Is Buddhism a religion ?

[PUNISHER]

There's just as much wrong with Buddhism as every other bullshit religion.
People act like Buddhism doesn't cause violence and is just a way of life, but it is a religion, plain and simple, and people do kill in the name of buddhism.

Anybody who says Buddhism is okay and Christianity is evil is a hypocrite. Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha .

It is a religion because it involves the elements of belief, faith and self- transformation, which do belong to some philosophies as such but which I believe are more characteristic features of religions. In all religions I would argue that faith and belief are paramount and also the self-transforming aspect. People turn to religion very largely because they want to "improve their life ", "their self " or their moral conduct or to take greater comfort in life. This is why religion is termed the 'opium of the masses' it is a 'bolster' which protects ppl from the bad times. At the very least, it offers that to ppl in the form of 'understanding which gives "comfort'. In this sense a religion is a set of beliefs which we take "comfort" from but which cannot be conclusively proved objectively as true or false.

excuse: "It's more a way of life than a religion". You can say that for any religion. I don't understand why people makes a difference between the cult and the moral of Buddhism and not with other religions. A moral, a good way of life have nothing to do with religion, and it's the purpose of this post . It's hypocrisy, nothing else. Buddhism has it's deities and dogmas, so it's a religion, it appears less armful to us surely because we are unaware of it's excesses. When you train monks to martial arts, you prepare yourself to use violence in some situation .

Bottom line is to not base your understanding of Buddhism on
some article, book, etc. that has some romanticized idea
of Buddhism just like other religions . Take a look at the actual doctrines and look
at the research done about gender discrimination, atrocities, wars,
etc.


PS : "All life is suffering, and we should want to escape the cycle of rebirth so we don't have to live in this world anymore" WTF !!

 

[PUNISHER]

While Buddha did indeed instruct NOT to worship him, Buddhism believes in miracles(Buddha's Bones , si li zhi , Buddha tooth ...ect ) They have a celibate, priestly class, who are considered superior. They have gold & jewel encrusted shrines & temples, in deeply poor countries. They indoctrinate children as young as 10, by accepting them in their celibate-for-life monasteries (cause, of course, every 10 year old can decide NEVER TO HAVE SEX) They take the tax breaks and legal protection of EVERY country AND where Buddhism is the dominant "practice" they are committing violence against non-believers. (Myanmar, Sri Lanka) so what part of THAT is NOT a religion?

 

[gymkhana]

Better not incur the wrath of these Buddhist extremists 969.
Best to each his own...salvation or damnation.

 

[drifteri]

Better not incur the wrath of these Buddhist extremists 969.
Best to each his own...salvation or damnation.

whoami,
A pot calling a cattle black...The hard truth..religions seperate people

 

[Agoraphobic]

Yes it is a religion.

I called my Thai associate to wish him a Happy Vesak Day not too long ago and his reply was that he will go to the temple to pray for better sales this year. He's got a lot of praying to do then.

Cheers!

 

[whoami]

whoami,
A pot calling a cattle black...The hard truth..religions seperate people

Hmm....i know u may be confused with religion. But i am not gymkhana ya.

 

[greedy and cunning]

Buddhism is NOT a religion.

 

[Agoraphobic]

Buddhism is NOT a religion.

How not so? Buddhists pray, or meditate, and hope that by doing good and being fair, they are somehow rewarded. All actions and activities of "Buddhists" indicate they believe in an afterlife, and what do you call those Buddhist temples where devotees go to pray and make offerings? Tell me, how is it NOT a religion.

Cheers!

 

[greedy and cunning]

How not so? Buddhists pray, or meditate, and hope that by doing good and being fair, they are somehow rewarded. All actions and activities of "Buddhists" indicate they believe in an afterlife, and what do you call those Buddhist temples where devotees go to pray and make offerings? Tell me, how is it NOT a religion.

Cheers!

there is no such thing as a devotee in Buddhism.
only master and disciple relationship.
going to temple , believe in after life , etc , don't make one a Buddhist.
doing good and being fair and hope to get rewarded is not a Buddhist.
if you see people doing all these and you conclude that they are Buddhist ,
then it is not hard for you to assume that people wearing white are saints.

 

[Agoraphobic]

Then what is a Buddhist?

I was told it is a philosophy. But my observances of people who call themselves Buddhists are like what I described. Besides, I looked up Wiki under Buddhism and they first sentence was "Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama,"

I am not here to judge what's a good Buddhist or not a good Buddhist, just answering to the thread's title.

Cheers!

there is no such thing as a devotee in Buddhism.
only master and disciple relationship.
going to temple , believe in after life , etc , don't make one a Buddhist.
doing good and being fair and hope to get rewarded is not a Buddhist.
if you see people doing all these and you conclude that they are Buddhist ,
then it is not hard for you to assume that people wearing white are saints.

 

[nirvarq]

六祖慧能 （Dajian Huineng） was Sixth and Patriarch of Zen Buddhism

Once he /spit on the Buddha statue... Carrrrpui !!!
A little monk, (lets call him Grasshopper) asked him.

"Shifu Shifu wtf ?!!"

"Grasshopper" 六祖慧能 said, 佛在心中(Buddha/Buddhism is in the heart) not in that scrape metal or statue, 不在虛空.

Buddhist do not take refuge in the Buddha with the belief that He is a god or son of god.

Just like meh the Buddha never claimed any divinity. Unlike me he was the Enlightened One, Compassionate, Wise, and Holy One who once lived in this world.

Buddhists do not pray to him for rewards or blessing. They recite verses or Sutras not for Supplication but as a means of recalling His great virtues and get inspiration to learn and follow His Teachings.


Buddhism became a religion when 达摩祖师 (Bodhidharma) reaches China from India. Instead of learning his teachings the Chinks incorporate 道教 Taoism into in by praying to him for blessing and give offerings then it spread to Burma Thailand, ASEAN, WESTERN world etc but the Westerners realise Buddhism is a Philosophy of life not a religion

Nowadays, people who understand the real doctrine of Buddhism 佛教教义 is rare.

Enlightenment begins with understanding.

阿彌陀佛 善哉善哉

 

[Agoraphobic]

Thanks for clearing the air. So Buddhism did not start off as a religion, but people took him as some kind of divine being and started to worship him. Then the people who have altars of the Buddha lining for example the top of their dashboards on cars don't really understand Buddhism but yet pray to him for his blessings have been misled, will true Buddhists correct them? Or would they opt not to intervene and let them find wisdom on their own?

Cheers!

................................Buddhists do not pray to him for rewards or blessing. They recite verses or Sutras not for Supplication but as a means of recalling His great virtues and get inspiration to learn and follow His Teachings.


Buddhism became a religion when 达摩祖师 (Bodhidharma) reaches China from India. Instead of learning his teachings the Chinks incorporate 道教 Taoism into in by praying to him for blessing and give offerings then it spread to Burma Thailand, ASEAN, WESTERN world etc but the Westerners realise Buddhism is a Philosophy of life not a religion

Nowadays, people who understand the real doctrine of Buddhism 佛教教义 is rare.

Enlightenment begins with understanding.

阿彌陀佛 善哉善哉

 

[kryonlight]

will true Buddhists correct them?

LOL! There is no such thing as a true Buddhist. Look, there are so many sects of Buddhism going around in this world. Do you know which sect is the true one? LOL again.

Look, if you are really interested in Early Buddhism, I suggest you go and read up the Theravada Pali Canon, which consists of many of the original recorded lectures of the Buddha. They are very readily accessible over at www.accesstoinsight.org.

 

[nirvarq]

Buddhism is base on the teachings of 3 basics of life : Hatred, Greed, Delusion/ignorance.

No Hatred: Do not hate anyone even if he/she tries to hurt you. Because if he understand the negative effects and repercussions of evil doings he will not do it. He's Ignorance. (Show him compassion and try to teach him.)

No Greed: Too much of everything is bad, too much food causees you stomach ache, too focus on making money and forget about family is bad, too much of anything is bad. Control and balance everything.

No Delusion: Ignorance of the law is not an excuse, same as because you are learning Buddhism doesn't mean you can forget your family and responsibilities and focus on one thing alone. Learn, work, Live life fully.

Finer or Advance Buddhism practice :
Mediate to improve focus of mind and thoughts.
Reading the scriptures of Buddhism to fine tune your thinking.
How to live out life per your own preservation or deliverance of Salvation.

Finally attaining Enlightenment (Knowing the true meaning of life, rebirth of thoughts, and accepting death and able to live in peace within in a chaotic world)


Because when you understand and can control Greed, Hatred, Delusion your mind is crystal clear, you can differentiate between lies and truth easily.
You will also be able to do the boring, tiring and tedious task with grace.
Everything can be learnt and when you've learnt it you can do it.

Its all within your grasp its just a matter of whether you want to or not.

Cheers !

 

[Agoraphobic]

Nope, not interested in learning from texts nor religious leaders -too much effort and time. I suppose there is no "True" any religion, or philosophy/lifestyle. As long as one is comfortable with it and finds peace with it, that's fine. I'm okay with the world as it is, we're all humans with our faults living our lives the best we can we whatever we have. Diversity makes life more interesting.

Cheers!

LOL! There is no such thing as a true Buddhist. Look, there are so many sects of Buddhism going around in this world. Do you know which sect is the true one? LOL again.

Look, if you are really interested in Early Buddhism, I suggest you go and read up the Theravada Pali Canon, which consists of many of the original recorded lectures of the Buddha. They are very readily accessible over at www.accesstoinsight.org.

 

[Agoraphobic]

...........................

Its all within your grasp its just a matter of whether you want to or not.

Cheers !

That makes sense. It's all up to the self.

I remember as a teen, I watched a kung-fu movie, I think it was called "Circle of Iron", starring David Carradine (fucker can't fight for jack shit really), and it was about this kung-fu guy going through a journey of searching for the "Truth." He had to fight many battles, endure many hardships, and finally he arrived at the temple and found the book of "Truth." Opening the cover, he saw a mirror, reflecting himself, he turned the page, and it was another mirror, flipping through further, all the pages were mirrors. At that time, I thought it was a fucked up movie, but looking back, it does tell us a lot.

Cheers!

 

[zeebjii]

Thanks for clearing the air. So Buddhism did not start off as a religion, but people took him as some kind of divine being and started to worship him. Then the people who have altars of the Buddha lining for example the top of their dashboards on cars don't really understand Buddhism but yet pray to him for his blessings have been misled, will true Buddhists correct them? Or would they opt not to intervene and let them find wisdom on their own?

Cheers!

I understand all believers want their religions to be special, to be distinct from others..but come on, use your brain! didnt buddha teach you that?

'Buddhism is not a religion, it 's a philosophy of lfe'

'Christianity is not a religion, it is my relationship with God'

'Islam is not a religion, it is a way of life'.

WTF!

See below, all three above check points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.


DEFINITION from dictionary.com:
noun
1.
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4.
the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.
5.
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

 

[drifteri]

Besides race, religion seperates people

 

[kryonlight]

DEFINITION from dictionary.com:
noun
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons

Scientific Materialism is as much a religion as any other.

Our current understanding of Quantum Mechanics says there is no support for the idea of a single-version, objective physical reality. Dualism, with consciousness being separate from materiality, cannot as yet be discounted.

 

[Agoraphobic]

I understand all believers want their religions to be special, to be distinct from others..but come on, use your brain! didnt buddha teach you that?

'Buddhism is not a religion, it 's a philosophy of lfe'....

No Buddha didn't teach me that, he and me, we never met. I read it somewhere.

Cheers!