Buddhism Religion
Religion is defined as the “Commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance. A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” This definition is according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. In the world there is a variety of religions; each one with different beliefs, scriptures, holidays, and rituals. But my essay is going to focus in the fourth largest religion of the world which is Buddhism. This religion was founded by Gautama Buddha in the 6th century BC; however, nowadays it has 376 million of followers who do not worship any God. They follow the noble eightfold path to lead a meaningful existence. Buddhism emphasizes on experiencing, rather than teaching or learning. The Buddhism religion has its own practices, beliefs, and holidays.
Buddhis
m incorporates a diversity of practices and rituals. These are intended to support in the road to enlightenment, and bring loads of blessings on each person and others around you. Devotion is an important part of the most Buddhist practices. They are devotional practices such as bowing, offering, pilgrimage, and chanting. Also the intricate and detailed prayers form part of their rituals. The meditation practice is the central to nearly all forms of Buddhism. It derives directly from the Buddha’s experiences and teachings. Buddhist meditation is a form of mental concentration which leads the followers to the spiritual freedom. These are few of the Buddhism’s practices and rituals.
Furthermore, Buddhism is a very interesting religion concerning its beliefs. Buddha is their only Master; Buddhist followers do not believe in the existence of a God who created and ruled the universe. The purpose of the followers’ lives is to develop empathy for all living beings without prejudice, and to achieve their happiness and peace. Regarding human nature, Buddhism believes that a human being is constituted of fives elements, namely physical form, feelings, ideations, mental developments, and awareness, which were combined at the time of each individual’s birth. They also believe in reincarnation and karma; and they all accept the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. These are some of the basic Buddhist beliefs.
In addition, Buddhism religion has its own holidays and manners of celebrating them. Buddhists followers have the occasion to celebrate and enjoy themselves. These days are moments of joy and happiness. The connotation of these holidays is mostly religious with a typical celebration. A festival day normally begi
ns with a visit to the local temple, where people offer food and other items to the monks and listen to a Dharma talk. In the afternoon, they will commonly distribute food to the poor, just to receive merit. Then, in the evening there is a ceremony in which people walk around a temple three times in honor of the Three Jewels. Finally, the day comes to end with the chanting of Buddha’s teaching and meditation. Three of the many holidays that Buddhism religion has are Abhidhamma Day, which celebration is on the full moon day in October, Bodhi Day which consists in the enlightenment day, and then the Avalokitesvara’s birthday celebrated on the full moon day in March. The rituals and holidays of the Buddhism religion are very out of the ordinary.
I believe that Buddhism is a very outgoing religion. It is full of interesting and detailed beliefs, practices, and holidays that characterize it as unique. It would be a fascinating experience for me to travel to some of the countries where Buddhism’s practices and rituals are strongly established. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follow him, like a shadow that never leaves him.” These are words of the Buddhism’s founder Gautama Buddha.
Buddhis
m incorporates a diversity of practices and rituals. These are intended to support in the road to enlightenment, and bring loads of blessings on each person and others around you. Devotion is an important part of the most Buddhist practices. They are devotional practices such as bowing, offering, pilgrimage, and chanting. Also the intricate and detailed prayers form part of their rituals. The meditation practice is the central to nearly all forms of Buddhism. It derives directly from the Buddha’s experiences and teachings. Buddhist meditation is a form of mental concentration which leads the followers to the spiritual freedom. These are few of the Buddhism’s practices and rituals.Furthermore, Buddhism is a very interesting religion concerning its beliefs. Buddha is their only Master; Buddhist followers do not believe in the existence of a God who created and ruled the universe. The purpose of the followers’ lives is to develop empathy for all living beings without prejudice, and to achieve their happiness and peace. Regarding human nature, Buddhism believes that a human being is constituted of fives elements, namely physical form, feelings, ideations, mental developments, and awareness, which were combined at the time of each individual’s birth. They also believe in reincarnation and karma; and they all accept the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. These are some of the basic Buddhist beliefs.
In addition, Buddhism religion has its own holidays and manners of celebrating them. Buddhists followers have the occasion to celebrate and enjoy themselves. These days are moments of joy and happiness. The connotation of these holidays is mostly religious with a typical celebration. A festival day normally begi
ns with a visit to the local temple, where people offer food and other items to the monks and listen to a Dharma talk. In the afternoon, they will commonly distribute food to the poor, just to receive merit. Then, in the evening there is a ceremony in which people walk around a temple three times in honor of the Three Jewels. Finally, the day comes to end with the chanting of Buddha’s teaching and meditation. Three of the many holidays that Buddhism religion has are Abhidhamma Day, which celebration is on the full moon day in October, Bodhi Day which consists in the enlightenment day, and then the Avalokitesvara’s birthday celebrated on the full moon day in March. The rituals and holidays of the Buddhism religion are very out of the ordinary.I believe that Buddhism is a very outgoing religion. It is full of interesting and detailed beliefs, practices, and holidays that characterize it as unique. It would be a fascinating experience for me to travel to some of the countries where Buddhism’s practices and rituals are strongly established. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follow him, like a shadow that never leaves him.” These are words of the Buddhism’s founder Gautama Buddha.
One famous Buddhist quote: "The Four Reliances"
First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;
Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;
Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;
And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.
First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;
Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;
Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;
And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.
Bibliography:
Buddhist Temples. Buddhist facts. (s.f). Recovered on July 9 of 2010, from http://www.buddhist-temples.com/buddhism-facts/index.html
Buddhism. Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. (s.f). Recovered on July 9 of 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism#Practice
Annex:
The Noble Eightfold Path
In Buddhism, it is believed that one can escape from the vicious cycle of birth and death by following the noble eightfold path, consisting of the following eight steps:
• Right Actions
• Right Concentration
• Right Effort/Exercise
• Right Livelihood
• Right Mindfulness/Awareness
• Right Speech
• Right Thoughts
• Right Understanding
The Noble Eightfold Path
In Buddhism, it is believed that one can escape from the vicious cycle of birth and death by following the noble eightfold path, consisting of the following eight steps:
• Right Actions
• Right Concentration
• Right Effort/Exercise
• Right Livelihood
• Right Mindfulness/Awareness
• Right Speech
• Right Thoughts
• Right Understanding
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths, forming the essence of Buddhism, are:
• The Noble Truth of Suffering (Dukkha)
• The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering (Samudaya)
• The Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering (Nirodha)
• The Noble Truth that leads to the Extinction of Suffering (Magga)
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