Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Need for a very simple Buddhist FAQ
Brian
Detroit, MI Moderator
We should have our own brief FAQ about Buddhism, unique to this site.
There are a lot of FAQs out there, believe me, I found them all when I was getting interested in buddhism.
I guess more than an FAQ I'd like to come up with 10 common misconceptions about Buddhism or maybe that's a seperate document.
Any ideas?
There are a lot of FAQs out there, believe me, I found them all when I was getting interested in buddhism.
I guess more than an FAQ I'd like to come up with 10 common misconceptions about Buddhism or maybe that's a seperate document.
Any ideas?
0
Comments
off the top of my head to start:
So, are you some sort of athiest? or So do you worship Buddha or something?
(I get questions like that alot posed to me, so I'm sure those misconceptions are rampant)
The movie anger management really screwed it up bad. Adam Sandler is like "If Buddha was all about self control and restraint and whatever, why does he weigh 600lbs?" and the monk is like "Are you making fun of my god?"
I was cringing at that part, thinking "oh jeez. first they think the fat guy is the buddha, and now they are making him into a god"...... oh how that sucked for me
2. What is meditation anyways?
Feel free to chime in any time now people
as I saw from what Brian said in another thread
3. What is the buddhist "bible" ?
anyways, those are all good ideas.
I guess the number 1 question I get asked most often is: "Do Buddhists believe in God"?
Also: "What's the fat guy in chinese restaurants? Is the fat buddha the real buddha?"
"Religion:
• noun 1 the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. 2 a particular system of faith and worship. 3 a pursuit or interest followed with devotion.
— ORIGIN originally in the sense life under monastic vows: from Latin religio ‘obligation, reverence’.
I then looked up Phylosophy, and learnt I'd got the spelling wrong.....
"Philosophy
• noun (pl. philosophies) 1 the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. 2 the theories of a particular philosopher. 3 a theory or attitude that guides one’s behaviour. 4 the study of the theoretical basis of a branch of knowledge or experience.
— ORIGIN Greek philosophia ‘love of wisdom’.
Obligation and reverence, coupled with Love of Wisom sounds really lovely to me....!
Don't you all believe in reincarnation?
Where's the morality in Buddhism? No 10 Commandments?
Isn't this just a way to evade responsibility to God?
If you don't believe in the Bible, why do you believe those stories about Buddha?
Slightly, yes. Buddhism asks you to believe in nothing. It asks you to seek out only the truth that you can experience and find yourself. Theistic religions take that away from us and make certain elements of the total life experience beyond our control. I do not accept, and I do not approve of that.
From a "belief" standpoint, we have the many suttas in which the buddha himself related tales of hundreds of his past lives.
From a scientific standpoint, there are far too many documented, verifiable incidents for me to not be absolutely convinced. The most well known is probably the current (14th) Dalai Lama. When he was only three years old, monks who had been travelling Tibet looking for the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama sought him out. They carried with them many of the 13th Dalai Lama's personal effects, such as his reading glasses, his cane, etc. They also brought many duplicates of the items that had never belonged to the Dalai Lama. As a test, they would set these items out in front of this toddler and tell him to bring them "his" glasses, "his" cane, etc. He got the items 100% correct.
Then, we have the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson. Omni magazine interviewed him for his groundbreaking work in 1988. He studied past-life recall not from the standpoint of hypnotized adults, but from children all over the world (including the US). He would seek out and document children who had "fresh" recall. He would verify the information they gave, using accepted scientific methods. It is fascinating work, and to me leaves no doubt that there is verifiable scientific proof of reincarnation.
The morality? There are the five precepts and the eightfold path.
not at all. It is a way to TAKE responsibility for yourself. In that regard, you are directly accepting responsibilty from God.
I don't believe the bible because the bible, when all is said and done, asks you to have faith that these irreconcilable dichotomies are to be ignored. The bible has been translated and retranslated so many times as to lose credibilty by virtue of human error. The bible has been used by men of power to indoctrinate and bend to their will, illiterate and non-thinking people of various eras (such as the one we live in right now). The stories about the buddha on the other hand, stand up to the scrutiny of logic. They ask nothing of you. They demand nothing of you. They simply suggest that, if you so choose, you can become a perfect human being.
Excellent questions, Matt!
Haha, good timing Brian
Matt, I will answer your questions, as well as I can, but I emphasise that I'm only answering for myself....
At the time of Buddha, the Christian and Islamic beliefs had not come about, as we know them today.... Hinduism and Judaism were the only two, and due to distance and lack of obvious communication, it was difficult to establish a communicative connnection between the two. It would be more apt to ask if these faiths conflict with Buddhism.... For my part, I believe that the fundamental message of any faith is to treat your fellow man as you yourself would wish to be treated. An awful lot of Ego and Human doctrine has got in the way to obscure the fundamental and original message of most - if not all - the major faiths.
Strictly speaking, Buddhists do not speak of re-incarnation (litterally meaning 'making flesh again'.) There is however a strong leaning towards 'Re-BIRTH. Any Physics scientitst will tell you that Energy - as a force - can neither be created, or destroyed. The energy they speak of is what Indians refer to as Prana, and in the Orient, as Chi or Ki. No matter what its' label, without it as a propelling force, we are dead meat - !! When the body dies, it is believed that this energy transforms into a fine substance, which then energises at another moment of conception. To explain it in simple terms, take a lit candle. Use its' flame to light another candle, then blow the original candle out. Is the second flame the same one, or a different one.....?
Read the Eightfold path - or 'Right Everything' as one lady refers to it. these are the guiding principles for every person who decides to follow the Middle Way.... They are not commandments, although for ordained Monks and Nuns there are sets of rules. But the Eightfold Path is a set of Guidelines....Buddhism is about looking within, and seeking to do what is good and best according to your own conscience and behaviour..... you effectively have a choice, through which you create a consequence.....
It is "easy" to 'divest' the responsability and attest that things are God's Will....and as you know, fundamentalists will take things to extremes, by adhering to the strict word of the Holy Book. And sometimes they get it wrong. Everybody does, but Buddhists do so because they screw up! There is the story of the evangelical fundamentalist who seeking to follow God's Word, opened the bible at random, and read 'And Judas took the rope and hanged himself.' Convinced God had not instructed him as he had hoped, he shut and re-opened the bible. The next words his eyes alighted on were 'Go ye and do likewise.' !! I'm sure the story is apocryphal, but there are times when you have to make your own sack and carry it....!
Buddhism isn't necessarily built on belief. There are many stories in the Bible which were written as a guideline and a simple way of teaching the faithful. The parables for example, and although many of the stories in the Old Testament have a grain of truth, they have over the centuries been subject to enhancement and exaggeration... The Buddha was just a man, and never set himself up as anything else. This is why you are Buddha, and so am I. You are fundamentally perfect, and good, and wise, and just, and wonderful. And so am I. It's just that I let crap get in my way, and I forget to reveal my true self, because I'm so hung up on what I see as important, that I forget it's actually trivial, transitory & impermanent!
You mean you don't? Am I doing this all wrong!?
What is the meditation ?
“Meditation, in the Buddhist sense of the word, is not mere desultory reflection but a
severe exercise in attention, discipline of will and mind, and concentration of thought.”
The purpose of meditation
What is the purpose of practicing Buddhism ?
The ultimate goal for all Buddhists is Nirvana, the permanent place of refuge from samsara that is outside the three worlds and does not comprise of any of the five elements.
How can one reach or obtain Nirvana ?
It is a tough issue. Reaching Nirvana takes a lot of years, a lot of aeons and mahakalpas to be precise.
What does one need to do to start ? Or continue what you've done from your past lives. ?
The practice of Middleway (Majjhima Patipada) and the avoidance of two other paths which Lord Buddha had gone through before and marked them as dangerous.
They are:
1. the Path of sensual Pleasure
2. The path of practicing self-mortification
The Basic Three practices:
1. Practice Meditation
2. Practice keeping the five precepts*
3. Practice generosity
The practice of the Noble Eightfold Path:
(1) Sammā DitLtLhi (Right Understanding);
(2) Sammā Sankappa (Right Aspiration);
(3) Sammā Vācā (Right Speech);
(4) Sammā Kammanta (Right Conduct);
(5) Sammā Ᾱjīva (Right Livelihood);
(6) Sammā Vāyāma (Right Endeavour);
(7) Sammā Sati (Right Mindfulness); and
(8) Sammā Samādhi (Right Concentration).
Could you please elaborate what does the Noble Eightfold path require us to do ?
You can define the components of the Eightfold Path in terms of practice at two levels: Low(worldly) and high (transcendental)
1.Right understanding(Low) At low level Right view means having the discretion to believe in the working of karma: that doing good deeds will merit good outcomes and that evil deeds will cause unfortunate retribution
Right understanding(high): At high level Right view means the ultimate wisdom based on an attainment of Nirvana, which is devoid of any further influence of ignorance (avijja) or defilements (anusaya)
2. Right aspiration/Intention (low): At low level Right aspiration means having the wholesome intention to be generous, keep the five precepts, renounce the world to become a monk, avoid taking advantage of other people or animals
Right aspiration(high): At high level Right intention means the intention to dedicate oneself entirely to the attainment of Nirvana
3. Right Speech: Right Speech means avoiding the four types of False Speech:
1. Telling Lies (Musavada)
2. Divisive Speech (Pisunavaca)
3. Swearing (Pharusavaca)
4. Idle Chatter (Samphapphlapa)
4.Right conduct: right conduct means practicing the three wholesome physical deeds, namely:
1. Refraining from killing or physically torturing other living beings (panatipada)
2. refraining from stealing or obtaining things in a dishonest way (adinnadana)
3. Refraining from sexual relations outside marriage (Kamesumicchara)
Furthermore, one must not consume intoxicants such as alcohol that lead to heedlessness
5.Right Livelihood: Right live-hood means earning one's living in an honest way -- and in a way that avoids evils like telling lies, deception. For lay people the Buddha prohibits the following trades:
1. Selling weapons
2. Selling people (as slaves)
3. Selling animals (live ones for slaughter)
4. Selling alcohol or drugs*
5. Selling poison
6.Right Effort/Endeavor: Right Effort means endowing oneself with four sorts of striving:
1. Avoidance of evils not yet done
2. Abandonment of evils already done
3. Development of virtues not yet done
4. Maintenance of virtues already mastered
7.Right Mindfulness(low): At low level Right mindfulness means mindfulness that keeps our mind on wholesome thoughts liek that of meritorious actions like generosity, keeping the precepts, thinking of the Triple Gem, thinking of those whom you have a debt of gratitude like your parents or teachers
8.Right concentration(low): At low level Right concentration means determination of mind to be generous, keep the precepts, meditate, listen to Dhamma sermons. Such determination is a precursor of concentration called 'Khanika-samadhi'.
Right Concentration(high): At high level Right concentration means attaning neighborhood concentration(upacara-samadhi) and attainment concentration(appana-samadhi) -- the former means concentrating the mind to the degree that is so stable it rests on the brink of the 'absorption the latter means attaining the absorptions, from the first absorption upwards.
Cultivating Pāramitās
(1) Dāna (Charity)
(2) Sīla (Morality)
(3) Nekkhamma (Renunciation)
(4) Paññā (Wisdom)
(5) Viriya (Energy)
(6) Khanti (Fortitude)
(7) Sacca (Truth)
(8) AdhitLtLhāna (Earnest Resolve)*
(9) Mettā (Compassionate love)
(10) Upekkhā (Equanimity)Without these resources at one's command it would be futile to try, for they are the very qualities, in fact, which make a man intelligent, without guile, a non-deceiver, and upright.
Does
Buddhism seem too pessimistic ?
No. Buddhism does not emphasize on non-self, suffering and impermanence. Lord Buddha emphasize more on Self, Happiness and Permanence which he wants us to realize for ourselves.
Does other universes and world systems exist ?
Yes they do exist, so many in fact they are uncountable.
1) Does heaven and hells exist ?
2)I heard there are many levels of heavens and hells is that True ?
3) What factor determines one stay in the heavens ?
Yes, heavens and hells do exist and they're classified into many different levels and merit is the dominant determinant for a being rebirth in heavens or hells.
In Vertical Cosmology:
The Buddha's teachings about samsara and the universe seems limited is there more to what he teaches ?
Yes. There are many more knowledge to be learned about samsara and the universe. What the Lord Buddha taught is just for sentient beings to reach enlightenment. And below is a quote which the Lord Buddha had said.
Note: I couldn't find the more actual and realistic words so I've reworded them according to my memory. If anyone could find the actualy quote I would be very grateful.
Status: 40% completed
Do you have anything to add on ? Please share
Sources: 1) The Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta.
2) Documents from Triple-gem.net
Thank you
Do you have anything to ask ? Perhaps I could put it in my post above
To Whom does this thought arise?
Or: Is samsara a necessary part of the dharma or just extra baggage?
Or: Why is it that people from a different time and with radically different values than the people living in the time of Siddhartha Gautama feel that they can rightly judge him using the values of our secular culture? I mean, the man left his small child and wife in luxury and took on the life of a forest dweller? Seems like an act of self-sacrificing love to me, not anything like a deadbeat dad. Go figure the arrogance of our times.
Nice questions there Nirvana
But these questions requires higher insight and wisdom to be answered.
Of course, only the individual person can answer Ramana Maharshi's question, but the second and third are just matters of opinion, I believe. In fact, the second question is basically a yes-or-no one.
C'mon! You really can do this, kind sir!
I really couldn't think of any more genuine questions, so please don't think I'm trying to test you. That is not the case, I assure you. Opinions are also answers to questions. All you have to do is either preface your answer with the statement that it is your opinion (whether mere opinion or strong conviction, you need not mention if you don't care to) — or conclude with such a statement. Please don't conclude that I am an arrogant person simply because I sometimes post IMNSHO (In my not-so-humble opinion). That is just a way of expression when I am dead-sure. Actually I dislike arrogant people and do not suffer them gladly. Fortunately they are fewer and fewer as the years go on, because the most arrogant are now by far my juniors, usually being of the male gender, between the ages of 13 and 26.
Or: Is samsara a necessary part of the dharma or just extra baggage?
In my opinion, Samsara is a part of Dhamma. The Dhamma is the truth of life, truth of reality, truth of samsara, nirvana, hells, heavens which is eternal and everlasting.
As time passes, the thoughts and mind-sets of people will change. In the present antarakalpa, we're at the point where human lives decrease by one every 100 years because of worse morality.
Sorry for the extensive quote but I found this rather informative and explaining why we our thoughts changes from time to time.
I guess it was a bit unfair of me to toss this your way, since out of context it's like asking about the sound of one hand clapping.
I'll have to ponder your other answers before I get back to you, although I expected that you'd do the thinking yourself. Hey, but there's always another day. Just because you go through the motions of answering a question doesn't mean your work is done.