What is Buddhism?
By dunnr1
@dunnr1 (24)
United States
May 5, 2007 6:30pm CST
What does it mean to be a buddhist? What are their beliefs?I'm interested in learning more.
6 responses
@josephperera (2906)
• Sri Lanka
19 May 07
I am a Roman Catholic who stongly believe in Buddhism. In a nutshell Buddhism says that for what you do there will be repurcussions. Good will be rewarded with good and evil will be retributed by evil. This cycle will go beyond the present birth.
@dangtrinh0612 (31)
• Vietnam
26 Dec 09
That's a good point in Buddhism, but just a small point.
I have one example for you. You do good things in this life, then you will be born in the next life (2nd life) with many benefits. But if you use the benefits and don't do good things regularly, your 3rd life will be worse. Even if you do good things in your 2nd life, there's still bad things you do that you don't realize (eating animals, killing ants or mosquitoes...) and you still receive some bad things in you 3rd life. It's a cycle.
The main purpose that most Buddhist follow is to totally release themselves from that cycle, from the good and the bad - which means to become a Buddha!
1 person likes this
@generalbuto (45)
• Malaysia
6 May 07
hey
i am a buddhist
actually a real buddhist is vegetarian ..
if you go to tibet, you can see monks who lead simple lives, where they eat no meat and they cannot receive donations from people.
buddhism is actually telling us to lead simple lives.
@dangtrinh0612 (31)
• Vietnam
26 Dec 09
I don't think so.
It's about releasing yourself from a complex life, but it's not about leading a simple life.
You can still work, earn money while practising Buddhism, as long as you can avoid being controlled by work or money or your ambition.
Buddhism can be different between places on Earth. Tibet is not a typical Buddhism country (and no country is typical for Buddhism, really!)
@pillusch (1147)
• Mexico
6 May 07
Buddhism has as its central idea that the 'ego' is imaginary, kind of a cosmic joke. The 'self' does exist, but whatever I perceive as 'I' is just imagination. Makes a lot of sense to me. But anyway, through the creation of this 'ego' there came suffering unto this world. Because the 'ego' desires, wants, and gets angry or nasty or whatever when it doesn't get that which it covets. Perfect bliss for example could be achieved by totally accepting that which is, without adding nor taking away. But that's kind of hard to do, isn't it?
@nonew3 (1941)
• United States
6 May 07
I know a tad little bit about Nicheren (spelling?) Buddhism. They follow the last chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and their chant is nam myo-ho renge kyo. I think Nicheren Buddhism is a Japanese sect.
I think it all depends on what branch of Buddhism it is. There are many sects of Buddhism.
@tangerine121 (51)
• China
15 May 07
In my view,buddism is a high level of compassionate, and people who can practiced being compassionate is a buddhist.
