nThese are rules to live by. They are somewhat analogous to the second half of the Ten Commandments in Judaism and Christianity -- that part of the Decalogue which describes behaviors to avoid.\n\nDo not kill. This is sometimes translated as "not harming" or an absence of violence. \nDo not steal. This is generally interpreted as including the avoidance of fraud and economic exploitation. \nDo not lie. This is sometimes interpreted as including name calling, gossip, etc. \nDo not misuse sex. For monks and nuns, this means any departure from complete celibacy. For the laity, adultery is forbidden, along with any sexual harassment or exploitation, including that within marriage. The Buddha did not discuss consensual premarital sex within a committed relationship; Buddhist traditions differ on this. \nDo not consume alcohol or other drugs. The main concern here is that intoxicants cloud the mind. Some have included as a drug other methods of divorcing ourselves from reality -- e.g. movies, television, the Internet. 1 \n\n\nThe Eightfold Path:\nThe Buddha's Eightfold Path consists of:\n\n Panna: Discernment, wisdom: 1) Samma ditthi Righ
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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.\nbuddha is not a god. he is a teacher.\nTo 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:\n\n(1) to lead a moral life,\n(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and\n(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.\n\nBuddhism 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.\nBuddhism 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.\nScience 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 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.
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This is the path that is taught by the Buddha.  It is the noble 8-fold path.  This is also taught by many many religions in various ways.  The Bible says "moderation in all things."  Judaism teaches the middle way.  It is a wise way to live without having extremes of indulgence nor extremes of asceticism.
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Buddhism is a nontheistic religion and philosophy focusing on the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni (Pāli:Sakyamuni), born Siddhārtha (Pāli: Siddhattha) of the Gautama (Pāli: Gotama) gotra, who probably lived in the 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient Indian sub-continent in the five centuries following the Buddha's death, and propagated into Central, Southeast, and East Asia over the next two millennia. Today, Buddhism is divided primarily into three traditions: Theravāda (Sanskrit: Sthaviravāda), Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. Buddhism continues to attract followers worldwide, and, with around 708 million followers, it is considered a major world religion.\n\nA Buddha is considered to be a person who discovers the true nature of reality through years of study, investigation of the various religious practices of his time, and meditation. This transformational discovery is called bodhi or "enlightenment". Any person who has, without the instruction of others, become awakened to the principles of the Dharma, is called a buddha. Śākyamuni is said to have been only the latest of many of these; there were other buddhas before him and there will be others in the future. According to the Buddha, any person can follow his example and become enlightened through the study of his words, and by leading a virtuous, moral life. In general, the aim of Buddhist practice is to end all kinds of suffering in life. To achieve this state, adherents seek to purify and train the mind by following the Noble Eightfold Path, and eventually to gain true knowledge of reality and thus attain liberation: nirodha or nirvāṇa(Pāli nibbāna).
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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'.
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It's spelled "Buddhism".  Wikipedia is a good start.  There are in general two forms of Buddhism: Mahayana <great/wide path or \nHinayana <narrow path.\nMahayana practitioners are to wait for all other sentient beings to attain Buddhahood/Nirvana before they go themselves.  \nHinayana practitioners are working toward their own individual Buddhahood/Nirvana.