why are buddhists called buddhists?
824055
Buddhists are called buddhists because they practice Buddhism.\nThe "-ist" suffix usually implies the practice of a particular behaviour, not whether you are for or against it!  Are cyclists opposed to bicycles? Are trombonists marching in the streets against trombones?(!)\n\nRacists practice racism, which is a negative behaviour.\nSexists practice sexism.\nViolinists practice the violin, but often not enough!\n\n\n\n\n\nFrom Bartelby.com: \n\nThe suffix -ist, which comes from the Greek suffix -istes, forms agent nouns, that is, nouns that denote someone who does something. Although -ist frequently forms agent nouns from verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, it has also come to be combined with words that do not end in -ize or -ism. In fact in some cases -ist can be used much like the suffix -er. In pairs such as conformer/conformist, copier/copyist, and cycler/cyclist, -ist and -er may be used interchangeably.
85837
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life.\nA Different Way of Faith \nThis makes Buddhism different from many other faiths for it is not centred on the relationship between humanity and God. \nBuddhism doesn't fit the pattern of other faiths and needs to be seen in its own terms to be understood properly.\nBuddhists do not believe in a personal creator God.\nIt does not have the concept of a Saviour, nor of Heaven and Hell in the popular sense. \nBuddhism doesn't demand blind faith or belief, and says that people should test its teachings against personal experience.\nThe Bare Essentials of Buddhism \n\n2,500 years old \n\n\n350 million Buddhists worldwide \n\n\nFounded by Siddhartha Gautama in India\n\n\nThe path to Enlightenment or Buddhahood is through the practice and development of morality, meditation, and wisdom.\n\n\nBuddhists do not believe in a creator God nor a personal God, but Buddhists are tolerant of those whose beliefs are different from theirs.\n\n\nBuddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent — change is always possible.\n\n\nBuddhism teaches that all life is interconnected, so compassion is natural and important.\n\nBeliefs\n\n  \n \n \n Tibetan monks use prayer wheel  \n \n \n\nSummary of the Teachings of Buddha\nAdmission to the monastic sangha involves two rites of passage: \n\nKarma: Actions have consequences; so our lives are conditioned by our past actions\n\n\nRebirth: Consciousness continues after death, and finds expression in a future life\n\n\nLiberation from karma: By following the Buddha's path one escapes the cycle of craving and suffering\n\n\nThe Four Noble Truths: The essentials of Buddhism\n\n\nEnlightenment:The highest goal of life is to reach Enlightenment; a state of being that goes beyond suffering\n\n\nDharma: The teachings and hence the way to nirvana\n\n\nThe Core of Buddhist teaching\nAt the heart of the Buddha's teaching lie The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path which lead the Buddhist towards the path of Enlightenment.\n\nFacing the Truth\nThe Buddha taught that the human tendency is to avoid the difficult truths of life and this in turn leads to suffering. \nBy enabling the mind to be at peace through meditation a human being can confront reality and overcome hatred and craving. \n\nfor more information visit :
920600
They had their own gods and because they didn't know of or believe in the Christian hell, chances are they didn't go there.\n\nIt was a Buddhist who once said, "All religions are simply different roads to the same place."
18527
There's actually an answer to this question, the problem is, it doesn't translate into English. The answer is "Mu" (in Japanese,  Wú orMou in Chinese). It's used as a response to certain koans and other questions in Zen Buddhism, intending to indicate that the question itself was wrong.
639063
Buddhism generally explain the cause of our existence , and how to end the rebirth cycle . The main core teaching of The Lord Buddha is the Four Noble Truth and the Noble Eight Fold Path . These teachings or Dharma preach by The Buddha teaches us on how to end our suffering by practicing Morality ( Sila ) , Samadhi ( Concentration ) and Panna ( Wisdom )\n\nFrom the Dharma that The Lord Buddha have preached to us , the cause of Suffering ( our existence ) is due to Tanha ( attachment ).  Literally , Tanha means thirst which covers all the senses of greed , lust , desire, cravings , and likes .\n\nWhen there is Tanha , there will be suffering . For example , people who are very greedy and love their money so much that they do not want to be apart . This is the attachment and when they loss their money , they feel very sad which is clearly a suffering to them . Or when one loss a love one , this is also a suffering because they are very attached to the decease .\n\nAs summary : Suffering is the cause of Attachment . Attachment is the cause of Wrong View . Wrong view is the cause of Ignorant . So , By learning and practicing the Dharma , one is expected to eliminate Ignorant ( Moha / Avijja in Pali Language ) which eventually , eliminates sufferings in the end . \n\nIt may be very hard to understand Budhhism here because you may not understand what i say here . However , what i have written here is only a very general idea on what Buddhism is since there are those who have already told you who the Buddha is .\n\nIf you are interested in knowing more about Buddhism , you can always attend to the nearest Buddhist temple or other Buddhist website. There is no regulation such as if you enter a Buddhist Temple , you must be a Buddhist . Every people ( from other religion or all walks of life )is allowed to come , investigate , question and study the Dharma ( teachings of the Buddha ) without the need to convert to Buddhism if he / she has no intention to do so .\n\nHowever , for those who wish to create havoc by questioning every thing about the teaching of the Buddha in which his / her objective is not towards the understanding of the religion but more to condemning the religion , i urge them all to be more understanding and stop their action as many people will be irritated or hurt by their words.\n\nSadhu , May all be well and happy ..
829648
Not sure what you mean, but Siddhartha (Buddha) was raised in the Hindu faith. A lot of the concepts of Hinduism have thus found their way into Buddhism.
123477
hi there, mehereintheeast.  I'm not sure exactly where you can take Chinese classes.  I took some Chinese a few years ago and the way I found a teacher was by going to the campus of a university and asking people who looked Chinese. (Amazingly, every person who I thought was Chinese was actually from China.)\n\nYou answered my question about Guru Rinpoche, and I have a few more questions about it.  Your answer implied that Buddhas are not monks.  Most forms of Buddhism consider Shakyamuni Buddha to have been a monk, and in the Pali texts, he refers to himself that way, as do his disciples.  Is there a different view in the Nyingma school?  In the present case, I am not calling only lamas monks, but all five levels of ordained practitioners as defined by Tibetan Buddhism. Also, is there any record of Padmasambhava having been ordained?  He trained at monasteries in India, but I don't think he was actually ordained.  And finally, have you had any contact with Tibetans, Nyingmapa or otherwise, who feel that his choice to have various female consorts prevents him from maintaining the status of being a monk?  I understand that some people there feel that way.\n\nThanks.
937621
Not really.\n\nMost religions use an external belief in a 'God' or 'Jesus' to develop love and morality in their minds.\n\nBuddhists believe it is up to the individual to develop these traits. That's why Buddhism is sometimes called 'mind training' or a philosophy and not a religion.
974104
You are both right.  It all depends on whether or not the practitioner is a believer or an atheist.\n\n If the practitioner believes in the Buddhist deities, then Buddhism is his/her religion. But if the practitioner is an atheist, then Buddhism is his/her philosophy.\n\n Its the same with Judaism. It all depends on whether or not the person is a believer or an atheist there too. If the person believes in God, then Judaism is his/her religion. But, if the person is an atheist, then Judaism is his/her culture.
9105
The Buddhist faith has many sects, as Christianity does, i.e., Catholics, Baptists (some sub-groups in that one), Latter Day Saints, etc.  Just as there are many "types" of bibles, such is true for Buddhism as well.  I belong to and practice Zen Buddhism, and Zen practitioners do not read some texts that say, Tibetan Buddhists do.\n\nJust my two cents...
1039816
There is no singular head of Buddhism. \nHis Holiness the Dalai Lama is only the religious leader of Tibet .
63572
It is a common error to include Buddhism in the category of 'faiths' or 'beliefs'.  \n\nThese terms refer to theistic religions - that is, religions based on gods,  whose existence is claimed on the basis of writings, 'revelations' by individuals ('such as 'prophets' etc.), even on the coincidental incidence of cataclysms etc. In other words, these religions are based on 'faith' or 'belief' - meaning simply on claim or assertion but without any irrefutable evidence.\n\nThe problem is that any or all of the claims of each of these such religions conflict with those of the others - even to the extent whether there is only one god or many, what he/they look like (whether, for example, with the head of a dog, like of Anubis the Egyptian god, or with the head of an elephant, like in Ganesh the Hindu god, or with the head of a man, as in the Christian, Muslim and Jewish god, etc. -  and they depend on their survival and spread on the brutal eradication of the other similar religions, all equally based on unsupported assertions. For instance, when Constantine the First became a Christian, he (but mostly his son) eradicated the existing Roman religion by intense persecution of the adherents of that religion. While western films have spread endless propaganda about the persecution of the early Christians (when they were a minority and powerless) by the Roman-religion-believing Roman Emperors, Hollywood's Christians have carefully avoided mentioning about the persecution BY the later (and then the dominant) Christians - how they intensively persecuted not only the Roman religion believers (throwing them in thousands to the lions in the same gladiatorial arenas etc.), but of EVERY other religion around the world ever since.\n\nThis pattern of one set of god believers attacking and eradicating other god-believers has been characteristic of the past two millennia since the birth of Christianity.\n\nBuddhism does not have such 'faiths' and 'beliefs', and the SUTTAS (the records of the discussions between the Buddha and his disciples) reveal how ENTIRELY rational, scientific and dispassionate they were - in contrast to the discussions between Jesus and his disciples (or the similarly unsupported statements by Mohammed), where he made totally unsupported assertions and his disciples were simply expected to accept them on his (unsupported) claim that he was a god's representative. (He did NOT claim that he was a 'son of a god, but EVERYONE was at that time supposed to be children of the god. Indeed, a modern re-reading of the Bible suggests that 'god 'was an alien, who inter-married with a 'daughter of man'!!).\n\nBuddhism's inherent pacifism made it an easy target for the god-believing religions' fanatic marauders, and the religion was eradicated from Iran, Iraq etc. right down to Indonesia (except for a few countries like Sinhalé (the correct name of 'Sri Lanka'), Myanmar (formerly called Burma), Thailand etc. The process of persectiion and forcible conversion - now using different weapons - is today being seen in intense use by Christians in the Buddhist countries, and Vietnam and Korea have already fallen victim to the modern Christian gladiators.\n\nWimal Ediriwira
654535
Buddhism is a philosophy, and so can be compatible with various religious beliefs. Christianity is a belief system, which makes it incompatible with other beliefs.
261909
Tripitaka, or Tipitaka (Sanskrit/Pali) is the earliest canon of Buddhism, made up of 3 parts.  This is held in high esteem by Theravada Buddhists, as well, I think, to all Buddhists.\n\nBut in addition to the Tipitaka, Mahayana Buddhists have MANY scriptures.  The Heart Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, etc.  And there are in fact so many Buddhist scriptures, that it would be difficult if not impossible to read them all in one lifetime.  Of course, particular scriptures are emphasized by particular groups of Buddhists.  Some works, like the Dhammapada, and sermons like the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma are going to be held in high esteem by most all Buddhists.
1117819
My dear friend, \n\nBelow I have done my best to try and explain the sects of Buddhism to level comprehensible to the general public; I sincerely hope it helps you.  [please note, that this was also my answer to another learned friend's question quite similar to yours]\n\nBefore I begin though, I would like to comment on the above learned peoples' answers.  I am sorry to say that you have yet to answer our friend's answer.  People come here, to the answers services because they have been unsuccessful in their quest for an answer; hence it is up to people who may know the answer to try and assist them in any way that we can, and not simply throw them more incomprehensible information.  This is something I wish to achieve in the below content.\n\nA period after the pir-nirvana of the Lord Buddha, the "Elders" and the "Novices" of Buddhism had an argument regarding the preservation of offerings for an overnight situation. This let to a fine separation into 2 factions of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahasamghika (Elders and Novices) - the terms used previously are given in the ancient language Sanskrit. In fact, the Mahasamghika was the stepping stone or hint that another form of Buddhism would take place, and that form would be known as Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism was introduced to the world by Nagarjuna Buddha (or Nagarjuna Bodhisattva - depending on tradition), and the Mahasamghika slowly dissipated into another form of Buddhism, known as Hinayana.\n\nSo to briefly bring things into perspective: Hinayana, Mahayana and Theravada. However, this is not the end yet. Some people actually place Theravada Buddhism under the banner of Hinayana Buddhism. So, there are mainly the two branches: Hinayana and Mahayana (but readers please take note, it is not that I am in total agreement of this; I merely wish to use it as an example to simplify matters). Now, to help you understand the differences. Places like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka, India etc are all examples where Hinayana Buddhism is prominent; their Dharma Robes are easily distinguished tending to look like a very large cloth wrapped around their body. Countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, Tibet, Japan etc are all examples where Mahayana Buddhism is prominent; their Dharma Robes are not so easily distinguished tending to vary from tradition, but one thing is certain, and that is they often have a look of Chinese Tang Dynasty Royal Family robes.\n\nWell, "is that all", you ask? No, because within the Mahayana tradition there is another lineage of Buddhism, known as the Tantrayana (or Vajrayana). All the countries mentioned in the category of Mahayana fit this description, but please take note that there is an extremely large amount of overlapping. And to complicate matter even further, these branches of Buddhism are separated in another general manner: Exoteric and Esoteric.\n\nSo to conclude:\nExoteric Buddhism - Hinayana Buddhism (Thailand, Sri Lanka...etc)\n- Mahayana Buddhism (Taiwan, Korea, China)\n\nEsoteric Buddhism-Tantrayana Buddhism (China, Tibet, Japan)\n\nRemember, it all depends in what context you are speaking of.\n\nI hope I have helped you, and would appreciate criticism and education from the learned friends of the world wide web.\n\nvhy
1182207
Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible.\nthe 'devotion' used in Buddhism is not one based on emotion, but one based on reason.\nA Buddha is not omnipotent or all-powerful; otherwise the Buddha would have ended all suffering in the universe....\nHe did not claim that he was a god, the child of a god or even the messenger from a god.\nWhen we bow, we express our gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the nature of Buddhist worship.\nWhen someone worships a god, they praise him or her, making offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will hear their praise, receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Real Buddhists do not indulge in this kind of worship.\n\nhence, the benefits of heart sutra is to understand our realities, not to 'pray' or 'worship' the words in the sutra.
56260
In short, buddhism is scary! The aim and object of buddhism is to eternally destroy your own existence by becoming nothing. They dont beleive in God so it is actually covered athiesm. Very dangerous. It looks like religion from the outside because they practice renounciation and they beleive in karma etc. but really it is only another form of athiesm.